Transitional Solutions Inc. (TSI) has released the Westlock Collaboration Study that highlights opportunities for the area’s three municipalities to work together.
The year-long study examined the region’s economic development and promotion, bylaw enforcement, water and waste, recreation services, fire services and the Westlock Airport.
TSI also looked at services, current intermunicipal agreements and arrangements to find areas that could be improved through collaboration, co-operation and co-ordination, and listed recommendations to guide the region.
The 116-page study was paid for by a $250,000 grant from the province that was received in 2013. Following that the three municipalities determined which areas to look at.
The Town of Westlock, Westlock County and the Village of Clyde have accepted the report — though not necessarily the suggestions — with the county formally approving it Aug. 8 and the town and village on Aug. 21.
The full document is available online at: http://cms.westlock.ca/_docs/WestlockRegionalCollaborationStudyFINALREPORTAugust9,2017_7a64b7fa8b.pdf.
Recreation
The report was particularly critical of the Tawatinaw ski hill.
The study recommended that the county take “whatever measures are necessary to dispose of the Tawatinaw Ski Resort as quickly as possible” in order to recoup costs.
The reasons list the county spending $3 million on the chalet, debenture payments until 2023 and no business case showing the financial viability of the facility.
By cutting the county’s expenses at the hill, the study said those funds could be funneled towards other municipal recreation projects.
“We are of the opinion ski hill operations are more suited to private entrepreneurs or other legal entities to own and operate,” the report stated. “Ski hill operations are associated with higher levels of potential liability and risk.”
Westlock County reeve Don Savage said it was unlikely the county would get rid of the hill right away, noting that taxes on the property are $80,000 a year.
“You talk about economic development, good recreation facilities is certainly a plus when it comes to people wanting to come to your area,” he said.
“I think the ski hill is there forever. It’s there for the young people and the children, not only Westlock County and not only the Town of Westlock or Clyde, but also Athabasca County.”
Patrons of the hill come from all over, but users from Athabasca County make up 46 per cent, Savage said. Last month he and the county CAO visited Athabasca’s county council to discuss future cost sharing of the hill and expanding the waterline from Clyde to Rochester.
As for other recreation facilities, the report recommended drawing up a cost-sharing agreement, where the county and village would transfer money to the town from 2018 on. The county and village would have separate mill rates for recreation services.
The agreement would be for a five-year term that would include town-provided recreation services used by county and village residents.
Funding would be per capita and adjusted annually. It also proposes capital and operating cost sharing agreements for any future facilities.
Since the county already contributes a portion to recreation — about $310,000 — the study suggested Clyde do the same “for the greater good of the region.” Currently Clyde provides no financial dollars for town recreation facilities.
Economic development
The report suggested the three municipalities re-establish the expired intermunicipal development plan (IDP) and prepare an intermunicipal collaboration framework (ICF).
This will need to be completed within two years of the revised Municipal Government Act coming out. The ICF must include all shared services listed in this report, with the addition of transportation.
“It’s a ton of work and we’ve been trying to encourage our regional partners to enter into those discussions for some time now because you can certainly see it coming,” said Town of Westlock mayor Ralph Leriger.
“What it points to is a trend that’s been going on for some time — the expectations and demands on municipal governments are being more and more sophisticated every day, and many rural municipalities remain ill-equipped to handle the sophistication of what’s required of them.”
Another recommendation is to develop a regional growth plan through the Joint Services Committee, which would eventually include a plan for the region’s future.
For Clyde, that would also see the village prepare its own Municipal Development Plan.
Airport
For the airport, the recommendation is for the county and town to charge airport user fees in 2018, prepare an area structure plan, review the interim airport operation agreement and get rid of the policy where municipal property taxes from the airport are used exclusively for airport operations.
“It is unfair and unreasonable to all other county taxpayers to expect ratepayers at the airport to not contribute to all services and programs provided by the county,” the report said, as the town and county jointly own the airport.
“Therefore any and all subsidies provided by either municipality to facilitate airport operations should be equally shared by both parties.”
In 2016, the airport received $91,000 from the town and county, while revenues brought in $137,170. The report noted that the facility’s revenue came from aviation fuel sales, so implementing user fees would generate more dollars and lower government subsidies.
Fire services
The study proposed combining county and village fire services for a specified area in the county and doing the same with the county and the town in other areas.
The study also touched on combining the Busby and Pickardville fire departments, as well as the Jarvie and Fawcett departments due to their location, the county’s shrinking population and cost of maintaining eight pumpers.
“The county and village disagreement over the housing of county apparatus in the Village Fire Hall is detrimental and for the benefit of the region and must be corrected,” the report added.
“Operationally it causes added delays for county apparatus that is being stored at a private property to respond to county incidents.”
If the county stores the apparatus at the Clyde fire hall, the report said the county should subsidize some operating costs.
Other recommendations are for all three municipalities to do a comprehensive review of fire services and mutual-aid agreements, and develop a region-wide mutual aid agreement.
That also includes the county and village developing fire service bylaws to define the level and scope of services, which the village began last week when it passed first reading of its Fire Protection Bylaw.
Bylaw enforcement
Since both county and town have shown interest in cost sharing a peace officer and already do so informally, that was one recommendation put forward in the study.
The county ended its enhanced police officer contract with the RCMP earlier this summer, so the estimated costs for a peace officer are between $120,000-$140,000, with capital, to be split accordingly.
The Village of Clyde uses their administrative assistant to perform bylaw duties and in the event they are away, the report recommended an agreement with the other municipalities for back-up bylaw enforcement.
Water and waste
The study recommended consolidating all utility services (water, wastewater and solid waste) into a municipal controlled corporation and dissolving the Westlock Regional Water Services Commissions and the Westlock Regional Waste Management Commission.
That would mean getting all county transfer stations under the jurisdiction of a single entity.
