Paintearth County council approved several bylaws during its most recent council meeting.
The first bylaw to pass had to do with the now Hamlet of Halkirk.
Halkirk was dissolved into the county as of Jan. 1, 2025. With it's dissolution as a village, the county took over administrative control, including bylaw enforcement.
As some of the former bylaws are still in the books, but have been superseded by county bylaws, the county has begun the process of rescinding the bylaws.
The bylaw passed rescinds the Halkirk civic address bylaw.
A second bylaw passed was the 2025 mill-rate bylaw.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Michael Simpson, the 2025 mill-rate is a "healthy drop" for residential and non-residential properties, but he notes that the drop may not necessarily be translated to a decreased tax bill due to provincial increases, which the county has no control over.
"Nevertheless, it's the first time in a long time we've been able to reduce the mill rate because of positive growth in the County," said Simpson.
The residential tax rate will be 7.05 per cent, non-residential will be 18.13 per cent, and farmland will be 12.25 per cent.
A third bylaw passed was a procedures bylaw.
The bylaw amended a previous bylaw and now allows councillors to attend meetings virtually provided they can hear and be heard by all participants.
Rec Agreement
A recreation agreement negotiated between the Town of Castor and Paintearth County was on the agenda.
The agreement had been negotiated between the two municipalities and signed by the Town of Castor at a meeting in early April.
Paintearth County council signed off on the agreement with no changes.
As a large number of county residents make use of Castor recreation facilities, the agreement stipulates that the two municipalities will split the recreation deficit 50/50.
The agreement is retro-dated to April 1, 2025.
U13 provincials
The Castor/Coronation U13 ball team requested funding for baseball provincials this summer.
Provincials will take place July 25-27, 2025.
The County budgets $5,000 annually for youth participating in sport and culture, and individuals can apply for $50 and teams can apply for up to $500.
As per policy, the team was awarded $500.
