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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-08 Annual General Meeting (Annual General) MinutesCOUNTY OF NEWELL NO. 4 MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING MAY 8, 2008 The 2007 Annual Meeting of the County of Newell No. 4 was held at the Heritage Inn on Thursday, May 8, 2008 commencing at 7:04 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: M. Douglass, Reeve I. Schroeder A.M. Philipsen R. Andrews J. Harbinson S. Evans A. Eastman B. de Jong H. W utzke GUEST SPEAKERS: P. Brouwer, MPE Engineering Ltd. D. Erdman, Economic Development & Tourism D. Horvath, Oldman River Regional Services Commission T. Krahn, Newell Regional Expo D. McIntyre, Alberta Transportation L. Pye-Matheson, Grasslands Regional FCSS STAFF PRESENT: K. Stephenson, Administrator B. Keith, Assistant Administrator R. Berkeley, Grader Operator, Div. 1 S. Christensen, Corporate Safety Services Supervisor R. Dumonceau, Operation Manager T. Green, Agricultural Fieldman S. Hanson, Accounting Supervisor J. Hofer, Administrative Officer A. Clapton, Executive Assistant OTHERS PRESENT:. S. Stanway, Brooks Bulletin M. Fitzgerald, Q-13 Fox Radio 15 Ratepayers 15 ratepayers and media were in attendance for the 2007 Annual Meeting of the County of Newell No. 4. Reeve M. Douglass called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 1. Welcome & Introductions The Reeve welcomed everyone to the meeting and introduced the Councillors and staff seated at the head table as well as the staff seated in the audience. 2. Approval of the Minutes of the 2007 Annual Meetin4 MOVED BY DAVID ANDREWS — seconded by Mara Nesbitt — that the 2007 Annual Meeting minutes be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED Annual General Meeting 2007 Presentations Reeve M. Douglass commenced the presentations. a. Oldman River Regional Services Commission D. Horvath introduced herself as a planner with the Oldman River Regional Services Commission (ORRSC) and gave a short overview of her role with the County of Newell No. 4. ORRSC is a cooperative comprised of a number of municipalities in the southern Alberta region and they provide assistance with land use, subdivisions, and long term planning. b. Economic Development D. Erdman introduced himself and presented some background information on the Economic Development and Tourism department, which has been with the County of Newell No. 4 for about 3.5 years. The Economic Development & Tourism Advisory Committee is made up of representatives from each of the ten divisions, and this committee is responsible for creating an economic development strategy for the County of Newell No. 4. Community Economic Development is involved in assisting organizations develop for increased capacity, and their projects include the Newell Regional Database, the Bassano Chamber of Commerce, strategic planning for a regional agricultural society, the Newell Regional Tourism Association (NRTA), and Canadian Badlands. The business development portion is focused on attracting, supporting, retaining, and expanding business for the region. c. Grasslands Regional FCSS L. Pye Matheson introduced herself as the Executive Director of Grasslands Regional Family & Community Support Services. Formed in 2004, Grasslands Regional FCSS supports preventative social programs throughout the County as part of a regional initiative. She also mentioned the volunteer resource center, which started in 2007 and services the entire region. The major projects of Grasslands Regional FCSS include the Citizen of the Year Award and the upcoming Newell Regional Expo. d. Newell Regional Expo T. Krahn introduced himself and gave an explanation of the Newell Regional Expo project, recognizing L. Pye-Matheson and D. Erdman as volunteer members of the steering committee and thanking Council for the financial support of the County of Newell No. 4. The Newell Regional Expo is planned Annual General Meetinq 2007 for October 3-5, 2008 and offers many different participation opportunities for communities, organizations, and individuals. He indicated that they hope to have heritage displays and performances by local artists, and extensive tours have been proposed for some time in 2009. T. Krahn then requested more rural representation on the steering committee, which meets twice per month, and on the Community Advisory Group, which meets once per month on every third Wednesday. He then invited everyone present to celebrate community diversity with the Newell Regional Expo in October. e. Newell Regional Services Corporation D. McIntyre indicated that the County of Newell No. 4 Regional Water System was one of many proceeding in the province under the Water for Life project. The three main goals of this project are safe, secure drinking water, healthy aquatic environments, and a secure water supply for economic development and growth. He gave a short overview of the funding available and the grant structure for these projects. ') P. Brouwer gave a short history of the project, indicating that MPE Engineering Ltd. had been working with the County for over six years to create a cost-effective, fundable project. The goal is to deliver potable water to all County residents through one water treatment plant. He indicated that J they were currently in the middle of the detailed design, and that Phase 1 would see the delivery of potable water to Lake Newell, Rolling Hills, Scandia, Rainier, and Tilley in 2009. 4. Question & Answer Period Reeve M. Douglass opened the floor for general discussion. P. Ketchmark asked if the Regional Water System would eventually lead to the privatization of water delivery throughout the County of Newell No. 4. Councillor 1. Schroeder replied that there were no plans for privatization and that the intention was to keep the water for County residents. D. McIntyre indicated that the Regional Water System was not intended to be for profit, and addressed the example given by P. Ketchmark of the municipality who had a regionalized water system and ended up paying more for their water. P. Ketchmark then inquired how the water licensing would be handled. P. Brouwer replied that there were already water licenses in place through Alberta Environment, and that these licenses would be retained by the hamlet, town, village, or city that owned it — not transferred to the Newell Regional Annual General Meeting 2007 Services Corporation. The point of diversion for the water would be moved to the Lake Newell intake. i P. Ketchmark asked if community growth had been taken into account. P. Brouwer indicated that larger water plants are more efficient and that is the rationale behind the design. M. Nesbitt inquired about the status of the project to pave the old No. 1 Highway. Councillor I. Schroeder replied that funding had been applied for under the Resource Road Program, but this application had been denied. The County intends to reapply for this funding next year, and other options to complete this project are currently being explored. B. Thomson inquired about the possibility of paving the roads in Westland Acres. He also requested clarification of the County's paving guidelines and how requests for paving are addressed. Councillor H. Wutzke replied that there are options other than paving that may be more feasible for Westland Acres, and that these are being investigated. B. Keith indicated that he would pass on the procedures to be followed to request a local improvement for a paving project to Mr. Thomson. Councillor H. Wutzke mentioned that a request for paving directly from the residents of Westland Acres would likely be accepted, especially if the residents were open to funding the project through a local improvement. M. Nesbitt requested an update on the progress of the Regional Water System pipeline, which was supposed to be in place for distribution to Tilley by 2008. P. Brouwer replied that, initially, they had planned to have water distribution to Tilley by November or December of 2008, but this has been delayed to February or March of 2009 due to an Environmental Impact Assessment that needs to be completed at a certain time of the year. C. Amulung asked when Highway 525, the southeast gateway to the County, would be paved. il Annual General Meetina 2007 Councillor I. Schroeder replied that this item is a high priority for the County. He explained that there had been a meeting with Alberta Transportation in March, where they went over road counts and other information, and paving Highway 525 is not a high priority for the province, but that the County would continue lobbying to have this completed. C. Amulung indicated that, as it is connected with Highway 825, Highway 525 was experiencing increased traffic and the bridge is unsuitable for heavy weights. He expressed concerns about paving priority being based on traffic counts, as residents know the road is bad and usually avoid it. C. Amulung inquired about the Municipal Sustainability Initiative that was available and what type of projects would qualify for this funding. Reeve M. Douglass explained that the Municipal Sustainability Initiative was funding that was coming to municipalities from the province and could be used for many different projects, as long as they were sustainable and created a benefit to the municipality. She indicated that the County had decided to make this funding available to the municipalities based on a per capita rate and they are currently establishing the guidelines for acceptable projects. % C. Amulung asked how a community would access this funding, once they had determined a project. Reeve M. Douglass replied that each community would have to come together to discuss potential projects that would benefit their community. She gave the example of the Hamlet of Patricia, where they are in need of a new community hall. Councillor J. Harbinson noted that Councillor W. Daniels had proposed to Council that each division form a committee that would look at project proposals, and then make recommendations to Council. As nothing has been formalized, he advised C. Amulung to discuss with Councillor W. Daniels the creation of a committee for Rolling Hills. C. Amulung asked if this funding was going to be ongoing from the province. Reeve M. Douglass replied that the province has made a commitment for 10 years, and this would be the third year. K. Stephenson explained that the Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding was going to be distributed based on population at a rate of $219 per capita over a 3 - year period. The province had intended for urban and rural municipalities to get together to fund mutually beneficial projects, and this funding had been divided into many different components — core capital, community capital, operating. 5 Annual General Meetina 2007 Recently, the guidelines were changed and the municipalities have been given the funding with fewer restrictions. D. Andrews inquired about how the capital and operating costs of the Regional Water System were going to be allocated among ratepayers, and what the cost per household estimate would be. K. Stephenson replied that the pipelines were being paid for through a reserve fund, and this would not impact water rates for users. However, decisions still need to be made on how to fund the necessary improvements to the distribution plants. He indicated that a grant application had been submitted through the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership, which would cover the recognized hamlets, and that an off-site levy has been established for the hamlet of Lake Newell Resort. He also mentioned that the Newell Regional Services Corporation has agreed to use a standardized rate for all users in the County, which is estimated to be approximately 30 cents per cubic meter. He spoke to the concerns regarding privatization, indicating that water is a municipal asset and it should remain that way. D. Andrews asked if water users would be metered and charged for their usage. K. Stephenson replied that there would be a manhole each for rural users and cooperatives, and that the meters would be restricted for a certain limit. If cooperatives require more water, they will have to establish manholes for individual houses. M. Nesbitt inquired about the extra charges that residents of Lake Newell Resort were having to pay and why they were being treated differently because they were a new hamlet. She also asked what would have happened if they had not become a hamlet. K. Stephenson replied that his understanding was that so many new hamlets have been established recently that the province had to cut off the funding. D. McIntyre explained the criteria for a hamlet used by Alberta Transportation, which are small lot sizes, the provision for land uses other than residential, a specific name and boundary, and the designation of hamlet status by Alberta Transportation. He indicated that water reservoirs and funding for them were a low priority for the Alberta Municipal Water/Wastewater Partnership and that there was a large waiting list for the program, so he encourages municipalities to use other sources of funding that are available. 2 Annual General Meeting 2007 M. Nesbitt indicated that Lake Newell Resort currently has a water treatment plant that is in need of upgrades for the community as well as for the Regional Water System. P. Ketchmark commented on the efficiency of the current water plants and expressed hope for the upgrades. V. Parker requested an update on the Rolling Hills storm system. M. Douglass replied that a study had been done on the quality of the water in the storm pond and that more tests will be continued through 2008. She noted nothing harmful has been found in the pond in the tests so far. V. Parker expressed concerns about this water being released into the drainage system. !) K. Stephenson indicated that AMEC had completed the water study about a month ago. Testing had been conducted at three different locations and the levels indicated that water in the pond had no higher readings than water already present in the canal system. Tests to date indicate that the water meets irrigation standards. The AMEC study will address all options for current and future releases of the storm retention pond. s. Adiourn Reeve M. Douglass adjourned the meeting at 8:28 p.m. CHAIRMAN C ETARY 7