Notes from Council, October 2024
Dear Residents & Ratepayers,
I want to thank Kathy Perley and the Champion Booster Club for re-starting the Champion Chronicle. I enjoy the monthly update and it has certainly been missed by others as well. Last month I submitted the infographics that were prepared by our Director of Corporate Services, Mark DeBoer, and you will see ongoing advertising from County Administration regarding services or Public Notices.
The Board of the Twin Valley Regional Water Commission met twice in October to consider a new rate structure and approve a budget for 2025. The Board determined that going forward it will include all operating costs within the water rate calculation and invoice member-municipalities separately for a pre-determined contribution toward the Commission’s capital reserves. This change resulted from the challenge the Commission encountered in 2024 with the prospect of a severe drought. This new formulation of the water rate will encourage water conservation on an ongoing basis and not penalize member-municipalities for using less water. The new invoicing for capital reserves will ensure that the Commission is intentionally banking the dollars it requires to maintain its existing infrastructure and undertake significant rehabilitation projects in ten to fifteen years time.
Kim Sansome has retired as a custodian for Vulcan County after 40 years. A retirement party was held for her on October 4th and Councillor Laurie Lyckman and myself had the pleasure of attending. Kim’s dedication to the County and her friendly demeanor in undertaking all of her duties is much appreciated.
The Board of the Southern Alberta Energy from Waste Association has been holding regular meetings to narrow down for its membership what its future direction should be, as well as how energy from waste facilities can finally start servicing member-municipalities. A determined effort is being made to address this before the end of the year. Advances in technology have made it possible to consider small regional installations to incinerate waste without having to landfill more than necessary, generating some useful by-product as a result.
I have had the privilege of serving on the Executive Committee for the Oldman River Regional Services Commission. This Committee has spent significant time working on the 2025 budget for the commission in an effort to establish clear financial viability. Should the Board approve the budget, member-municipalities will be paying more for their annual membership in the Commission, however, these revenues should cover the fixed expenses of the organization and lessen the reliance on revenue that can be generated in any given year from fees for service. The reserves of the Commission were drawn down in recent years due to budget deficits.
The Champion District Recreation Board met on October 29th to review the funding requests for 2025. A recommendation has gone forward to Vulcan County regarding what applications should be funded and to what degree. Certain facilities greatly rely on these funds for their ongoing operations; specific programs would likely not occur without it.
The District-20 Fire Association had a tremendously successful fundraiser on October 19th. While I was not able to volunteer on the night of the event, I enjoyed assisting in other ways with organizing it. I’m told that Dan Martin did a superb job smoking the pulled pork. Donors of auction items were once again very generous, as was the community in supporting the auction.
Sincerely,
Christopher Northcott