Black Diamond and Turner Valley are one step closer to amalgamation
The application to amalgamate Black Diamond and Turner Valley and a report of recommendations has been sent to the Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs. The municipalities requested that Jan. 1, 2023 be the incorporation date for the new municipality of Diamond Valley. The Minister of Municipal Affairs will review the application, followed by a cabinet review. Once approved, an order of council, which is the instrument used by the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make its orders, will be handed to the two municipalities. That order will stipulate the agreed recommendations, any changes, the time and date that the different municipalities will be dissolved, and when the new municipality will officially form. This process can take anywhere from six to nine months.
“There will be a lot of work that both councils will be doing and absolutely our staff members. I think the most important component of this transition year is that the council is supporting the staff members moving forward,” said Mayor of Black Diamond, Ruth Goodwin.
Goodwin noted that the final push to amalgamation was not just COVID-19 and the restricted funds that impacted the community in the last year, but also the policing costs that municipalities are now responsible for due to a new mandate by the UCP government. In the new model, Black Diamond would take on an additional financial load over the next five years, going from $53,000 to somewhere between $170,000 or $190,000, explained Goodwin. Municipalities with a population of 5000 and under are not eligible for any funding provincially or federally to offset those costs. Black Diamond and Turner Valley will combine to a population upwards of 6,000.
“When you become a community over 5001 you now qualify and are able to apply for grants and subsidies from both provincial and federal governments to help you offset those costs,” Goodwin said.
Many of the Town’s services are already combined, such as the sewage treatment commission, the water treatment and water supplier, and the roads, garbage, and solid waste. Comprehensive collaboration looked at services, not just committee level exchanges and sharing equipment or personnel.
“That’s always part of the learning curve on what works and what we need to improve upon and even our bylaws, making sure that our bylaws are as close to one another as possible,” Goodwin added.
She noted that the amalgamation can’t be done without the commitment of the staff in both town’s administrations. As far as she’s concerned, their priority is supporting their staff as the Towns transition over the next year or more. The amalgamation will also result in cost savings through the removal of duplicated services and the time allocated to tasks by personnel.
For the Mayor of Turner Valley, Barry Crane, amalgamation has always been about cost savings and the unity of one community. Crane believes that the current economic climate, the current state of the province, as well as the way to save taxpayer dollars all lead to amalgamation and marketing as a larger community.
“If you’ve lived in this area for any amount of time, you quickly realize that we’re not really that separate. As councils and admin there has been so much cooperation and collaboration between the two communities, it’s a duplication of services that has always been relevant knowing that we do the same jobs on a constant basis,” Crane said.
Crane noted that eliminating duplicated services doesn’t necessarily mean lost jobs, but that restructuring will occur over many years as people retire and the new organization forms. The expected long term annual amalgamation savings add up to $370,000, according to a public financial report on the amalgamation. Those savings include the reduction of six councilors and a mayor, the impact on grants, organizational restructuring, and more.
“We as two councils agreed that we keep the service levels at the same level. In order to do that you’re most likely going to keep everyone you have on board and slowly over time things are going to change, so it’s the least impactful on administrations,” Crane added.
Crane said that public feedback has been positive and the comments he has heard are to get this amalgamation finalized. With a larger population, outside businesses will take notice and with the completion of the ring road around Calgary, Crane expects a small boom of recovery. He noted that the majority of small communities within the same distance of Calgary as Diamond Valley have all seen 10% growth in the last 15 years, while the Diamond Valley area has only seen three or four% until now.
“You have to envision the success of a community as an elected official in the long term and the long term is that together we’re stronger. Strength in numbers really does speak to the economies of today’s marketability,” he said.
Going forward, he believes it’s important to plan properly, to ensure there are green spaces, pathways, playgrounds, and parks in anticipation for growth and development. This will ensure the community grows sustainably with nature and residents in mind.
An approval for the amalgamation is expected in January 2022. The Towns would then look at a new election in November of 2022 for the incorporated municipality of Diamond Valley to officially form on Jan. 1 of 2023.
Masha Scheele, HCN Staff
media@highcountrynews.ca
