MuniMall News and Views

New Development Program for Municipal Officials
Mayors, reeves, councillors and municipal staff are invited to participate in an innovative new program designed to help them learn more about dealing with the diverse challenges of leadership at the municipal level. The Honourable Guy Boutilier, Minister of Municipal Affairs, will deliver the keynote presentation. See all the details on the MuniMall website.

Community Charter Workshop
The Local Government Institute and the School of Public Administration of the University of Victoria will hold a free 4-hour workshop on the Community Charter. Government Studies Director Edd Lesage from the University of Alberta is among the speakers. Check out MuniMall for more info.

Municipal Alberta

Town Won’t Ground Land Purchase
HIGH PRAIRIE -- The Town of High Prairie will approach the M.D. of Big Lakes about purchasing the Kryzalka property for a second time, during the M.D.'s April 10 meeting. (South Peace News)

More Backlash Over Community Lottery Boards
PEACE RIVER -- Peace River is keeping its options open for the time being as council watches St. Albert’s bid to remove VLTs from it’s city in retaliation to the province scrapping the Community Lottery Board (CLB) program.

School Plans Unveiled
EDSON -- Edson’s new Catholic junior and senior high was not affected by recent provincial budget cuts since funding was approved over a year ago. The new building, costing just over $5.1 million, is scheduled to have its first graduation class in 2004. (Edson Leader)

Roads Top Ratepayer Concern
The talk of Yellowhead County Ratepayers seems to revolve around lack of direction for the ad hoc committee and road maintenance concerns. Edson Leader)

Budget Response To Be Drafted
HINTON -- Town council has decided to draft letters to the provincial government in response to the provincial budget released in March. (Hinton Parklander)

New EMS Building Approved
HINTON -- Hinton will be getting a new emergency services building at the Government Centre site after council agreed to borrow $150,000 to build it. (Hinton Parklander)

Smoke Eater Wins Award
HINTON -- Hinton Fire Chief Ken Brands received an award from the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta for 27 years in the fire services. (Hinton Parklander)

VLT Removal Eyed
BANFF -- If the provincial government is going to take a hard line on axing its lottery board granting program, it might have to deal with a ban on Banff VLTs. (Banff Crag And Canyon)

Stun Guns On The Way
BANFF -- Banff Mounties may have one more weapon in their arsenal if the detachment is chosen to carry Taser guns, designed to stun people with up to 50,000 volts of heat. (Banff Crag And Canyon)

Vision Revealed
COCHRANE -- Over 200 people showed up to see what the future of the former Western Heritage Centre might look like and to provide their feedback and ideas for how it should look. (Cochrane Times)

Boil Water Advisory Steams MD
COCHRANE -- The proverbial poop hit the fan last week between the MD of Rocky View and the Calgary Health Region, almost literally. (Cochrane Times)

School Bus Fees Ride Higher
COCHRANE -- Cochrane and Airdrie parents will have to dig a little deeper to pay for their children to ride the bus to school after RVSD trustees voted unanimously to raise fees at the March 28 board meeting. (Cochrane Times)

Local Builders Invited On Board
CANMORE -- Canmore builders had plenty of opportunities to buy into Three Sisters, but simply decided, for a variety of reasons, not to take advantage of it, a local builder says. (Canmore Leader)

Celebrity Adorns Mayor's Prayer Breakfast
DIDSBURY -- Well-known Calgary broadcaster Darrel Janz will be the guest speaker for the 2002 Mayor's Prayer Breakfast that will be held at Westglen school on May 2. (Didsbury Review)

Budget In The Black
ECKVILLE -- Town Council’s 2001 budget report was reviewed on Monday night by Collins Barrow representative Gary Pottage. Pottage revealed a debt-free Eckville with a capital surplus of $84,000 from 2001. (Eckville Echo)

Train Wreck Enhances Safety
ECKVILLE -- Eckville’s Disaster Services, together with BP Canada Energy Company, staged a mock disaster with the “Safety Train,” a train car used all over North America to train emergency response staff on how to handle an emergency.

Taxes, Utilities Going Up
SYLVAN LAKE -- Sylvan Lake residents will probably pay more for taxes this year and will also see an increase in water and sewer rates. (Sylvan Lake News)

Tougher Line On Encroachment Urged
SYLVAN LAKE -- Encroachments on environmental reserves, specifically at Marina Bay, was the topic of discussion at a meeting held at Sylvan Lake Community Centre. (Sylvan Lake News)

Slo-Pitch Catches Lower User Fee
HANNA -- Town council has approved a slight user fee decrease for the adult slo-pitch league and increase for the Hanna Arena. (Hanna Herald)

Sweet Gas Well Still Sours Council
RIMBEY -- Despite Northrock Resources Ltd.’s decision to move a proposed sweet gas well approximately 700 metres from the town boundary, council is still opposed to the well. (Rimbey Review)

Pool Survey Stays Afloat
MAYERTHORPE -- Residents in Mayerthorpe and surrounding counties have until April 15 to offer their feedback on the operating future of Mayerthorpe’s outdoor pool. (Mayerthorpe Freelancer)

New Pagers For Fire Department
CAROLINE -- In order to improve communications with firefighters at the time of call-out, the Caroline Fire Department has purchased 10 pagers with chargers for its personnel with a $4,600 grant from the STARS "Chain of Survival" fund. (The Mountaineer)

New Digs For Ambulance Office
CAROLINE -- The Caroline and District Ambulance Service Board has decided to move all administration tasks into the ambulance hall. (The Mountaineer)

Disaster Advice Dispensed
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE -- A disaster services officer visited with Town Council at the Apr. 2 meeting, advising an update of the emergency plan to make sure everyone knows what's happening in case something happens. (The Mountaineer)

Subdivision Apps Not Slowing Down
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE -- The County of Clearwater is seeing steady numbers of subdivision applications, and things seem to point that way in the future. (The Mountaineer)

Main Street Makeover On Track
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE -- Plans to spruce up Main Street are progressing slowly, but surely, said the chair of the Chamber of Commerce's Main Street Revitalization Committee. (The Mountaineer)

Transportation Plan Predicts Growth
STRATHMORE -- After four months of putting Strathmore under the microscope, Morasch Transportation Consultants Ltd. (MTCL) of Calgary has produced a plan to help the Town address traffic snags and prepare for large population growth. (Strathmore Standard)

Towns Slow to Protest Cuts
OLDS -- While the County of Mountain View will be sending a letter to the Alberta government to express their concern over the dissolution of the Community Lottery Boards, many towns in the area have not decided what they will do. First story under photo. (Olds Gazette)

Public Mulls Police Plan
PINCHER CREEK -- One of the steps in the process of forming a community policing plan was taken at the town hall last Wednesday evening. (Pincher Creek Echo)

Contamination Concern Paramount
OKOTOKS -- Concerns over environmental contamination led the Foothills MD council to reaffirm its request for an environmental assessment study on land for an industrial shop and residence near Black Diamond. (Okotoks Western Wheel)

Mill Rate Headed South
OKOTOKS -- Preliminary numbers show that the MD of Foothills residential mill rate will decline by almost four per cent. (Okotoks Western Wheel)

Council Contemplates Spin Budgets
OKOTOKS -- The Foothills MD council is contemplating the development of a communications budget for each individual councillor. (Okotoks Western Wheel)

Farm Assessment Proposals Infuriate Council
OKOTOKS -- A discussion paper released by the provincial government regarding possible tax changes to farming has infuriated the Foothills MD council. (Okotoks Western Wheel)

Sellers In Driver's Seat
OKOTOKS -- As the Town of Okotoks becomes proliferated with new homes in all four corners of the community, local residents looking to sell are quickly steering the boat. (Okotoks Western Wheel)

MD Can’t Drive Deal
TABER -- The Alberta government isn't particularly interested in a proposal the M.D. of Taber says would save the province's taxpayers a significant amount of cash. The M.D. recently offered to take over as the province's maintenance contractor for secondary highways inside the M.D. Third story down. (Taber Times)

Reno Goes To Tender
VULCAN -- Vulcan County council recently gave the green light for their office renovation project to go to tender. (Vulcan Advocate)

Tax Jump Coming In County
COALDALE -- Property tax bills in the County of Lethbridge will likely grow between five and 10 per cent this year, says Reeve David Oseen. Top story. (Sunny South News)

Water Rationing Ahead
TABER -- Despite much needed precipitation on the prairies and in the mountains in March, irrigators connected to the St. Mary River Irrigation Project are still looking at rationing water in 2002. Top story. (40 Mile County Commentator)

Subdivision Slowdown Sought
DUNMORE -- Cypress County council is considering a land use change which would slow down landowners from subdividing their land. Third story down. (40 Mile County Commentator)

Cities and Regions

Mayor Floats Fuel Tax Hike
EDMONTON -- The province should consider charging Alberta drivers an extra cent or two in tax at the gas pump to ensure badly needed road and transportation projects get built, Mayor Bill Smith said. (Edmonton Journal)

Airdrie Rides LRT Dream
AIRDRIE -- Although it may not be in the immediate future, a city official is confident that a commuter train service will eventually link Airdrie to Calgary. (Airdrie Echo)

Recycling Rethought
SHERWOOD PARK -- Strathcona County was one of the first municipalities to begin collecting mixed plastics for recycling - and one of the last to stop. But a lack of markets for this material has prompted the County to discontinue collecting mixed plastics at its recycling stations. (County Of Strathcona Press Release)

Stringent Butt Ban Planned
SHERWOOD PARK -- Strathcona County council won't linger over a stringent new smoking bylaw. Second story down. (Sherwood Park News)

Community Consensus Will Empower Tower
SHERWOOD PARK -- Industry Canada, not the municipality, has authority over telecommunication towers. But according to the federal department, its approval hinges on community consultation. Third story down. (Sherwood Park News)

8% Solution
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- Local homeowners can expect to pay about eight per cent more property taxes this year, according to the final Fort budget approved Tuesday. (Sturgeon Creek Post)

Old City Hall Plan Revived
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- Planning for a new Civic Centre across from City Hall will be proposed in the 2003 City of Fort Saskatchewan budget, Council decided. (Sturgeon Creek Post)

Projects Require Zoning Changes
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- A new apartment building and a new fourplex have been proposed for the 98 Avenue area of downtown. (Sturgeon Creek Post)

Trees Twig Debate
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- Trees were at the top of everyone's mind during debate over the latest expansion of Westpark. (Sturgeon Creek Post)

Deposit Policy Changed
CAMROSE -- If you’re building a house this summer, any construction deposits normally paid out by your contractor will be returned to the homeowner following a site inspection. (Camrose Canadian)

Summer Games Group Not Playing Around
CAMROSE -- Volunteers, staff and the community are gearing up for one of the biggest events in Camrose this summer, the 2002 Alberta Summer Games. (Camrose Canadian)

Additional Lots Readied
CAMROSE -- With an additional 87 lots almost ready for development, the city is trying to keep pace with the booming economy. (Camrose Canadian)

Tax Principles Violated?
FORT McMURRAY -- Syncrude Canada treasurer John Clarke says the municipal taxation committee's recommendations violate Wood Buffalo's existing tax principles. (Fort McMurray Today)

Getting Wired

Library Internet No Longer A Freebie
BENTLEY -- Time can be accessed on the library computers but as of April 2 it is no longer free. The Bentley Municipal Library is now charging a $1 fee for each e-mail session to help offset some of the costs associated with providing Internet service to the public. (Rimbey Review)

Politics and Policy

Tories Take By-Election
EDMONTON -- Newly-elected Wainwright MLA Doug Griffiths is a talented person who will bring a strong new voice for rural Albertans to the government planning table, Premier Ralph Klein said. (Government Of Alberta Press Release)

Lottery Funds Dead -- For Now
EDMONTON -- The province failed to resurrect the $50-million Community Lottery Board program Monday, but Premier Ralph Klein immediately offered up hope that it soon could be revived in some form. (Edmonton Journal)

Infrastructure Projects Approved
EDMONTON -- Another $22.3 million will be directed towards 53 community infrastructure projects approved today through the Infrastructure Canada-Alberta Program (ICAP). (Infrastructure Canada-Alberta Press Release)

Arbitration Tribunal In Teachers' Dispute Appointed
EDMONTON -- A respected Alberta-based arbitrator, David Jones, has been appointed by the Government of Alberta as chair of the arbitration tribunal to deal with the teachers' dispute. (Government Of Alberta Press Release)

Municipal Liability Protection Increased, Assessment Process Enhanced
EDMONTON -- Proposed legislation will provide a standard of good faith for protection from liability for municipal officials and municipal boxing and wrestling commissions. It will also enhance the equalized assessment process in which tax requisitions for cost-shared programs are calculated. (Government Of Alberta Press Release)

ACRA To Voice Budget Concerns
FORT SASKATCHEWAN -- As a member of the Alberta Capital Region Alliance (ACRA), Fort Saskatchewan will be voicing its concerns over last month’s announced provincial budget. (Fort Saskatchewan Record)

MuniMall Newsletter is published on the web once a week by MuniMall.Net. If you're not on our mailing list, it's free and easy to subscribe. Comments, concerns, suggestions, submissions? Email MuniMall Editor John Sinclair at john.sinclair@ualberta.ca or call John at 780-492-2783.
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