Rocky View County (RVC) received $2.29 million from the Provincial government through the Southern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program (DRP) to enable repairs to be done on 33 projects throughout the County that resulted from the June flooding disaster.
Council approved a budget adjustment on Jan. 14, for $2.29 million for financing the repairs.
The Province has agreed to provide 50 per cent of the approved project funding as an advance, said RVC Manager of Infrastructure and Operations Byron Riemann.
He said an application for funding totalling $2.39 million through the DRP was submitted in September 2013. Administration received confirmation from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) in November that $2.29 million in funding was approved.
According to a County report, the $100,000 difference is due to the adjustment to the scope of several specific projects. The report states that although actual costs of completing the 33 projects may be higher or lower than the budgeted amount, the County has been assured that all justifiable expense related to approved projects will be reimbursed.
Project highlights include, $500,000 to repair Township Road 244B in Conrich where heavy rain and floodwaters caused damage; $300,000 for Meadow Drive in Bearspaw where pumping was required due to high water levels; and $110,000 for the Hamlet of Bragg Creek water intake.
The DRP provides funding to repair damages to pre-flood conditions.
New faces
At the Jan. 14 council meeting, councillors agreed to appoint two County residents, Robert Blanchard and Cameron Westhead, to the Bragg Creek Design Review Committee (BCDRC).
The committee is an ad hoc advisory group that reviews applications for development permits and meets about five times a year. The BCDRC consists of one council member, four members at large that serve on alternating two-year terms, and one RVC Planning staff member.
Appointments to council’s various committees are made annually at the Organization Meeting in October, but the position remained vacant after no applications were submitted, County Clerk Nona Housinga said.
Area Councillor Liz Breakey said the committee is “very important for the community” and she said she thought the members were a good fit for the position.
Housinga also told council administration is looking to review all of its internal and external committees “to ensure that they are effective, meeting the needs of the County, have adequate administration support and are consistent with best practices of other municipalities.”
The County has about 35 boards and committees, many of which consist of public members.
Housinga said recommendations for the review will be presented to council before the end of July in order to be useful for the 2014 Organizational Meeting.
Tax Sale Date
RVC council approved setting April 25, at 2 p.m. as the time and date for the 2013 tax sale to publicly auction off properties with outstanding tax arrears that received notification in 2013.
Manager of Business Services Barry Woods said the Municipal Government Act outlines a last-resort process for municipalities to recover outstanding property taxes in arrears. The purpose of the sale is not to assume ownership of the property, but to collect outstanding taxes due, he said.
A County report states public auctions must be held one to three years after March 31 of the year the tax notification was registered.
Woods told council 71 County parcels currently have tax notifications pending for outstanding balances, but he said, closer to the tax sale date, usually about five to 10 parcels have outstanding balances owing.
In 2013, eight County parcels were offered for sale by public auction at the County office on May 3. If parcels aren’t sold after the auction, the County may become the owner.
