Skip to content

County unanimous in support of 2015 budget

Stettler county’s mill rate remains in the mid-range among neighbouring counties

The 2015 budget for the County of Stettler went from draft to official after being unanimously supported by the council.

The vote took place on the Jan. 14 monthly council meeting. Councillor Dave Grover was absent.

The budget replaces the 2014 budget, which was being used as an interim stop-gap so the county could continue to pay employees, contractors, and vendors.

The 2015 budget considers a three per cent increase in tax revenue, which can be raised through assessment growth or an increase in the mill rate. Last year, the county raised the mill rate by one mill for all classes excepting residential, which only saw a slight increase.

The tax rate for all classes has remained fairly steady since 2008 for residential, when it was decreased significantly. In the same period of time, the tax rate has climbed slightly for farmland and non-residential units.

The budget also includes a cost of living adjustment and merit increases for staff, as well as additional funding for staff to tackle current demands on county services.

The budget also includes money necessary to complete the projects left unfinished last year, such as the Erskine walking trail, the planning projects in Red Willow Creek, and Carlisle Estates.

Some of the major expenditures budgeted for 2015 include the $2.25 million upgrade to Warden Road, $1.15 million for Resource pavement, $150,000 for Byemoor Street improvements, funding for the Erskine East subdivision design and groundwater study. The budget also has $675,000 set aside to address necessary upgrades and repairs to the current county shop, with another $500,000 set aside in reserves for a new shop, office complex or both.

The budget also tackles the need for new equipment for the fire department, which will need about $1.2 million in fire apparatus expenditures through to 2020. This year, the budget set aside money for the purchase of a rapid attack vehicle – the sort that can handle all types of terrain to quickly get to a rural fire. In 2016 the county will look to replace a 26-year-old rural pumper truck at an estimated cost of $375,000, and then in 2018 another rural pumper truck which will then be 27 years old.

The county is expecting about $370,000 in rural water servicing, of which $120,000 will be offset by rural water connection fees. The county also will be in the second year of coring its bridge structures, and set aside money for the repairs it expects will be necessary.

Most of the county’s income – nearly 75 per cent – comes from taxes, while government grants make up about 15 per cent. The rest of the county’s money comes from services and sales, penalties and fines, and investments.

The mill rates offered by the county are not the lowest in the province, but nowhere near the top end of the scale, coming in at the middle of several of the surrounding counties.

For a more detailed breakdown of the budget, visit the county website at www.stettlercounty.ca.

FCSS maintains no-increase budget

A presentation from Shelly Potter from the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Stettler revealed that for the fourth straight row the FCSS is able to maintain a no-increases budget.

This means the county’s contribution to the FCSS budget is $51,628.

Part of the lack of budget increases is due to governmental grants, such as a $50,000 grant just awarded to the FCSS to provide outreach addiction aftercare services. Potter explained that the program helps those who have exited addictions recovery treatment programs resist temptation and old habits in an effort to keep clients from returning to old habits.

The FCSS will also continue to provide its Caring Companions Program, which has people visit low mobility or shut-ins to provide companionship.

The search for a new director is almost over, as the competition closed earlier this month. A selection should be made in short order.

Watershed protection important

Sarah Skinner, from the Battle River Watershed Alliance (BRWA) made a presentation to council with a list of recommendations to help the county protect its water resources.

The BRWA covers the Battle River and Sounding Creek watershed areas, and is one of 11 watershed alliances in the province.

Skinner made suggestions about three major points – non-point pollution, drought and flood adaptation plans, and source water protection.

Non-point pollution is non-deliberate pollution, which often takes the form in run-off from land.

Skinner recommended the county develop a plan to prevent this sort of pollution.

The second point, drought and flood adaptation plans, is an important pair of plans to have in place according to Skinner.

While the county is more susceptible to drought than flooding, having both plans in place means that regardless of the type of watershed disaster, the county will be able to react to preserve its watershed resources as well as provide for its residents.

Skinner noted the source water protection plans would likely require collaborations with neighbouring counties and towns because source water deposits tend to flow between these communities without remaining solely in one – whether a river or a below-surface water source.

Collaboration is necessary, Skinner noted, because if one works to preserve the water supply and the other doesn’t, the contaminations from the one tend to flow to the other.

Council thanked Skinner for her presentation, but made no plans at present.

Yard service changes

As part of its presentation to the county, the Clearview School Board announced it was developing a yard service policy for its bus service.

Yard service, where the bus will go down a laneway to retrieve a student, has been previously up to the driver, who would decide if the student merited yard service. The factors drivers would consider would be the distance from the main roadway, the condition of the laneway, and space to turn around.

However, the school board has decided to make a policy regarding yard service to ensure the service is delivered fairly across the school board’s service region.

While this change does not directly result in expenses to the county, whose residents rely on yard service far more than town residents, it may result in second-hand costs if service is denied to students currently receiving yard service.

According to Niki Thorsteinsson, director of communications for the county, if students find themselves on the sides of busy roads awaiting bus pick-up, extra signage may be necessary in high-traffic areas to ensure safety.

Sixtieth Anniversary planning underway

While the county has not set a date yet for its birthday celebrations, plans are starting to firm up about what exactly is going to happen.

At some point in June, the county will hold an open house celebration at the county hall. The date has not been selected, nor all the activities at the open house, but that information should firm up soon, according to Thorsteinsson.

The county is also looking forward to another year at the Stettler Board of Trade’s annual show, which is being held April 10-12.