MUNICIPAL DISTRICT BONNYVILLE NO. 87
COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS December 8, 2021
Keeping you informed of the services, business, and development that affect YOU!
#1 Council Passes Balanced 2022 Budgets – Municipal District of Bonnyville Council approved balanced 2022 Capital and Operating Budgets at its meeting December 8, 2021.
The Operating Budget came in at $110,738,990 and covers the day-to-day business of running the M.D. Expenditures include such things as staff wages, fuel, building maintenance, and utilities. The Capital Budget, which deals with road construction, equipment replacement, and building new infrastructure came in at $50,581,990. This budget includes $36.4 million of capital projects carried forward from previous years.
The majority of the budget is being funded through General Municipal Revenue, which includes property taxes, at $102,203,255. Other funding sources include grants, reserves, fees, fines, and revenue from Parks, Recreation & Culture and Kinosoo Ridge.
Council will set the 2022 Mill Rates in the spring.
#2 Ward 6 North Tax Revenues – Council agreed to transfer $708,276.84 to Cashflow Reserves. The money comes from the three-percent administrative fee the M.D. collects for dispersing tax revenues collected from Ward 6 North (formerly known as ID 349). The fee was not accounted for in the 2021 budget, as the agreement was signed after the budget had passed. This will help replenish the fund after Council agreed to use money from Cashflow Reserves to cover unbudgeted maintenance costs at Kinosoo Ridge Resort. The 2021 levies and penalties for Ward 6 North totaled $23,740,547.13. A balance of $131,318.80 has not yet been collected. The remaining funds will be distributed as follows: City of Cold Lake - $13,631,533.88, Town of Bonnyville - $6,136,702.80, Village of Glendon - $932,714.81, and M.D. of Bonnyville (for maintenance of the La Corey North Resource Road) - $2.2 million.
#3 2022 Public Auction Date Set – The public auction for properties on the Tax Arrears List has been set for March 29, 2022. The list originally contained 179 properties, but Administration has addressed the arrears on all but 20 properties. The conditions for the auction were also set. The conditions are: GST will be added to all successful bids, a deposit of 10% of the successful bid must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the sale, the balance of the purchase price must be paid on the Friday of the week of the public auction, all properties will be sold “as is, where is” with no warranties given by the M.D. on the adequacy of service, soil condition, land districting, building and development conditions, absence or presence of environmental contamination, or the ability to develop the land for any use by the purchaser. All sales are subject to a reserve bid and any conditions/reservations on the existing title.
#4 Agriculture & Waste Services Update – Council approved the attendance of the Reeve and Councillors for the 2022 Agricultural Service Board Conference being held in Edmonton in January. Council approved an unbudgeted $3,055.41, to be funded from the Contracted Services – Waste Services Budget to build a new office at the Muriel Lake Landfill. The original budget was set at $25,000, but all the tenders came in over budget. Ted Unrau Construction Ltd. will be building the new office.
#5 Planning & Development Updates – Council gave Second and Third Reading to the following Road Licensing Agreements: Bylaw No. 1776 for a portion of road allowance west of SW 18-63-3-W4M and south of SE 13-63-4-W4M; Bylaw No. 1777 for a portion of road allowance east of NE 8-63-3-W4M, and portions of the road allowance east of SE 8-63-3-W4M; and Bylaw No. 1778 for a portion of Road Plan 1814 EU west of SE 32-61-1-W4M. Council gave First Reading to the following Road Licensing Agreements: Bylaw No. 1780 for a portion of road allowance east of NE 25-63-5-W4M and SE 25-63-5-W4M; Bylaw No. 1781 for a portion of road allowance west and south of SW 4-64-6-W4M; Bylaw No. 1783 for a portion of road allowance west of SW 20-59-5-W4M and road allowance east of SE 20-59-5-W4M; Bylaw No. 1784 for a portion of road allowance east of NE 16-61-1-W4M; and Bylaw No. 1785 for a portion of road allowance west of NW 15-62-5-W4M.
#5 Briefly – Council gave first reading to Bylaw No. 1786 — the Master Rates Bylaw. This bylaw incorporates all fees and fines levied by the M.D. for information and services provided into one document.
Council agreed to sell two vehicles from Public Safety to another law enforcement agency.
Council denied an official request from the Cherry Grove Recreation and Agricultural Society for the maintenance of the newly constructed outdoor Cherry Grove ice rink. On the heels of that decision, Council passed a motion to terminate the current agreements, and renegotiate new agreements with both the Cherry Grove Ag and Ardmore Community societies in relation to the covered outdoor rinks, that will see the M.D. take a more structured role in the maintenance for the facilities. The motion also included a direction to Administration to immediately undertake the maintenance at both outdoor ice surfaces.
Council approved the unbudgeted expenditure of $440,000, to be funded from Cashflow Reserves, to install sidewalks on either side of the Thinlake River Bridge, off Range Road 474. The bridge is slated for replacement this year, but the tenders, when including the sidewalk additions, came in over the $1.6 million budget.
A public hearing for the La Corey Major Area Structure Plan was held. Council also had two delegations — one from the Moose Lake Watershed Society regarding the Phosphorous Budget Report, and another from Foodcycle Science regarding innovative solutions for diverting food waste from landfills. The public hearing and delegations can be watched on the recording of the Council meeting video on the M.D.’s YouTube channel.