Whitecourt Town Council briefs
Mar. 22 meeting
The Government of Alberta recently announced changes to the Alberta Disaster Recovery Program which provides financial assistance to help restore uninsurable property lost or damaged by a disaster. The Province has implemented a 90:10 costsharing arrangement with local governments and private-sector applicants, with the Prov- ince assisting for up to 90 per cent of eligible disaster costs. In addition, a 500,000 funding cap per homeowner applica-tion, and a one-time limit on disaster financial assistance per property has also been added to the program guidelines. The Town of Whitecourt, as a community susceptible to natural disasters due to its location and topography, is concerned about the impact these program changes will have not only on the municipality, but also local property own-ers. The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), which advocates on behalf of communities across Alberta, is reviewing the potential impact this will have and the information published by AUMA will be presented to Council at a future meeting for further discussion. For information on the Disaster Recovery Program and recent changes visit: www. alberta.ca disaster-assistanceand-recovery-support.aspx.
Whitecourt recently received notice from the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General that it has implemented a chargeback model for the provincial portion of its Biology Casework Analysis Agreement (BCAA) expenses. As a result of this new model, Whitecourt received an invoice in the amount of 22,691.66 representing the Whitecourt RCMP Detachment’s portion of the BCAA expenses for the year ending March 31, 2021. Municipalities across Alberta were unaware of the Province’s intention to implement this chargeback model, and had no provisions in place to pay this expenditure. Whitecourt will be working with AUMA to determine the long term impacts of this change, and has deferred further discussion on the item to 2021 final budget deliberations.
The newly established Whitecourt Tourism Committee will be administering the 2021 Tourism Enhancement Grant Program, and applications for funding will be accepted until April 22, 2021. The program provides financial assistance to enhance tourism related events and or products. Information on the grant program and application forms are available on www. whitecourt.ca Government Municipal-Grant-Opportunities.
Whitecourt has adopted a 2021 Tourism Strategic Plan. The Plan identifies goals and initiatives for the marketing and promotion of Whitecourt as a yearround tourism destination.
Whitecourt has adopted Road Bans Bylaw 1564 which will aid in protecting local roads during the spring thaw and unseasonable weather conditions. When bans are in place, the posted axle weight on the majority of weight restricted roads will be lowered to 75 per cent. For overweight vehicles that are travelling along area highways as well as local roads, the issuance of permits under this Bylaw will be completed by the Transportation Routing and Vehicle Information System-Multi Jurisdiction (TRAVIS-MJ). For overweight vehicles travelling within the community, permits will be issued by theTown of Whitecourt. Information on the bylaw, and details on how notices of the ban will be communicated to the public as well as permit application forms, will be posted on Whitecourt’s website in the coming weeks.
Whitecourt is preparing a request for proposals for a long-term growth plan. The study, which was identified in the 2020 Strategic Plan, will help guide future infrastructure, servicing and other longterm plans for the community for the next 50 years.
Whitecourt and Woodlands County are proceeding with voluntary arbitration to finalize an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) and new cost sharing agreements. Both municipalities have agreed that the decisions made through the arbitration process will be retro-active to January 1, 2020, and it is anticipated that new agreements will be finalized at the end of 2021. As Whitecourt is the main service provider, and continues to provide services to Woodlands County ratepayers, Whitecourt requested minimum partial payments totaling 2.25 million to assist with related carrying costs for joint services. Woodlands County has paid 500,000 towards 2020 services, and recently confirmed its intention to pay 500,000 for 2021 services in in June 2021. Due to this funding shortfall, Whitecourt will be reviewing cash flow projections and the financial impact on the 2021 final budget.