Christopher Northcott – Page 6 – Christopher Northcott

Notes from Council, July 31, 2023

Christopher Northcott on July 31, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

Members of council, along with our MP, Martin Shields, as well as key personnel from the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, Benchmark Assessment, and Vulcan County Administration took a rather diverse bus tour of Vulcan County on July 5^th. We toured the fully operation 465 megawatt Travers Solar Farm southwest of Lomond. It is jointly owned by Greengate Power Corporation and Copenhagen Infrastructure Projects, spanning 3,330 acres. We then visited the construction laydown yard for the 494 megawatt Buffalo Plains Wind Farm which was recently sold to Copenhagen Infrastructure Projects. This project, when fully constructed, will span approximately 17,500 acres and include 83 turbines, being the largest single phase wind project in Canada. From the laydown yard, we were taken to the construction site for one of the first turbines, giving us an appreciation for the scale of the concrete pad that will be poured. While these pads could never be fully reclaimed, we were told that they will likely be used for a much longer length of time than any one turbine tower. A single pad could be used to support successive towers.

Notes from Council, June 30, 2023

Christopher Northcott on July 1, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

There were three councillors in attendance at the Coffee with Council in Brant on June 8^th. Residents from the hamlet came out to ask questions and discuss county business. For those interested, please stay tuned for the next Coffee with Council that will be held at the Mossleigh Community Hall in late October.

Reeve Schneider and I joined volunteers with the District 20 Fire Association (Champion) to provide a barbecue concession on June 24^th in Champion. We were set up outside the community hall while staff from Vulcan County Protective Services were hosting a free Fire Smart session for interested members of the public. These events will be occurring across Vulcan County throughout the summer with the goal being to have one in every community. Those who attend will gain insight on how to fire-proof their property, as well as have an opportunity to sign up for a free home assessment. There are door prizes to be won and a chance to see some of the equipment used by our local fire protection service. Since 2017, the public education trailer has gone around Southern Alberta, containing a mock kitchen and childrens bedroom. This trailer can simulate various household fires, providing direction on the best ways to react in each scenario.

Notes from Council, May 31, 2023

Christopher Northcott on June 1, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

Deputy Reeve Shane Cockwill and a few other members of council, along with the Chief Administrative Officer, will host the first “Coffee with Council” on June 8^th at 7:00 PM. The venue chosen for this initial offering is in Division 2 at the Brant Christian School Gymnasium.

The May 3^rd meeting of County Council saw the finalization of the tax rate bylaws for 2023. With the overall increase in taxable assessment of 19.55% from 2022, tax rates were lowered by 40% for residential properties and 5.5% for non-residential properties. Given the fact that many ratepayers will have noticed an increase in their assessed values, some landowners will notice the tax savings more than others. That said, the growth in linear assessment from renewable energy installations is expected to contribute $1.78 million to County revenues. Costs have increased for policing and solid waste, and those monies are collected on a cost recovery basis.

Notes from Council, April 27, 2023

Christopher Northcott on April 27, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

Apart from regular council meetings, I attended a virtual meeting of our Audit Committee on March 13^th. Along with councillors Lyckman and Nelson, our committee is fortunate to have a very engaging Director of Finance, Mark DeBoer. He is always eager to put an item to us for review and discussion, and at this meeting we reviewed the draft financial statements prior to them circulating to all of Council. Mark has also been instrumental in rolling out online reporting tools for ratepayers on the County website. Utilizing the interactive capability of Microsoft Power BI (at a nominal cost), Mark has created a Financial Report Dashboard, a 2022 Financial Statements Dashboard, as well as a Performance Measures Dashboard for anyone who is interested. These dashboards can be found from the home page by following “Your County,” “Departments,” “Corporate Services,” then “Financial Statements and Reporting.”

Notes from Council, March 31, 2023

Christopher Northcott on March 28, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

The Vulcan District Recreation Board now has a full complement of members-at-large. While I mentioned Josh Umscheid and Troy Dobson in a prior write-up, I want to thank Joanne Kettenbach for her willingness to serve on this board. The board has now met twice, being well-versed by Chris Gauthier, the Town of Vulcan’s Community Services Manager, on the programming that is offered. At our meetings we review these programs, including the demand for them, their revenue generating potential, as well as how much the County should contribute on behalf of our ratepayers. The Town of Vulcan is offering a lot of great programs within established budgetary constraints.

Notes from Council, February 28, 2023

Christopher Northcott on February 24, 2023

Dear Residents & Ratepayers,

Applications remain open for the third member-at-large on the Vulcan District Recreation Board. Details can be found on my website as well as on the County website. Applicants must be resident within the district.

The first meeting of the Vulcan District Recreation board was on February 2^nd. Town of Vulcan Community Services Manager, Chris Gauthier, provided a budgetary overview of available programs. Given that the Summer Games are funded from a County-wide expense account, the proposed programming budget is very close to what the County is already estimating for the district. The new recreation board model allows County input from the rural ratepayers into what programs are funded by the recreation levy. This board will also advise County Council on joint use facility arrangements and capital purchases where fifty percent of the County funds come from the Vulcan district.