ECA Review 2018-11-22

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2 N o v e m b e r 2 2 ' 1 8 H A N N A / C o r o n a t i o n / S t e t t l e r , A b . E C A r e v i e w Kneehill County considers next year’s budget Terri Huxley ECA Review The Municipal Government Act (MGA) Water rates increase Terri Huxley ECA Review Kneehill County residents will be seeing an increase in their water bills beginning Jan. 1, 2019. During the Oct. 9 regular meeting, council moved to bring back the Master Rates Bylaw when there may be a water rate change from the Aqua 7 Regional Water Commission. Since then, the Commission has sent a letter notifying the County of their increase which they had been anticipating. The letter stated they will be increasing their rates by five per cent which means they will be charging $3.23 per cubic metre once January 1 hits. There was discussion amongst council to have all rates the same within the county but they were also concerned about the dramatic increase, opting for gradual increments as best they could instead. As it stands, utility accounts for Wimborne and Huxley will be set at $2 per cubic metre for the first 100 cubic metres on a bimonthly basis. All other areas including Torrington will be $3.50 per cubic metre for the first 100 cubic metres bi-monthly. Anyone who exceeds the 100 cubic metre limit is charged $9 per cubic metre. Bulk Water rates are set at $5 per cubic metre with a limit of 50 metres monthly. Anyone who exceeds this amount will be charged $9 per cubic metre. These rate increases outlined in the master rates bylaw has covered the cost that council was presented with. Deputy Reeve Faye McGhee moved to receive the request for decision as information and to not make any changes to the current master rates bylaw as current rates will cover the commissions rate increase. Potential logo identity change Michael Dangelmaier, Kyro/Rain 51 presented an Identity Development & Branding presentation to council. Three different logo options were presented with inspiration coming from other municipalities and organizations within the province. All three options are not finalized but it gave council an idea of the direction they may be heading in. If one of the three designs is chosen, they will continue to requires a Municipality to adopt a Capital Budget annually and allows the adoption of an interim operating Budget. manipulate the image to solidify a new look. The largest issue with the current logo is the poor quality of reproduction. Dangelmaier presented a number of neighbouring communities with unique designs that could play a part in the county’s new design like Rocky View County, the Village of Carmangay, Town of Sundre, and Canadian Badlands. “The ones that tell the best stories can only do so if they are designed in a way which allows them to be utilized on everything from a golf ball to an embroidered jacket to the side of a truck,” Dangelmaier said. The current logo utilizes the physical boundary of the area to accompany the name which Kneehill County along with other areas have done. The presenter emphasised on turning the logo into a glimpse of what the county is like and to tell a good story. Logo number 1 took a modern, less formal take, highlighting the four coloured strips above the wording to represent the sunshine, sky, grass and cropland, and earth and bentonite. Logo option number 2 had an icon hovering above wording. The icon is meant to represent the dominant regional geographic features of the sky, hills, coulees and streams. Both upper and lower case is used. Logo option number 3 had three graphic hills and a long sweeping K to start the beginning of the logo. The typeface was used to represent the western heritage and values of the region. “What we have the opportunity to do here is create a new face that talks a little bit more about what it’s like here, the opportunity here, what does it feel like, and at the same time eliminate some of the challenges that we currently have with readability and reproducing formats,” said Dangelmaier. “There is some creativity in there and that’s what we are kind of looking for. I think We are looking to change things up. We are celebrating our 75th anniversary and I think it’s the perfect opportunity to give us a new look,” concluded Reeve Jerry Wittstock. As part of the 75th anniversary of the county, the interim budget has allocated an estimated $103,000 to pursue this new branding initiative. Kneehill County In the spring of 2019, final numbers regarding assessment and education requisition will become available and at that time the tax rate bylaws can be considered and the Final Operating Budget can be approved. Council pay will increase by three per cent next year but the pay is now taxable as a part of new rules set by the federal Government. Communications items For communication items, a new website launch is expected in 2019. Expectations of this new site will include integrated videos, clearer navigation paths through a simpler design and mobile app capability. The Non-Tangible Capital Asset Project, a carry forward amount from 2018 will be used to front the $40,000 expenditure. Rebranding along with the 75th anniversary of Kneehill has been a constant project for the communications division. The County estimates $103,000 for the rebranding and marketing of the brand plus an additional $20,000 towards the actual anniversary. Communications Officer Debra Gros mentioned these numbers can be spread over a three to five year time frame as well. A meeting management system was mentioned as an important item for some councillors. The purpose of the new meeting management system is to create efficiencies for staff that are involved in the meeting management process. It will include full legislative meeting support, robust end-toend pre and post meeting management and user configurable workflow support. There will also be live meeting support, including roll call, minute capture, electronic voting, quorum etc. Money has also been allocated as they seek a new Chief Administrative Officer. Highway signage Highway signage is expected to reach $234,000. There are currently six large signs bordering the area as well as several other smaller signs. Transportation The transportation portion of the budget is largely dedicated to staff, roads and bridges. The county currently has 33 full-time staff that cover the outside work, administration and maintenance shop. Eight seasonal workers are hired annually as well. In total, $3.8 million will be spent on salaries alone. Road maintenance regarding emergency events like flooding or landslides is budgeted for $131,000 and General Services is budgeted for $306,809. The total Transportation Operating Expense comes to $7,132,345. Capital projects also take up a large portion of the transportation budget with work being 18113AX0 prepared for in Swalwell, new highway signage, road rebuilds at Sharples, Range Rd 24-4 / 24-5, Dunphy Bank Stabilization, road engineering at Twp Rd 31-0, from Hwy 21 to Hwy 836, Micro Surfacing 19 kilometres of road in various parts of the County, a shoulder pull contract for 72 km of road near Carbon/Swalwell correction line, gravel purchases, equipment replacements, bridges, and facilities upkeep. Environmental Services As for Environmental Services, Water and Wastewater operations will be a top priority as well as solid waste management and capital projects. Pumphouse and Reservoir Fencing was identified through the Drinking Water Safety Plan. A $100,000 budget for fencing off the Huxley, Wimborne, Torrington, Selkirk, Gamble, and Sunnyslope Reservoirs and Pump Houses will include installation of a six foot chain link fence with barbed wire top and vehicle/ man-gated access. The parks budget has adjusted the Orkney Water, Sewer and Garbage to reflect usage and has adjusted the Horseshoe Canyon line items to reflect the actual upkeep and maintenance Costs. Two capital project’s they hope to work on this coming year is the Keiver’s Lake Chalet and Horseshoe Canyon crosswalk installation. Turn to Fire, Pg 6
E C A r e v i e w H A N N A / C o r o N A t i o n / S t e t t l e r , A b N o v e m b e r 2 2 ' 1 8 3 Village of Clive Communities in Bloom recounts first year Terri Huxley ECA Review Darcy MacGruder, Communities in Bloom (CiB) representative and two other top volunteers gave council a review of their first year and what is to come in the future for the group on Mon. Nov. 12. CiB hopes to get the community involved as they have a small number of volunteers at this time. The village was entered into a contest for a few categories but overall ‘really happy with all the work. There was no official evaluation but there was a great deal of general feedback CBI can use in the future. First impressions were most favourable as residents seemed to be proud of their village. The judges made a suggestion to keep focus on one or two categories to build them up rather than ‘bite off more than we can chew’. They were encouraged to look for low hanging fruit opportunities. The group found motivating businesses to participate was a challenge this year. As for environmental action, the judges were happy to see a lot of things going on for use in terms of opportunities. They suggested the village may want to work closer with the waste management commission to start a composting project and to start networking with local schools to get the program up and running. Signage was also something to look into. Cultural elements like the veterans memorial, agriculture equipment and gold key walk impressed the judges, especially the walk. They hope to continue working on the gold key walk and implement elements of natural heritage like trees behind school. Residential competition and business involvement is still top of mind. The CiB crew have an abundance of new ideas to gain volunteers and do well in competition season. CiB requested $1,500 for their group, most of the money being dedicated to category fees for competition. Budget 2019 consultation Council reviewed survey responses about the upcoming 2019 budget. This information will be used to help guide the draft budget. Areas of highest need were pinpointed first. They found the village website is often used and overall quality of life was ranked ‘very good’. Bylaw enforcement, roads, and keeping residents informed were ranked low. Council felt they were on top of things as most if not all of the information was things they knew were important and were already in the works. “The community is feeling what we were already gearing towards,” said Coun. Jeremy Whelan. Hwy 12/21 Water Commission 2019 Budget The current water rate set for the Village of Clive sits at 2.88 cents per cubic metre. Most council’s have been aware of an imminent increase in water prices but at the last water commission gathering, a large jump was asked of all the members. Mayor Luci Henry, along with other members of the meeting, were confused as to the sudden pricing change. It was initially thought that slow increment increases to the water price would be used and that it would be $40,000. Now it says $60,000 on paper since they require a better operating reserve as pipes and other equipments is replaced. With this increase, it makes the village contribution go up by $3,000. Council made a motion to send comments for budget to request operating reserve be adjusted from $60,000 to $40,000. Although council can voice their concerns, the commission is still able to dictate prices however they see fit. Crime Prevention Program Council wanted to see what kind of options they could do as far as crime prevention goes within the village. They would like to have a report to see the record of frequency and kinds of crimes are taking place. Council highlighted the value of reporting an incident big or small regardless whether it gets solved or not. If more incidents are reported, more enforcement will be needed to cover the area. Lock it or Lose it is a simple awareness campaign done by the RCMP where officers put information in drivers windshields if their doors are unlocked to demonstrate how easy it is to have their vehicle stolen. A workshop information session was passed by council and will take place to give residents a better understanding as to how they can be helpful to the community. Recreation facilities bustling Lisa Bye ECA Review Recreation Director Barry Brigley attended the Nov. 12 council meeting to give council an updated progress report on the winter activities taking place at the skating arena, curling rink and bowling alley. Besides all the hockey teams playing out of the arena, there is also power skating skill classes. “We will be starting an outdoor rink when we get a little snow and weather permits,” said Brigley. The outdoor rink will be in the gymkhana arena as opposed to the tennis courts where it has been located in the past. A light has been put on the back of the arena to make the rink more illuminated for night time skating. Boards for around the rink and movable portable screens for behind the nets to keep the puck in when kids are playing hockey were a consideration. This Coronation council will be determined when the rink gets completed. Strategic Plan review Council is planning an additional meeting to review their 2018-2024 Strategic Plan to make sure the goals and objectives in the plan are still in line with their long-term vison. This will help them prepare for the 2019 Operating and Capital Budgets. The Strategic Plan for Coronation discusses plans and priorities for the town’s future infrastructure, programs and services and it serves as a guide for the town staff and council to be able to review their vison and mission statements. Council reports Replacement of one of the town’s gravel trucks was brought up by Coun. Keith Griffiths. He has noticed it is showing signs of wear and tear and is of the mindset that it could be cost prohibitive to continuing fixing the truck to keep it operational compared to buying a new truck. Cost of repairs and difficulty in finding parts was addressed by Mayor Mark Stannard and council will discuss further as they budget for the new year. Notice of AltaGas Utilities Inc. Franchise Fee Rate Change Summer Village of Rochon Sands Please be advised that on November 13, 2018 at a Regular Meeting of Summer Village of Rochon Sands Council, a motion was passed to increase the AltaGas Utilities Inc. Franchise Fee from 0% to 5%, effective February 1, 2019. In accordance with Alberta Energy and Utilities Board Order U2004-292, the municipality has the authority to amend the franchise fee rate. The effect on an average residential customer is approximately $39.40 per year. Please contact Jason Olson-Chief Administrative Officer, Summer Village of Rochon Sands, should you have any questions at 403-742-4717 or email info@rochonsands.net Dated at Summer Village of Rochon Sands, Alberta, this 16 day of November 2018. On A Dime Lighting & Signs Quality • Integrity • Service All your lighting and signage needs • Fully certified and insured 30+ years of industry experience • Family owned and operated Sign Mfg. & Installation, Lighting Maint., Exterior & Interior, Vehicle Decaling, Parking-lot Lighting Maint., Billboard & Sandwich boards, Picker truck & Skid Steer For Hire, LED Conversions & More... 1-403-743-0001 • 1-844-344-DIME (3463) • onadimesigns@gmail.com 20058 Township Road 38-2, Stettler, Alberta 3” wide version
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ECA Review 2018-11-22

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