Starland County and its various departments had a very productive year in 2024, with its primary focus on development on its new Business Park at the intersection of Highways 9 and 27.
The County’s Agricultural Services department was incredibly busy with applications of herbicide applied to more than 750 acres of land and along over 100 acres of provincial highways and highway right of ways in the county. Staff spent nearly 90 hours along the Red Deer River inspecting approximately 15 acres of land and controlling regulated weeds in the area; the most prevalent weed which was identified was common tansy, which has been identified in Alberta as a common noxious weed.
Agricultural Services also held six educational events, including the Farmers Pesticide Certification Course and the Shelterbelt Workshop; a total of 94 people attended these events over the course of the year.
Starland County council was also kept busy in 2024, holding a total of 22 regular council meetings. Over the year, council passed a total of 11 new bylaws which have been put into place; most notably in February 2024, council passed the Regional Emergency Management Bylaw, which establishes a Regional Emergency Management committee between Starland County and the villages of Munson, Morrin, and Delia.
Along with establishing this committee, the County also focused its attention on its fire departments, completing pump tests and servicing on its eight pumper trucks which are currently in service in the County. Equipment which was old and out of service were also removed from County fire halls and either sold or donated, and replacement of department bunker gear has been an ongoing occurrence; this will continue to be a recurring cost until all departments have been outfitted with new, current gear. Starland County fire departments will also be piloting a new Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System (AFRRCS) in 2025; this is a provincewide two-way radio network for first responders, and Starland County has initially ordered six of these radios as part of the pilot. It is hoped the County will implement and transition to this system within the next few years.
There has been interest in development of a business park at the intersection of Highways 9 and 27, known locally as Morrin Corner, and this has been the primary focus of the County’s Economic Development department in 2024. At the end of 2023, the County purchased approximately 145 acres on the southeast corner of the intersection and awarded Stantec to develop the plan, including conceptual designs, area structure plan, and engineering. So far the project has received positive uptake and there is a hopeful timeline of 2026 for dirt work and tenancy.
In summer 2024, Starland County also expanded to offer a new payment method to its residents for a variety of charges from utility and tax bills to camping fees. This has seen strong response from users since becoming available. The County hopes to begin offering pre-authorized payments for utility customers in 2025, with plans to launch and implement a platform which would also allow ratepayers to obtain permits and licenses, and pay tax bills.
Starland County also launched its new, modernized website in fall 2024. Through the new website, the County will be able to provide reliable information to residents and visitors alike. This includes developing pages on the website for community events and groups within Starland County’s boundaries; these pages will provide visitors with information about the various groups and organizations in the community, and also keep people informed about upcoming events in the region.
