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Kneehill County receives award for 2021 budget presentation

GFOA Award CAO Mike Haugen Deputy Reeve Ken King

Kneehill County received the 2021 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2021 budget presentation.
This is the first time Kneehill County has received this award, and Deputy Reeve Ken King and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mike Haugen accepted a plaque and award during the regular Tuesday, December 14 council meeting.
“The public generally don’t get good, easy to understand financial documents like budgets,” Director of Corporate Services Bill McKennan tells the Mail.
Mr. McKennan explains both he and CAO Haugen are new to the municipality and had made a commitment to revise the budget to be more comprehensive for ratepayers.
While the presentation does include regular budget information, including Capital and Operating budgets, it also included a timeline on the budget process, budget pressures that have resulted in increased costs and revenue losses, as well as charts and graphs which give a better picture of budget overview and breakdown.
GFOA Executive Director and CEO Chris Morrill congratulated Kneehill County in a video for winning the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. “The purpose of this award program is to encourage and assist governments to prepare comprehensive and understandable budget documents we believe will both improve transparency and trust,” Mr. Morrill said in the video.
Mr. McKennan notes the budget document was a collaborative effort between various departments, and the budget breakdown for each department along with department-specific significant achievements were highlighted throughout the document.
Although this is the first time Kneehill County has been presented with the Budget Presentation Award, Mr. McKennan shares their objective is to continue providing ratepayers with a budget that is easy to read and understand. The 2022 budget documents will be posted to the Kneehill County website in early 2022 ahead of regular budget deliberations.
The 2021 Kneehill County budget can be viewed online at https://kneehillcounty.com/DocumentCenter/View/5619/Budget-2021?bidId=


Town of Drumheller collects feedback on downtown berm traffic changes

Proposed Riverside Drive Closure

The Town is collecting feedback on traffic changes related to the Downtown berm so they can be addressed with residents, commuters, and business owners.
The Town understands this berm design has traffic implications, so there will be many conversations to come about this.
They’re working with the Downtown Area Revitalization Plan (DARP) team to come up with solutions that meet the goals of the revitalization program, and with the emergency services department to come up with solutions to meet the needs of the response times for the community.
Please stay tuned on the Drumheller Flood Mitigation website, social media, and advertising for more information as this project progresses.
To submit your feedback regarding the Downtown berm traffic implications, fill out the online survey here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DowntownDrumTraffic

Traffic Survey QR Code
Or, if you prefer to fill out a paper copy, stop by Town Hall.
To watch the recording of the Downtown berm Open House on December 9, where the lead engineer went into depth on the Riverside Drive assessment and results, go here:
https://floodreadiness.drumheller.ca/be-informed/past-community-sessions

The Flood Mitigation Office will also be holding a second Downtown berm Open House (virtual only) on Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. This Open House is to encourage communication between the Community and the Flood Mitigation Office, so residents have the chance to learn more about the project and the corresponding traffic implications. It is also a great opportunity to inquire about any questions or concerns you may have. Register for the Open House here:
https://floodreadiness.drumheller.ca/be-informed/community-events

The recording will be posted online within a few days after the event at
https://floodreadiness.drumheller.ca/be-informed/past-community-sessions

Making good from a bad situation

received 357420212855589

When life gives you lemons it can be easy to focus on the negatives, but one Rockyford family is taking the opportunity to turn a bad situation into something positive.
Village of Rockyford resident Tyler Henke shared on the community’s Facebook group his vehicle had been stolen from his driveway on Thursday, December 16; later the same day, Mr. Henke shared another post that he would like to take the opportunity to turn the situation around.
“I want to use this as an opportunity to show our kids there is more good than bad out there,” the follow-up post says. “We saw so much support today, we want to try and share it with those that need it most.”
The vehicle theft has been scary for Henke’s two children-Emmett, 6, and Parker, 8-and he tells the Mail he wanted to “change the narrative” and use this as an opportunity to show his children there’s more good than bad.
Mr. Henke and his wife Jodi reached out to the Wheatland Food Bank to see what items they are most in need of. Taking to the community Facebook group, Mr. Henke shared he will be collecting unopened boxes of diapers and wipes, or cash and e-transfer donations to purchase these items until Friday, December 31.
“(The kids) don’t really understand money, but they understand a filled cart, and they understand helping out,” Henke tells the Mail.
Since making the post on Thursday, Mr. Henke says the family has already received approximately $775 in cash, e-transfer, and gift card donations, along with donations of unopened boxes of diapers and wipes, and he says he is blown away by the outpouring of support from the community.
While he only expected to collect a couple of hundred dollars to help the food bank, he has set a new goal to donate $1,000. The donations will also be used to help give back to neighbouring communities in Kneehill County, Starland County, and Drumheller.


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