While the province, and indeed the world, has been dealing with the COVID -19 pandemic, for the Village of Munson it has been business as usual.
Munson CAO Lyle Caweizel says it has been a quiet year for the village, and it has to take minimal action to deal with the pandemic.
“COVID per se hasn’t really affected us as a village yet, other than the regular closing of the playgrounds and that kind of thing,” said Caweizel. “We’re like many Alberta rural communities in that regard, we don’t have a seniors lodge or anything like that to look after. Our town staff has been able to keep going.”
Last year there weren’t any major capital projects undertaken by the village.
“We are just trying to keep an even keel, we have been keeping going day-to-day,” he said.
This is par for the course for Munson, making sure the day to day is getting done, and to keep taxes consistent. One pressure they are feeling as the budget is the increase for policing. In previous years, communities with a population under 5,000 were not responsible for the cost of RCMP. Last year the Kenney Government changed this policy. Caweizel said in the first year it looks like it will be about $40 extra per taxpayer.
“Our first year isn’t bad, it is when we get to year five that it is really going to affect the budget,” said Caweizel. “It would make a difference if the detachment in Drumheller sees another police officer. But when we contribute and nothing changes in the detachment, it would almost be better to get a county bylaw (officer) with Morrin and Delia and Starland contributing. That way, it would be local dollars contributing.”
