There were two meetings of Council in April and one meeting of the Budget Committee. Between regular council business and a public hearing for a land use bylaw rezoning application, April 1st ended up being a lengthy day. Council undertook some administrative updates to the Linear Tax Stability bylaw, as well as providing a letter of support for the Marquis Foundation seniors housing project. While the former provides predictable levels of taxation for large linear assets, the latter is necessary for funding agreements with the Province of Alberta and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to move towards construction of a new seniors lodge. Also at this meeting, Council adopted a Shotgun Policy to enable Community Peace Officers to have a humane way to dispatch animals should it not be possible to get a wildlife officer on scene when needed. Council chose not to extend this authority to agricultural fieldman at this time.
I have received inquiries regarding the proposed Data Processing Operation rezoning application. A Public Hearing is scheduled for April 1, 2026, and notice has been circulated.
The following is the published agenda package. Any updates or changes can be found directly on the Vulcan County website, here.
One question I received concerns the impact of the proposed development on Vulcan County tax revenue.
Looking at the 2025 Tax Rates for General Municipal Taxes, if completed the proposed development will generate significant tax revenue for Vulcan County given that the development will be assessed as Non-Residential property and taxed accordingly. Assessment values on Farmland are much lower, being regulated by the province and not reflective of market value, so this must be considered when comparing tax rates across different assessment types.
Vulcan County General Municipal Tax Rates for 2025 are as follows:
General municipal property taxes raise the money required in the municipal budget that cannot be raised from all other sources of revenue. The overall taxable assessment of Vulcan County changes from one year to the next. A growth in taxable assessment that stems from new development (being new assessment) helps alleviate the burden of paying for the “revenue shortfall” across all ratepayers, assuming municipal expenditures are not increasing to the same extent or greater, or that other budgeted sources of revenue do not change. There are a lot of assumptions that go into a municipal budget!
Members of the public are encouraged to attend and provide comment at a Public Hearing if they deem themselves to be affected by the application. Evidence submitted in Public Hearing becomes part of the public record. As per s. 184 of the Municipal Government Act of Alberta, a municipal councilor must participate in the Public Hearing in order to vote on the bylaw amendment that requires one.
There was one council meeting in March where we dealt with three bylaws. Council gave First Reading to Bylaw 2026-007 to rezone lands proposed for the development of a data centre. Being a Land Use Bylaw amendment, this type of bylaw requires a Public Hearing to be held prior to Second and Third Reading. A Public Hearing is scheduled for April 1st so please check out the County’s website for more information on the proposal. Your input is welcome.
The District 20 (Champion) Fire Protection Association met on February 19th for the first time this year. The Association is hoping to do three community bingos this year so please watch the Champion Chronicle and social media for notices of these events.
Also discussed at this meeting were the governance policies for the association, as well as the memorandum of understanding that sets the association apart from the District 20 fire department of Vulcan County. While the association is established to raise public awareness and fundraise for local emergency services, the regional fire department is the sole service provider.
Finally, the association is working on a path forward for its building project initiative, one that will see the eventual construction of an annex east of the fire hall for additional secure storage of equipment. Last year, the association was unsuccessful in applying for a Community Facility Enhancement Program grant, proposing a facility that would support not only the fire department but other community groups who require secure storage for equipment. Volunteers are now working with Vulcan County personnel on how to best phase and develop this project while pursuing alternative funding opportunities. I am working to facilitate these conversations. The tremendous support of the Champion Community and region for the activities of the fire association is greatly appreciated. As such, I will do my best to provide regular updates on this building project.
January has certainly been a busy month, despite there being only one regular meeting of council. Hopefully 2026 is off to a good start for all of you.
In December of 2025, I was re-elected as the Chair of the Board for the Oldman River Regional Services Commission (ORRSC). This has been a time of significant change for the Commission as our new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Tracy Thomas, officially commenced work on January 12th. As such, the Executive Committee has set out mutually agreeable goals and objectives for her first year with the Commission. Fortunately, retiring CAO, Lenze Kuiper, has been facilitating a transition for the remainder of January. The two of them have been busy reviewing files and visiting member-municipalities. I joined them in Bassano on January 26th for a discussion with the Town Council on the budgetary direction that has been implemented, as well as the operating plan that was approved by the Board of Directors in December. Member-municipalities, of which there are 41, are the shareholders of the Commission, having an ownership stake in its future. The Commission is a non-profit corporate entity that reports directly to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, realizing significant cost-savings and the benefits of regional collaboration for members.
The Village of Milo Council has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer. Gillian Williamson has lived in Milo for several years and we are fortunate to have an established member of the community take on this challenging role. Since prior to moving here, Gillian has been in business for herself as a videographer. Her partnership in Studio Lumen has resulted in several local projects receiving her professional touch, whether it be a promotional video for Vulcan County, the Milo Development Co-op’s “Will Family Legacy Project,” the Village of Arrowwood’s “Find Your Way Home,” or the Vulcan County Emergency Partnership’s pandemic response videos. With her experience running a business, managing a variety of projects, as well as writing grant proposals, Gillian’s talents will align well with being a municipal administrator. I look forward to working with Gillian for community growth and economic development, as well as with the Village Council on intermunicipal collaboration.
