Barrhead town councillors instructed administration, during their Feb. 28 meeting, to formally ask the County of Barrhead how much they will contribute towards the operational costs of jointly run facilities and programs.
Coun. Don Smith asked administration if the county has indicated how much they will contribute for recreation for the current year.
“What are we to expect from the County of Barrhead on percentages?” he asked. “I know they are in the process now, but should we assume that we will have to wait until after the election (Oct. 16) to find out it is the status quo?”
Martin Taylor, Barrhead’s chief operating officer, said he has received no communication from the county regarding recreation funding, but noted it would be an appropriate time to inquire.
“Because the agreement, the contract that is set to expire. It’s now 2017,” he said.
The contract Taylor is referring to is the Town of Barrhead Aquatic Centre Project Capital Agreement.
The contract, which was signed in January of 2015 and expires in October 2017, states that the two municipalities provide $5 million towards the capital costs of the aquatic centre. In exchange for this contribution the county agreed to contribute, at their discretion, what is fair and reasonable to recreation. In 2016, the county deemed that figure to be $88,860 or about 14 per cent of the recreation operation budget. The amount was broken down into three components: Agrena operating costs $59,560, wages for three summer program workers $24,300 and contribution to summer program costs $5,000.
Mayor Gerry St. Pierre noted they are also still waiting to find out whether Municipal Affairs will impose a recreation agreement.
In April of 2016, then Municipal Affairs minister Danielle Larivee gave the town and county six months to come up with a recreation agreement and suggested if they didn’t do so, she would use the powers under the Municipal Government Act to settle the dispute.
“But I’m not going to hold my breath, because there has been yet again, another change in ministers [Municipal Affairs], the seventh one in three-and-a-half years,” he said. “While it is partly in their hands [Municipal Affairs] it is mostly in the hands of our county counterparts in what they decide to do for recreation.”
Coun. Roy Ulmer said he read in the county council meeting minutes that they are hoping to meet with the new Municipal Affairs minister Shaye Anderson during the upcoming Alberta Association of Municipal Districts conference.
“They haven’t received conformation about it, but I have informed the reeve (Doug Drozd) that if they meet with the minister, we will request and expect the same privilege,” St. Pierre responded.
Council accepted for information a report from Municipal Affairs stating the Town of Barrhead linear property has been assessed at $6,215,210 for 2017, a decrease of about $280,000 over the previous year. Linear assessment is the value the province places on the oil and gas wells, pipelines and electric power systems that are in a municipality.
“It really should come to no surprise to us. With the downturn in the economy, especially in the oil industry,” St. Pierre said, adding it is the same for all municipalities. “Fortunately, for the town it has a minimal impact.”
Kathy Vickery, Barrhead Finance and Administration director, noted the decrease means the town would receive about $4,000 less from the province.
Councillors unanimously approved to send Coun. Roy Ulmer and Coun. Ryan Warehime to the official opening of the North Central Alberta Baseball League’s (NCABL) Hall of Fame at the Morinville Historical Museum.
Both Ulmer and Warehime noted that Barrhead has a storied history in baseball and said it will be nice to see some of it documented in the NCABL’s Hall of Fame.
