A number of years ago, we owned a couple of horses. I know many of you do as well. We enjoyed our time in 4-H; rodeo & barrel racing; riding in parades, etc. and I do miss having them now that our daughter is grown. There was a saying when buying a horse, I think many of you can relate….
If it is fast & good – it won’t be cheap.
If it is good & cheap – it won’t be fast.
If it is cheap & fast – it won’t be good.
Trying to accomplish all 3, as we would say – didn’t exist.
Recently, I saw something similar as it relates to Municipal taxes, County services and density:.
Stable Services & Low Density – you can’t have low taxes
Low Density & Low Taxes – services won’t be stable
Low Taxes & Stable Services – density will need to go up
Rocky View County has been pretty fortunate. We actually have one of the lowest residential property tax rates and we are 5th in Alberta for economic base – that is despite being only the 12th largest municipality in Alberta.
We continue to work to ensure that property taxes (we have no control over School Boards) increases are kept low and we will continue to ensure your services remain stable. At a time when the Provincial Government is cutting funding and downloading more expenses to Municipalities, we may need to look at increasing densities or attracting commercial development in the areas that make sense.
In Springbank, our new ASP (not yet passed), will allow for more cluster type residential areas. Currently, our smallest lots (outside Harmony) are about 1 home on 2 acres. Cluster residential allows combined homes and green space to be the equivalent of about 1 home per 1 acre. By moving homes closer together, servicing (ie water/waste water/internet) become cost effective for developers. When we (over many years from now), have more cluster development areas, my hope would be that then servicing for the surrounding acreages now become more accessible. Recently, Pradera Springs was approved (Land Use) and one of the conditions was that the developer pay for serviced water pipes to a number of homes immediately adjacent. It was also suggested to the developer, when they get to the sub-division stage and development permits, that they try to make available high-speed internet to those homes as well. Evolution of a community can bring an uncertainty, I know. When the original sections of lands became 1⁄4 sections – there was change, 1⁄4 sections to 40 acres, 40 to 20’s, 20’s to 5 and now 2 acre parcels. This evolution of land use change took decades and moving into a new, cluster style, will also take many, many years.
2019 Accomplishments:
I’m sure the County will be doing a year in review, but we’ve actually done quite a bit this year. Some of this work isn’t complete yet, but I’m hopeful that 2020 will see much of this work, and more done. These are the things that will enable us to better respond to the continued recession in Alberta (5 years now).
- Redrafting of the County Plan
- Changes to our Recreation Model – and dedication to recreation
- Live streaming of Council; more transparency; more engagement than ever before
- 25% increase in funding for Family & Community Support Services
- Assist in the funding for the RCMP Rural Crime Reduction Unit
- Donated a fire truck to a small Mexican village
- Dog license fees waived
- Short term property rental policy
- New strategic plan
- Sold old County building for $13M
- Held our first (annual) open house and pancake breakfast in our new building
- Christened a new STARS helicopter – we are the ONLY municipality that funds STARS at the level required to have our logo on the helicopter!
We still have things we need to work on. The growth management board needs to be better aligned so that all member municipalities can grow. Regional planning is key, avoids waste, etc. but we also need to ensure it isn’t just for Calgary’s benefit, especially when all Albertans win if Alberta grows!
Locally, I’m still actively working on a new community centre as well as a plan for the expansion of recreation in Springbank. These things, as I’ve learned over the past two years, take a bit of time – but I have the will to see it through!
For complete info on all County events: rockyview.ca/NewsEvents/Events.aspx
Kim McKylor,
Councillor, Division 2
