Don Kochan – Division 2
RVC Division 2 news items for your information:
2026 Budget and Tax Rate Bylaw – On April 14th/26 Council approved the 2026 budget and tax rate bylaw. The budget is focused on maintaining the services residents rely on every day and avoids deferring important infrastructure maintenance upkeep that would be more expensive later. The budget includes a 4.14 per cent municipal tax revenue increase after three years of no increases. This increase helps the County keep up with the rising costs (inflation/tariffs) of services, lifecycle repairs for roads, bridges, and infrastructure. For a residential property assessed at $1,303,000, a 4.14 per cent municipal tax increase is approximately $241 per year more in 2026 compared to 2025. The same property will also have an approximate $320 or 10 per cent external requisition (i.e. provincial) increase. The cumulative increase will be $561 or 9.8 per cent.
The education portion of your property tax bill is set by the Province of Alberta, not by Rocky View County Council. Funds go directly to support the provincial K–12 education system. For 2026, the provincial education property tax requisition is increasing by approximately 17 per cent, and the County is required to collect this amount on the province’s behalf.
The property tax notices will be sent out on May 15th with taxes due before the end of June 2026. If you have any questions about your property taxes, please contact questions@rockyview.ca.
RR33 Interchange – At the March open house some residents requested clarifications regarding the design and progress with the major road and interchange upgrades happening over the next couple of years to support growth and improve traffic flow in the area.
This work is being delivered through a partnership between the Bingham Crossing developer and Rocky View County. The developer is leading Stage 1 construction of the new Highway 1 interchange, including on and off ramps, roundabouts, and the widening of Range Road 33 and Township Road 250. At the same time, Rocky View County is overseeing Stage 2 construction of the new bridge, additional road widening, pathway connections, and the eventual removal of the existing bridge.
Construction is already in progress across the area for both Stages. The new bridge is expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2026, with public traffic anticipated to begin using it in late 2027.
A key focus of this project has been making sure the road network can handle traffic not just today, but well into the future. Detailed traffic studies, including projections out to 2040, show that the system is designed to keep vehicles moving even during busy times like weekends. While the TIA model suggests there may be some queuing for traffic exiting Bingham Crossing onto Township Road 250 at peak traffic conditions, the amount of queuing and intersection performance meets the requirements of the County Servicing Standards. No impacts or delays on Township Road 250, Range Road 33, or Highway 1 are anticipated.
Additionally, the Right-in/Left-out access off Township Road 250 is designed to restrict traffic heading east on Township Road 250 towards Range Road 31. This will be accomplished with the lane orientation and use of concrete curbs and signage.
It’s also worth noting that businesses like Costco will only open once the initial road improvements are in place to support safe and efficient traffic flow.
A more itemized list of project deliverables and the associated Stage 1 and 2 maps are shown on the County’s website. Updates will appear on the project webpage.
In the area of the TransCanada Highway and Range Road 33, residents may have noticed recent traffic messaging related to construction at the interchange. The upcoming work involves overnight detours to facilitate girder placement for the bridge.
– Work will take place overnight between 8:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.
– No detours will be in effect during daytime hours.
– Highway 1 will remain open in both directions, with possible delays overnight.
– Local traffic at Range Road 33 will be detoured via Range Road 31 and Hwy 22.
This work was originally scheduled between April 20 and May 1 but has been delayed due to weather conditions, including high winds. The work will probably take place during the last week of April and the first week of May.
Don Kochan
Division 2 Councillor
kochandiv2@gmail.com
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