Here is a recap to the March 26, 2024, Council Meeting. This was a long one! It ran from 9:30am to 5:41pm. Please note that some items may not have been addressed here as there was lots of information and note-taking had to be speedy. Anyone that can provide further information or if there are any inaccuracies please send it to meetingupdates@voiceofthorhildcounty.com and this summary will be updated.
There were a few delegations and a few more than usual in attendance throughout the meeting in support of those delegations. There were between 6 and 8 attendees online throughout the meeting, of which some were County staff or supporters of a delegation.
· Recreational use and Facilities Bylaw
After going through the Seasonal Site Permit process a few times at the Halfmoon Lake Campground, Administration reviewed the Parks Bylaw and Policy and Procedures related to this and proposed changes. Those proposed changes and the draft Recreational Use and Facilities Bylaw can be found here. One distinguishing thing of note is the added authority provided to the CAO in this bylaw.
Reeve Paly brought up the discrepancy in some of the fines between this bylaw and the Emergency Services bylaw.
Councillor Dafoe wondered if it’s even necessary to have fines listed in this bylaw when it is in another bylaw. He took this view further with regards to alcohol use and unattended children, stating that other legislation / jurisdiction already cover these items so trying to put them under a municipal bylaw is unnecessary and difficult to even police if you were to.
Administration is going to review and bring back to a future meeting, removing any duplicates or items already covered under other bylaws or jurisdictions.
· Community and Recreational Services Schedule of Fees
This policy was amended to change language to be consistent with additional County legislation, and to update and / or remove fees. The Request for Council Decision (RFD) and draft Community and Recreational Services Schedule of Fees Policy 606 can be found here.
· Delegation of James MacDonald, Executive Director of Northern Lights Library System (NLLS)
Mr. MacDonald presented a summary of the NLLS’s year in review and 2024 plans, and shared some valuable stats regarding the benefits of Thorhild County belonging to the NLLS. He also clarified that the stat of 1586 users is actually library cards, and that a lot of the time a whole family uses one card.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski asked how eBooks are trending and if there is a way to increase the number of eBooks available. The response was yes, but that it takes money. They discussed Libby, Hoopla and Cloud Library, apps in which one can download ebooks and audiobooks. With the Libby app, TRAC is in a partnership with the Parkland Regional Library System, which provides more options for library patrons. The NLLS is focused on trying to build that collection.
Reeve Paly asked if we are maxed out for communities belonging to the system, and it was shared that they are pretty much maxed for municipalities, but there are still indigenous communities and the NLLS is working with some to start library boards. Golibrary.ca allows residents of indigenous communities to self-register for a library card in less than 5 minutes.
· Delegation of Jay Byer, Manager of Gateway Research Organization (GRO)
Mr. Byer presented information on the work that GRO does and how it benefits the ratepayers of Thorhild County. A detailed slideshow supported the presentation and can be found here.
The funding slide highlights where the organization gets it’s funding from, including alliances with commissions, private companies, and Ag Service Boards (ASB); as well as programs such as the Regenerative Alberta Living Lab, which is collecting data on net soil carbon sequestration and storage. Funding also comes from companies wanting private research, which helps to keep the doors open even if they can’t get that information out to all the producers.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski asked if there were any plots or pastures in Thorhild County. The response was that GRO hasn’t got any this year to the presenter’s knowledge, but that they would be happy to have some here if there was a specific question that is relative to this region that isn’t anywhere else.
Councillor Filipchuk asked if they receive funding from the provincial government and the response was yes. He asked if it increases annually and was told that the level has remained steady over the last few years.
Reeve Paly asked if other municipalities have contributed and many of these were listed. Barrhead, Westlock, Lake St. Anne, Woodlands, and others have given contributions both large and small. Reeve Paly shared that she believed Thorhild County used to contribute and it was confirmed by Mr. Byer that that is correct, but he didn’t think we have for awhile now.
· Delegation of Thorhild County Resident re: Inconsistencies with Tax Information
A resident presented his support to a series of events related to address changes, timing of tax notice provision, what penalties were assessed, and change of land use for tax purposes without notice. This will be reviewed by administration and a response will be brought back to council later in April.
· Recreational Facility Use Policy 1011 is being amended to specify that guidelines will be prepared for the use and rental of Thorhild County owned/operated recreational areas and/or facilities. The name of the Policy has also been updated to include facility rental.
· The Water Department requested that $6,200 be transferred from the water/sewer reserves to replenish the Encoder Receiver Transmitters (ERT) stock on hand since the January 2024 cold snap damaged several of them.
· Strategic Plan Update
Council reviewed its Strategic Plan and suggested amendments and updates. These were presented for review and adoption. They can be found here. The 2022 Strategic Plan can be found here.
· First Reading to amend Municipal Development Plan (MDP) Bylaw, Area Structure Plan (ASP) Bylaw, and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) for a 11.69 parcel
An application for amendment to the Land Use Bylaw was submitted, and details of the RFD can be found here. The request was for amendments to change the current designation and districting of this parcel under the Municipal Development Plan (Industrial), Thorhild Industrial Area Structure Plan (Business Park/Industrial) and Land Use Bylaw (M3-Industrial) to Agricultural district.
Discussion took place and included Councillor Dafoe asking that because there are numerous industrial use properties that are being used agriculturally, why not change it all now. Deputy Reeve Zilinski stated that’s why she feels the Municipal Development Plan and Land Use Bylaw should be brought back, and that they are just waiting on that to happen. Councillor Dafoe agreed.
Following this a Public Hearing was set for April 23rd at 10:00am.
· 2024 Property Tax Assessment Information
The County received its linear and designated industrial property (DIP) assessment information from Municipal Affairs (MA), and its residential, farmland, non-residential, and M&E information from our County Assessor. A summary was provided and can be found here. Some key points included:
Total linear change in assessment increased by 2.79% – Based on 2023 mill rates this would equate to $194,346 increase in tax revenue in 2024.
DIP assessment decreased slightly from 2023 – the estimated change in tax revenue for 2024 based on the 2023 mill rate is a $9,958 decrease.
Residential, farmland, non-residential, and M&E increased by $13.3M, equating to approximately $104,368 in additional tax revenue in 2024, based on 2023 mill rates.
· The purchase of a used gravel trailer was approved as per the 2024 Capital Budget – It was approved to take an additional $6,000 from reserves to cover the actual cost, with the old unit being added to the surplus equipment list for auction, where they anticipate they will make this back and the proceeds can be directed back to reserves.
· A reserve transfer of $6,060 was approved for the Sidewalk Replacement Program, because Request for Proposals (RFP) came back over budget by this amount.
· Swimming Pool Rate Review
Administration prepared a comparative chart of rates at numerous outdoor pools including Redwater, Forestburg, Entwistle, Devon, and Leduc; as well as indoor pools in Athabasca and Westlock. They were seeking direction on rates for the 2024 season.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski shared that she believes the rates should be increased to be more in line with Redwater rates.
Councillor Dafoe brought up that with the ski hill they went with keeping rates 15% lower than Tawatinaw, and asked if they should consider something like that for the swimming pool.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski said she would be fine with using the same rate logic as what was done with the ski hill, but they weren’t sure if it was 15% or 10%.
Administration is to propose an updated fee structure based on comparison to the Redwater swimming pool.
· Deputy Reeve Zilinski provided a Councillor Report. This included wishing the Thorhild Lodge’s CAO all the best in his retirement.
Reeve Paly brought up that there was an event in Westlock that was for seniors to know evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency. She asked Administration if we were considering doing the same. Carol Revega, Director of County Services, said she can add some information to share at the April 2024 event for seniors.
· Reeve Paly provided a Councillor Report. She attended multiple town hall meetings regarding the Provincial budget. One topic that was discussed was the Local Sustainability Framework Program. This was also mentioned at the RMA last week, where the Minister talked for about 10 minutes with a really brief overview.
She also attended another town hall for information about drought. Water reserves are about 18% full and typically these are at about 50% by now. They are trying to develop water-sharing agreements. A water emergency has never been enacted under the Water Act and she hopes this doesn’t happen in 2024.
She also attended the spring Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) convention with Councillor Pierce and Councillor Filipchuk. There was lots of discussion on drought there as well. The convention included keynote speakers on mental health and addiction. At the Minister Forum highway 28 was discussed and it was announced that they would be looking at a tender for an engineering firm to do the plans. This would include passing lanes from Smoky Lake to Bonnyville, then twinning from Bonnyville to Cold Lake. Essentially it is on the radar, but it is probably 3 to 4 years out on any improvements on that stretch.
On March 20 she attended the Economic Development meeting. They haven’t heard any news yet on the application for a feasibility study.
There will be a Farm to Table in Redwater on October 19, 2024, put on by the Redwater Chamber of Commerce. Egremont Hall will be looking after the bar.
· Councillor Filipchuk provided a Councillor Report. During his attendance at the RMA one topic that was continually brought up is unpaid taxes from the oilfield to municipalities. The province is still working on this.
He also attended other information sessions, one being about the Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program, which is about helping farmers build resiliency one acre at a time. It’s about your farmland, wetlands, dugouts, shelterbelts, etc. There were different speakers and organizations speaking on this, and the program has money for projects. They will listen to the plan and work with you to achieve your goals.
· Councillor Dafoe brought forward a motion that Council revisit the Lagoon Dumping Fee policy.
· Councillor Dafoe brought forward a motion that Council review Policy 1213 – Use of Emergency Services Facilities and Equipment. This is regarding a request that had come from the Long Lake Cabin Owners Association (LLCOA) about the use of the firehall. Discussion began and CAO Maier reminded everyone that a Notice of Motion is not for debate, so it will be brought to next meeting.
· A request was made on behalf of the Feledichuk/ Curran Thorhild Memorial Slo-Pitch Tournament, to request free use of the diamonds, free use of camping, as well as free overflow. CAO Maier converted the value to be about a $500 contribution. This year the proceeds of this tournament will be donated to the Thorhild Golden Age Drop In Centre.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski was in favour because last year that tournament brought in over $10K for a non-profit in the community. She supports it so long as they are provided with a copy of the bylaw on noise so they are reminded that it should be quiet between 11pm and 7am.
Reeve Paly and Councillor Filipchuk agreed that the issue concerning managing the noise needs to be brought up.
· Municipal Affairs (MA) is inviting municipalities to complete a survey regarding Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICFs).
CAO Maier shared that MA is reviewing the ICFs but are not removing the requirement for them. He confirmed that we have one with every County that borders us.
There was more discussion on ICFs and he spoke to discussions at a CAO meeting where there were 30 CAOs in the room and most said they never looked at them after they had to be made. He too hasn’t ever referenced them. He explained that they were required by MA long ago, and lots of taxpayer money was spent on getting consultants to make them. There were some municipalities that ended up going to arbitration. The argument was why do you need a Provincial Government mandated agreement to have discussions with your neighbouring municipalities on things that effect you both.
Deputy Reeve Zilinski requested that Council get a copy of the ICFs before completing the survey.
· The LLCOA requested their 2024 rates but CAO Maier said these are typically not out until next week. The bylaw hasn’t even been drafted yet. They also had some other concerns regarding the special levy for the maintenance of block wells which can be found here. A motion was made for Administration to respond to their concerns and provide Council with a copy.
· The Northern Alberta Alliance for Growth & Opportunity (NAAGO) provided terms of reference and the cost of membership. There was discussion on this membership and whether the cost is fair. It is $2,200 for Cities, Counties, and MDs, regardless of population.
CAO Maier says it can come out of the $5,000 council budget for contracted services.
Councillor Dafoe suggested paying $1,400 because we are a smaller County than others and brought the motion to pay that.
Zilinski, Filipchuk, and Dafoe were For and Paly was Opposed. Paly will bring it up to the NAAGO in April that there is concern over the way the cost is set.
· RMA provided a Member Briefing for the Unpaid Oil & Gas Tax Survey that can be found here. Thorhild County has just under $237K for outstanding oil and gas taxes. This is the amount that has no agreement for repayment.
· The Provincial Education Requisition Credit Program (PERC) has been extended for 2 more years. This is a program that provides municipalities with a tax credit on unpaid education property taxes from delinquent oil and gas properties.
· Minister McIver provided a letter regarding the Assessment Model Review (AMR) which will be a multi-year process to review the policies, procedures, and rates that form the regulated property assessment framework. The full letter and information can be found here.
· Thorhild County’s share of policing cost for 2024 is $219,671.
· Waste Management (WM)
The appeal initiated with respect to the August 23, 2023 decision of the Director, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPA), approval to Waste Management for the construction, operation, and reclamation of the Thorhild landfill has been withdrawn.
WM Summary Meeting Notes were provided – Average tonnage for November 2023 to January 2024 was 29,993; royalty average for the same period was $88,867; 2023 total royalties were $958,154; the scalehouse experienced a break-in; The 2024 community investment budget is $74,764.
Thorhild County received another 7-day letter regarding missed testing / lack of reporting. Reeve Paly would like it on the agenda next time they meet with a Minister. If there is a sampling process they shouldn’t keep missing it.
CAO Maier suggested getting WM to give Council another tour and explain what’s going on.
· The Newthorad Seniors Housing Foundation’s 2024 requisition is $473,000.
· ATCO’s Annual Franchise Report for the Hamlet of Radway was provided and can be found here.
· Action List for March 26, 2024
Resolution ’87-2024 Farm Safety Program – Reeve Paly shared that this was brought up at the ASB meeting on Friday and Together Enriching Academic Minds (TEAM) has offered to pay 50% of the invoice and the ASB passed a motion to pay the balance from their extension fund.
Resolution ‘401-2022 – Councillor Dafoe asked if there are any updates to the road maintenance report – CAO Maier says it’s done he just has to review it.
The only extra thing CAO Maier wished to point out was that the requested stats for fire response was included in this report.
There was lots of discussion on the GPS system and the reporting on the graders. Deputy Reeve Zilinski asked if the dotted line means that the blade isn’t down. It was clarified that the tracking is based on speed, so doesn’t necessarily mean that the blade is up or down. Currently it is set to 13 km/hr.
Councillor Dafoe asked if there is a way to break out the grader reports and what it costs to prepare the reports. Wayne Maclean, Director of Infrastructure, said he believes it is under the cost of the service agreement. Councillor Dafoe asked the Director what he sees as the value of the reports. Director Maclean said that it’s a double-edged sword. It tells him where his guys are, and it gives Council information on where they were, but other than that you can only see the one line, not how many passes it was.
CAO Maier asked to clarify if the question is are these reports useful or is GPS useful.
Councillor Dafoe wants to know if it’s worth it to spend thousands and thousands of dollars. Many units are showing that less than 50% of the time is working time. You say that sometimes they can go faster with what they are doing, but is there a better way to get a more accurate view if they are working or travelling?
CAO Maier said that he thinks he knows what Councillor Dafoe is asking. Do we use these reports? The answer is no. Is GPS of value? Yes, absolutely. Administration can go into the system and see exactly where every unit is in real time, that is what is valuable to Administration. But these specific reports are just for Council. Councillor Dafoe says it’s limited usefulness to us because you can’t see the number of passes or whether the blade is up or the blade is down. CAO Maier expressed that you will find these same reports in agendas in lots of municipalities, it is just the question of how much further does Council need to drill down into the operations. Is that information that is required to be a Councillor?
Director Maclean said he will push the speed up to 15 kms, but notes that for grading they probably aren’t travelling 15 km/hr, but for snow plowing they could be, so it’s just putting a solid line but still not certain. Maybe it’s not good to change speeds now, but in the fall we could.
Councillor Dafoe doesn’t think the reports are accurate but if they are we have a problem.
· Closed Session – The following is a list of closed session items on the agenda. Following closed session all resolutions pertaining to these items were only acceptance as information.
a) Alberta Transportation (11:30 a.m.) FOIP Act Section 24(1)(a)
b) Sprucefield Newbrook Laterals FOIP Act Section 16(1)(a)(b)(c) 24(1)(a)(c)(g) 25(1)(b)(c)
c) Thorhild County Library Board FOIP Act Section 24(1)(a)
d) Land FOIP Act Section 23(1)(a)(b) 24(1)(a)(b)(g)
e) Community Bus FOIP Act Section 17(1) 23(1)(a)(b) 24(1)(a)(b)(g)
View the meeting minutes here
Listen to the meeting recording here