BARRHEAD - County of Barrhead councillors put their stamp of approval on the Inter-municipal Collaborative Framework (ICF) and Inter-municipal Development Plan (IDP) agreements with the Town of Barrhead, Woodlands County and Sturgeon County during their March 3 meeting.
ICF agreements are established between neighbouring municipalities on a wide variety of issues that impact both communities such as recreation, shared water and sewer to joint land planning.
These agreements were made mandatory under the province’s revised Municipal Government Act (MGA).
The deadline for coming to these agreements between rural (county) and urban (town) municipalities is April 1, 2020. Rural to rural municipalities have until April 1, 2021.
Town of Barrhead
County manager Debbie Oyarzun reminded councillors that both Barrhead municipalities have already ratified their ICF with each other. The county ratified it on Jan. 7 while the town approved it Jan. 28.
She added that although the province does not require municipalities to have an IDP per se, under the MGA, municipalities have the option of creating an IDP that works in conjunction with the ICF. The deadline for IDPs between urban and rural municipalities to be in place is April 1.
Oyarzun noted making the process easier was the fact that the municipalities have had an IDP in place since 1989, it was renewed in 1999.
"Administration took the opportunity to go through the existing document, modernize it and made sure it aligned with each municipality's [municipal development plan], land-use bylaws as well as the changes in the [MGA]," she said.
Oyarzun added like creating an ICF, coming up with an IDP is a very regulated process, that requires the creation of a bylaw.
The difference, she said, being is that unlike an ICF an IDP bylaw must go through the public hearing process.
Later in the meeting, in two separate motions, councillors unanimously gave first reading to its IDP bylaw and set a joint public hearing with the Town of Barrhead for March 24. The public hearing is at 5:30 p.m. in the Town of Barrhead council chambers.
Town councillors gave first reading to their IDP bylaw at a special noon March 3 meeting.
After the public hearing, both municipalities will discuss and possibly approve their prospective IDP bylaws. Town councillors at their regular council meeting will begin immediately after the public hearing, while county councillors will conduct a special council meeting in one of the Town of Barrhead municipal office's conference rooms.
County of Barrhead development officer Jenny Bruns noted the majority of changes in the IDP were "technical" to meet MGA requirements.
One of the changes made to the IDP was due to a request from the town.
"They wanted the boundary [of the plan] increased on the west side," she said. "So that each side was three quarters. It didn't make sense to have two quarters on the west and have three to the east."
Bruns noted the language was also changed, to make it more general. In numerous locations, the existing plan refers to provincial government departments that no longer exist.
"So we changed the terminology saying that we would refer to the 'appropriate ministry' rather than a specific one," she said, adding similar language changes were made to refer to the municipality's Municipal Development Plan and Land-use Bylaw. "That way if we make changes to either document our IDP bylaw is still valid."
Bruns then went through the goals of the IDP: plan for the orderly economic and beneficial use of land in its area; identify areas that the municipalities collaborate in to plan for future development; establish land-use standards, and plan strategies to minimize the impact on the environment, giving the example of the Paddle River.
"The utility section has also been updated to provide for rights of way in multi-parcel subdivisions," Bruns said. "If you don't provide for those right of ways right off the start it will never happen."
She added the IDP also states sewer connection to the Town of Barrhead's sewer infrastructure will be up to the town to ensure they have the capacity.
Oyarzun interjected that the municipalities are in the process of negotiating a utility service agreement.
Bruns added that they clarified the language of floodplain development, noting it would be restricted to recreation use only and the IDP also includes a dispute resolution mechanism.
Woodlands County agreements
Councillors also ratified their ICF agreement passing the Bylaw 3-2020 (ICF Between County of Barrhead and Woodlands County).
Woodlands ratified the agreement by passing its bylaw Feb. 18.
"It's very similar to the one we set up with the town," Oyarzun said, adding but in some ways not as complicated as they share fewer services.
With Woodlands County existing service agreements are limited to a Peacetime Emergency Mutual Aid agreement and the Barrhead and Area Crime Coalition (BARCC). To read more about BARCC see Page A12. The municipalities also partner with the Town of Barrhead and Pembina Hills School Division to fund an enhanced policing position, a student resource officer that tours schools in Neerlandia, Barrhead, Dunstable and Fort Assiniboine.
Councillors also in two separate motions gave first reading the accompanying IDP bylaw and set a public hearing for March 24 at 3 p.m. in the County of Barrhead council chambers.
Sturgeon County
The last ICF agreement councillors ratified through the approval of a bylaw is one with Sturgeon County. Oyarzun said the ICF was the least complicated of the ones they have negotiated to date (agreements with Westlock County and the County of Lac Ste Anne are still to come) as they only share a common border of about five miles.
The municipalities also agreed to opt not to have an IDP.
Sturgeon County passed the first reading of their ICF bylaw with the County of Barrhead on Feb. 25 and they are expected to give second and third readings on March 10.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
