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Wheatland County passes 2023 budgets, 2.5 per cent municipal tax increase

Wheatland 2021

Wheatland County council passed its 2023 Operating budget of $46,319,246 and its Capital budget of $25,351,448 during the regular Tuesday, April 4 council meeting.
Council were also presented three variations of the Operating budget, which showed municipal tax portion increases ranging from 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent; although the base budget was unchanged, the various increases to the municipal tax portion did have impacts on net transfers from reserves, and the amount of tax revenue.
“As was brought up at the (Thursday, March 30 Committee of the Whole) meeting, these budgets being brought forward represent a 2.5 per cent, three per cent, and 3.5 per cent municipal tax (portion) increase,” explained manager of Financial Services Joel Chiasson during the meeting.
Council previously made recommended changes to the final Capital budget during the Committee of the Whole meeting, resulting in a net decrease of $37,800. This was due to some projects, including the Public Works Yard Master Plan and Rosebud Wells Decommissioning valued at $100,000 and $12,000 respectively moved from the Capital budget to the Operating budget. Council also approved the Goldfinch raw water supply project valued at $250,000 and the $40,000 purchase of a tractor and swing arm mower.
The Capital budget outlines various projects and equipment purchases for 2023 to 2027.
This includes $1,081,208 for fire services, including annual self contained breathing apparatus replacements, and the purchase of equipment for the Carseland and Wheatland West fire halls totalling over $1 million; $6.39 million has also been allocated for paved road work and maintenance; some $5.5 million has also been allocated for the purchase of Capital equipment assets which includes $375,000 for the purchase of five half-ton pickups and $450,000 for a Class 8 plow truck with sander.
Nearly $2.6 million is anticipated by the County in provincial grant funding to support Capital projects, with the remainder of the budget being supported through the anticipated $700,000 sale of capital asset equipment, and unrestricted and designated reserve funding.
While the Capital budget was approved unanimously by council, the three proposed tax rates for the Operating budget resulted in lengthy discussions.
Division 6 Councillor Glenn Koester initially moved to adopt the 3.5 per cent tax rate. This would result in some $4.2 million being transferred to reserves and some $6.7 million transferred from reserves.
However, the motion was defeated in a vote with five opposed and two in support of the increase. During discussions following the vote it was noted there was some opposition to the 3.5 per cent municipal tax portion increase due to the financial pressures and challenges already being faced by ratepayers stemming from inflation and the rising cost of living.
Although the increase would result in a reduced transfer from reserves of some $287,000, several council members felt it prudent to maintain a low tax rate to help residents, especially as it was noted overall assessments were up some nine per cent, which would already put some pressure and impacts onto ratepayers.
Reeve Amber Link shared she was “trying to take a long term, big picture view” and expressed there were some potential investors interested in developing in the County, and maintaining a low tax rate could “demonstrate (the County’s) commitment to fiscal prudence.”
Some council members noted they would be supportive of a three per cent increase, but felt they could not support a 3.5 per cent increase.
Division 4 Councillor Tom Ikert moved to approve the 2023 Operating budget with a 2.5 per cent municipal tax increase; the motion was supported in a vote of five in favour and two opposed.

Powell family sponsor Newcastle station

The Newcastle station, one of six stations which will be located along the Rails to Trails pathway network throughout the Drumheller Valley, has been sponsored by Newcastle residents Wayne and Donna Powell and their family.
Sponsoring the station was important for the family as Wayne grew up in Newcastle, and the station will not only honour and commemorate his own personal family history, but also the rich history and spirit of the Newcastle community.
“Newcastle is in my heart, and I wanted to sort of honour my family who were pioneers,” Wayne says of the decision to sponsor the station.
Wayne adds this was an opportunity for him and his family to give back to the community.
He shares his family has a history connected to the coal mines, his own father having started working in the mines at the age of 14, and his maternal grandmother, Victoria Volney, moved to Newcastle around 1920 from Coleman after she was widowed. Victoria became a pioneer in the community, running a grocery store not far from the tracks to support herself and her five children, and earned a reputation for her kindness and generosity towards transients who would hop off the trains as they passed through Drumheller.
In fact, Wayne points out you can see Grandma Volney’s home on Newcastle Trail from the station’s proposed location near the entrance to the community on 12 Street SW, just off South Railway Avenue/Highway 575.
While honouring his family’s history was important, Donna and Wayne share they are hopeful the rich history of the Newcastle community will also be incorporated into the station. Although Donna did not grow up in Drumheller, she says she is hopeful to see the community booming as it once did, with residents and tourists alike enjoying Newcastle Beach, and the Rails to Trails pathways.
Wayne says he has been in communication with the Newcastle Community Association about ways to incorporate the Newcastle community history and its pioneers into the station, and also the community’s vision for the future.
“This is an idea that we the people will get to use-of course, the tourists are going to come, and they’re going to love it, but we get to love it, too,” he says.

Kneehill County denies Carbon funding request for library

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Kneehill County council denied a request received from the Village of Carbon seeking $5,000 in funding to help support its local library during the regular Tuesday, March 28 council meeting.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Kneehill County Mike Haugen noted during the presentation, as a member of the Marigold Library System, Kneehill County already makes a financial contribution based on a per capita rate.
“With this request, administration has some concerns, and they’re not to do with the library itself and not to do with libraries in general-we do think libraries are important to communities. Our concern lies in the fact we have several libraries in the county, so any funding decision we make for one would likely be replicated across several,” CAO Haugen explained.
Division 1 Councillor Faye McGhee, who also sits as council representative on the Marigold Library Board, expressed the request from the Village of Carbon may have been due to a “misunderstanding of how the process works” and commended the fundraising efforts the Carbon Library board has done within the community.
“Unfortunately, our contribution to their library is through the Marigold stream, and it’s been done,” Councillor McGhee said.
Council unanimously denied the funding request from the Village of Carbon for its municipal library.

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