The following information is to provide a summary of Council meetings from May 2022 and upcoming activities. Further explanations or details can be obtained by contacting the County Administration Office at 403.882.3211.

RFD – Hot Tap Connection Policy – MOVED by Councillor Elliott to approve County Policy ESU 002 Hot Tap Connection to the Shirley McClellan Regional Water Services Commission as presented.

Request - Letter of Support sent for Boehlke’s Pond – MOVED by Councillor Wiart to ratify the Letter of Support sent for Boehlke’s Pond to the Hon. Jason Nixon requesting assistance to complete the necessary erosion maintenance on this recreational site.

County of Paintearth Sustainability Plan 2022-2024 – MOVED by Councillor Vockeroth to adopt the County of Paintearth Sustainability Plan 2022-2024 dated March 2022.

Rural School Signs – MOVED by Councillor Shipton the County donate $1,800.00 towards the costs for the erection of signs at the former rural school locations of Willow Prairie, Maple Glen, and Williston schools in the County.

InvestAlberta – MOVED by Councillor Elliott to have the Chief Administrative Officer complete the Investment Readiness profile for InvestAlberta.

Rural Water Lines Costing Report - MOVED by Councillor Wiart to have Administration prepare a costing report for rural water lines to deliver water to Division 4 and Division 5.

Coronation Seed Cleaning Plant – MOVED by Councillor Elliott the Chief Administrative Officer contact the Coronation Seed Cleaning Plant Board to discuss opportunities for value-added crop processing.

Seniors’ Week – June 6-12, 2022 – MOVED by Councillor Vockeroth that Reeve Schulmeister sign the Declaration for Seniors’ Week – June 6-12, 2022, and that Councillors participate at various seniors’ events being held in the County.

RFD – Policy Update – PW 019 Pipelines, Well Equipment, & Utilities – Right-of-Ways – MOVED by Councillor Norton that County Policy PW 019 Pipelines, Well Equipment & Utilities – Right-of-Ways be revised and adopted with the inclusion of fibre optic or telecommunication lines, applications by telecom, or other utility line, and buried and telecom utilities may be allowed parallel to the Right-of-Ways of 100’ located 0.6 m within the boundary of the right-of-way at a minimum depth of 3’ subject to County approval, as presented.

Bylaw No. 706-22 Amending Bylaw 698-21 the Land Use Bylaw – MOVED by Councillor Norton that Bylaw 706-22 being a bylaw Amending Bylaw 698-21 the Land Use Bylaw for the purpose of general updates within the County of Paintearth No. 18, be given Second Reading. 

ASHCOR Letter of Support – MOVED by Councillor Glazier to ratify the Letter of Support sent on behalf of the County for ASHCOR’s application to the Alberta Emissions Reduction program for their operation in the County north of Halkirk at the Battle River site.

Food Bank Donations – MOVED by Councillor Glazier the County donate $3,000.00 to each of the Food Banks located in Coronation and Castor.

Sale Price for New Fleet Lots – MOVED by Councillor Norton the new Fleet Lots be offered for sale at $18,900.00 per Lot.

Upcoming Council Meetings – June 7, 2022, June 21, 2022, July 19, 2022, August 16, 2022, and September 13, 2022, subject to individual change and commencing at 9:00 a.m. Meetings are open to the public and delegations are always welcome. To request a time allotment, please call the office of the CAO. All requests must clearly identify the reason or purpose of the appointment and follow the guidelines as per Section 21 - Delegations of the County’s Procedure Bylaw 703-21.

COUNTY FAMILY PICNIC

Join us for Beef-on-a-Bun and all the fixings at Huber Dam.
Featuring a money mountain, games, and hot dogs for the kids.

Thursday, June 16, 2022
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Huber Dam Campsite
(SW 36-37-13 W4)

Please bring your lawn chairs.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, June 16th!

FROM THE BYLAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICE

Colm Fitz-Gerald, Community Peace Officer

A few things …

Firstly, if you wish to volunteer to grade the County roads with your frontend loader or tractor, there will be a charge for that practice. You see the County knows how to grade the roads and have the proper equipment to do it right. If, the County must come and fix your mistake it will cost you money. The easy solution is, DON’T DO IT!!!

Secondly, the individual(s) stealing our signs on TR370 from RR112 east, the joke is done. Please return the signs or let us know where they are. This child’s prank is old and it’s time to move on.

Finally, when stones, barb wire and other material is collected in your fields, the County right-of-way (ditches) are NOT the place to dump them. The cost factor will outweigh the short cut that you might take. STOP DOING IT!!!

This concludes my TED Talk.

Keep safe, pray for rain, and enjoy the summer!

COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR’S DESK

Todd Pawsey, Director

Land Use Bylaw Update – Second Reading Passed

Council recently approved the updated Schedule of Amendments to the Land Use Bylaw at the May 17^th Council Meeting. Upon reviewing the submissions at the April 5 Public Hearing, Council understood there were some misconceptions based on incorrect information about the changes, and as a result has generated an FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions information circular to address many of the same questions that were posed at the public hearing.  The County wishes to state that in no way are previously approved developments – be they from 1994 or 1954 – at risk or in question of their placement.  In not passing the amendments, the County leaves itself open to a significantly larger set of circumstances where compliance and enforcement may be requested and that is not a positive outcome for this process. 

The County will accept written feedback on the newly specified regulations pertaining to C-Cans or Shipping Containers until June 1, 2022.

The Schedule A and FAQ sheet are posted on the County website for your information and reading.

FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Jeff Cosens, Director

Policy Change In Effect … At the beginning of 2022, the County began implementing an updated portion of County Policy ESA 018—Weed Inspection & Enforcement Protocols. This updated portion states:

“Agricultural Encroachment on Municipal Right-of-Ways:

The minimal acceptable standard allowed for cultivation and planting of annual and perennial crops adjacent to a right-of-way will be one metre set back from the "Toe" of the slope (bottom of the ditch) of the developed road. Any landowner/occupant agriculturally encroaching upon a right-of-way will be notified to stay a minimum of one metre from the "Toe" of the slope or further, dependent upon how it impacts the integrity of the road. Any crops found within the right-of-way as a result of non-compliance by the landowner/occupant, will be removed as part of the County's regular vegetation control program.”

This policy has been changed to mitigate the spread of weeds onto and within County-owned right of ways by giving space for County weed control operations such as spraying and mowing to occur. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this change or its implementation, please contact Jeff or Trevor at 403-882-3211 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2022 TAX NOTICES HAVE BEEN MAILED

The deadline for payment is June 30, 2022, balances owing after this date will be subject to a penalty of 5% on July 1, 2022,
and a further 10% penalty on October 1, 2022.

Payment can be made by cheque, cash, debit, or credit card (user fee applies) at the County Administration Office, at the TD Canada Trust in Coronation, or the ATB Financial branches located in Halkirk, Castor, or Coronation. Check our website, www.countypaintearth.ca,for the list of financial institutions set up to accept on-line payments.

PROPERTY TAX NOTICE – LAND TITLE DELAYS

Please note: The Land Titles Office is experiencing higher than normal document registration requests causing delays receiving title changes. The County of Paintearth relies on this information to obtain ownership information for the purpose of preparing taxation notices. If you purchased a property between January 15^th, 2022, and today, you may not receive a property tax notice before the June 30, 2022, tax payment deadline. It is the responsibility of the property owner to contact the County to obtain their tax information if they do not receive a tax notice.

SIGN UP FOR OUR TAX INSTALLMENT PAYMENT PLAN

It’s convenient – no trips to pay your taxes, or the inconvenience of writing cheques, and save the postage costs and the worry of your payment arriving safely and on time.
It’s easy – join anytime by completing the Tax Installment Payment Plan agreement and including a VOID cheque.
It’s automatic – with permission your payments are automatically withdrawn from your bank account on the 20^th of each month.
It’s budget-friendly – the tax levy is divided into 12 monthly payments. From January to whenever taxes are levied you accumulate a credit balance, this credit balance is deducted from the levy and the remaining balance owing is divided by the remaining months to achieve a $0 balance by December 31^st annually.
Please note: Your payment amount may change twice (2) a year, every year, once in January and once after the actual tax levy is set for that taxation year.