[3:43] All right.
[3:45] Good morning, everyone. We'll call the
[3:46] meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. this
[3:49] morning. In the true spirit of
[3:50] reconciliation, we acknowledge all those
[3:52] who call this land home now and for
[3:54] thousands of years in the past. May we
[3:56] respect each other and find
[3:57] understanding together and recognize the
[3:58] benefits that this land provides to all
[4:00] of us. We are here today uh to commence
[4:05] our 2025 20 or 2026 budget
[4:08] deliberations. Uh before you you have an
[4:12] agenda. I would entertain a motion to
[4:15] accept the agenda. John.
[4:18] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move
[4:19] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move
[4:19] to adopt the agenda for the 2026 budget
[4:23] deliberations day one as presented.
[4:25] Thank you, John. Is there any
[4:26] discussion? Call the question. Those in
[4:28] favor? Opposed? That is carried.
[4:34] » Haley, I will turn the floor over to
[4:35] you.
[4:43] » [clears throat]
[4:44] >> So, as part of the 2025
[4:47] » So, as part of the 2025
[4:47] um or 2026 budget presentation, we'll
[4:50] first proceed with a 2025 um council
[4:54] orientation to budgeting. Uh Haley will
[4:56] move into forecasting through the end of
[4:58] the year. I think it'll provide
[4:59] important context and then we'll we'll
[5:02] >> call the meeting to order at 9
[5:06] » call the meeting to order at 9
[5:06] >> then and then we will move into the
[5:09] » then and then we will move into the
[5:09] budget plans for 26 27 and 28
[5:17] » back to the future.
[5:22] Um Reeve Campbell I brought the jar. As
[5:25] they say old habits die hard. So, we'll
[5:28] just start out with that. [laughter]
[5:32] Um, so just wanted to walk through a
[5:35] budget orientation for council and just
[5:38] a highle overview in terms of the
[5:40] election has passed. And so now we've
[5:42] got kind of this opportunity to do some
[5:44] orientation with council of of various
[5:47] topics that we'll see throughout um the
[5:50] next little while. And so this one is
[5:53] kind of a kickoff to that in terms of
[5:56] talking about what the budget is to help
[5:58] just understand the process and what
[6:00] that might look like and what the
[6:01] process has been thus far. And so if we
[6:04] talk about what is a budget, it's
[6:06] basically a business tool that's used
[6:08] for future planning and activities. It
[6:10] anticipates revenue and estimates
[6:12] expenditures.
[6:14] uh the legislative budget requirements.
[6:17] Uh the MGA the municipal government act
[6:20] includes various aspects of the
[6:22] requirements that relate to budget.
[6:24] Council must adopt an operating budget
[6:26] each calendar year. Uh and they must
[6:29] prepare a written plan in terms of the
[6:32] financial operations over at least a
[6:35] three-year financial period. And then um
[6:38] council must also adopt a capital budget
[6:40] each calendar year. and uh that must be
[6:44] prepared in terms of some sort of
[6:47] written plan that looks at a 5-year
[6:50] projection.
[6:53] Uh in terms of what's included in the
[6:55] budget, a municipality can only make
[6:58] expenditures that is within an operating
[7:01] budget, an interimm budget or capital
[7:03] budget or otherwise authorized by
[7:05] council. And uh the sections of the MGA
[7:08] include the listing of items for
[7:11] operating in capital budgets. Um and
[7:13] just some information about estimated
[7:16] amounts in terms of transfers as well.
[7:19] And we municipality cannot run a
[7:21] shortfall without ministerial approval.
[7:24] Um and it must be recovered within the
[7:26] next calendar year.
[7:28] So there's lots of um factors that go
[7:31] into consideration when determining
[7:33] revenue amounts. um council direction.
[7:40] Um
[7:42] there's user fees, property assessment,
[7:45] um various kind of capital impact. We
[7:48] look at grants. We look at uh utility
[7:50] rates, other revenue source
[7:52] opportunities,
[7:53] um the economy and kind of the impact of
[7:55] that. And then also then look at uh
[7:58] property taxes or tax support related to
[8:00] revenue.
[8:02] This is a dated uh slide or kind of
[8:06] statistic, but um it still applies in
[8:09] terms of kind of the municipal
[8:11] government's uh impact on the tax
[8:15] dollars collected as a whole and just
[8:18] kind of the breakdown between the
[8:19] federal and provincial. And so, you
[8:22] know, municipalities continue to be less
[8:24] than 10% of each house household tax
[8:27] dollar.
[8:30] When we look at budget expenditures,
[8:33] um we review those as well throughout
[8:37] the budget process to look for
[8:38] efficiencies within the budget and
[8:40] opportunities to you know um maintain
[8:44] service levels and the impact of that.
[8:46] So that includes obviously council
[8:48] direction, our infrastructure needs in
[8:50] terms of future replacements, kind of
[8:53] balancing the needs versus wants of of
[8:56] the county, looking at inflation and the
[8:59] economic factors, legislative
[9:01] requirements, um the opportunity for
[9:03] business development,
[9:06] provincial downloading plays a big
[9:07] impact um at the county level in terms
[9:10] of how we provide services to our
[9:13] residents.
[9:14] um looking at previous years capital
[9:17] impact on operation and just our
[9:19] financial obligations such as debt and
[9:22] various aspects like that.
[9:26] So the intention of the budget is a tool
[9:28] to be used to reflect kind of policy
[9:31] priorities of county council and provide
[9:34] um
[9:36] you know an alignment with the the
[9:38] policies and bylaws and service levels
[9:40] and sets the strategic direction and
[9:43] priorities for administration to carry
[9:44] out. It's a financial operating and
[9:47] capital plan. It sets uh spending limits
[9:50] for service delivery and it's a tool in
[9:52] terms of communicating how and where
[9:54] dollars are spent.
[9:58] The budget process uh is quite lengthy
[10:01] and complex and so it involves you know
[10:04] gathering of information looking at
[10:06] historical information, understanding
[10:08] the pressures and needs of of the
[10:11] county. Um, essentially there's kind of
[10:13] this these four main sequential steps in
[10:17] in the budget process. Looking at
[10:18] preparation in terms of gathering all
[10:20] the information
[10:22] um, and putting it together in in a way
[10:25] that allows uh, for the story to be told
[10:28] about what has changed, what what might
[10:30] um, be some of the future implications.
[10:33] It looks at um doing presentations and
[10:36] deliberations like we're doing today,
[10:38] looking for council's direction. Um and
[10:42] then through obviously throughout the
[10:43] year we monitor and measure the budget
[10:46] compared to actual on a regular basis
[10:49] and report that back to council. Um and
[10:52] then wi with implementation we're
[10:55] implementing the budget service levels
[10:57] and projects throughout the year and and
[10:59] that's all carried out in the cyclical
[11:02] process.
[11:05] Uh so we meet with all the departments
[11:07] to come up with the information
[11:09] regarding need and potential changes to
[11:11] the upcoming budget, review kind of the
[11:14] requirements. uh there's been multiple
[11:17] meetings in terms of connection points
[11:19] and just understanding the budget and
[11:21] what some of those potential changes
[11:23] are. We ensure that we've got um costs
[11:26] associated with various um obligations
[11:29] that are coming up in the next budget
[11:32] including uh things like uh union
[11:34] agreements and salaries and uh just the
[11:38] impact on inflation potentially with
[11:41] goods and services and just ensuring
[11:42] that we're maintaining our assets. Um
[11:45] and then obviously we want to look at
[11:48] the capital budget from a perspective of
[11:50] ensuring that we maintain kind of that
[11:52] competitive um opportunity for when we
[11:56] go out for tender once once the budget
[11:58] is approved and looking for funding
[12:01] opportunities and just uh potential
[12:04] impacts from the province and other
[12:06] levels of government.
[12:10] Budget approval process. So budgets are
[12:12] presented to council um and then uh
[12:16] reviewed and and provide council
[12:18] provides input and just uh insight into
[12:21] what the budget looks like and how it's
[12:24] being presented and maybe potential
[12:25] changes that council wishes to to
[12:28] provide. Um we typically require a a
[12:33] budget approved by the end of December.
[12:35] So, at this point, um, in the budget
[12:37] schedule, which we'll get to in a
[12:38] minute, looks at the December 4th, uh,
[12:41] budget council meeting to review the
[12:44] budget and and, uh, hopefully approve.
[12:47] Um, the budget is being presented based
[12:50] on information that we have and the
[12:52] levels of service and the requirements
[12:54] and and necessities. And so one of the
[12:57] things that is always a little bit
[12:59] interesting in an election year is just
[13:01] the fitting the strategic plan of
[13:03] council with the budget and how those
[13:05] can ensure we can align those. And so
[13:08] you know there'll be obviously some
[13:09] conversations about strategic planning
[13:11] for for council in the upcoming months.
[13:14] And so we'll just have to kind of make
[13:15] sure that we continue to understand how
[13:17] those are connected and and the and how
[13:19] they align.
[13:23] Um in terms of budget implementation, so
[13:26] the plan determines the work required um
[13:29] and the projects throughout the year. Uh
[13:31] it looks at um the costs associated with
[13:35] with what's being proposed and as it's
[13:37] presented and approved by council.
[13:39] implementation stages in the budget uh
[13:42] process is is responsible for everybody
[13:44] involved. All the departments need to
[13:46] understand what's in their budgets and
[13:47] the impact of of what's going on in
[13:49] terms of comparison to actuals and uh
[13:52] budget information is then communicated
[13:54] with council on a regular basis.
[13:58] Um and that report back to council is
[14:01] about monitoring the information and
[14:03] just um ensuring that we are within
[14:06] alignment and that everything is uh
[14:09] progressing as as expected and then any
[14:11] unexpected things that come up
[14:13] throughout the year would be brought
[14:15] back to council in terms of discussion
[14:17] and and authority and approval. Um and
[14:20] so we presented uh financial information
[14:25] throughout the year to ensure that
[14:27] council is updated on all of that.
[14:31] Uh so there'll be two aspects to the
[14:34] budget presentation. The capital budget
[14:35] is presented by departments. Uh the
[14:38] budget includes a summary of the
[14:40] projects and proposed funding. Um and
[14:42] then obviously the operating budget is
[14:44] also presented highlighting budget
[14:46] changes u efficiencies increases and the
[14:50] overall tax support required.
[14:55] Some budget considerations that um are
[14:58] important throughout this process is
[14:59] just an awareness of provincial
[15:01] downloading. So sometimes there's some
[15:03] uncertainty with that which can create
[15:04] some challenges as we work through this.
[15:07] Um, and obviously grant funding plays a
[15:09] big part in our capital budget and and
[15:11] there's some smaller um impact on our
[15:14] operating budget um as the province
[15:17] continues to kind of reduce those grant
[15:19] funding opportunities uh specifically
[15:21] for operations, but also we're seeing,
[15:24] you know, potentially some decreases in
[15:26] capital as well. Obviously, our the
[15:29] Alberta economy plays a big part of that
[15:31] and and just depending on how inflation
[15:35] impacts and just overall kind of impact
[15:37] of potentially tariffs and other
[15:39] different complexities in in the economy
[15:42] that could impact the budget. uh and we
[15:44] continue to look for ways to implement
[15:47] best practices in terms of efficiencies
[15:50] and uh really understanding kind of the
[15:52] need of of the county and how we can uh
[15:56] provide the best service to our
[15:58] residents. And then um you know, we're
[16:01] always kind of cognizant of the tax
[16:03] support requirements and and working
[16:05] hard to make sure that that we reduce
[16:08] the impact to our residents.
[16:12] Uh so the capital budget is constructed
[16:16] and uh improve the infrastructure
[16:19] um to the county to provide the highest
[16:21] level of service within the constraints
[16:23] of the budget for continued service
[16:25] levels. Um, we determine kind of capital
[16:28] purchases in projects based on
[16:30] condition, risk, and the need to ensure
[16:33] proper identification and timing of
[16:34] projects and then uh present a five-year
[16:38] capital plan with funding options to
[16:40] ensure that we're continue to meet the
[16:42] needs of the county and align with
[16:45] council's strategic plan.
[16:48] So just in terms of the overall
[16:51] structure based on the 2025 approved
[16:53] capital budget uh roughly 24% of the
[16:56] capital projects relied on grant funding
[16:59] 54% of the capital projects was funded
[17:01] from reserves um which is mostly related
[17:04] to fleet purchases and then 23% was
[17:07] funded from the market access network
[17:09] pro program um and is specific to pave
[17:13] roads and bridges.
[17:15] So grant funding opportunities are
[17:17] obviously we continue to seek those out
[17:19] as much as we can to take it full
[17:21] advantage of that uh when planning
[17:23] capital projects and and uh
[17:26] obviously if the grant that's being
[17:29] proposed for a capital project if it's
[17:30] not approved then we would come back to
[17:32] council to give an update on those on a
[17:34] regular basis as well as provide some
[17:37] alternative methods for a project to if
[17:39] we're if it was being proposed from
[17:41] grant funding and that grant funding was
[17:43] was denied by another level of
[17:45] government
[17:48] operating budget. So, um typically the
[17:52] purpose of the operating budget is a
[17:53] reflection of council's uh policy
[17:55] priorities. The operating budget is set
[17:58] um for the spending limits for programs
[18:00] and service level delivery is approved
[18:02] by council and it's a budget tool for
[18:04] communication with citizens.
[18:09] Uh included within the operating budget
[18:11] is the revenue which relates to utility
[18:15] rates, user fees, penalties, uh sales of
[18:18] goods and services, development fees, um
[18:21] operating grants to various reserve
[18:23] transfers. Uh once the revenue sources
[18:26] are identified, the balance of the
[18:28] revenue collected through is collected
[18:31] through taxation uh in order to balance
[18:33] the revenues against operating expenses.
[18:36] So um expenses take into consideration
[18:40] financial obligations, council direction
[18:42] throughout the year, levels of service
[18:45] and various other aspects like inflation
[18:48] and evaluating needs versus wants.
[18:52] So just in [clears throat] conclusion,
[18:54] the the budget is a financial operating
[18:56] and capital plan. Uh when determining
[18:59] revenue and expenses for the budget, we
[19:01] need to consider all the possible
[19:03] implications of that. And obviously
[19:06] there's some unknowns that um
[19:08] potentially might come up throughout the
[19:09] year which is why we come back to
[19:11] council on a regular basis to report out
[19:13] and get provide updates and um develop
[19:17] and implement the budget process is
[19:19] obviously everyone's responsibility. The
[19:22] budget reflects council strategic plan
[19:24] and priorities. uh legislation,
[19:26] efficiencies, funding, all of that are
[19:28] considered and council ultimately makes
[19:31] the final decision on the budget and the
[19:32] levels of service provided.
[19:36] And that is the end of the presentation
[19:39] just in terms of the calendar. So we are
[19:42] um on the November 28th as the first day
[19:46] of presentation. Um December 2nd will be
[19:50] day two if required and then um budget
[19:53] review and deliberations would be on
[19:55] December 4th with hopefully an approval
[19:57] on that day as well.
[20:00] That is the orientation for budget.
[20:03] [snorts]
[20:04] >> Awesome. Thank you, Haley. Um I should
[20:07] » Awesome. Thank you, Haley. Um I should
[20:07] have said this right off the get-go. I
[20:08] think before we get started, I just want
[20:10] to um say thank you and acknowledge all
[20:13] the time that's that's gone into this. I
[20:14] know I've spent uh quite a bit of time
[20:16] in the office over the last few weeks
[20:18] and um I know how how you know much uh
[20:22] time and effort it takes to pull all
[20:23] this together and as much as this is a
[20:26] year round uh process I I understand
[20:29] just the the gravity of pulling this all
[20:31] together for today and and next week. Um
[20:33] so thank you to all of you that put in
[20:34] the work to make this happen. We we do
[20:36] really appreciate it. It's it is
[20:38] ultimately council's budget, but it is
[20:40] staff that goes away and does the work
[20:42] and and pulls it together for us to
[20:44] deliberate and to to tweak and to push
[20:46] and pull. So, um on behalf of council,
[20:49] just thank you. Um I want to acknowledge
[20:51] what you said, Haley, just the pressures
[20:53] that we face, you know, external
[20:54] pressures, um be it downloading from the
[20:57] province, uh grant funding up and downs,
[21:00] um and then I guess also just trying to
[21:04] manage expectations and and meet
[21:05] changing expectations. I think we
[21:07] continue to see the expectations of our
[21:09] stakeholders and rate payers changing.
[21:11] So it's how do we how do we meet that
[21:13] and uh and and try and you know keep
[21:17] things in line and moving forward. So
[21:19] thank you uh thank you to everyone for
[21:21] the work and maybe just uh relax. It's
[21:25] going to be okay. Uh a lot of tense
[21:27] spaces as well. Um we will get through
[21:30] this like we do every year. Um, I'm sure
[21:32] there'll be some hard questions and some
[21:33] hard conversations, but at the end of
[21:35] the day, um, we'll get through it and,
[21:38] uh, just thank you. So, is there
[21:40] anything else before we get going?
[21:44] >> Covered it next.
[21:44] » Covered it next.
[21:44] >> If not, floor is yours, Haley.
[21:47] » If not, floor is yours, Haley.
[21:47] >> Thank you. So, just in terms of setting
[21:49] » Thank you. So, just in terms of setting
[21:49] the stage in context for the budget
[21:52] discussion, just wanted to give a
[21:53] financial update as to where we're at.
[21:55] The last um, update was provided, I
[21:58] believe, in July. And so this is just
[22:00] looking at kind of 2025 in terms of
[22:03] where we're at and where we're projected
[22:06] to be at the end of December. With that,
[22:09] you know, there's the caveat that
[22:11] there's still lots of uncertainty in
[22:12] terms of things come up and, you know,
[22:15] there might be still some surprises that
[22:17] happen, but this is uh where we're where
[22:20] we're projected to the end of the year
[22:22] based on some assumptions that's been
[22:24] made to date.
[22:26] Um so this this slide we we would have
[22:29] looked at in July and it just kind of
[22:32] compares the taxes compared to the
[22:34] requisition. So we collect um county
[22:38] taxes, we collect the hall route and we
[22:40] also collect um these are the three
[22:42] items that are essentially broken out on
[22:44] on the requisition when we present the
[22:46] property tax mill rates to council in um
[22:49] April. And so, uh, at that time we had
[22:53] anticipated that we would require,
[22:57] um, approximately $21 million of tax
[23:01] requisition or tax um, property revenue,
[23:05] property tax revenue for the county, um,
[23:08] in addition to the requisitions which is
[23:10] from the province. So that would be for
[23:12] education, green acres, um, that sort of
[23:15] thing. And so that would have totaled
[23:17] the 28.7.
[23:19] And based on the requisitions that we uh
[23:22] tax requisitions that we collected, we
[23:24] were really close within that of the
[23:27] 28.8, leaving a difference of about
[23:29] 92,000. So that is that hasn't changed
[23:32] since July. It's just to give an update
[23:34] and reminder of kind of how close we
[23:37] were in terms of estimate and
[23:39] assumptions made um based on assessments
[23:42] and and various aspects. So,
[23:45] um, if we look at Oh, yeah.
[23:48] >> Yeah.
[23:49] » Yeah.
[23:49] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, just back on
[23:51] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, just back on
[23:51] the hall route, $500,000.
[23:54] >> Yes.
[23:54] » Yes.
[23:54] >> That's how do you split that? What we
[23:57] » That's how do you split that? What we
[23:57] actually collect as the business tax is
[24:00] that what you're designating to the Hall
[24:02] route or
[24:03] >> So, that is that is not the the business
[24:06] » So, that is that is not the the business
[24:06] tax. Um, councelor Hickeyi, that is um
[24:10] that it's just a a an amount that we
[24:13] collect as part of maintaining our roads
[24:15] that has always been historically broken
[24:18] out um which gets uh incorporated into
[24:21] maintaining like our hall routes. So,
[24:23] it's not specifically part of the
[24:25] business tax. This is on the assessment
[24:28] uh property taxes um which is separate
[24:31] from the from the business like head tax
[24:34] count for the um the municipal access
[24:39] network kind of program. So that's over
[24:41] and above that.
[24:48] » Thank you Mr. Chair. So is the head tax
[24:50] in that then?
[24:51] >> No, this is strictly property tax.
[24:53] » No, this is strictly property tax.
[24:53] >> Nothing. Okay. There's nothing put into
[24:55] » Nothing. Okay. There's nothing put into
[24:55] that from there
[24:56] >> because all of the head tax gets
[24:58] » because all of the head tax gets
[24:58] transferred to the municipal access
[25:00] network program which is part of all of
[25:02] the infrastructure capital projects that
[25:05] you see throughout the capital plan.
[25:10] >> Yeah. And one thing um it won't be in
[25:12] » Yeah. And one thing um it won't be in
[25:12] this presentation but in the in the 26
[25:16] 27 28 budget presentation I think it's
[25:18] slide 102 we have the market access
[25:20] network broken out. I think there's
[25:22] going to be a lot of conversations there
[25:24] from the business stack standpoint just
[25:26] because of how it was set up versus how
[25:27] things have evolved. We've been having
[25:29] conversations as recently as Wednesday
[25:31] to try and understand how one side's
[25:33] indexed, but the program itself might
[25:35] not be indexed and how that revenue
[25:37] flows through those reserves. And so I
[25:40] think that we can have that discussion
[25:42] today, but I think that's going to be an
[25:43] entire discussion unto itself for the
[25:45] market access network because I'm still
[25:48] learning some things on how that was
[25:49] originally set up. So,
[25:54] » thanks. Um, so further council Hickeyy's
[25:57] question, I guess I'm a little confused
[25:59] is where does that $500,000 come from or
[26:03] what does it represent?
[26:05] it is is collected u on the property
[26:08] taxes from the residents in terms of
[26:10] maintaining the hall routes and it's
[26:12] just in in combination with the
[26:15] municipal um the market access network
[26:18] program but it for whatever reason it's
[26:22] been broken out on the property taxes
[26:24] for years and so it's it's a property
[26:28] tax component of for the residents
[26:31] >> small followup on that so basically
[26:34] » small followup on that so basically
[26:34] If we didn't traditionally break it out,
[26:36] the the line for county taxes would be
[26:40] 20,587,000,
[26:42] but we break out 500,000 of it. So, it's
[26:44] it's more of an accounting process than
[26:47] it is a we didn't collect it from
[26:49] somewhere else.
[26:50] >> That's correct. And also the um
[26:52] » That's correct. And also the um
[26:52] councelor Kerbis, the the acronym there
[26:55] is the the waste commission amount
[26:57] that's broken out. So I'm not sure what
[26:59] the history there was basically two
[27:01] lines of information that was available
[27:03] within the assessment like property tax
[27:06] notice and those were the like the three
[27:08] lines that were kind of broken out for
[27:10] information because obviously we also
[27:12] have a water commission too but that one
[27:14] wasn't specifically broken out. So
[27:16] that's just how it shows up like as in
[27:19] terms of the information on the on the
[27:21] property taxes. So I'm sorry if that
[27:23] caused some more confusion than than not
[27:26] but
[27:26] >> we're good now. [laughter] Thank you.
[27:32] Thank you. So, the education tax that
[27:35] goes to both school systems, right? But
[27:37] all goes to the provincial government,
[27:39] but you can check on your taxes which
[27:42] system you want it to go to. Is that
[27:44] correct? Still,
[27:45] >> that's correct. Yes. Yeah.
[27:47] » that's correct. Yes. Yeah.
[27:48] >> Yes. And that's all part of that
[27:49] » Yes. And that's all part of that
[27:49] requisitions line. I did not break out
[27:51] kind of the provincial green acres and
[27:54] and all of that within that. Yeah.
[28:00] So if we just look high level um at the
[28:03] departments of the utilized versus
[28:05] remaining as of this is as of October
[28:08] 31st um we're in good shape in terms of
[28:11] ensuring that we're going to meet our
[28:13] our budgeted information. Just wanted to
[28:16] kind of give a visual of where we're at.
[28:18] So the the blue is utilized, the green
[28:21] is remaining. There's some obviously
[28:23] some significant adjustments that happen
[28:25] at the end of the year in terms of year
[28:26] end and inventory and just fuel and
[28:29] different things like that. So, um but
[28:31] it looks at this point based on my
[28:33] projections to the end of the year,
[28:34] we're we're in we'll meet our targeted
[28:37] budget. So, what I did was I just took
[28:40] the information to the end of October
[28:42] 31st and made some assumptions for the
[28:46] remainder of the year for November and
[28:47] December. Um, one of the significant
[28:50] assumptions in here is that water rates
[28:52] are assumed to be unchanged um, from
[28:55] charges from the city. And so there's
[28:57] some some uncertainty there, but this is
[29:00] our forecasted projection to the end of
[29:02] the year. So, I've broken this out to
[29:04] include our tax uh penalties and our
[29:08] interest income as well as each of the
[29:10] departments in terms of where their
[29:12] annual budget is at or their actual year
[29:15] to date is at which totals at the at the
[29:18] bottom there. And then it just in uh all
[29:21] of the remaining items that still need
[29:23] to be included. So I've included broken
[29:25] out some specifically like insurance uh
[29:29] are remainder uh remaining debt payments
[29:31] which happen uh cycllically throughout
[29:34] the year but there is another bunch of
[29:35] debt payments that happen at the end of
[29:37] December 31st. Um we've got uh some
[29:42] reserve transfers that still need to
[29:44] happen that we don't typically do till
[29:46] the end of the year when we kind of know
[29:47] where everything is at. And so based on
[29:50] our total budget of uh for the for the
[29:54] uh county at the 20.0
[29:57] uh8 million and compared to where we
[30:01] anticipate to be at the end of the year,
[30:02] we're going to be very tight in terms of
[30:04] our ending. This shows a slight
[30:06] negative. Obviously, we would uh need to
[30:08] kind of revisit some of those
[30:11] assumptions. I I was conservative in my
[30:14] estimates because I didn't want to uh I
[30:17] just wanted to make sure that we didn't
[30:18] miss anything. And so there's obviously
[30:20] if an emergency response incident were
[30:23] to happen that creates some uncertainty
[30:25] about the impact and pressure on on our
[30:28] budget, but we've got some year-end
[30:30] completion work to do obviously still
[30:32] and just some cleanup adjustments. So um
[30:36] I think at this point the budget is is
[30:39] sufficient but we're going to be tight.
[30:40] Okay, Haley, I got a I have a question
[30:42] here.
[30:43] >> Yeah.
[30:44] » Yeah.
[30:44] >> So, I'm just looking at
[30:47] » So, I'm just looking at
[30:47] your variance number. That's not correct
[30:51] because you added the two together.
[30:56] You don't have a $900,000 variance.
[30:59] Well, that um currently at the year to
[31:02] date for utilities because we haven't
[31:03] done all of our uh reserve transfers,
[31:05] it's showing as a negative 418, which is
[31:08] why those two numbers are added together
[31:10] because essentially the the budget for
[31:13] utilities was a tax like was a pressure
[31:16] of 550,000
[31:18] and we are currently sitting at a
[31:21] $418,000
[31:23] um credit because none of the reserve
[31:26] transfers have happened yet. So that's
[31:28] why it's the two added together.
[31:33] » Doesn't show that.
[31:34] >> Well, there's a negative right in front
[31:36] » Well, there's a negative right in front
[31:36] of the 418. That's why there's a little
[31:39] dash there. Yeah,
[31:40] >> it's far over.
[31:41] » it's far over.
[31:42] >> It's small. Sorry, the font is small.
[31:45] » It's small. Sorry, the font is small.
[31:45] [clears throat]
[31:47] » Thank you.
[31:50] Um, typically we like to give updates in
[31:53] terms of where the grants are at. And so
[31:55] these are related to our um, operating
[31:58] and capital grants. And so our our grant
[32:02] um, administrator works really hard to
[32:04] kind of keep on top of ensuring that we
[32:06] give updates and where we're at and and
[32:09] status reports to the various levels of
[32:12] government. And so this just summarizes
[32:14] um some of the grants that we have
[32:17] applied for, whether they've been
[32:19] approved um or cancelled in this case.
[32:22] Um and then just kind of where we're at
[32:24] in terms of how much we've received of
[32:26] that grant and how much is still the
[32:28] difference would be how much is still
[32:29] outstanding. Um, I won't go into each
[32:32] individual one, but just to kind of give
[32:34] council an update that, you know, we've
[32:36] been pretty successful in getting all of
[32:38] our our grants um, approved at this
[32:42] point. There was one small one that was
[32:43] cancelled. Um, and just overall um, this
[32:48] is kind of a status update and it just
[32:50] carries on to to page two just because
[32:53] of size. So, there's a bunch of other
[32:56] various projects here that uh we've
[33:00] either applied for and um couple have
[33:02] been declined, but overall we're we've
[33:05] been pretty successful in in getting the
[33:06] majority of the grants that we've
[33:08] applied for. So, which is good.
[33:13] And then just like to kind of provide a
[33:15] summary of some of the decisions that
[33:17] have been council resolutions or that
[33:19] impact reserves to the end of uh October
[33:22] of 2025. I won't go through each one on
[33:24] this slide, but just provides some
[33:26] information about just as we keep track
[33:29] and monitor all of the decisions that
[33:31] have been made and the impact on our
[33:33] reserves as we go into the operating uh
[33:36] budget process or budget deliberation
[33:38] process. We'll look at our reserves uh
[33:41] where they're at and and how our
[33:43] decisions like the approvals from 2025
[33:46] plus what we're proposing in 2026 and
[33:48] where that leaves us at the um at the
[33:52] end of 2026 assuming everything was
[33:55] approved and and goes as planned.
[33:59] So one more question sorry
[34:01] >> is a manager
[34:03] » is a manager
[34:03] >> that is the asset management program in
[34:06] » that is the asset management program in
[34:06] terms of uh looking at all of our assets
[34:08] and doing uh preventative and uh
[34:12] maintenance as we notice you know based
[34:14] on risk condition and and risk of the
[34:17] asset and just ensuring that we're
[34:18] monitoring our assets closely to um
[34:21] allow for kind of that automation and
[34:23] efficiency of making sure we're
[34:25] maintaining what needs to be maintained
[34:26] when it needs to be maintained.
[34:48] And that is it in terms of an update.
[34:56] Thank you.
[41:13] Okay, we'll call the meeting back to
[41:15] order at 9:40 this morning.
[41:18] >> Cole, floor is yours.
[41:19] » Cole, floor is yours.
[41:19] >> Good morning, council. So, welcome
[41:21] » Good morning, council. So, welcome
[41:21] officially to the 2026 budget um
[41:24] discussion, presentation, and
[41:26] deliberations. I anticipate with the
[41:28] snow everybody's at home with a pot of
[41:30] coffee on also joining in and listening.
[41:32] So, welcome.
[41:37] We'll jump right in uh to the executive
[41:39] summary. One of the things that we
[41:40] wanted to put at the forefront and not
[41:42] bury in this document,
[41:44] it's hard to believe with the 128 pages
[41:46] of slides, but I think it was at 160 at
[41:48] its peak. So we did uh rein it in but we
[41:51] have proposed a modest 3% tax increase
[41:54] uh after growth supporting core services
[41:57] and uh service levels. We have a
[42:00] strategic use of reserves to try and
[42:02] normalize or do a better job normalizing
[42:04] some of those larger cyclical
[42:05] expenditures. And then a few of the
[42:07] operational highlights. So we still are
[42:10] catching up with rising cost pressures.
[42:12] A lot of those cyclical expenditures
[42:14] that occurred uh did not occur during
[42:16] COVID. So, we're on the back end of
[42:17] finding out what some of those true
[42:18] costs are that is reflected in this
[42:20] budget. We have some major um system
[42:24] modernization. We have the ERP
[42:26] transition to discuss digitization of
[42:28] forms, long-term asset management,
[42:30] planning tools, which is the phase 2
[42:31] maintenance manager. And it also
[42:33] reflected in this is a significant
[42:35] investment in our infrastructure, roads,
[42:37] bridges, water, wastewater, storm water.
[42:40] So, we uh we'll get into some more of
[42:43] the details. One of the reasons we
[42:45] wanted to put the tax increase at the
[42:46] forefront is you'll see some larger
[42:48] swings in the dollar amounts and a lot
[42:50] of that will come from expenditures that
[42:52] happen cyclally or be transfers from
[42:54] reserves and so it's just important to
[42:56] contextualize that as we move through
[42:58] the discussion. Just a year in review
[43:01] and I know the year is not done yet but
[43:03] some of the key accomplishments from
[43:05] 2025 included the conversion of the
[43:08] point of sale system for the bulk water
[43:10] stations. We collaborated with many
[43:12] regional partners on storm water
[43:14] drainage such as Mallaloy, the Horfly
[43:16] spillway. We advanced the SRSDC
[43:19] initiative uh which also ties into
[43:21] Horsfly. We were the administrative lead
[43:23] on the emergency management regional
[43:25] partnership which is a huge
[43:26] accomplishment between Barons,
[43:28] Nobleford, Pitcherbute and Cohurst. We
[43:30] launched a new public engagement
[43:32] strategy that's the deep roots bright
[43:33] future. We secured long-term fire
[43:35] service agreements with Pitri, Nolford
[43:37] and Cohurst uh and are at the tail end
[43:39] of doing so with Coldell as well which
[43:42] provides uh stability in fire services
[43:44] and emergency response in the region. We
[43:47] launched our multi-year phase 2
[43:49] implementation of our centralized
[43:52] maintenance manager system with asset
[43:54] management. We've started the
[43:56] digitization of our forms, my virtual
[43:58] city hall uh for residents and their
[44:01] ability to view bills. And then we also
[44:03] completed the eastern industrial
[44:05] transmission pipeline uh expanding our
[44:07] aggra food production. And one of the um
[44:10] more notable level of service increases
[44:12] and modernization is public works
[44:14] increased their base stabilization
[44:16] productivity by 45% and 25.
[44:20] As we look into the 2026 key priorities,
[44:23] we've highlighted them here. These will
[44:25] all be up for discussion as we move
[44:27] through the waterfall charts and the
[44:28] department budgets. Some of the key
[44:30] things to to keep an eye on for those
[44:32] discussions will be the ERP system
[44:34] planning and implementation. We again
[44:36] the multi-year
[44:38] enterprise resource planning. So that's
[44:40] our finance system, HR payroll. Um asset
[44:44] management phase two. So that's our
[44:46] maintenance manager. Uh we've tried to
[44:48] call it this. I know there's been a few
[44:50] phases thrown around. I think we did the
[44:52] first one in three phases. This is our
[44:56] big picture asset management phase two
[44:59] implementation. Public operations gravel
[45:01] crushing. Well, that is something we've
[45:03] done historically in the past. It's
[45:04] something that we're seeing uh very
[45:07] escalated cost pressures on. So, we've
[45:09] highlighted it here. The assessment
[45:11] services transition to third party. Um
[45:14] so, we'll have some overlap this year as
[45:16] we transition from in-house assessment
[45:17] services, council strategic plan, and
[45:20] other cyclical council related
[45:21] activities due to the election. and then
[45:24] um our investment and growth and
[45:26] engagement initiatives.
[45:29] I ran through that pretty quick because
[45:30] we're going to get into the meat of it
[45:31] in the agenda, but any questions before
[45:33] we jump into the agenda and start
[45:36] getting into the department summaries?
[45:40] All right,
[45:46] or you could uh
[45:58] There we go. Rookie mistake. Uh, good
[46:01] morning, Reven Council. Uh, for the
[46:03] record, my name is Justin Ellis, manager
[46:04] of strategic initiatives for Lethbridge
[46:06] County. I assisted the director of
[46:09] corporate services, Haley, with the
[46:11] preparation of the 2026 operational
[46:14] budget and have been requested to
[46:16] introduce the budget summary at a high
[46:18] level, the revenue summary at a high
[46:20] level, expenditure summary, and the
[46:22] property taxes. Uh, but first, I'll run
[46:25] you through the agenda that we propose
[46:28] to follow today.
[46:30] Uh, first I will lead you through the
[46:32] budget overview. Then we'll move into
[46:35] the operating budget where we'll walk
[46:37] you through each of the departments.
[46:39] Each of the departments has a intro
[46:41] slide with a short overview uh to remind
[46:45] you of what's in the department followed
[46:47] by a table outlining your revenues
[46:49] expenses followed by a waterfall chart
[46:52] focused on the expenditures and the
[46:54] differences between years in the budget
[46:57] for those expenditures to tell you uh
[47:00] how the how the story goes and the key
[47:03] drivers for the changes. and uh some if
[47:06] applicable have a follow-up slide with
[47:09] the operational project description. Uh
[47:12] after we've run through those, we'll
[47:14] walk you through the capital budget,
[47:17] infrastructure, market access, network,
[47:19] vehicles, municipal reserves, info
[47:21] technology, and then we'll jump back
[47:23] into a summary at that time.
[47:29] All right.
[47:32] So, budget overview. uh this is a high
[47:35] level total and and we start with
[47:37] getting the big picture in mind and and
[47:40] uh we'll go into the details by area and
[47:44] each of the budget owners will present
[47:46] their own. Uh like Cole said, we don't
[47:49] want to bury the headline. In the
[47:50] operating budget for 2026, there's a
[47:53] proposed 3% municipal tax rate increase
[47:56] for all property classes. That's after
[47:58] growth. The non-residential to municipal
[48:02] rate continues at a roughly 2:1 ratio
[48:06] with the legislated maximum 5.1.
[48:10] We're going to get into each of the
[48:13] departments, but the key messages here
[48:14] are that 90% of the increases in the
[48:17] expenditures for this budget are
[48:18] associated with gravel crushing, fire
[48:21] service related costs, mostly one-time,
[48:24] water purchases, operational projects,
[48:27] provincial policing, and growth and
[48:29] engagement. Uh we'll also make mention
[48:32] throughout the presentation and we have
[48:34] already about the downloading of uh
[48:36] costs and grant uh from the province
[48:40] decrease and grants and uh
[48:44] we'll move on into the revenue summary.
[48:49] So this is the summary of the revenues.
[48:52] This is the cost coming in. The line at
[48:54] the top is the property tax. So, what
[48:58] we're looking for, your approval today,
[49:00] baked in the cake, is the 21.7
[49:05] million.
[49:06] Uh, grants have decreased slightly. Uh,
[49:11] the LG FF has reduced by about $100,000
[49:16] year-over-year.
[49:17] It's lower than 2025, but still higher
[49:21] than 2024.
[49:23] The egg service grants are the same.
[49:26] They're locked in for 2025 to 2029.
[49:31] Sales of goods and services have
[49:33] increased mostly due to increase in in
[49:37] water sales related to some of the
[49:39] expansion in our acre food processing as
[49:43] well as uh increase in sales to dust
[49:47] control. uh uptake in the spring program
[49:50] and uh level of ser potential level of
[49:53] service change that uh that the director
[49:56] of of uh operations will discuss with
[49:59] you. Service agreements mostly stay
[50:03] unchanged. Services to other
[50:05] departments. So you'll see this
[50:07] throughout the budget. So I wanted to
[50:09] address this. Now the services to other
[50:12] departments are mostly uh to do with
[50:15] fleet services and IT services and what
[50:19] we do is we we look at all of the
[50:22] software and all the hardware and all
[50:23] the TVs and all the computers and we add
[50:25] all the costs of that up and then we
[50:28] distribute those costs across the entire
[50:31] organization mostly by mostly by per
[50:35] person. uh in some cases like council
[50:38] you don't have computers so we've we've
[50:39] reduced the amount that we allocate to
[50:41] you
[50:43] and then fleet we do the same thing we
[50:45] rent our fleet from ourselves so we rent
[50:47] our graders from ourselves for public
[50:49] operations and we rent our light
[50:50] vehicles and our and yeah we rent our
[50:54] light vehicles and our other equipment
[50:55] for either egg services or for the the
[50:57] vehicles you see in the parking lot out
[50:59] there.
[51:00] Fines and penalties they remain
[51:02] unchanged.
[51:04] returns on investment we've left as uh
[51:07] we've aligned with previous budget
[51:09] assumptions other revenue
[51:12] unchanged and transfers from reserves.
[51:17] The conversation around this will be
[51:19] embedded throughout, but the main focus
[51:22] here is we are drawing from our savings
[51:26] account for planned life cycle equipment
[51:32] purchases which uh are mostly located in
[51:37] the fire services
[51:39] but it they are spread out through other
[51:41] services as well. And the market access
[51:43] network uh can be seen at the bottom of
[51:45] the screen.
[51:49] This is just a a illustration to show
[51:53] you visually where the money that we use
[51:57] to operate the corporation's coming from
[52:06] and I'll move into the expense summary.
[52:10] So we are going to get into each
[52:13] department later, but the key messages
[52:15] here are again that 90% of increases and
[52:18] expenses for this budget are associated
[52:20] with gravel crushing, fire service
[52:22] related costs, water purchases,
[52:24] operational projects, provincial
[52:26] policing and growth and engagement.
[52:29] Uh salaries, wages, and benefits have
[52:32] increased slightly
[52:35] for cola and for merit. Uh there's some
[52:38] assumptions in there for inflationary
[52:41] impacts of
[52:44] escalation to the benefits
[52:47] contract and general services that's
[52:49] increased. That's where you'll see the
[52:53] up for the cyclical gravel crushing.
[52:57] Now we've it's a it's a large expense.
[52:59] We do it every three years, but we plan
[53:01] for it. So the revenue on the other
[53:04] side, you saw that we're taking money
[53:05] out of the savings account to pay for
[53:07] it. So
[53:09] material supplies and other operating
[53:12] costs, we will discuss that in further
[53:14] detail later on. The services by
[53:16] department remain essentially unchanged,
[53:19] slightly increased for escalation.
[53:23] Operating projects, uh we'll discuss
[53:26] those in further detail. They're
[53:28] separated out in each of the
[53:29] departments. emergency service
[53:32] agreements. This isn't the agreements ju
[53:35] just themselves. A large part of this,
[53:39] if not all of the increase is actually
[53:41] due to moving money from our savings
[53:45] account to pay for uh new fire equipment
[53:50] that we've been planning for over the
[53:52] last uh number of years.
[53:55] other expenditures essentially unchange
[53:58] and then transfers to reserves uh we'll
[54:02] talk about later.
[54:06] Again, a pie chart just to help give you
[54:09] that visual of where the money we're
[54:12] spending is being spent.
[54:19] The last section that I'll review before
[54:22] I pass the mic over to Haley is the
[54:25] property taxes.
[54:28] So, if the budget is approved as
[54:32] proposed, it will require a 3% increase
[54:34] in taxation and that's after growth. So,
[54:38] a net municipal property taxes of 21.7
[54:42] million this year constitutes that 3%
[54:44] increase.
[54:47] Net municipal property tax includes all
[54:49] property taxes less requisitions of the
[54:52] Alberta School Foundation, the
[54:54] designated industrial properties and
[54:56] Green Acres Foundation. Property taxes
[54:59] are levied on properties within the
[55:01] county based on an assessment value of
[55:03] the property multiplied by the tax rate
[55:06] approved by council each year. Property
[55:08] taxes continue to be the most
[55:10] significant source of revenue for the
[55:12] county. In 2026 operating budget, uh
[55:18] the non-residential to municipal rate
[55:20] continues at a roughly 2:1 ratio,
[55:24] well within the legislative maximum of 5
[55:26] to1.
[55:30] In addition to the property tax, but
[55:33] often confused because it's all on the
[55:35] same bill, the Lethridge County
[55:37] collected in 2025 $7.2 million on behalf
[55:41] of the Alberta School Foundation.
[55:44] That's a requisition by the province. We
[55:47] collect uh 27 million in provincial
[55:50] designated industrial property tax
[55:52] designated by the province. And $371,000
[55:57] on behalf of Green Acres Foundation.
[55:59] Again, those are all
[56:00] added on but uh not uh not funding us.
[56:06] Um
[56:08] what we should mention here which also
[56:10] ties into some of the pressure that
[56:12] we're seeing is that the capex portion
[56:16] of the 2026 local government fiscal
[56:18] framework is expected to provide $2.3
[56:21] million in 2026 which is slightly uh
[56:25] decreased
[56:27] from the $2.4 4 million we received in
[56:30] 2025. The opex portion. Uh
[56:35] usually what we do is we we budget a
[56:37] percentage of that. Uh so it's we've
[56:40] we've left that to be consistent. On the
[56:43] egg side of things, uh we are to receive
[56:46] $244,000
[56:48] each year from 2025 to 2029. And that's
[56:51] split between legislative activities for
[56:55] egg services and uh resource management.
[57:02] These visuals based on 2025 data are
[57:07] intended to help you see the county's
[57:09] current assessment breakdown and the
[57:10] resulting property tax revenue.
[57:13] Farmland, for example, makes up 6% of
[57:16] the assessment breakdown, but
[57:18] contributes 23% of our property taxes.
[57:22] Whereas residential assessment makes up
[57:24] 53% of the assessment breakdown, but
[57:26] contributes 31% of the property tax
[57:29] revenue. The rest remain fairly
[57:32] balanced.
[57:38] And this is a summary by department
[57:42] showing
[57:44] what's left over after the revenue comes
[57:46] in and the expenses go out and each
[57:50] areas
[57:52] uh
[57:53] each area's request for tax support.
[57:57] council, for example, uh would require
[58:02] $700,000 worth of tax support and public
[58:06] operations.
[58:09] >> Question second.
[58:11] » Question second.
[58:11] >> Yes.
[58:12] » Yes.
[58:12] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um just just back
[58:14] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um just just back
[58:14] to the pie charts for the assessment
[58:17] breakdown
[58:19] and being that farmland's at 6%. That is
[58:22] that is if I understand it correctly
[58:25] largely due to the fact that farmland
[58:27] assessment has been frozen for 30 odd
[58:30] years. Correct. So that's the assessed
[58:32] value that we're talking about.
[58:36] these uh these numbers were uh provided
[58:40] by our tax and assessment uh individual.
[58:44] I I would have to go back and ask them
[58:49] for further clarification unless Haley
[58:51] has an answer.
[58:53] So um as an example because the
[58:56] non-residential mill rate is roughly
[59:00] double the residential mill rate that's
[59:04] the reason for the difference between
[59:06] like the percentage of the assessment
[59:08] value of the total county versus the
[59:11] property tax revenue. So because the um
[59:16] the non-residential is at 23 sorry
[59:26] yeah and so it's contributing
[59:29] um
[59:32] essentially the same amount because
[59:35] residential is actually like half of
[59:37] their mill rate. So, it's based on kind
[59:39] of the the total assessment value versus
[59:43] how much each mill rate um each category
[59:47] contributes their mill rate as a
[59:49] percentage of one another because
[59:51] they're just different, right? So,
[59:52] they're not all one for one,
[59:54] >> right? I understand that. I was just
[59:55] » right? I understand that. I was just
[59:55] making a comment about
[59:57] >> Sorry, I understand that. But I was just
[59:59] » Sorry, I understand that. But I was just
[59:59] making a comment about the assessment.
[1:00:01] The assessment is based on dollar value
[1:00:03] assessment if I'm correct. Right.
[1:00:05] >> Right. So, you know, of note, you know,
[1:00:08] » Right. So, you know, of note, you know,
[1:00:08] when we're talking about farmland being
[1:00:09] such a small portion of the assessed
[1:00:11] value, that is because the assessed
[1:00:14] value of farmland has been frozen at an
[1:00:17] arbitrarily low number for decades.
[1:00:19] >> Correct. Yes.
[1:00:20] » Correct. Yes.
[1:00:20] >> Right.
[1:00:21] » Right.
[1:00:21] >> Yeah.
[1:00:22] » Yeah.
[1:00:22] >> Sorry.
[1:00:23] » Sorry.
[1:00:23] >> Oh, thank you. Thank you for the
[1:00:25] » Oh, thank you. Thank you for the
[1:00:25] question.
[1:00:28] » All right. I will now turn the
[1:00:32] presentation back over to Haley.
[1:00:41] Okay. So, we're just going to look a
[1:00:43] little bit in terms of the uh reserve
[1:00:46] funding summary. Um, so there's a a
[1:00:49] county reserve policy that specifically
[1:00:52] kind of outlines various aspects of the
[1:00:56] requirements within how the county
[1:00:58] manages our reserves and the various
[1:01:00] types of reserves that we have. Um, I
[1:01:02] will need to bring this policy back to
[1:01:04] council for updating just given that it
[1:01:06] hasn't been revised since 2021. So,
[1:01:09] there are some changes that will need to
[1:01:11] be made um as it relates to the policy,
[1:01:14] but this is the existing policy that we
[1:01:16] have in place today. So, what we did was
[1:01:18] we looked at the 2026 starting balance
[1:01:22] assuming all of the reserve transfers
[1:01:24] that were approved in the capital and
[1:01:26] operating budget will be adjusted by the
[1:01:29] end of the year. And then we looked at
[1:01:31] kind of the ins and outs uh throughout
[1:01:33] 2026 based on what we're proposing
[1:01:36] within the budget, which you'll see
[1:01:37] conversations about all of those reserve
[1:01:39] transfers throughout the discussion
[1:01:41] today. Um which gives us an ending
[1:01:44] balance at the end of 2026 of roughly
[1:01:47] $34.9 million. Um the county has been
[1:01:50] working really hard to make some
[1:01:53] contributions to the reserves to ensure
[1:01:55] that we have kind of future um
[1:01:59] sufficient funding in the future to
[1:02:01] maintain our existing assets. I realize
[1:02:04] this looks like a significant decrease
[1:02:06] based on what we're proposing over 2026.
[1:02:09] One thing to keep in mind is there's um
[1:02:12] some significant draws. uh 2026 will be
[1:02:15] uh a gravel crushing year which is a
[1:02:18] significant kind of operational cost
[1:02:20] that occurs every three years. And so we
[1:02:23] put money away each year to contribute
[1:02:25] to the gravel crushing and then it's
[1:02:27] drawn out kind of in in its entirety in
[1:02:29] the year that it happens. And so that is
[1:02:32] one aspect of this as to why the outs in
[1:02:35] this instance are higher. And then the
[1:02:38] other significant kind of uh draws on
[1:02:41] the reserve for 2026 proposed is all of
[1:02:45] the um emergency services vehicles in
[1:02:48] terms of our transitioning out of of
[1:02:50] capital kind of related to emergency
[1:02:53] services. So we'll get into that more in
[1:02:55] later on. I just kind of wanted to
[1:02:57] highlight that because there is there is
[1:02:59] a need and an awareness in terms of
[1:03:01] continuing to contribute to the reserves
[1:03:03] to ensure that we are maintaining our
[1:03:05] assets long term.
[1:03:08] You want to say something?
[1:03:09] >> I have a question.
[1:03:09] » I have a question.
[1:03:09] >> Oh, sorry.
[1:03:10] » Oh, sorry.
[1:03:10] >> Thank you. So, is it still a requirement
[1:03:12] » Thank you. So, is it still a requirement
[1:03:12] of the provincial government to uh
[1:03:14] maintain in reserves a balance equal to
[1:03:16] that of your taxation for the year?
[1:03:20] >> Um, typically that's like a best
[1:03:22] » Um, typically that's like a best
[1:03:22] practice. I'm not I'm not aware that it
[1:03:24] was actually like a specific
[1:03:25] requirement.
[1:03:25] >> It was at one point.
[1:03:26] » It was at one point.
[1:03:26] >> Okay. Okay. Yeah. Um, I mean that is
[1:03:29] » Okay. Okay. Yeah. Um, I mean that is
[1:03:29] that is best practice in terms of
[1:03:30] ensuring you have sufficient resources
[1:03:33] to should kind of unanticipated things
[1:03:36] come up and you know the ability to
[1:03:38] maintain and sustain long-term all of
[1:03:41] our assets within within the county. Um,
[1:03:44] definitely.
[1:03:46] So the next slides just summarize the
[1:03:49] types of reserves that we have
[1:03:50] currently, what the starting balance
[1:03:52] would be at the uh beginning of 2026,
[1:03:54] what some of the ins and outs are, which
[1:03:56] you'll see throughout the discussion uh
[1:03:59] what they relate to and just kind of
[1:04:01] giving you the summary of the ending
[1:04:03] balance which we talked about um as a
[1:04:05] whole. there's some designated reserves
[1:04:07] specific to uh local improvement and uh
[1:04:10] frontage which have specific
[1:04:12] requirements and so those are just um
[1:04:15] allocated as designated reserves and
[1:04:17] then uh we'll talk more about each of
[1:04:19] the reserves individually as we go.
[1:04:23] One of the things that just wanted to
[1:04:25] highlight in terms of our debt
[1:04:26] obligations. So the MGA, the municipal
[1:04:29] government act specifies specific
[1:04:31] requirements in terms of how our debt
[1:04:33] limits are established and what that
[1:04:35] looks like in terms of limit caps. And
[1:04:38] so you can see the in the blue is the
[1:04:40] total debt that we currently have based
[1:04:42] on 2025 actuals. And then we've just
[1:04:46] projected what that looks like uh over
[1:04:48] the next three years. the uh brownish
[1:04:52] colored line or bar is the total debt
[1:04:55] limit and that's based on our total
[1:04:57] revenue. And so that um amount
[1:05:00] fluctuates from year to year depending
[1:05:01] on what what that revenue item looks
[1:05:04] like. And so, you know, we're based on
[1:05:06] our unused debt limit, we're we're in
[1:05:08] pretty good shape in terms of ensuring
[1:05:10] we remain in compliance with the MGA
[1:05:13] requirements. Uh the next slide is just
[1:05:16] another way to look at it in terms of
[1:05:18] our ability to meet our annual repayment
[1:05:21] obligations which is principal and
[1:05:22] interest and um the county continues to
[1:05:25] kind of maintain a healthy buffer in
[1:05:27] terms of our debt servicing versus our
[1:05:29] debt limit which is good.
[1:05:32] Uh this is just a summary of our
[1:05:35] outstanding debt as of um what the
[1:05:39] balance will be at the end of 2025 after
[1:05:41] those final payments are made uh at
[1:05:43] December 31st. And so this just provides
[1:05:47] the annual payment amounts and just
[1:05:49] demonstrating uh what that looks like in
[1:05:51] terms of the year of maturity and and
[1:05:53] the interest rates that were uh part of
[1:05:55] these loan payments and loan that were
[1:05:59] drawn.
[1:06:01] So, what I'm going to do now if there
[1:06:04] isn't any questions, uh, Reef Campbell
[1:06:06] is just walk through council as, uh, one
[1:06:08] of the examples of how what we'll see in
[1:06:11] each department as we go through them.
[1:06:12] Um, if we're good to kind of continue on
[1:06:15] and dig into the each individual area.
[1:06:18] Okay. So, each section will show um,
[1:06:22] kind of a highle overview of the
[1:06:24] services and programs that the
[1:06:25] department or area provides within the
[1:06:28] county. Um we're going to look at
[1:06:30] council first in terms of the um
[1:06:33] operational and kind of changes to the
[1:06:35] proposed budget for 2026. Um this just
[1:06:39] kind of provides a highle summary of the
[1:06:41] department for specific areas. Obviously
[1:06:43] council knows what council does.
[1:06:46] [laughter]
[1:06:47] Um and then each area will demonstrate
[1:06:50] uh kind of a cost summary slide showing
[1:06:52] total revenues as well as expenditures
[1:06:55] specific to that um that area as well as
[1:06:59] a kind of a percentage change between
[1:07:01] the 2025 approved budget and what is
[1:07:04] being proposed for 2026.
[1:07:07] Um and then it's just broken down by
[1:07:09] specific expenditure types including
[1:07:11] wages and and benefits you know
[1:07:13] contractual in general any kind of uh
[1:07:16] services by other departments which is
[1:07:17] that it or um uh fleet charges and then
[1:07:21] just if there's any operating projects
[1:07:23] within the area as well as any reserve
[1:07:26] transfers. So the each each slide for
[1:07:29] each area will look very similar to what
[1:07:31] is presented here for council.
[1:07:34] And then each area will have a um a a
[1:07:39] waterfall slide in terms of just showing
[1:07:41] kind of the ins and outs of the change
[1:07:44] from the 2025 budget to 2026 as well as
[1:07:48] you'll see that there's the change from
[1:07:50] 2026 to 2027 and then the change to
[1:07:53] 2028. Um and so really what we'll
[1:07:56] probably be focusing on or most areas
[1:07:58] we'll be focusing on is the key variance
[1:08:00] drivers uh just summarizing some of the
[1:08:02] highlevel differences um for each area
[1:08:05] and what that looks like. Um so if
[1:08:08] there's a red it's an increase if
[1:08:10] there's a green it's a decrease um and
[1:08:12] just demonstrating some of the overall
[1:08:15] highle changes of what um each area is
[1:08:18] experiencing or proposed within their
[1:08:20] budget. So, in this instance, if we look
[1:08:22] at 2026 to 2025, we've got some
[1:08:25] increases in benefits for council. We've
[1:08:27] got um some allowance for grants and uh
[1:08:30] donation adjustments based on kind of
[1:08:32] historical uh resolutions and approvals
[1:08:34] by council. Um there's a 2% escalation
[1:08:39] on kind of some of those inflationary
[1:08:41] items uh related within the area. Um
[1:08:46] there's an increase in the cost of the
[1:08:49] council election cycle activities like
[1:08:51] strategic planning and orientation just
[1:08:53] to kind of smooth those over the
[1:08:55] election period just to allow for a less
[1:08:58] kind of volatility of of increases uh or
[1:09:02] decreases depending on the year that the
[1:09:04] within the budget cycle. Um and then we
[1:09:07] just redistributed you'll see this
[1:09:09] throughout in terms of the transfers to
[1:09:11] departments. We we took a look at uh IT
[1:09:15] charges throughout all the areas and
[1:09:17] just kind of tried to realign. We tried
[1:09:19] to consolidate all of the software and
[1:09:21] various costs within IT um or related to
[1:09:25] IT within IT. So for example, the
[1:09:27] financial system used to be in finance
[1:09:30] and admin and it it just kind of makes
[1:09:32] the story more complicated at the end of
[1:09:34] the day than you know just kind of
[1:09:36] highlighting high level. And so some of
[1:09:38] those changes will be reflected in that
[1:09:42] um transfer to departments in terms of
[1:09:45] just redistributing and and more
[1:09:47] reasonably allocating how the IT charges
[1:09:49] relate. So um that was a decrease for
[1:09:52] specifically for um the for council's
[1:09:56] area. Um and then we just wanted to look
[1:09:59] at how we balance contributions to the
[1:10:01] reserve over over the period to ensure
[1:10:04] that we're you know maintaining the
[1:10:06] appropriate funding for the necessary
[1:10:08] initiatives and projects that happen.
[1:10:10] And then if you look you'll see
[1:10:12] throughout the there's a slight
[1:10:13] escalation in 2027 and a slight
[1:10:15] escalation in 2028. And so this will
[1:10:18] really be the you know the overall
[1:10:20] format and structure for each area as we
[1:10:23] walk through and and talk about them in
[1:10:25] more detail.
[1:10:39] » [clears throat]
[1:10:42] » Wonderful. We'll move into the CEO
[1:10:44] office. I think this is important to
[1:10:46] note. Um, I know councelor Van Essen was
[1:10:50] excited to see this budget change and
[1:10:52] thought you guys gave me a big raise
[1:10:53] last term, but we have made some uh
[1:10:56] organizational adjustments. So, the CAO
[1:10:58] office does include um legislative
[1:11:01] services, administration support, and
[1:11:03] strategic initiatives. Uh, you guys know
[1:11:07] what we do and how we do that. We've
[1:11:08] just restructured the department a
[1:11:10] little bit to to change that. However,
[1:11:12] uh, we'll go through this. I would
[1:11:14] recommend to council because I want to
[1:11:16] go through some of the changes. Uh
[1:11:17] however, I would recommend for some of
[1:11:19] the preliminary discussion that we move
[1:11:20] into a close session pursuant to ATIA
[1:11:22] section 20 and 26. So just harmful to
[1:11:25] personal information and
[1:11:26] intergovernmental relations if you guys
[1:11:28] are okay with that.
[1:11:34] » Yes, please.
[1:11:37] >> I'd like to move that we go to close
[1:11:39] » I'd like to move that we go to close
[1:11:39] action.
[1:13:28] to
[1:13:39] » wonderful. We'll move on to people and
[1:13:41] culture. So, this is our human
[1:13:43] resources, health, safety, payroll. Um
[1:13:46] you'll see some changes in this
[1:13:48] department similar to what we discussed
[1:13:50] previously with internal transfers.
[1:13:52] We've also reduced the FTE count in this
[1:13:54] department permanently. So you'll see
[1:13:56] that uh and then the transfers between
[1:13:58] departments is just kind of the right
[1:14:00] sizing of what those allocations are
[1:14:02] similar to what you saw in council. Um
[1:14:06] and then
[1:14:08] we can discuss anything else but this
[1:14:10] one's a pretty straightforward. We've
[1:14:11] got some small software related costs or
[1:14:13] safety related costs rather and then um
[1:14:16] the personnel adjustments.
[1:14:20] » Thank you. One thing that'd be kind of
[1:14:22] handy was if we knew how many staff were
[1:14:24] in each one of these departments. It's
[1:14:27] kind of nice to know.
[1:14:28] >> Yeah, we we do have an FTE sheet that we
[1:14:31] » Yeah, we we do have an FTE sheet that we
[1:14:31] could pull up after. Um, I don't know if
[1:14:33] we've bucketed it by department, but
[1:14:34] we've we've got them all consolidated to
[1:14:36] say here's what we have, here's what's
[1:14:37] changed over the years that we can
[1:14:38] review at the end if you want to go
[1:14:40] through it that way.
[1:14:46] » When we used to do uh budgeting,
[1:14:48] >> we'd have like if you have 10 people in
[1:14:50] » we'd have like if you have 10 people in
[1:14:50] your department, say like public works
[1:14:52] or 20 or whatever the number is just at
[1:14:54] the top of the thing, that's all.
[1:14:56] >> Sure. Yeah, we would we would probably
[1:14:58] » Sure. Yeah, we would we would probably
[1:14:58] look to consolidate. We have a few
[1:15:00] departments with only a couple staff.
[1:15:03] Um, and so we we'll just have to
[1:15:05] consolidate them or make sure that
[1:15:06] they're readable in a way that it
[1:15:07] they're not small so small that they
[1:15:09] would share that personal information,
[1:15:11] but rather that. But yeah, absolutely. I
[1:15:14] think we could look at putting that in
[1:15:15] in the future.
[1:15:21] Any questions on
[1:15:24] Thank you, Mr. Chair. So this one saw a
[1:15:26] slight decrease, but that's mostly just
[1:15:28] because of of realignment of personnel
[1:15:31] transfers.
[1:15:32] >> Yeah. And then a reduction in FTE, too.
[1:15:35] » Yeah. And then a reduction in FTE, too.
[1:15:35] Yeah.
[1:15:35] >> Well, that's what I mean.
[1:15:36] » Well, that's what I mean.
[1:15:36] >> One's a personnel transfer, ones we
[1:15:38] » One's a personnel transfer, ones we
[1:15:38] eliminated an FTE position.
[1:15:39] >> Oh, you Oh, okay.
[1:15:40] » Oh, you Oh, okay.
[1:15:40] >> Yeah.
[1:15:41] » Yeah.
[1:15:41] >> Okay, perfect. Thanks.
[1:15:42] » Okay, perfect. Thanks.
[1:15:42] >> Um, one thing I will cover, we've got
[1:15:44] » Um, one thing I will cover, we've got
[1:15:44] some operating projects as part of that.
[1:15:46] Uh, so some of the corporate safety
[1:15:49] management software for some of our core
[1:15:50] audit recommendations and compliance was
[1:15:52] was on there for 16,000. And then um
[1:15:55] we've had kind of a standing 25,000 for
[1:15:58] records management scanning that's been
[1:16:01] going on for five or six years that we
[1:16:03] just need to continue to do as we clean
[1:16:05] up those old files um department files
[1:16:07] in the basement. So we've kind of left
[1:16:09] that on there. That work needs to
[1:16:10] continue on as we modernize our systems
[1:16:13] and we get that those records digitized
[1:16:14] that need to be. But that's the only two
[1:16:16] operating projects in that department.
[1:16:20] Come on. that one. Everybody's favorite.
[1:16:31] » Morning, council.
[1:16:34] >> Let's get into this.
[1:16:39] Okay. So, public works. Uh we'll start
[1:16:42] with the with the big everything to do
[1:16:45] with roads and and everything in between
[1:16:47] from grading graveling, dust suppression
[1:16:49] program, hall routes and signage. So
[1:16:55] uh quick overview, couple things to
[1:16:57] highlight. Um already mentioned earlier
[1:17:00] is just grants are are down across the
[1:17:02] board. Public works isn't uh immune to
[1:17:05] that either. Um the one you will notice
[1:17:08] is sales of goods and services. And so
[1:17:10] this was mentioned earlier by Justin.
[1:17:12] And so this uh uptick here is to reflect
[1:17:16] what I will be recommending to council
[1:17:18] as a level of service change for a fall
[1:17:21] application for a dust suppression
[1:17:24] program. And this would reflect um uh if
[1:17:27] that were to be adopted um based on the
[1:17:30] percentage of residents that may apply
[1:17:32] to that based on some benchmarking I've
[1:17:34] done with other jurisdictions that do
[1:17:35] provide a site allocation. We will
[1:17:37] discuss that further in in the
[1:17:39] waterfall.
[1:17:41] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. By a fall
[1:17:43] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. By a fall
[1:17:43] application, you mean like a second
[1:17:44] application? So, we have a spring
[1:17:46] potentially a spring and a fall
[1:17:47] application.
[1:17:48] >> That is correct, Council Kervis. Yes.
[1:17:50] » That is correct, Council Kervis. Yes.
[1:17:50] >> Thank you.
[1:17:50] » Thank you.
[1:17:50] >> So, and so we'll discuss that further in
[1:17:53] » So, and so we'll discuss that further in
[1:17:53] the waterfall in great detail.
[1:17:55] >> Um the other one as well, um you'll
[1:17:59] » Um the other one as well, um you'll
[1:17:59] notice on the market access network
[1:18:01] reserve transfer a reduction there. And
[1:18:04] so there was a an error made in 2025
[1:18:07] where we inappropriately escalated
[1:18:09] um that cost uh whereas that is actually
[1:18:12] fixed cost and that debenture payment is
[1:18:14] the $75,000. So that has been corrected
[1:18:17] for now and moving into the future
[1:18:21] and uh let's roll to expenditures.
[1:18:27] » Thank you. Sorry, Ryan. I
[1:18:28] >> Yes,
[1:18:29] » Yes,
[1:18:29] >> just looking at the I mean there's
[1:18:32] » just looking at the I mean there's
[1:18:32] obviously a significant increase in the
[1:18:34] transfer from reserves.
[1:18:36] >> So in the revenues standpoint.
[1:18:39] » So in the revenues standpoint.
[1:18:39] >> Yes. So uh thank you for that question,
[1:18:43] » Yes. So uh thank you for that question,
[1:18:43] councelor Kervis. So what we're looking
[1:18:44] at there is so this is our gravel
[1:18:47] crushing um for the 2026 season and
[1:18:52] we'll discuss that as well. That's what
[1:18:53] that represents.
[1:18:54] >> Thank you. That's what I suspected. I
[1:18:56] » Thank you. That's what I suspected. I
[1:18:56] just kind of wanted it out there.
[1:18:57] >> Absolutely. Yeah. So, just so you know
[1:18:59] » Absolutely. Yeah. So, just so you know
[1:18:59] what that number is, it's $1.2 million
[1:19:01] by and change is what that is. And
[1:19:04] that's for three years worth of gravel.
[1:19:05] So, that's 300,000 tons. And that's been
[1:19:07] a regular quite regular practice. I
[1:19:10] think this is the third time that uh
[1:19:12] we've crushed in that manner in that
[1:19:13] volume. And that seems to meet our needs
[1:19:15] in terms of uh graveling our roadways uh
[1:19:18] in that three years. Thank you.
[1:19:22] I thought it may be easiest probably
[1:19:24] just to go from left to right and uh as
[1:19:28] questions come up uh we can just address
[1:19:31] them accordingly. So the first one here
[1:19:33] you see personnel adjustments. So we as
[1:19:36] a county started last year where we use
[1:19:38] Questica uh software for our budgeting
[1:19:41] purposes where we enter in uh everything
[1:19:44] that really calculates in a finer detail
[1:19:46] specifically for our staffing model by
[1:19:49] FTE by person and there's some built-in
[1:19:51] assumptions for our budgeting aspect and
[1:19:54] for example assumptions that we make
[1:19:56] where we have with our unionized staff
[1:19:58] they have a a start rate and a job rate
[1:20:01] and so for a conservative estimate
[1:20:04] because we don't know where um
[1:20:06] necessarily when we have seasonals or
[1:20:08] casuals where they're going to land on
[1:20:09] that scale. So, we we budget at at a job
[1:20:13] rate because people will move to that uh
[1:20:15] over time. The other one that that is
[1:20:17] baked in with the Questica software for
[1:20:19] budgeting purposes is our benefits and
[1:20:21] benefits are quite substantially
[1:20:23] different from if you're a single
[1:20:24] individual versus a family. And so uh as
[1:20:28] a default what is is baked in that
[1:20:30] you'll see here and that's part partly
[1:20:32] represents that increase in funding is
[1:20:34] that it's uh at a family rate benefit
[1:20:36] and not a single. So we have that
[1:20:39] latitude that we're covered depending on
[1:20:41] uh who we hire um for our casuals and
[1:20:44] seasonals. So our permits are are are in
[1:20:47] as permanence and fully accounted for.
[1:20:53] The other thing that's also in this
[1:20:55] personnel adjustment is the cost of
[1:20:57] living and at 2% and that alone is
[1:21:00] $60,000 uh of the $200,000 in change
[1:21:04] that you're seeing here.
[1:21:07] So, move next to transfers to
[1:21:10] departments. Uh this is the ongoing
[1:21:12] efforts that we've made um specifically
[1:21:15] myself and and Devon with the technical
[1:21:17] services team as we look to find
[1:21:19] operational efficiencies and wanted to
[1:21:22] rightsize and realign um some of the
[1:21:25] opportunities we have to improve uh as a
[1:21:27] county. So what this represents $50,000
[1:21:29] of that $60,000 reduction is actually
[1:21:31] transferred to Devon because we look at
[1:21:33] some of our engineering services
[1:21:34] specifically surveying and re and and
[1:21:38] we've identified we believe as we bring
[1:21:40] that inhouse it's a more cost-effective
[1:21:42] way to actually provide some of those
[1:21:43] services uh will increase sort of our
[1:21:46] our
[1:21:47] field work for asset management as well.
[1:21:50] And so Deon will speak about that
[1:21:51] further, but that's the bulk of of how
[1:21:53] that was $50,000 that we moved over
[1:21:56] because we're going to bring that work
[1:21:57] inhouse, which is much more
[1:21:58] cost-effective for those technical
[1:22:00] services.
[1:22:01] The transfer to departments,
[1:22:04] we just spoke about the transfers to
[1:22:06] reserves. Um, what this looks where this
[1:22:10] was changed is in uh 2025
[1:22:14] there was a $900,000
[1:22:16] um
[1:22:21] reserve commitment and uh we've then
[1:22:26] Haley's mentioned this as we're looking
[1:22:27] in our reserve trying to rightsize where
[1:22:29] some of these are that make sense
[1:22:30] operationally. So that $900,000
[1:22:34] doesn't sit here uh any any longer, but
[1:22:38] we've right sized on the reserves, but
[1:22:40] also we've moved what was sitting in
[1:22:43] technical services, a $500,000 land
[1:22:45] reserve. And so it kind of one went down
[1:22:49] and we backfilled it. Cole, if you want
[1:22:52] to speak to that more on the reason.
[1:22:53] >> Yeah, we just that I think for yours we
[1:22:55] » Yeah, we just that I think for yours we
[1:22:55] moved. So that's the total transfers to
[1:22:57] reserves. the the land the land
[1:22:59] transfers we moved to infrastructure
[1:23:02] did we not it sits in the infrastructure
[1:23:04] department now
[1:23:07] so so you're seeing a reduction here by
[1:23:09] that amount it's really it's that
[1:23:11] doesn't mean the whole budget reflects
[1:23:12] that we've changed that we've moved that
[1:23:14] to another department to keep the
[1:23:16] transfers to reserves more specific to
[1:23:18] public works here and the capital
[1:23:19] expenditure piece in the infrastructure
[1:23:21] department so that's really what that
[1:23:23] one is and we'll speak to the size and
[1:23:24] scale of those changes in that
[1:23:26] department budget
[1:23:28] The other one you'll note on all of the
[1:23:29] all of the departments I'll present will
[1:23:32] have the same one. The main theme for a
[1:23:34] lot of these is actually realignment as
[1:23:36] we've looked operationally how best to
[1:23:39] um where things should should sit and so
[1:23:42] that's where that one lands. U I will
[1:23:45] lump together escalation it costs fleet
[1:23:48] and the budget adjustments as again that
[1:23:50] realignment work that we've done
[1:23:52] internally. Um, and as has been
[1:23:56] mentioned as Justin in the overview
[1:23:58] earlier,
[1:24:01] contingency uh Cole mentioned that
[1:24:04] historically the contingency fund sat
[1:24:06] within the CEO's office and uh so public
[1:24:11] operations will hold that $50,000
[1:24:13] contingency. It really is a break glass.
[1:24:15] Unexpected,
[1:24:17] you know, emergencies where we may not
[1:24:19] have time to react or to come back to
[1:24:21] council if we need some additional
[1:24:23] funding to address any issues. So, it
[1:24:25] really is that break glass only.
[1:24:27] And then we got that big red line of uh
[1:24:29] 1.8 million. So, this is gravel
[1:24:31] crushing. So, let's get into what this
[1:24:35] looks like and how this works. So,
[1:24:37] historically, we have crushed gravel
[1:24:39] every three years. And to meet that um
[1:24:43] payment obligation, we have put money
[1:24:45] aside three years in advance in a
[1:24:48] reserve and then we pull that when we do
[1:24:50] the crush. And so currently um if you've
[1:24:53] been out at the rackis pit we're
[1:24:54] crossing currently that is for our
[1:24:56] expenditure in 2026 which will support
[1:24:59] our 2026 20278 2027 and 2028 graveling
[1:25:04] season and that's uh $1.2 million. Now,
[1:25:08] as we do that work, uh we put that out
[1:25:11] to RFP and in that process this year, we
[1:25:15] saw basically three groups of pricing
[1:25:20] and uh we were very fortunate with where
[1:25:24] we landed at at the the lowest price. It
[1:25:26] was a vendor that we had used
[1:25:28] historically. So, we're very confident
[1:25:30] that low price. Sometimes there's some
[1:25:33] you can be a little bit scary if you
[1:25:34] take the lowest price and it there's a
[1:25:36] big gap. You might you might get what
[1:25:38] you pay for there which is poor quality.
[1:25:40] Um
[1:25:42] but it was this group here, the low end,
[1:25:45] there was a middle group and then there
[1:25:47] was a top group. And so as we looked at
[1:25:50] that and we looked to project when we're
[1:25:52] going to crush again in three years,
[1:25:54] what are we going to actually end up
[1:25:55] having to pay and make sure that we put
[1:25:57] enough money in our reserves aside for
[1:26:00] that for the next three years so that
[1:26:02] we're not short or scrambling because
[1:26:03] it's such a a core piece of our
[1:26:05] operations to gravel our roads is uh
[1:26:08] that's why you're seeing uh it's a 50%
[1:26:10] increase is what we anticipate. And how
[1:26:13] we got to that number was the bottom
[1:26:16] value of our RFP on the top group. And
[1:26:20] so we may be a little high, but we're
[1:26:22] definitely not the highest. So it's it's
[1:26:25] kind of mid-range um and talking to
[1:26:28] other colleagues and and uh
[1:26:30] municipalities within the region um for
[1:26:33] what they're paying. Uh I believe we're
[1:26:36] we're on track and confident that that
[1:26:39] will put us uh on par so that we have
[1:26:41] sufficient reserve monies for for a
[1:26:43] gravel crush. So that's where you're
[1:26:45] seeing there's a $1.2 million for the
[1:26:48] actual crush and then a $600,000 reserve
[1:26:52] payment that we will make for the next
[1:26:55] three years to crush again in the
[1:26:57] future. But that is a substantial
[1:26:58] increase in cost.
[1:27:02] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, do we have our
[1:27:04] own crusher then or do you rent one of
[1:27:06] those? Like do
[1:27:07] >> Thank you, uh, councelor SL for the
[1:27:09] » Thank you, uh, councelor SL for the
[1:27:09] question. We do not. We do contract out
[1:27:11] crushing services.
[1:27:13] Correct. We do own the pit which is a
[1:27:16] substantial savings for us. Um,
[1:27:19] comparatively for the cost of gravel
[1:27:22] after crushing versus if you were to
[1:27:24] purchase gravel from another producer,
[1:27:26] it's substantial savings to do that work
[1:27:29] inhouse.
[1:27:36] Thank you, Mr. Chair. And yeah, since
[1:27:38] we're on gravel, uh, in on some pits,
[1:27:42] uh, you have to put away, uh,
[1:27:44] reclamation.
[1:27:46] Um, I forget what it's called, uh, does
[1:27:48] that show up in any of our financials
[1:27:50] that we've put that away or is are we
[1:27:52] exempt from that somehow?
[1:27:53] >> No. Yeah. Uh, thank you, uh, councelor
[1:27:56] » No. Yeah. Uh, thank you, uh, councelor
[1:27:56] Vaness, you're correct. We do have to uh
[1:27:59] have some funding put aside for
[1:28:00] reclamation activities. I believe it was
[1:28:02] in the reserve. We could pull that up. I
[1:28:04] think it's around $60,000 or 50 or
[1:28:07] $60,000 that we do have aside right now
[1:28:10] in the reserves. And we we do ongoing
[1:28:13] management of our pits. Uh Graeme White
[1:28:16] who's uh our manager on the technical
[1:28:18] services uh is fantastic with
[1:28:20] maintaining our compliance with pit
[1:28:22] management. there's a lot of regulations
[1:28:24] and so we do work um every year on our
[1:28:27] pits to maintain. So thank you.
[1:28:34] Yeah, just in regards to that, I think
[1:28:37] if I'm not mistaken, I've been involved
[1:28:39] in previous conversations where all of
[1:28:41] our assets actually we have we have to
[1:28:44] set aside reserve funds for for retiring
[1:28:48] those including like our landfills, the
[1:28:50] building, um any any of in all of that
[1:28:53] is that that would be accurate if I'm
[1:28:55] not mistaken. Right.
[1:28:56] >> I can't speak to all of our assets, but
[1:28:58] » I can't speak to all of our assets, but
[1:28:58] I can speak to one that you mentioned.
[1:28:59] We do have an asset retirement
[1:29:01] obligation for like the landfills, the
[1:29:03] waste transfer sites um with reclamation
[1:29:07] activities related to that and we do
[1:29:09] hold reserves um keeping in mind of when
[1:29:12] you have to turn those back or when
[1:29:13] those assets are retired. So we're and
[1:29:16] that we review on a regular basis
[1:29:18] because uh regulations change and so
[1:29:22] sometimes those regulation changes could
[1:29:25] incur additional expenses that right now
[1:29:27] are may not be planned for entirely.
[1:29:31] >> Perfect. Thanks. I know it wasn't really
[1:29:33] » Perfect. Thanks. I know it wasn't really
[1:29:33] on topic
[1:29:35] not worth mentioning.
[1:29:38] » Thank you. So this going back to the
[1:29:40] reclamation of the pit. Yes. ask you put
[1:29:42] aside 60,000 every year or because
[1:29:46] 60,000 seems fairly low to reclaim
[1:29:50] something like that size.
[1:29:51] >> Thank Yeah, thank you councelor Hickeyi.
[1:29:53] » Thank Yeah, thank you councelor Hickeyi.
[1:29:53] We do not the $60,000 and that I
[1:29:56] reference is what currently sits in that
[1:29:58] reserve and uh we review that on a
[1:30:00] regular basis based on what we believe
[1:30:03] the cost of reclamation would be. And so
[1:30:06] there's no additional contributions
[1:30:08] planned at this time.
[1:30:13] Um so during the year end process which
[1:30:16] uh involves our audit review they we
[1:30:19] have to look at all of our future
[1:30:21] obligations like if uh a landfill or a
[1:30:25] as an example or in this case a gravel
[1:30:27] pit and so we review what the future
[1:30:29] obligation will be of that asset and it
[1:30:32] is adjusted for in each year end and
[1:30:34] reviewed as well. So there's there's a
[1:30:36] lot of you know we obviously rely on our
[1:30:39] subject matter experts to help us kind
[1:30:41] of understand what that end uh end
[1:30:44] requirement or obligation will be. So
[1:30:46] that's reviewed regularly as part of
[1:30:48] that process and we adjust in our
[1:30:50] financial statements to show those
[1:30:51] obligations.
[1:30:55] So then to maybe on Lauren's point just
[1:30:58] asking like the what the actual cost the
[1:31:00] estimated cost might be at the end of
[1:31:02] life of that pit to reclaim it. Then are
[1:31:04] you suggesting then that like that work
[1:31:06] that Graham is doing in in the interimm
[1:31:08] is to to help mitigate those that big
[1:31:10] spike at the end. Is that the idea or is
[1:31:12] is that 50 to 60 what you feel
[1:31:14] comfortable would be the cost or I'm
[1:31:16] assuming there's a correlation there.
[1:31:18] >> Yeah thank you uh brief Campbell. So, we
[1:31:21] » Yeah thank you uh brief Campbell. So, we
[1:31:21] believe where we're at right now because
[1:31:22] we do review our aerial obligations
[1:31:25] annually that the that the $60,000 would
[1:31:28] cover those costs if we were to divest
[1:31:31] of that pit. Uh there's twofold to that
[1:31:34] question as well to answering your
[1:31:36] question is there are regular there are
[1:31:38] annual regulatory requirements with our
[1:31:41] pit maintenance and management that we
[1:31:43] conduct in house and perform and and
[1:31:45] Graeme keeps us on track with that and
[1:31:47] compliant. Uh we've had success with
[1:31:49] closing other pits in the county uh when
[1:31:52] they've been reclaimed and
[1:31:55] they look amazing. So I'm very confident
[1:31:58] where we're at with our current dollar
[1:32:00] value as well as uh procedurally that we
[1:32:03] can execute that properly when the time
[1:32:04] comes for the county.
[1:32:10] Okay, I'd like to uh move to the next uh
[1:32:13] line. So highlighted as fall dust
[1:32:16] control alluded to that one earlier
[1:32:19] under additional sales. The $300,000
[1:32:22] that's represented here would be the
[1:32:24] cost for the actual product. So MG30 is
[1:32:28] where we have currently have a contract.
[1:32:30] I maybe I should mention that that in
[1:32:32] 2025 we did go uh we did submit an RFP
[1:32:37] which has not been done historically for
[1:32:39] products like this uh by the county and
[1:32:42] we're successful. We're very happy with
[1:32:44] with that because it actually lowered uh
[1:32:47] our cost from our 2024 cost for 2025.
[1:32:51] It's a three-year contract 2026 and
[1:32:53] 2027. Um I know we're only talking cents
[1:32:57] per liter, but when you're using
[1:32:58] millions of liters, it does add up and
[1:33:00] and we're happy that we're able to do
[1:33:02] that and we'll roll that forward. Now,
[1:33:04] with that said, the estimate here of
[1:33:07] $300,000,
[1:33:09] this is the assumption uh based on
[1:33:11] talking to other jurisdictions that
[1:33:13] offer a second application or a fall
[1:33:15] application for dust suppression that
[1:33:16] 60% of current residents who
[1:33:20] have a first who pay for a first
[1:33:22] application would also pay for a second
[1:33:24] application. So, that's where the
[1:33:26] 300,000 uh comes from. And it is a best
[1:33:30] guess. uh our our neighbor to the east
[1:33:33] of us, the MD of Taver, has offered a uh
[1:33:36] that level of service with second
[1:33:37] application and their uptake is 60 to
[1:33:39] 70% of those that get a first
[1:33:41] application also pay for a a second
[1:33:44] application. So from a planning
[1:33:46] perspective, that's where we landed to
[1:33:48] bring that in here. of note on that is
[1:33:53] we would not expense uh we wouldn't
[1:33:55] purchase that product unless it's
[1:33:57] actually that service is purchased by
[1:34:00] end users. So on on that end if council
[1:34:04] did not decide to change the level of
[1:34:06] service and offer a fall application it
[1:34:08] actually wouldn't have uh direct impacts
[1:34:10] to our overall budget. Um the only
[1:34:13] impact would be is the opportunity cost
[1:34:15] with our crews. Uh doing uh dust
[1:34:19] suppression for what we're looking at
[1:34:21] now is probably 10 operational days for
[1:34:24] the spring and 10 operational days for
[1:34:27] the fall. So
[1:34:29] that aligns with where we've been
[1:34:31] historically as well.
[1:34:36] » Mr. Sure. Um
[1:34:39] I'm assuming that if we if we opted to
[1:34:42] change the level of service on that and
[1:34:44] and approved this and we didn't get the
[1:34:47] uptake, this is product that is
[1:34:49] something that could sit over the winter
[1:34:51] and be utilized in the spring if if we
[1:34:53] didn't utilize all of it.
[1:34:54] >> Okay. Thank you, Councelor Kervis, for
[1:34:56] » Okay. Thank you, Councelor Kervis, for
[1:34:56] your question. We would not purchase the
[1:34:58] product and no, we cannot store uh MG30
[1:35:01] over the winter. It's not something that
[1:35:03] we we have a contracted rate. We buy it
[1:35:06] by truck. Uh the truckloads are 35,000
[1:35:09] liters per truck and it is a real time
[1:35:13] delivery and and use. We store very
[1:35:16] little of it and definitely not over
[1:35:17] winter.
[1:35:18] >> Okay. So we would only expand what we
[1:35:20] » Okay. So we would only expand what we
[1:35:20] needed.
[1:35:20] >> That is correct. That is correct. And we
[1:35:22] » That is correct. That is correct. And we
[1:35:22] don't have with our RFB we have some
[1:35:24] volume metrics of uh based on our
[1:35:27] historical use of the product. But there
[1:35:30] would be no risk of
[1:35:33] um us not
[1:35:35] using this volume of MG30 at all.
[1:35:41] » Yeah. So, well, the entire obviously
[1:35:44] budget is councils and the level of
[1:35:46] service. This is a I think this is a a
[1:35:50] bigger decision than just saying, hey,
[1:35:51] it's an in-n-out. There's not a
[1:35:53] budgetary impact from an opportunity
[1:35:54] cost. I know council knows this, but I
[1:35:56] think it I would be remiss not saying
[1:35:58] it. Um, one of the biggest complaints we
[1:36:01] get is around our dust suppression
[1:36:02] program to the point where I it's an
[1:36:05] expectation challenge and it's a
[1:36:07] constant tug-of-war for us and for
[1:36:10] operations where it's almost on one hand
[1:36:13] the assumption is is that dust
[1:36:14] suppression is dust elimination without
[1:36:16] the recognizing you know without
[1:36:18] recognizing that there are factors
[1:36:20] outside of our control inclement weather
[1:36:23] rainfall um and then the intensity of
[1:36:25] those operations. There's differences in
[1:36:27] dust suppression between the hall roads
[1:36:29] and the gravel roads and how we treat
[1:36:31] and maintain those. And so, you know, a
[1:36:34] lot of people that get the dust
[1:36:35] suppression, they're fine with the road
[1:36:37] deteriorating to a point. And and the
[1:36:39] feedback we get as well, they drive
[1:36:40] slower if if the roads beat up. And
[1:36:42] we've been reluctant until the last few
[1:36:44] years until Brian and and I I have to
[1:36:46] commend him because it's not the popular
[1:36:48] thing, but it is the right thing to say
[1:36:50] that road condition is deteriorated to a
[1:36:51] point it needs to be maintained. We are
[1:36:53] grading through this. We are grading
[1:36:55] through this road. we are making sure
[1:36:57] that they meet our standards and our
[1:36:58] level of service. Um versus grading
[1:37:00] here, lifting your blade, stopping and
[1:37:02] then grading 200 meters down down the
[1:37:05] line and then leaving that section. And
[1:37:06] so I think we've really struggled with
[1:37:08] what to bring forward to council for a
[1:37:11] couple reasons because I go back and
[1:37:13] forth between get rid of the program,
[1:37:15] nobody likes the program, then then
[1:37:17] don't do it at all and the opportunity
[1:37:19] cost for us to go and maintain those
[1:37:20] roads is significantly greater. I don't
[1:37:23] think that's the right answer per se.
[1:37:26] Um, but if we're going to keep the
[1:37:27] program, we also are going to have to
[1:37:29] maintain those sections and there's an
[1:37:31] expectation and we'll be very clear.
[1:37:34] Your road might get graded through, your
[1:37:35] dust suppression might get graded
[1:37:36] through. Now, multi-year applications
[1:37:38] have proven to hold up with that
[1:37:39] maintenance activity, but I think this
[1:37:41] is something that we need to this is
[1:37:43] this is one of the key decisions in this
[1:37:45] budget for council to decide on what
[1:37:47] they want that level of service to be
[1:37:48] because I think it is an inflection
[1:37:49] point of how we're going to set those
[1:37:51] expectations and how we're going to
[1:37:52] proceed. Is that fair, Ryan?
[1:37:53] >> Yeah, I I appreciate that.
[1:37:55] » Yeah, I I appreciate that.
[1:37:56] >> I might add as well, so in the 2025
[1:37:58] » I might add as well, so in the 2025
[1:37:58] season, as part of our RFP, we had asked
[1:38:01] vendors to propose other uh dust
[1:38:04] suppression products. And so we did
[1:38:05] trial one product. It was an oilbased
[1:38:07] product and it did not perform any
[1:38:10] better than what we currently use with
[1:38:13] the MG30, but it was four times the
[1:38:16] cost. And so in addition to that trial,
[1:38:19] we also did a compaction study. So we're
[1:38:21] looking at um how compaction relates to
[1:38:25] the overall efficacy of MG30 over time.
[1:38:29] And again, the results of that as well
[1:38:32] showed that compaction at the highest
[1:38:34] [snorts] point had nominal additional
[1:38:37] benefit. And so based on those uh bas
[1:38:42] based on the compaction studies, we're
[1:38:44] looking that we're going to change how
[1:38:46] we actually put our application for MJ30
[1:38:49] as well. And there's some operational
[1:38:51] cost savings uh in in doing that. We're
[1:38:54] looking as well for that for our 2026
[1:38:57] season which will also make us more
[1:38:58] efficient for the application.
[1:39:00] >> Ryan, on on that note, I assume you're
[1:39:03] » Ryan, on on that note, I assume you're
[1:39:03] talking about packing,
[1:39:04] >> correct?
[1:39:05] » correct?
[1:39:05] >> So, when you say um the overall quality,
[1:39:09] » So, when you say um the overall quality,
[1:39:09] are you talking about the uh condition
[1:39:11] of the road or the ability to suppress
[1:39:14] dust or is there a correlation there?
[1:39:15] Like if the road was packed, is there a
[1:39:17] maybe a a surface quality enhancement
[1:39:20] but maybe not a dust control enhancement
[1:39:21] or how would you Yeah.
[1:39:23] >> How would you frame that?
[1:39:23] » How would you frame that?
[1:39:24] >> Yeah, thank you Ree Camp for the
[1:39:25] » Yeah, thank you Ree Camp for the
[1:39:25] question. So it is it is twofold. Uh
[1:39:28] Devon can jump in any time on this as
[1:39:29] well because he him and his team managed
[1:39:32] with the engineering. So we had a third
[1:39:34] party uh do the compaction studies. Um
[1:39:38] the drivability certainly is improved
[1:39:40] with compaction, but the sustainability
[1:39:43] of that drivability is nominal compared
[1:39:46] to if you were to just compact the or
[1:39:49] have it uh traffic packed uh over time
[1:39:52] in those sections. From a dust
[1:39:54] suppression, there is little to no
[1:39:58] difference if we pack it versus if we
[1:40:00] don't at the time of application. What
[1:40:03] we saw from the compaction study, the
[1:40:06] biggest value is if you have residual
[1:40:10] already in the road of MG30, those areas
[1:40:13] hold up the best for both drivability
[1:40:16] as well as a dust suppression. Devon,
[1:40:19] anything more to add on that?
[1:40:21] >> No, I think you uh described it well,
[1:40:23] » No, I think you uh described it well,
[1:40:23] Ryan. I think with the pardon
[1:40:24] [clears throat] me with the test section
[1:40:25] that we did um there was really a
[1:40:28] negligible difference between compacted
[1:40:30] and uncompacted
[1:40:31] [clears throat and cough] excuse me and
[1:40:32] a strategy that we do on site is when
[1:40:35] those loaded MG30 trucks are coming down
[1:40:37] those sections we'll stagger them as
[1:40:39] they come down those completed sections
[1:40:41] to provide that little bit of compaction
[1:40:43] and get it to a state where it is a nice
[1:40:45] smooth surface. Um but what we saw we
[1:40:48] did we did three section one was 100%
[1:40:50] compaction one was half and one was zero
[1:40:52] and performance-wise there was no there
[1:40:54] was very very little difference if no
[1:40:56] difference at all um I believe other
[1:40:58] municipalities do not do compaction
[1:41:00] either and they found uh success in in
[1:41:03] uh doing it that way
[1:41:09] » so like as Cole mentioned this would be
[1:41:11] the one decision point for council um
[1:41:14] with this uh change above service.
[1:41:19] >> Ryan, may I also Yeah. On I know we've
[1:41:21] » Ryan, may I also Yeah. On I know we've
[1:41:21] talked in the past about this being a a
[1:41:23] subsidized program. I think that's a bit
[1:41:26] of a loaded term. Could you maybe speak
[1:41:28] to that a little bit and just how that's
[1:41:30] been approached and if there is I I
[1:41:33] would like to have that discussion
[1:41:34] anyways how we move forward. I think
[1:41:35] that the second application is part of
[1:41:37] the discussion, but I also think how we
[1:41:39] approach that from a funding.
[1:41:42] >> I'm I uh Thank you.
[1:41:44] » I'm I uh Thank you.
[1:41:44] >> You're wrong. Reed Campbell for that
[1:41:47] » You're wrong. Reed Campbell for that
[1:41:47] question.
[1:41:50] I I would I would recommend that we move
[1:41:52] to a closed session
[1:41:55] under inter municipal relations section
[1:41:58] 26.
[1:42:03] I don't know if there's I mean we can
[1:42:05] talk about the
[1:42:07] um maybe before we do that I think the
[1:42:09] one thing that we will um I how we've
[1:42:13] collected revenue and how we've
[1:42:14] accounted for it has been challenging
[1:42:15] and I think the percentage anchor has
[1:42:18] been um somewhat misleading to say it's
[1:42:20] 50/50 but what we have not accounted for
[1:42:22] are the the equipment the salaries so we
[1:42:27] look at the the cost of the MG30 which
[1:42:30] is part of it and so I know we've looked
[1:42:31] across jurisdictions and That's probably
[1:42:33] what Brian wants to talk about here and
[1:42:34] we can move into that on how they've
[1:42:36] approached that. But I think for the
[1:42:38] public section of this, it is it is
[1:42:41] subsidized but probably not to the
[1:42:43] degree that we've historically thought.
[1:42:45] However, we haven't broken out some of
[1:42:47] those numbers because it's not how we do
[1:42:48] our budgeting. So to know what some of
[1:42:50] those labor hours are, what the
[1:42:52] equipment costs are, what that piece is.
[1:42:55] And then the secondary conversation to
[1:42:57] that is the opportunity cost. If that's
[1:42:59] 20 days of teams applying dust
[1:43:01] suppression, that is 20 days of us not
[1:43:04] doing something else. And so I think
[1:43:05] that that's the secondary point to the
[1:43:08] subsidy piece. But um I know that Ryan's
[1:43:10] done a lot of research on this, talked
[1:43:11] to other jurisdictions on how they've
[1:43:13] approached it. And and with that being
[1:43:15] their business, that probably is a
[1:43:17] conversation for close session.
[1:43:25] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah. Um, I think
[1:43:28] we should uh really get to the the bones
[1:43:30] of this. So, motion to move to close
[1:43:31] session. Thank you, Eric. Eric, move to
[1:43:35] move into a close
[1:55:48] yours, right?
[1:55:49] >> So, any further discussions on
[1:55:52] » So, any further discussions on
[1:55:52] uh level of service change for uh second
[1:55:56] application for dust suppression within
[1:55:58] the county?
[1:56:02] Go ahead.
[1:56:03] >> Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, yes, uh,
[1:56:06] » Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, yes, uh,
[1:56:06] discussion on a second second
[1:56:08] application. This is a new concept and,
[1:56:11] uh, I'd like it to be fleshed out a
[1:56:12] little bit of what it would look like
[1:56:14] for us to go ahead with that.
[1:56:16] >> Okay. Thank you, councelor, for your
[1:56:18] » Okay. Thank you, councelor, for your
[1:56:18] question. I I'm not sure if it's a new
[1:56:21] concept for the county. I'd have to
[1:56:24] defer to Devon if the county has done
[1:56:26] this in the past. I don't believe so.
[1:56:30] >> So, Uh I'm not sure what year we we
[1:56:33] » So, Uh I'm not sure what year we we
[1:56:33] switched to one application. Maybe
[1:56:35] councelor Hickeyi would recall, but we
[1:56:36] did do two applications quite a few
[1:56:38] years ago and then um moved to that
[1:56:41] single application. I don't have the
[1:56:42] background as to why that occurred. Um
[1:56:45] but I do know when I started at the
[1:56:46] county there was two there was a spring
[1:56:48] and a fall application and perhaps
[1:56:50] councelor Hickeyi may have more
[1:56:51] information on that.
[1:56:52] >> I I don't I don't think it was a fall.
[1:56:54] » I I don't I don't think it was a fall.
[1:56:54] Like if you got it in say May, they
[1:56:57] would come back in July and top it up.
[1:56:59] like you got two leaders to start and
[1:57:01] you got another leader in July because
[1:57:04] it wasn't quite up to par. But I I don't
[1:57:07] remember them doing anything in the
[1:57:08] fall.
[1:57:10] So maybe I need to clarify in when I say
[1:57:12] the fall, what we would look at
[1:57:14] targeting to mirror other jurisdictions
[1:57:16] that do have a second application would
[1:57:18] be probably about middle to end of
[1:57:21] August so that you can really hit the
[1:57:23] harvest uh to try to get the greatest
[1:57:26] value out of actually having a dust
[1:57:27] suppression application.
[1:57:30] So what you end up with is your spring
[1:57:33] application.
[1:57:35] If we were to get 90 days of good dust
[1:57:39] suppression out of the product, you've
[1:57:41] won the lottery. You're doing very well
[1:57:43] because the product is not designed for
[1:57:45] heavy hauling. And we could apply the
[1:57:47] product and you could do a manure hall
[1:57:49] two days later and it is completely
[1:57:52] gone. It is beat right out of the road.
[1:57:55] Um, so we would look at basically three
[1:57:58] months windows where we do our initial
[1:58:00] application in May and then circle back
[1:58:03] basically three months later in August
[1:58:05] to do the fall or the August application
[1:58:09] and try to get through that harvest
[1:58:11] season. So it really mirrors your busy
[1:58:13] spring season for some producers and
[1:58:16] then tries to balance with what they're
[1:58:19] looking for from a a service delivery
[1:58:22] for harvest and silage.
[1:58:28] Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so basically,
[1:58:31] if we decided to move forward with this,
[1:58:33] this would still be based on a voluntary
[1:58:36] um program where anybody that wanted to
[1:58:39] sign up to it, they could sign up to one
[1:58:42] application or two applications. Uh,
[1:58:44] would they be able to just sign up to a
[1:58:46] fall application if they chose or I
[1:58:49] guess that's probably getting into too
[1:58:51] much detail. Well, I don't need to know
[1:58:52] that. Never mind.
[1:58:54] But it would be fully voluntary then,
[1:58:57] right?
[1:58:57] >> That that is correct, Councelor Kervis.
[1:58:59] » That that is correct, Councelor Kervis.
[1:58:59] This is this is a user pay service that
[1:59:01] the county provides uh for
[1:59:04] residents.
[1:59:08] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh my chief
[1:59:11] complaints come in is it's either it's
[1:59:14] too late. Spring or spring early summer
[1:59:17] silaging is already happening. So if you
[1:59:19] can if we can target that May, getting
[1:59:21] it all done in May. Um that would make a
[1:59:24] lot of people really happy uh because by
[1:59:26] mid to end of June there's silitine
[1:59:29] happening. Um and then yeah second
[1:59:32] application I I think that already early
[1:59:35] August from our area we could start to
[1:59:39] see a great need for it by then as well.
[1:59:42] Um, I'd like to see as council to see if
[1:59:45] we're
[1:59:47] or I guess more if you would put the
[1:59:49] proposal out there what a second
[1:59:51] application if we're going to be having
[1:59:54] to up our price or if it's something we
[1:59:55] could look at including it as a
[1:59:57] increased um
[2:00:00] level of service for our our rate
[2:00:03] payers.
[2:00:04] >> Okay.
[2:00:06] » Okay.
[2:00:06] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Maybe
[2:00:08] » Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Maybe
[2:00:08] through the chair to councelor Vaness. I
[2:00:10] just need to clarify that question. Are
[2:00:12] you So, we do have to make the decision
[2:00:15] now because the applications need to
[2:00:17] account for that for securing material
[2:00:18] costs. We need to update the forms for
[2:00:21] purchasing so we can get those quantity
[2:00:22] volumes here in the new year. Are you is
[2:00:26] your question and and request for a
[2:00:28] proposal in subsidizing the second
[2:00:30] application or is it like what what
[2:00:33] specifically information are you looking
[2:00:35] for as part of that program?
[2:00:37] >> Yeah, thank you there. Um,
[2:00:41] » Yeah, thank you there. Um,
[2:00:41] I think we our second application is a
[2:00:44] is a lighter amount typically
[2:00:46] historically. Uh, I'd like to see what
[2:00:49] it would take for us to include it as in
[2:00:52] included level of service as a second
[2:00:54] application more or less like
[2:00:56] historically what we used to do that uh,
[2:00:59] hey, it's two applications. The rate of
[2:01:03] unhappy residents with it, as we
[2:01:06] mentioned earlier, it's our biggest
[2:01:07] complaint. Um, I think we got one kick
[2:01:09] at making this better or I'm I'm
[2:01:13] prepared to move towards like
[2:01:15] discontinuing
[2:01:16] uh just the amount of problems with it
[2:01:19] or problems. That's a stretch. Uh
[2:01:21] complaints. Um yes, we can talk about
[2:01:24] expectation that it's suppression. It's
[2:01:26] not um gone. But long story short, I'd
[2:01:30] like to see if it's possible in our
[2:01:32] budget to include the second application
[2:01:35] in their purchase price.
[2:01:39] And that's up for council to chat about
[2:01:41] as well.
[2:01:41] >> We can maybe what we're we put that as a
[2:01:43] » We can maybe what we're we put that as a
[2:01:43] parking lot item um on the board can
[2:01:46] have Haley look and pull what that total
[2:01:48] is. But my initial assumption is that's
[2:01:51] a seven figure ask. So anything's
[2:01:53] possible whatever council wants to do,
[2:01:54] but that's not going to be a small
[2:01:55] number. But we'll pull what that total
[2:01:56] dust suppression program is. And I think
[2:02:00] we can make some general assumptions
[2:02:01] right now to quantify that to even say
[2:02:03] is that a 67% of cost of that between
[2:02:07] what we're spending today if if we're
[2:02:08] saying that's truly included in that
[2:02:10] original purchase price. But we'll pull
[2:02:11] that information and come back to it.
[2:02:12] Does that work?
[2:02:14] >> Thank you,
[2:02:21] » Ryan.
[2:02:22] So what's what is the number that is in
[2:02:24] the budget right now and the the budget
[2:02:26] change
[2:02:27] >> is are we then
[2:02:30] » is are we then
[2:02:30] >> I guess on Eric's question are we
[2:02:31] » I guess on Eric's question are we
[2:02:31] assuming that if application our current
[2:02:35] practice of one application is X moving
[2:02:37] forward it would be the cost would be 2X
[2:02:39] then is that what we're what are we
[2:02:41] proposing right now I'm a little
[2:02:42] confused sorry
[2:02:43] >> yeah so the second application would be
[2:02:44] » yeah so the second application would be
[2:02:44] fully paid for by the resident so this
[2:02:47] waterfall shows the expenditure side on
[2:02:48] the 300,000 but we the assumption is
[2:02:51] that we're collecting whatever that
[2:02:53] amount is because this is assuming that
[2:02:55] that's 300,000. It could be five, it
[2:02:57] could be two. Um, but we need to know if
[2:03:00] we're offering it. Whatever it is, they
[2:03:03] would be paying for that second
[2:03:04] application. So, changing the number the
[2:03:06] way the budget's presented does not
[2:03:08] change the tax support in this proposal
[2:03:11] based on councelor Van Essen's
[2:03:13] >> request that that would in turn take the
[2:03:16] » request that that would in turn take the
[2:03:16] revenue side off of that and then that
[2:03:18] would be a different conversation.
[2:03:19] >> Yeah. What the 300,000 represents is if
[2:03:23] » Yeah. What the 300,000 represents is if
[2:03:23] 60% of current
[2:03:26] uh individuals that have a first
[2:03:28] application were to choose to pay for a
[2:03:31] second application. It was an estimate
[2:03:33] based on numbers from the NDA table
[2:03:35] where they have 60 to 70% of their
[2:03:37] residents that do uh purchase uh a
[2:03:40] second application. But yeah, this was
[2:03:42] very much uh a pay as you play is my
[2:03:45] original proposal.
[2:03:47] >> Thank you. So what do you think the
[2:03:49] » Thank you. So what do you think the
[2:03:49] demand would be? Do you think that half
[2:03:51] the people who have it done now would
[2:03:53] want a fall application or you got any
[2:03:56] idea?
[2:03:57] >> 60% Lauren is is what that number
[2:03:59] » 60% Lauren is is what that number
[2:03:59] represents. 6.
[2:04:01] >> Okay.
[2:04:01] » Okay.
[2:04:01] >> So yeah, in the MD of Taber it's 60 to
[2:04:03] » So yeah, in the MD of Taber it's 60 to
[2:04:03] 70% of those who have a first
[2:04:06] application
[2:04:08] purchase a second application is that's
[2:04:11] been their historical uh uptake from
[2:04:13] residents. So that's what we've No,
[2:04:16] that's fine.
[2:04:21] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so would
[2:04:24] that be um at the initial time of a
[2:04:28] person doing an application for it then
[2:04:30] to make the request for a second
[2:04:32] application or would that be a separate?
[2:04:35] >> We would have to because we have to
[2:04:36] » We would have to because we have to
[2:04:36] secure the material.
[2:04:37] >> Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you,
[2:04:41] » Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you,
[2:04:41] Council Ac. What we would do is we'd
[2:04:43] we'd open it up, but it would be a
[2:04:45] separate application for a fall.
[2:04:48] You'd you'd apply for it just like you
[2:04:50] apply for the first one. You'd apply for
[2:04:51] a second and upon receiving payment,
[2:04:54] then we would schedule that in and do
[2:04:55] the work.
[2:05:01] So, there's some assumptions
[2:05:04] built into this because I think if we
[2:05:05] were offering a second application, I
[2:05:07] could see a greater degree of resident
[2:05:09] uptake because the value obviously would
[2:05:11] be there if it was subsidized. uh be
[2:05:12] different value proposition. We spent
[2:05:14] about 500,000 last year um just shy of
[2:05:17] 500,000 just on the resident um
[2:05:20] residential portion of that dust control
[2:05:24] uh application. That doesn't count a
[2:05:26] second application on any of our general
[2:05:28] county, which I think would also be a
[2:05:30] consideration if we're doing that and
[2:05:31] saying, "Hey, we're doing it here to do
[2:05:32] it there." That's another 400,000. So,
[2:05:35] it would be somewhere it would be about
[2:05:38] 500,000 to to include that plus and I
[2:05:41] because again I think we would have a
[2:05:42] higher uptake probably um if we were
[2:05:45] doing a second application.
[2:05:52] Yeah. So certainly we can go back we'll
[2:05:54] reook at what that would look like in
[2:05:55] terms of costing and and rework all
[2:05:58] those numbers. We do have the data. We
[2:06:00] can use the historical data to
[2:06:02] re-engineer what the projections would
[2:06:04] be with some assumptions that we fully
[2:06:06] disclose.
[2:06:08] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, would that
[2:06:11] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, would that
[2:06:12] then in turn take another, let's say, 20
[2:06:15] days of your guys's manpower to have to
[2:06:18] go do this all again? Well, do you have
[2:06:20] the time? Do they have the time for
[2:06:22] that?
[2:06:23] >> Yeah. So,
[2:06:25] » Yeah. So,
[2:06:25] thank you, Councelor Slump, for that
[2:06:27] question. in terms of opportunity costs
[2:06:29] and and crew structure. So with uh the
[2:06:32] work we did with our compaction trial,
[2:06:34] we are looking to change um our our
[2:06:37] layown. It's called a we would do it as
[2:06:39] a top shot. We'd actually incorporate
[2:06:41] our divisional graders that are already
[2:06:44] in certain in in geographic areas within
[2:06:46] the county and uh through that there is
[2:06:49] a quite a significant um operational
[2:06:53] cost savings as well as time. Um, so
[2:06:56] I've challenged the team to move from
[2:06:59] what was a 23-day
[2:07:01] um, application for the 2025 season to
[2:07:05] cut that in half being that we we we
[2:07:08] would target 10 days for the spring and
[2:07:11] then 10 days for the fall. So would be a
[2:07:14] wash. But again, uh if this program
[2:07:18] if it's covered or subsidized in
[2:07:20] differently from the county would
[2:07:23] probably anticipate greater uptake uh
[2:07:26] which
[2:07:28] that we would have to address that um
[2:07:30] based on you know how many linear meters
[2:07:33] that we need to apply. So there's
[2:07:34] certainly a risk there if there's a
[2:07:36] dramatic up increase of what am I not
[2:07:38] now doing because we're doing additional
[2:07:40] dust suppression applications throughout
[2:07:43] the county.
[2:07:46] >> Currently um the actual phys physical
[2:07:49] » Currently um the actual phys physical
[2:07:49] application of the product is is by a
[2:07:52] contractor. Is that correct? It's not
[2:07:54] our actual apparatus that is applying
[2:07:56] the the product. Is that correct or that
[2:07:59] that is correct? So it's it's it's
[2:08:01] through our RFP. Uh we do have a spray
[2:08:03] it's called Kansas Ridge
[2:08:07] Kansas Ridge for our spray trucks.
[2:08:11] >> It's Kansas Ridge. Yeah, it is it is we
[2:08:14] » It's Kansas Ridge. Yeah, it is it is we
[2:08:14] have a rate for the application for the
[2:08:17] top shot that's part of our FP on on the
[2:08:19] rate.
[2:08:20] >> Does does having having a vendor provide
[2:08:22] » Does does having having a vendor provide
[2:08:22] that service does it uh is that a
[2:08:26] constraint on our ability as to when we
[2:08:28] can apply it? If I think you know where
[2:08:30] I'm going, but
[2:08:32] If the pro if we were to drastically
[2:08:35] increase the number of miles, does that
[2:08:37] have a different discussion on a from a
[2:08:39] capital perspective and are we able to
[2:08:42] administer this program entirely
[2:08:43] internally? And I realize there's
[2:08:45] obviously a huge budget impact to that,
[2:08:46] but when I think to Eric's point, when
[2:08:48] we talk about time, I think that is one
[2:08:50] of my concerns as well is I I see it in
[2:08:53] the spring where it's especially with
[2:08:55] weather, we're late. And and I think
[2:08:57] August, the last three out of five
[2:09:00] years, we've been combining the last
[2:09:01] week of July, first week of August. So I
[2:09:03] I know that's not the same for
[2:09:04] everywhere, but if we're combining, that
[2:09:06] probably means someone else is silaging.
[2:09:07] And so I I do have
[2:09:09] >> our ability to get that down timely is
[2:09:12] » our ability to get that down timely is
[2:09:12] also important. So I I guess Yeah.
[2:09:15] Sorry.
[2:09:16] >> No, appreciate the the clarification,
[2:09:18] » No, appreciate the the clarification,
[2:09:18] uh, Reef Campbell. So, we did reach out
[2:09:21] and talk to our vendor for the
[2:09:23] application, and they're confident that
[2:09:24] they would be able to support us if we
[2:09:26] were to proceed with a with a fall
[2:09:29] application or whatever we're going to
[2:09:30] call that now, if that's the decision in
[2:09:32] council. Um, and because the operational
[2:09:34] changes that we're looking to make, we
[2:09:37] can we can do a lot more roads, a lot
[2:09:40] more miles. um
[2:09:43] in the same period of time.
[2:09:50] Okay. All right. We'll move on. Um where
[2:09:54] are we at? Line painting. Uh line
[2:09:57] painting is an activity that uh we do
[2:09:59] every two years. And so you'll see with
[2:10:03] a 26 27 28 you'll see and uh in and out
[2:10:07] as we do put a reserve um amount uh
[2:10:10] aside to do our line painting every two
[2:10:13] years. That's the 124 and the 124 and
[2:10:16] and 27 and 28. Uh slight increase uh for
[2:10:19] those services is that's a a contracted
[2:10:21] out service that we we purchase.
[2:10:24] Um also of note um
[2:10:29] in 2027
[2:10:33] yeah uh already spoke about the reserve
[2:10:35] differences and that realignment that
[2:10:37] we're doing uh as a whole.
[2:10:41] The one that I didn't
[2:10:44] speak to already is operating projects.
[2:10:47] So in the 2026 the $34,000. And so the
[2:10:50] next slide uh has detail on those
[2:10:53] operating projects and we can go over
[2:10:54] those in detail if there's no further
[2:10:56] questions from this slide.
[2:11:03] » So
[2:11:05] uh typically operational projects are
[2:11:07] you know one time uh same year uh
[2:11:10] projects. All of these represented here
[2:11:13] are one-time funding requests uh
[2:11:16] totaling $34,000 except for the top
[2:11:19] line. Uh this line of $120,000.
[2:11:22] This is for a deepbased stabilized road
[2:11:24] treatment trial. Uh this would be 2026
[2:11:28] would be year one
[2:11:30] uh of what I propose as a 5-year trial.
[2:11:33] Uh what deepbased stabilization is is it
[2:11:36] is uh goes 6 to 12 inches uh with a
[2:11:40] reclaimer. Uh this would be a contracted
[2:11:42] service that we're we would work with a
[2:11:45] vendor on doing and they come in and
[2:11:46] they infuse MG30
[2:11:49] uh much deeper than our current process
[2:11:51] with our current mail raiser which is
[2:11:53] only about two or three inches. So,
[2:11:55] we've reviewed other roads uh in
[2:11:59] northern Alberta as well as there's a
[2:12:01] stretcher road by riding on stone that
[2:12:03] they installed uh using this technique 5
[2:12:06] years ago and it has dramatically
[2:12:09] reduced um ongoing maintenance costs. Um
[2:12:14] and so it is something that we believe
[2:12:16] is something that we would like to look
[2:12:18] at trially um over the next five years.
[2:12:21] So that's the big that's the big ticket
[2:12:23] item here. Um we've identified some
[2:12:26] roads uh that we would do for 2026 and
[2:12:30] then for the preceding years.
[2:12:33] Just because we do this or invest in
[2:12:35] this trial for the first year, it
[2:12:38] doesn't mean that we actually know if
[2:12:40] this is a proof of concept in year one.
[2:12:42] In fact, it's going to be minimum best
[2:12:44] case scenario would be three years. And
[2:12:47] so that's why I've proposed a fiveyear
[2:12:49] commitment.
[2:12:51] um that we invest in this unless unless
[2:12:53] after the first year if this is a
[2:12:55] complete fail and has no value at all
[2:12:57] then obviously we would not invest but
[2:12:59] really we won't know if if it will
[2:13:01] reduce our maintenance cost long term
[2:13:04] meaning after 3 years or after five
[2:13:07] years until we actually are at that
[2:13:08] point and so
[2:13:11] any questions there's a there's a whole
[2:13:14] I have a whole project proposal on this
[2:13:16] particular um trial
[2:13:19] >> yeah thank you Mr. chair, subject to it
[2:13:21] » yeah thank you Mr. chair, subject to it
[2:13:21] being successful, what would how many
[2:13:24] years does it have to hold up to have
[2:13:26] give us a payback?
[2:13:28] >> Okay, thank you uh councelor Vanessa for
[2:13:30] » Okay, thank you uh councelor Vanessa for
[2:13:30] that question. Based on our current cost
[2:13:32] for what we our maintenance cost for a
[2:13:35] single mile of hall route priority one
[2:13:38] road where we infuse MG30 annually, it
[2:13:41] would need to be three years.
[2:13:47] » I I nothing is zero maintenance. It's a
[2:13:49] gravel road, but significantly reduce
[2:13:53] maintenance costs.
[2:13:55] But it would, that's why I said a
[2:13:57] minimum three years to see if this is
[2:13:59] something that has greater uh value
[2:14:02] added than our current process with with
[2:14:05] our haw routes with the meal raising in
[2:14:07] injected roads that we do.
[2:14:11] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a
[2:14:12] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a
[2:14:12] clarification. And so the $120,000 is
[2:14:15] that per year for the next five years or
[2:14:17] is that 120 cover the five years of the
[2:14:19] program?
[2:14:20] >> That is Thank you, uh, Councelor Sarah
[2:14:21] » That is Thank you, uh, Councelor Sarah
[2:14:22] for that question. And sorry if I it was
[2:14:24] confusing there. That's $120,000 per
[2:14:26] year for five years. So what we're
[2:14:29] looking at now is is a $60,000
[2:14:33] a mile is what that works out to. Now, I
[2:14:36] am working with uh our neighbors to the
[2:14:38] east of us uh that have also done some
[2:14:42] roads. Uh county of 40 mile actually has
[2:14:46] used this uh quite a bit. Um deep base
[2:14:49] stabilization has had a lot of success
[2:14:51] with it, but since they've done that,
[2:14:53] they've now paved on top of those roads.
[2:14:54] So, I can't really see what their
[2:14:56] results were, but they were very happy
[2:14:58] with it, but I haven't seen their
[2:15:00] sections. Um, but I am I'm hoping that
[2:15:03] other jurisdictions if we can bundle
[2:15:05] more mileage for this vendor when they
[2:15:07] come down, there's opportunity to re
[2:15:10] reduce the the mobilization costs that
[2:15:13] we would incur with only doing a couple
[2:15:14] miles.
[2:15:17] » Thank you. So, just out of curiosity,
[2:15:19] what's the difference between defas
[2:15:22] stabilization and cement stabilization?
[2:15:25] like I is there is there a big
[2:15:28] difference or how does it
[2:15:30] >> I'm I'm I'm gonna have Devon jump in
[2:15:32] » I'm I'm I'm gonna have Devon jump in
[2:15:32] because I'm losing my voice and I need
[2:15:33] to grab a drink.
[2:15:35] >> So great question that that deep base
[2:15:38] » So great question that that deep base
[2:15:38] stabilization would essentially take a
[2:15:40] gravel road or a base stabilized road
[2:15:42] and inject that MG30 6 to 12 in down and
[2:15:45] stabilize it further than the 4-in
[2:15:48] gravel mat we're currently doing. Cement
[2:15:50] stabilization is your mixing cement
[2:15:53] powder into that 12 inches and it's
[2:15:55] creating a much harder and much more
[2:15:57] durable surface than you then put that
[2:16:00] uh double chip seal on top of which gets
[2:16:03] you more to a level of service compared
[2:16:05] to a paved road. Not quite there, but
[2:16:06] it's more of a paved road level of
[2:16:07] service compared to this uh deep base
[2:16:09] stabilization. um that cement
[2:16:11] stabilization has a lot longer life
[2:16:13] cycle as well than the uh MG30 base uh
[2:16:16] stabilization, but the cost is also
[2:16:19] exponentially higher. So um this program
[2:16:22] is kind of I would say an in between
[2:16:24] between our kind of what Ryan is
[2:16:26] currently doing with our base
[2:16:26] stabilization and that cement
[2:16:28] stabilization standard.
[2:16:31] >> Thank you.
[2:16:33] » Thank you.
[2:16:34] >> Yeah. So, um I think that's actually a
[2:16:36] » Yeah. So, um I think that's actually a
[2:16:36] perfect segue to the conversation too
[2:16:38] and and we didn't include this in the
[2:16:40] budget because we don't have it fleshed
[2:16:41] out enough and I know at is doing some
[2:16:43] projects that they've approached us that
[2:16:46] may make sense for us to piggyback and
[2:16:47] so we've talked about trying to trial
[2:16:48] these. We need to do something different
[2:16:50] with our base stabilized roads and and
[2:16:52] I'm not an expert but Ryan and Devin and
[2:16:55] the teams have been doing a ton of work.
[2:16:57] This is and I'm going to steal Ryan's
[2:17:00] language. This is one horse in the race.
[2:17:02] I think cement stabilized is another
[2:17:04] horse that we need to put in the race
[2:17:06] and we need to start doing this now so
[2:17:09] that we can make some of those key
[2:17:10] decisions as we gather more information.
[2:17:12] So while it's not in here, something
[2:17:14] that we want to put together and work on
[2:17:16] um for one of the projects that might
[2:17:17] come out of out of those reserves once
[2:17:20] we have more information on what that
[2:17:21] scope and scale is is doing a trial of
[2:17:23] cement stabilization on a similar
[2:17:25] segment of road. All the more reason
[2:17:28] that we need like the armadillos in here
[2:17:29] for the traffic counts and adding some
[2:17:31] of that information so that we can
[2:17:32] actually assess the wear and tear on
[2:17:34] these on these investments because
[2:17:36] cement stabilization dev a mile we
[2:17:39] estimated was it 600,000
[2:17:41] >> 800 with the chip seal. So, so we're
[2:17:43] » 800 with the chip seal. So, so we're
[2:17:43] talking 60,000 here versus the 800,000
[2:17:47] there, which great, maybe that ROI is
[2:17:50] there, but we need to start making some
[2:17:52] of these key investments without going
[2:17:53] out and saying, "Hey, we're going to do
[2:17:54] a bunch of miles. Let's start doing some
[2:17:56] test, some test sites. Um, do them on
[2:17:59] similar segments. We know they're going
[2:18:00] to wear and tear. We know weather's
[2:18:01] going to be similar." We'll get that
[2:18:03] data and and then at least there's more
[2:18:06] information for council to make some of
[2:18:07] those long-term decisions.
[2:18:12] Thank [clears throat] you, Mr. Chair.
[2:18:13] So, when you're talking about the the
[2:18:15] return on that, and thank you very much
[2:18:16] for that, Cole, because that segus right
[2:18:18] into what I was going to ask going about
[2:18:21] a if it lasts for three years, then then
[2:18:26] we've got our return off of it. So, I
[2:18:27] mean, ultimately, what we want to see
[2:18:29] this is to last significantly longer
[2:18:31] than three years because three years is
[2:18:33] kind of like if it's less than three
[2:18:34] years, we've lost money on it. It's
[2:18:36] three years, it's a break even point. it
[2:18:39] it really the the goal on this is to
[2:18:43] find something that is going to give us
[2:18:45] a return as opposed to just paying us
[2:18:47] back for for our efforts. And so if I'm
[2:18:50] correct in that assumption then three
[2:18:52] years is kind of the anything past three
[2:18:55] years we're into the gravy then.
[2:18:57] >> Yeah. Thank you councelor Kervis for
[2:18:59] » Yeah. Thank you councelor Kervis for
[2:18:59] your comment. You're correct. That's as
[2:19:01] I mentioned earlier the three years
[2:19:03] would be a break even point based on our
[2:19:06] current base stabilized um cost to to
[2:19:09] maintain those roads. I I do need to
[2:19:12] note that why I've u looking at a
[2:19:14] five-year trial and doing two miles per
[2:19:17] year um because we're going to look at
[2:19:19] different types of roads with different
[2:19:21] traffic. So for some areas a less
[2:19:25] traveled road that may have a um reduced
[2:19:29] speed limit on it. It doesn't have
[2:19:31] agriculture
[2:19:33] um implements that are used on it. I can
[2:19:36] think of a number of those where we're
[2:19:39] quite certain that we could get five
[2:19:42] years plus and that would be actually
[2:19:44] very good value uh for a dollar in those
[2:19:46] roads. So not all sections of road are
[2:19:48] equal but what we don't know is how this
[2:19:50] will stand up uh compared to our current
[2:19:54] hall routes um with the high intensity
[2:19:56] that we continue to see and that
[2:19:58] intensity will only continue to grow
[2:19:59] during the life of this project. And so,
[2:20:01] as Cole mentioned, one of the asks here
[2:20:04] is also purchasing some additional
[2:20:06] traffic count, automated traffic
[2:20:08] counting pieces, which is a a core
[2:20:10] element that we build into our asset
[2:20:12] management platform, and we can track
[2:20:15] and trend year-over-year because that
[2:20:18] does dramatic directly tie to uh road
[2:20:21] condition and and road views.
[2:20:26] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, in regards to
[2:20:30] the stabilization like Cole was saying,
[2:20:33] it'd be nice to start seeing that on,
[2:20:35] you know, your priority one hall route,
[2:20:37] stuff like that. But cuz I know the
[2:20:39] stuff that you guys did on old highway
[2:20:41] there by no for by the 519 that has done
[2:20:45] very good, but it also doesn't get the
[2:20:48] traffic that a hall route would, right?
[2:20:50] Like the big semis and stuff. I'm just
[2:20:51] curious how that would hold up if that
[2:20:53] was something that we could start
[2:20:54] looking at doing is doing that cement
[2:20:57] stabilization through the priority ones
[2:20:59] because that cut down a lot of cost too
[2:21:01] right cost a lot in the beginning but
[2:21:05] >> you want to speak to that Deon just the
[2:21:07] » you want to speak to that Deon just the
[2:21:07] timing [clears throat]
[2:21:08] with that
[2:21:09] >> so that's it's absolutely something
[2:21:10] » so that's it's absolutely something
[2:21:10] we're looking at um we need to establish
[2:21:13] [laughter] uh essentially what our
[2:21:15] maintenance requirements are on some of
[2:21:18] those roadways that are we're spending
[2:21:19] more time on and does that ROI make ROI
[2:21:22] makes sense to go to a cement stabilized
[2:21:24] uh standard. Some cases it may, some
[2:21:26] cases it may not. In some cases that
[2:21:28] deep base stabilized standard may be may
[2:21:31] be the answer. So um don't have the
[2:21:33] answer for you today, but something
[2:21:34] we've talked about extensively in
[2:21:35] looking at some of those haw routes and
[2:21:37] perhaps if that ROI makes sense bringing
[2:21:39] that forward for council's
[2:21:40] consideration.
[2:21:42] >> Yeah, thanks Kevin. I think one point is
[2:21:44] » Yeah, thanks Kevin. I think one point is
[2:21:44] to be prepared that if we do make an
[2:21:47] investment and it doesn't meet our
[2:21:49] expectations that we have to be prepared
[2:21:52] to call it what it is. If it's a fail,
[2:21:55] it's a fail, but we need more horses in
[2:21:57] the race. Uh but we need to try
[2:22:00] different products that other
[2:22:01] jurisdictions have had success with. We
[2:22:03] just don't know in our conditions how
[2:22:06] that's going to look and how it's going
[2:22:07] to respond. And that's why, like I said,
[2:22:09] this is a huge proposal in terms of how
[2:22:12] we're going to measure this, how we're
[2:22:13] going to monitor it, and how we track
[2:22:15] the data to say, does this make sense?
[2:22:18] But this is a like it's it's a five-year
[2:22:22] deal to to really get a sense of where
[2:22:24] we're going to land and and where do we
[2:22:26] get the best bang for our buck long
[2:22:27] term.
[2:22:30] >> Thank you. So just a little further on
[2:22:33] » Thank you. So just a little further on
[2:22:33] this base stabilization project here one
[2:22:36] what would the big difference be between
[2:22:38] what we did before when we used the uh
[2:22:41] the rotor tilled in the calcium
[2:22:43] >> the bent time
[2:22:44] » the bent time
[2:22:44] >> is there a deeper base or what do you
[2:22:47] » is there a deeper base or what do you
[2:22:47] see as the difference and I I know that
[2:22:49] we did a study on what we did before I
[2:22:53] think the biggest downfall was it wasn't
[2:22:55] long enough it was only for two year a
[2:22:58] year year and a half or something like
[2:22:59] that and it didn't all the results it
[2:23:01] should have.
[2:23:03] >> Maybe I defer to Devon. I I'm I'm
[2:23:06] » Maybe I defer to Devon. I I'm I'm
[2:23:06] guessing you're referring to the bent
[2:23:07] knight, the addition of the bent knight
[2:23:10] in those roads
[2:23:11] >> for the hall routes.
[2:23:13] » for the hall routes.
[2:23:13] >> Yes.
[2:23:14] » Yes.
[2:23:14] >> Sorry, councelor Hickey. Can you repeat
[2:23:16] » Sorry, councelor Hickey. Can you repeat
[2:23:16] your question just so I'm clear?
[2:23:18] >> Just a so I'm just wondering how does
[2:23:20] » Just a so I'm just wondering how does
[2:23:20] this compare to what we did before when
[2:23:22] we used the razor to roed hill in the
[2:23:25] >> the bentonite and the pelletized
[2:23:28] » the bentonite and the pelletized
[2:23:28] >> calcium. Yeah. Yeah. So that we applied
[2:23:30] » calcium. Yeah. Yeah. So that we applied
[2:23:30] a 4-in um mat of gravel to the top of an
[2:23:34] existing gravel road, injected the
[2:23:36] calcium and and added the bentonite to
[2:23:39] that 4 in only. What this is proposing
[2:23:42] to do is go down up to 12 in and mix all
[2:23:46] of that in. So you're taking some of
[2:23:47] that underlying soils, mixing in with
[2:23:49] that granular that we placed and
[2:23:50] injecting that MG30. So it's a deeper
[2:23:53] treatment than previously and it's
[2:23:55] incorporating some clay into it as well.
[2:23:57] Um, one thing that we that we saw is the
[2:24:00] aggregate that we were using was very
[2:24:02] low in plasticity, which is clay content
[2:24:04] in the gravel, and that's what really
[2:24:05] binds it together. So, when you're
[2:24:07] traveling on some roads and you see that
[2:24:08] surface is very loose and it's popping,
[2:24:10] there's that lack of of clay to bind it
[2:24:12] all together. So, with this process,
[2:24:14] you're bringing up some of that clay,
[2:24:16] those underlying soils, and getting a
[2:24:18] more cohesive mix that holds moisture
[2:24:20] longer and should result in a longer
[2:24:22] lasting surface. That's the intent
[2:24:25] anyway. But that's why we want to do
[2:24:26] some trials just to do that comparison.
[2:24:30] » Did that answer your question?
[2:24:34] >> All right. Questions? Um,
[2:24:37] » All right. Questions? Um,
[2:24:37] [clears throat] so thank you for all the
[2:24:38] questions on the deep base stabilizer.
[2:24:40] We can walk through all these. Is there
[2:24:42] any
[2:24:43] particular ones uh for discussion or
[2:24:46] questions on these?
[2:24:49] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, just on
[2:24:52] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, just on
[2:24:52] [clears throat] the uh armadillos in the
[2:24:55] traffic count, I I understand the
[2:24:58] concept of what they do. I just I'm
[2:25:00] wondering whether they have the ability
[2:25:02] to determine the size of the vehicle.
[2:25:07] >> Uh, thank you councelor Kervis for that
[2:25:09] » Uh, thank you councelor Kervis for that
[2:25:09] question. it they do not in
[2:25:14] they don't
[2:25:16] >> what what they do include is in addition
[2:25:18] » what what they do include is in addition
[2:25:18] to counts they do also have the speed
[2:25:21] and speed is also direct correlation uh
[2:25:24] on the impact of the roads as well. We
[2:25:26] do own two of these currently and we do
[2:25:28] rely quite heavily on this information
[2:25:31] for operational decision making as well
[2:25:33] as include that in our asset management
[2:25:36] for sections of roads. Do you have on
[2:25:38] that call or?
[2:25:39] >> Yeah, it's on it's on that and it's it's
[2:25:42] » Yeah, it's on it's on that and it's it's
[2:25:42] something that it's not lost on us. I
[2:25:43] think we want to understand as part of
[2:25:45] this there's actually a few pieces at
[2:25:47] play here. I just want council to
[2:25:49] understand what we're working through
[2:25:50] because we have talked about it. There
[2:25:52] is technology that will help us do that.
[2:25:54] There's technology that'll count the
[2:25:55] number of axles or different ways that
[2:25:57] you can measure it. Most of those are
[2:26:00] significant investments and we don't
[2:26:04] have a lot of data on our gravel
[2:26:05] roadways for traffic counts and
[2:26:07] everything else. So even the transfer
[2:26:08] that Ryan already highlighted moving
[2:26:10] from public works and his waterfall into
[2:26:13] infrastructure is some of that FTE count
[2:26:15] that we're trying to top up and combine
[2:26:17] this. So we get somebody that's in the
[2:26:18] field helping with the AM coordination,
[2:26:20] the liaison, moving those armadillos,
[2:26:23] start gathering some layer of
[2:26:25] information and we move in. As we can
[2:26:27] narrow that down, then we start to look
[2:26:29] at some of those other technologies to
[2:26:30] say, okay, h how do we actually figure
[2:26:32] out what the intensity of that traffic
[2:26:34] is, not just the traffic count, because
[2:26:36] to your point, 200 light duty trucks can
[2:26:38] go down that road and you have a a
[2:26:41] silage hall on a different like it's not
[2:26:43] the same. We're just trying to narrow
[2:26:45] that gap at this stage and it's still
[2:26:47] early. So I I don't want anybody to have
[2:26:48] the assumption that any of this is a
[2:26:50] silver bullet. This is us layering in
[2:26:52] information as we move towards that
[2:26:53] ultimate goal.
[2:26:55] >> Thanks. Well, and don't get me wrong, I
[2:26:57] » Thanks. Well, and don't get me wrong, I
[2:26:57] asked the question because you know if
[2:26:59] in an ideal situation it would be great,
[2:27:02] but uh I appreciate that it's more data
[2:27:05] than we had before. And so I you know
[2:27:08] I'm I'm not trying to put it in a
[2:27:10] negative light. I was just wondering
[2:27:12] whether it actually had that ability. Be
[2:27:14] awesome if it did because then we would
[2:27:16] be able to tell, okay, yeah, we've got X
[2:27:19] number of large trucks and and light
[2:27:21] duty traffic, but it's as you said, it's
[2:27:23] better than what we have now, which is
[2:27:26] little to nothing. So,
[2:27:27] >> yeah, I appreciate that. Do recognize
[2:27:28] » yeah, I appreciate that. Do recognize
[2:27:28] that Cole is correct. The technology is
[2:27:31] out there. Uh it's used on paved
[2:27:33] surfaces uh often that will count axles
[2:27:36] and different vehicle sizes. They also
[2:27:38] look at birectionals for multi-lane. So
[2:27:41] there is technology that's out there has
[2:27:44] not been successfully employed in gravel
[2:27:46] roads because you would have to like dig
[2:27:48] a trench in your road permanently leave
[2:27:50] it there um and hasn't been tried uh and
[2:27:54] would be very cost prohibitive at this
[2:27:56] point in time. So right now we're if we
[2:27:59] can start with some count data that is
[2:28:01] going to definitely help us
[2:28:04] from where we are today.
[2:28:08] Thank you. So, um, John asked most of
[2:28:10] what I was going to ask, but would you
[2:28:12] still need uh to hire the humanized uh
[2:28:16] traffic counters as well? I'll call him
[2:28:18] humanized. I don't know what else to
[2:28:20] call.
[2:28:20] >> Yes. P Patty Patty is a human lady.
[2:28:24] » Yes. P Patty Patty is a human lady.
[2:28:24] >> Patty Patty is a wonderful member of our
[2:28:27] » Patty Patty is a wonderful member of our
[2:28:27] team. I'll have Devin speak to that
[2:28:28] because I believe there's some
[2:28:29] >> I would actually Yeah, I I I don't know
[2:28:32] » I would actually Yeah, I I I don't know
[2:28:32] what Devon's gonna say, but um before
[2:28:36] before we do that, I I think this one is
[2:28:39] a close session discussion um related to
[2:28:41] personal information
[2:28:43] uh if we're going to be able to speak
[2:28:46] about that openly. Whether it does or
[2:28:47] doesn't replace that individual or not,
[2:28:48] I don't I don't know the answer to that.
[2:28:50] But I I don't know that that's a
[2:28:51] conversation for public session.
[2:29:06] All right. Um,
[2:29:11] » other qu I walk through u
[2:29:15] the other projects here road.
[2:29:18] Uh this is for some potential if we
[2:29:22] needed to change um traffic flow on that
[2:29:27] particular section of road. Um this is a
[2:29:31] a maybe something we're looking at uh
[2:29:34] currently operationally. Uh the next
[2:29:37] one, hard surface consultant. Um, as
[2:29:40] we're looking for more planning
[2:29:43] on [clears throat] managing our hard
[2:29:45] surfaces, um, we're looking to bring a
[2:29:47] consultant on board for that to, uh,
[2:29:49] better lines so that we actually have
[2:29:52] better data, more assessments, and
[2:29:54] really build that out, um, over our
[2:29:56] operational period in 2026.
[2:29:59] And then the final two, um, Shaughnessy
[2:30:03] Pump Station, we just need to put a
[2:30:04] fence around it to protect our
[2:30:06] infrastructure. And then the final one,
[2:30:08] uh, this was a really successful piece
[2:30:11] for us actually for our 2025 season
[2:30:13] where we, you may have seen that we had
[2:30:16] a grater that was, uh, temporarily
[2:30:18] staged in Steuart Siding. We were able
[2:30:20] to rent a a small
[2:30:24] plot of land on uh with a vendor there
[2:30:26] where we had our our fuel tank there and
[2:30:30] that actually significantly cut down our
[2:30:32] mobilization time for that particular
[2:30:34] greater operator to function in
[2:30:35] divisional one. In fact, up to 45
[2:30:38] minutes a day um in terms of efficiency
[2:30:41] to improve our productivity. So, we're
[2:30:43] looking to do that again because we
[2:30:44] don't have aside from our cold shop, we
[2:30:47] don't have um anything in division one
[2:30:50] for our greater operators like we do in
[2:30:52] our other divisions um where they kind
[2:30:54] of live full-time and work directly out
[2:30:56] of there. So, it's a huge operational
[2:30:58] efficiency here for a very small dollar
[2:31:00] amount to to go and find a just a spot
[2:31:03] of land or vacant lot. So,
[2:31:08] okay.
[2:31:15] We'll move to fleet services.
[2:31:17] >> Can we just take a a quick five?
[2:31:20] » Can we just take a a quick five?
[2:31:20] >> Yeah, that's fine.
[2:31:21] » Yeah, that's fine.
[2:31:21] >> Okay, thank you.
[2:31:26] » Who is
[3:15:40] Thank you very much. We'll call the
[3:15:41] meeting back to order at 12:15 this
[3:15:44] afternoon. Brian, the floor is yours.
[3:15:46] >> Okay. Thank you.
[3:15:48] » Okay. Thank you.
[3:15:48] Uh so moving into our fleet department.
[3:15:51] Just a quick overview. Fleet services
[3:15:53] department maintains repairs all small
[3:15:54] engine light duty trucks, heavy duty
[3:15:56] trucks, heavy equipment uh with costs
[3:15:59] allocated to department through uh
[3:16:01] equipment rentals. It also provides
[3:16:03] preventive maintenance, manages
[3:16:05] commercial vehicle files, conducts uh
[3:16:08] CIPS and overseas warranties and recalls
[3:16:10] to keep the fleet reliable and coste
[3:16:12] effective.
[3:16:14] So overview uh of this slide. Um, we'll
[3:16:18] get into the details on the expenditure
[3:16:20] side with the waterfall. Um,
[3:16:24] really the key highlights here, we've
[3:16:26] really flatlined
[3:16:28] our operational
[3:16:31] of this. It's probably the most
[3:16:32] consistent of all of our departments.
[3:16:35] What you're seeing here is a carbon tax
[3:16:38] levy. We're showing that because that
[3:16:39] will be escalated as per government
[3:16:42] regulation until 3030. So that uh
[3:16:45] estimate based on our current volume is
[3:16:48] 40 grand and then goes 50 54 over the
[3:16:51] next three years. Uh the other one where
[3:16:53] you're seeing that [clears throat] cost
[3:16:56] savings is we completed our fuel master
[3:16:59] upgrade. So this is our automated
[3:17:01] real-time uh fuel servicing where we
[3:17:05] account for uh all the fuel that goes in
[3:17:07] and out of our vehicles by vehicle. And
[3:17:09] so uh we finished that in 2025. you're
[3:17:12] seeing that as a cost reduction for
[3:17:15] 2026.
[3:17:18] And then the other uh elements there are
[3:17:20] just internal realignments with actual
[3:17:23] expenditures. Any questions on fleet?
[3:17:25] This is the one that's fairly
[3:17:28] straightforward as a whole.
[3:17:30] >> Any questions on fleet for Ryan?
[3:17:36] » Go ahead.
[3:17:39] >> Uh so
[3:17:41] » Uh so
[3:17:41] 20
[3:17:43] six and 27 have that escalation cost.
[3:17:47] And so it's just we've absorbed that
[3:17:49] this year with the operating projects
[3:17:52] paying back or how did we how did we
[3:17:55] absorb that escalation
[3:17:59] >> like the just so I'm [clears throat]
[3:18:01] » like the just so I'm [clears throat]
[3:18:01] clear councelor Vanessa are you looking
[3:18:03] at the difference between 26 and 27?
[3:18:06] >> Yeah. So when we go 26 to 7 and 7 to 8 I
[3:18:10] » Yeah. So when we go 26 to 7 and 7 to 8 I
[3:18:10] guess it would be there's a 113 and 120
[3:18:14] escalation. Um, how did we absorb that
[3:18:17] this year or did we just not have a cost
[3:18:20] escalation?
[3:18:22] >> Yeah. So when we and Justin maybe I'll
[3:18:26] » Yeah. So when we and Justin maybe I'll
[3:18:26] ask Justin to speak to this one in terms
[3:18:28] of what the final bucket in that but
[3:18:30] what we looked at as line by line some
[3:18:33] things that we didn't do a blanket as es
[3:18:35] escalation on as we reviewed our
[3:18:38] operational budget for 2026 based on
[3:18:41] what we already know.
[3:19:19] through the reef to councelor uh Van
[3:19:21] Essen. Um
[3:19:25] you'll notice the
[3:19:28] escalation
[3:19:30] is on the fourth bucket here. So it's
[3:19:34] 33,000
[3:19:36] higher than the previous year. And then
[3:19:39] in
[3:19:41] 2026 it's 113 and escalation in 20
[3:19:45] between 27 28 budget is the 120. It is
[3:19:49] lower and some of that's to do with the
[3:19:54] timing of when we looked at the dollars
[3:19:56] for the budget this year. So I didn't
[3:19:59] want to just blanket apply a percentage
[3:20:02] across every single line item.
[3:20:08] So we moved we moved part
[3:20:10] [clears throat] like part of the
[3:20:11] staffing is was fully bucketed and
[3:20:13] planned for in 25 in fleet. The salaries
[3:20:16] which was the escalation that we've
[3:20:18] placed on everything in those future
[3:20:19] years is broken out from 20 like 25 to
[3:20:21] 26. But the specific escalation there is
[3:20:25] we've expanded the scope. So some of
[3:20:27] that FTE that was originally fully
[3:20:29] bucketed to that department is now split
[3:20:30] across multiple departments based on
[3:20:33] their scope of work. That's that's why
[3:20:35] it's less in this year and greater in
[3:20:37] the subsequent years because then that's
[3:20:39] the applied. So we're actually
[3:20:40] decreasing that if you look at the the
[3:20:43] slide above and then it starts to
[3:20:45] escalate normally there. So that's just
[3:20:47] the differential is all that is.
[3:20:53] » Okay.
[3:20:56] [clears throat]
[3:21:00] Next one here uh utility services and
[3:21:02] programs. So quick quick overview.
[3:21:05] Lethbridge County operates and maintains
[3:21:06] a large regional water system,
[3:21:08] wastewater infrastructure and solid
[3:21:09] wasteway services to ensure reliable
[3:21:12] utility delivery, environmental
[3:21:14] protection support for residents,
[3:21:16] businesses, and the growing aggra food
[3:21:18] sector. These programs involve system
[3:21:20] monitoring, repairs, regulatory
[3:21:22] compliance, lagoon treatments and
[3:21:24] maintenance, and waste disposal
[3:21:26] services, all backed by ongoing
[3:21:28] investment and planned maintenance to
[3:21:30] ensure long-term sustainability.
[3:21:34] Um, as you'll see on on this slide here,
[3:21:38] it's right before you.
[3:21:40] >> Yeah, I think I think before we go any
[3:21:42] » Yeah, I think I think before we go any
[3:21:42] further, let's
[3:21:43] >> Sure.
[3:21:44] » Sure.
[3:21:44] >> Yeah. So, we're going to um I think for
[3:21:46] » Yeah. So, we're going to um I think for
[3:21:46] some of this conversation, it's going to
[3:21:48] be really important uh pursuant to ATIA
[3:21:50] section 26, harmful to intergovernmental
[3:21:52] relations, then we just need to start
[3:21:53] the conversation in closed and then we
[3:21:55] can come out of close for the remainder
[3:21:56] of the discussion related to utilities
[3:21:58] if that's all right with council.
[3:22:00] Okay, Eric motion to move into close
[3:22:04] session.
[3:22:04] >> Eric's moved to enter a close session at
[3:22:06] » Eric's moved to enter a close session at
[3:22:06] 12:21 this afternoon.
[3:22:09] Any discussion? Call question. Those in
[3:22:11] favor? Anyone want? Those opposed?
[3:22:13] >> I
[3:43:18] Kevin's moved to come out of a close
[3:43:20] session at 12:42. Any discussion? Let's
[3:43:23] call the question. Those in favor
[3:43:26] is carried.
[3:43:29] Board is yours, Ryan. Okay. Thank you.
[3:43:31] Um
[3:43:33] we see here operating projects in 2026.
[3:43:36] Uh total
[3:43:38] spend at the ask is $150,000.
[3:43:42] It's for two two projects. One is in
[3:43:44] Iron Springs. Uh it's to do some
[3:43:47] maintenance activities that some minor
[3:43:50] repairs there that will significantly
[3:43:52] extend the the life of that to avoid
[3:43:54] some much more costly um repairs and
[3:43:57] fixes. It's at $75,000.
[3:43:59] And then the second one here is to
[3:44:01] improve the the quality of the raw water
[3:44:04] uh in the Broxurn Business Park. Um that
[3:44:09] was targeted for $75,000. This is water
[3:44:11] that is used by the majority of um the
[3:44:15] businesses in that area and we've had
[3:44:18] significant problems with water quality
[3:44:22] and it's been it's been a struggle um
[3:44:26] because that system has been neglected
[3:44:27] for quite a while. And so we're very
[3:44:30] confident in in this technology will
[3:44:33] will actually solve that to increase the
[3:44:36] the quality of the water. So those are
[3:44:39] two. Any any questions on either of
[3:44:41] those?
[3:44:45] All right, we'll move to the the final
[3:44:47] one and you'll be done from here for me
[3:44:49] for a bit. Uh a services.
[3:44:52] So a services uh fairly broad where we
[3:44:56] actually invest uh in addition to what
[3:44:59] we're legislatively
[3:45:01] responsible for for uh weed control,
[3:45:03] pest inspection, soil conservation, and
[3:45:06] and management of of those elements.
[3:45:10] Mowing and weed control are really key
[3:45:12] activities that we do throughout the
[3:45:15] year. And that's what will represent
[3:45:17] here budgetarily.
[3:45:21] do want to highlight the fact and I know
[3:45:23] we brought this up in an ASB meeting
[3:45:26] earlier in the week the reduction we did
[3:45:28] have on on one of the the grants but
[3:45:31] you'll see the the other portion of the
[3:45:33] grant was awarded for five years.
[3:45:38] So let's move into this.
[3:45:45] We'll start from left to right.
[3:45:48] Um what we're seeing here with the
[3:45:50] personnel adjustments again finally just
[3:45:53] right sizing our our budgetary
[3:45:55] allocations using our Questica software
[3:45:58] it's so that everything is aligned uh
[3:46:01] properly uh on that end and that
[3:46:04] includes our cola as well um at 2% for
[3:46:10] that team. So we're not reducing
[3:46:12] headcount here just to be clear we are
[3:46:14] not reducing our headcount with these
[3:46:16] teams it's just a right size. So if you
[3:46:17] were to look at back to the slide of
[3:46:20] public works where we were up where
[3:46:22] we're spending more and this they offset
[3:46:25] it's not net zero but the bulk of that
[3:46:28] remainder there's only about $150,000
[3:46:31] and majority of that is actually cost of
[3:46:33] living. So between this and and that
[3:46:35] other portfolio where we right sized um
[3:46:37] for staffing.
[3:46:39] So that's that's internal uh scope
[3:46:42] increase here is actually some
[3:46:43] additional chemical um use for spraying
[3:46:46] roadside spraying that we anticipate um
[3:46:50] in 2026. And so you see that charge
[3:46:53] there scope decrease highlighted this
[3:46:56] one. didn't really need to, but it's
[3:46:58] just some savings that were identified
[3:47:01] internally that as we always review line
[3:47:04] by line, not nec no change to level of
[3:47:08] service, but just as we reallocate
[3:47:10] internally. So, I wanted to highlight
[3:47:11] that. And then you see escalation uh it
[3:47:15] fleet allocation and the budget
[3:47:17] adjustments uh are highlighted there as
[3:47:19] well for operating projects. Uh that's
[3:47:23] coming down. Um, this is a realignment
[3:47:27] where in 2025 our MR funding to support
[3:47:32] the Turan
[3:47:35] flip to this. Yeah. The Turan Park uh
[3:47:38] that we redid in 2025.
[3:47:41] The funding flowed through our
[3:47:43] operations and now we've corrected that
[3:47:44] for future in uh expenditures will flow
[3:47:48] directly from the reserve. So Haley
[3:47:50] supported us with that. So that's why
[3:47:51] you're seeing this reduction of the 110
[3:47:54] and then also seeing that change uh as
[3:47:57] well in 2027 that minus 40. It's it's
[3:48:01] right sizing where those monies are
[3:48:04] flowing. They shouldn't flow through our
[3:48:06] operational account on that.
[3:48:12] Just a couple operational projects that
[3:48:14] we have planned for 2026.
[3:48:18] Um,
[3:48:19] we have a a five-year cycle. We're
[3:48:22] tightening up our whole tree maintenance
[3:48:24] program as a whole. Uh, looking to add
[3:48:28] and finesse that in our asset management
[3:48:30] system. We do have a lot of those
[3:48:32] already recognized there. But, uh, we're
[3:48:34] seeing trees that need some care and
[3:48:37] attention, uh, near power lines, and
[3:48:39] that's work that, uh, we're not
[3:48:40] qualified or should we be doing that,
[3:48:42] uh, because of the level of risk. And so
[3:48:44] we're looking for $40,000 for 2026 where
[3:48:47] we'll hire a contractor to service and
[3:48:50] maintain some trees that need to be
[3:48:53] addressed before they come a bigger
[3:48:55] problem for the county. And then the
[3:48:56] second line there is the manure bypass
[3:48:59] um program which we've had funding in
[3:49:01] there in the past. Sorry.
[3:49:04] >> Oh, just a question on manure bypass. We
[3:49:06] » Oh, just a question on manure bypass. We
[3:49:06] actually have some uptake on that
[3:49:08] funding. I did receive a request for an
[3:49:11] install in spring of 2026. And so, uh, I
[3:49:16] believe the amount that we had put there
[3:49:18] was $5,000 per, uh, install. And, uh,
[3:49:23] because I saw one in anticipation that
[3:49:25] if there is one more in 2026, I figure
[3:49:28] maybe we ensure that we have that
[3:49:29] covered in the budget instead of having
[3:49:31] to find that or pull from somewhere
[3:49:33] else. So, that's why you're seeing for
[3:49:35] funding for two.
[3:49:36] >> I think that's wonderful. It's a great
[3:49:37] » I think that's wonderful. It's a great
[3:49:37] program and it would be nice to see more
[3:49:39] update on that.
[3:49:40] >> Thank you, John. Mark,
[3:49:42] » Thank you, John. Mark,
[3:49:42] >> just to backtrack on the contract for
[3:49:46] » just to backtrack on the contract for
[3:49:46] the power company
[3:49:49] that is something else that we do.
[3:49:52] >> Yeah. So, the so Foris is is our is the
[3:49:57] » Yeah. So, the so Foris is is our is the
[3:49:57] provider in in the county. They don't
[3:50:00] provide tree pruning for free
[3:50:03] um in those rides. We've connect we do
[3:50:05] work with them but you're responsible as
[3:50:07] a private land owner to manage the trees
[3:50:10] in that distance if there's any impacts
[3:50:13] of the power lines. What they'll do is
[3:50:14] they'll come in you'll they have crews
[3:50:15] for sure but they'll come in they'll
[3:50:17] send you the bill if they come in and do
[3:50:19] that work.
[3:50:23] I think there is some there is some
[3:50:26] depending on where
[3:50:36] » yeah we did reach out to foris and we'll
[3:50:38] work with them but it's our obligation
[3:50:40] to to ensure that if it's trees within
[3:50:43] our rideway or our properties that
[3:50:46] they're not interfering with the
[3:50:48] infrastructure.
[3:50:49] >> Okay.
[3:50:52] » Okay.
[3:50:52] Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the manure
[3:50:54] bypass crossing, um,
[3:50:57] so I've had a few people ask me about
[3:50:59] that. Do is does the county pay for that
[3:51:02] then? Like that's or do they have to
[3:51:04] cover that? So, if I understand
[3:51:07] correctly, the program when it was there
[3:51:08] is that the county uh would cover up to
[3:51:12] $5,000 of that install. We do do that
[3:51:14] work in house. Um, because this will be,
[3:51:17] I believe, the first one we've done in
[3:51:19] three years. I think that program was
[3:51:21] rolled on in 2024.
[3:51:24] Anyone correct me on that?
[3:51:27] >> Um
[3:51:30] I we haven't scoped this one yet because
[3:51:32] uh it was a late application just like a
[3:51:35] month ago. Um but we'll get out there
[3:51:37] and have a look, but I'm confident we'll
[3:51:39] be able to conduct that work to get that
[3:51:42] done.
[3:51:46] And that's it. I'm going to pass it over
[3:51:48] to Devin.
[3:51:50] Thank you.
[3:52:00] [clears throat]
[3:52:02] >> Good afternoon, council. Pleased to
[3:52:04] » Good afternoon, council. Pleased to
[3:52:04] introduce the development and
[3:52:06] infrastructure uh operating budget for
[3:52:09] 2026. Uh I'll be starting with
[3:52:11] infrastructure services and then when we
[3:52:13] get into planning and development,
[3:52:14] Kaylin will come up and present that
[3:52:15] budget.
[3:52:17] So, just a brief overview of the
[3:52:18] department. I'll just go through some of
[3:52:20] the core activities. So, obviously,
[3:52:22] capital project management uh is one of
[3:52:24] the main key functions of the
[3:52:25] department. That's not just projects
[3:52:27] within the county. Those are regional
[3:52:29] projects as well as Cole alluded to in
[3:52:31] his uh introductory uh slides. We're
[3:52:34] participating in the Malloy drainage
[3:52:35] projects, the southern regional storm
[3:52:37] water drainage committee projects such
[3:52:39] as Horsefly and other regional
[3:52:41] initiatives. Uh the same goes for uh
[3:52:43] engineering studies. We do those both
[3:52:45] locally and regionally with our other
[3:52:47] municipal partners.
[3:52:49] uh the act the department takes care of
[3:52:51] water treatment and distribution
[3:52:53] agreement management. So that's our
[3:52:54] agreements with the commissions or with
[3:52:56] the commission pardon me and the city of
[3:52:58] Lethbridge and uh and our other
[3:53:00] customers of the commission plotable
[3:53:03] water sustainability such as license
[3:53:05] management and acquisition the
[3:53:07] Lethbridge regional water service
[3:53:08] commission management uh operational
[3:53:11] project planning and support. So, as
[3:53:13] Ryan alluded to, we did that dust
[3:53:15] control test section. That's just one
[3:53:17] example of how we provide that technical
[3:53:19] support to operations. Uh we manage all
[3:53:21] the procurement within uh Lethbridge
[3:53:23] County procurement documents, making
[3:53:25] sure we're meeting uh our requirements
[3:53:28] uh within those documents. Uh asset
[3:53:31] management as you know our geographical
[3:53:33] information system the mapping that we
[3:53:34] bring up during council meetings uh
[3:53:36] development and engineering oversight
[3:53:39] crossing agreement management and gravel
[3:53:41] pit management.
[3:53:45] our proposed 2026 budget. Uh you'll see
[3:53:48] we've got about $184,000 in anticipated
[3:53:52] revenues and about 1.74 million in
[3:53:55] anticipated expenditures for an overall
[3:53:58] department uh tax support increase of
[3:54:00] 2%. And I'll get into that in a little
[3:54:03] bit detail in the waterfall diagram
[3:54:05] here.
[3:54:07] So between 25 and 26, as Ryan mentioned
[3:54:11] previously, there is that transfer from
[3:54:13] public works to support an asset
[3:54:15] management survey field tech position.
[3:54:18] Uh $50,000 from his budget and uh some
[3:54:22] savings from my budget as well to fund
[3:54:24] that position. And that position will
[3:54:26] really help uh in supporting our asset
[3:54:28] management initiatives and operational
[3:54:31] support. Um they'll be conducting survey
[3:54:34] for our road rehab crews, drainage and
[3:54:36] other operational activities and also
[3:54:39] providing field inspection services for
[3:54:41] approaches, crossings and other things
[3:54:43] that operations historically completed.
[3:54:45] And this is again just furthering that
[3:54:48] um transition to that technical services
[3:54:50] hub supporting operations.
[3:54:53] Um, if we go to the next one, the
[3:54:55] $32,000 reduction, that is the reserve
[3:54:57] transfer for land. That was also alluded
[3:55:00] to earlier, moving from um this budget
[3:55:02] into public works going forward. And
[3:55:06] then the next one, the 321,000, that is
[3:55:08] for a couple operational projects. Um,
[3:55:11] $200,000 for an area structure plan. So
[3:55:14] that's for the land surrounding that
[3:55:16] parcel that we recently purchased uh
[3:55:18] south of the Broxurn Business Park. And
[3:55:21] now that we have the in-house expertise
[3:55:23] to conduct those area structure plans.
[3:55:25] So Kayn has done those ASBs before, she
[3:55:28] can compile the document that get all
[3:55:30] that uh information together. The
[3:55:32] 200,000 is for external services for
[3:55:33] engineering to look at roads, drainage,
[3:55:36] site grading, servicing, off-site
[3:55:38] impacts, all of those uh activities. So
[3:55:42] that's a net adjustment of 321,000
[3:55:46] uh on that item.
[3:55:48] Uh as we continue on, there's some other
[3:55:50] minor adjustments we have for escalation
[3:55:53] and cost of living adjustments. Um the
[3:55:56] redistribution of IT services as uh
[3:55:59] previously alluded to just um making
[3:56:01] that more um equitable across
[3:56:04] departments and then the department
[3:56:05] contingency that uh Cole referenced
[3:56:08] earlier.
[3:56:09] Uh as we go into 2027, uh there is that
[3:56:13] 29,000. That's just that annualized
[3:56:15] position that I spoke to earlier because
[3:56:17] in 26 it'll by time you recruit it'll be
[3:56:20] about a 10-month salary expenditure
[3:56:22] we're looking at. So that portion is to
[3:56:24] uh make up the difference there.
[3:56:27] And then the decrease of $381,000
[3:56:29] that's just the operational projects
[3:56:31] that uh we do not have planned for 2026.
[3:56:34] And then again going forward your 3%
[3:56:37] escalation into 27 and 2028.
[3:56:43] Is there any questions on that before I
[3:56:46] go forward?
[3:56:50] Okay.
[3:56:52] So, our proposed operational projects um
[3:56:56] there is the
[3:56:58] uh maintenance manager CMMS that uh Cole
[3:57:01] spoke to earlier that was brought to
[3:57:02] council this summer and approved by
[3:57:05] council. That is a two-year initiative
[3:57:07] 70,000 in 2025 and 180,000 in 2027.
[3:57:12] And then the area structure plan
[3:57:14] development of 200,000 as well in 2026.
[3:57:17] And that are those are our proposed
[3:57:19] operational projects.
[3:57:23] Is there any questions of council?
[3:57:29] » Thank you.
[3:57:36] [clears throat]
[3:57:41] » [laughter]
[3:57:45] » Good afternoon, council. Um, moving into
[3:57:47] the planning and development uh
[3:57:49] department. We shape how the county
[3:57:52] grows in terms of land use, supporting
[3:57:54] development, ensuring new development
[3:57:57] support the community and economy. So,
[3:57:59] this means our team, they manage and
[3:58:00] maintain all of our statutory plans and
[3:58:02] land use strategies. We conduct detailed
[3:58:05] review of all of our area structure
[3:58:06] plans, resonings, and subdivisions that
[3:58:08] are brought before you as the
[3:58:09] development authority and subdivision
[3:58:11] authority in the county. Uh we undertake
[3:58:14] reviews of development permits. It's a
[3:58:16] steady high volume of development
[3:58:18] permits in the county. We administer all
[3:58:20] of the development agreements,
[3:58:22] compliance reviews, all those additional
[3:58:24] services to support residents. And then
[3:58:26] we coordinate any other land use ma
[3:58:28] matters with residents, internal
[3:58:29] departments, regional partners, external
[3:58:31] agencies, NRCB being one of the major
[3:58:34] partners.
[3:58:35] Um, and our department does include two
[3:58:37] third-party providers being Old Man
[3:58:40] River Regional Service Commission and
[3:58:42] Park Enterprise.
[3:58:45] Uh, so this is our breakdown of revenue
[3:58:49] and expenditures. is our revenue being
[3:58:52] mostly the intake of applications for
[3:58:54] development and planning applications.
[3:58:57] And we're going to speak to this on the
[3:58:59] next slide, but what you're going to
[3:59:00] notice most about our budget is the
[3:59:03] shift of our operating projects to ai
[3:59:06] uh cyclical um activity. So, prior
[3:59:10] years, we've always came to council with
[3:59:12] the statutory plans that we needed to
[3:59:15] review and update in that year. shifting
[3:59:18] to um putting money into reserves every
[3:59:21] year so that we're planning for it. Um
[3:59:23] so it's not actually um it correct
[3:59:26] myself it's a basically flattening out
[3:59:27] our budget going forward. So just moving
[3:59:30] into the um waterfall um this slight p
[3:59:35] uh personnel adjustment is just the
[3:59:37] shift from an intern to a permanent
[3:59:39] position. Um the next column is man
[3:59:43] region service commission. Um this is
[3:59:47] their tentative budget. They're
[3:59:48] presenting their budget to the board on
[3:59:50] December 4th. Um but based on what they
[3:59:52] have provided us, it's a annual fee of
[3:59:55] 118,000
[3:59:57] for our an annual membership.
[4:00:00] Um the IT allocations is the internal
[4:00:02] transfers that everyone else has spoke
[4:00:04] to. And then the last column in 2026 is
[4:00:08] the um silic um planning activities
[4:00:11] which those are our statutory plans. um
[4:00:13] the residential land use strategy being
[4:00:15] one of them that we will update next
[4:00:17] year. Um and then in the future years
[4:00:20] looking at like our municipal
[4:00:21] development plan, land use bylaws and
[4:00:23] those types of plans. Um so putting into
[4:00:25] reserves every year will allow us to
[4:00:27] continue to update those statutory
[4:00:28] documents.
[4:00:30] Any questions?
[4:00:36] So, ORRs is is
[4:00:39] suggesting to us that they're
[4:00:42] doing a year-over-year increase of about
[4:00:43] 15%.
[4:00:44] >> Can I just ask that we probably move
[4:00:46] » Can I just ask that we probably move
[4:00:46] into um close section closed uh in
[4:00:50] pursuant of section 20 and 26 harmful
[4:00:52] municipal interests?
[4:11:41] Thank you. Yeah, that was it.
[4:12:01] See again. [laughter]
[4:12:03] Long time no see.
[4:12:09] Okay. So, next we're going to talk about
[4:12:11] finance and administration in terms of
[4:12:13] services and programs provided. Um
[4:12:16] finance and admin is responsible for the
[4:12:18] overall financial sustainability of the
[4:12:20] county. Our mission is to provide
[4:12:22] appropriate controls and measures needed
[4:12:24] to manage the county resources and to
[4:12:27] deliver accurate financial information
[4:12:29] for council and administration in
[4:12:31] decision-making purposes. So this area
[4:12:34] includes budget um accounting, audit,
[4:12:37] financial reporting, payroll, managing
[4:12:39] insurance programs, grant management
[4:12:43] um and administration of various grants.
[4:12:48] So if we look at the overall uh cost
[4:12:50] slide summary in terms of revenues and
[4:12:53] expenses, uh we've got some increases uh
[4:12:56] to overall expenditures. um and we'll go
[4:13:00] into that in more detail on the next
[4:13:01] slide specific to um various areas
[4:13:06] including uh wages and then also just uh
[4:13:10] transfers from um other departments.
[4:13:15] So if we look at the waterfall slide and
[4:13:18] we just talk about high level changes
[4:13:20] from 2025 to 2026, we've had um some
[4:13:25] personnel changes in redistributive
[4:13:27] resources. This position was unfunded in
[4:13:32] uh 2025 and was funded through the
[4:13:35] contingency in the um administrative
[4:13:38] area. and so uh in the CAO's office. And
[4:13:41] so this is just uh trueing up the actual
[4:13:45] costs in terms of that those wages
[4:13:47] including um cost of living adjustment
[4:13:50] and benefit increases and as you've seen
[4:13:53] throughout the the remainder of the
[4:13:54] departments and areas. We've seen an
[4:13:57] increase in insurance. We've seen an
[4:13:58] increase in audit costs which have been
[4:14:00] both adjusted and then um we've
[4:14:03] reallocated
[4:14:05] all of the software from uh various
[4:14:08] departments into it and then
[4:14:10] redistributed those costs just to try
[4:14:12] and um allow for some more consolidation
[4:14:15] of you know where we're at what software
[4:14:17] and so I'll talk about more about that
[4:14:19] in the IT department but that is
[4:14:22] essentially the finance and
[4:14:24] administrative
[4:14:26] uh area of the Tony,
[4:14:31] » any questions, sir?
[4:14:35] » Haley,
[4:14:37] >> if we move into information technology,
[4:14:40] » if we move into information technology,
[4:14:40] uh Doug sends his regrets. He had to
[4:14:42] head out. Um and so this I'm just going
[4:14:45] to cover this for him. In terms of the
[4:14:47] IT department, this is about delivering
[4:14:50] responsible responsive support and
[4:14:52] innovative solutions to the county um
[4:14:55] with upholding a high standard for cyber
[4:14:58] security. And it's really the first line
[4:15:00] of defense and protecting the county's
[4:15:02] financial information and all systems
[4:15:04] handling of sensitive data secure,
[4:15:07] reliable and compliant with industry
[4:15:09] best practices. Um so this includes
[4:15:11] governance, operations and hardware and
[4:15:13] infrastructure of uh are the core
[4:15:16] activities related to information
[4:15:17] technology at the county. If we look at
[4:15:20] this slide, uh, in terms of cost,
[4:15:23] uh, it looks like there's a fairly
[4:15:25] significant increase, but again, this
[4:15:27] was the conversation about how we were
[4:15:28] trying to take all of the costs related
[4:15:31] to software and, uh, information
[4:15:33] technology, move it into it, and then
[4:15:36] redistribute that based on uh, need,
[4:15:39] individuals, and headcount within the
[4:15:41] within the county. So it a lot of this
[4:15:44] will will be a a reshuffleling of
[4:15:46] information of uh various costs from
[4:15:48] other areas. But if we go into the
[4:15:51] waterfall
[4:15:53] uh slide and just talk about the key key
[4:15:55] drivers. So this includes uh 2%
[4:15:57] escalation and cost of living
[4:15:59] adjustment. Many of our software
[4:16:01] providers have had a higher um
[4:16:04] escalation than 2%. Many are are closer
[4:16:07] to five. And so if there were specific
[4:16:09] contracts that were known, we did adjust
[4:16:11] for the anticipated increase. Um we've
[4:16:14] had some implementation of various
[4:16:15] softwares including our budget software,
[4:16:17] our asset maintenance software as well
[4:16:19] as government frameworks. And we've just
[4:16:22] looked at kind of consolidating and
[4:16:24] providing opportunities for um better
[4:16:27] control and containment of the various
[4:16:29] softwares that we do have within the
[4:16:30] county and how we redistribute those to
[4:16:33] the departments through uh inter
[4:16:35] departmental charges. If we go to the um
[4:16:40] proposed operational projects for it uh
[4:16:44] for the upcoming year, the biggest one I
[4:16:45] just want to highlight is uh our need to
[4:16:48] replace our enterprise resource planning
[4:16:51] system which is our financial system and
[4:16:52] our payroll system. Um, we received word
[4:16:56] that there's end of life and so in 2026
[4:16:59] we would like to begin the process of
[4:17:01] putting out an RFP
[4:17:03] uh for replacement of our ERP system
[4:17:06] because we're going to anticipate that
[4:17:07] there's going to be a lot of pressure in
[4:17:09] terms of many municipalities are going
[4:17:11] to need to be moving to different
[4:17:13] systems and so 2028 is going to be a
[4:17:16] very busy year for consultants and
[4:17:18] implementation of various
[4:17:19] municipalities. So, we're just trying to
[4:17:20] get ahead of that to ensure that we've
[4:17:22] got sufficient time to to replace that
[4:17:25] system. And so, um that is included in
[4:17:29] the budget. And we'll talk more about
[4:17:30] those IT projects, uh when we jump into
[4:17:33] capital, assuming if we do that today or
[4:17:36] on Monday.
[4:17:43] » Just out of curiosity, new resource
[4:17:48] that
[4:17:51] It's the financial system and payroll
[4:17:53] system for the county. Yeah.
[4:18:02] » Uh the final one I'd like to talk about
[4:18:04] within corporate services is assessment
[4:18:05] services. Uh so recently we were in
[4:18:10] front of council to um discuss
[4:18:14] transitioning to third-party assessment
[4:18:17] services uh based on some planned
[4:18:20] retirements at the at the county. And so
[4:18:23] this is really about this is 2026 will
[4:18:26] be a a transition year for assessment
[4:18:28] services in terms of this how we provide
[4:18:31] that. Um and so there's some transition
[4:18:33] planning and so there's a lot it's a
[4:18:36] little bit more complicated next year
[4:18:38] than or proposed to be more complicated
[4:18:39] next year than it will be going forward
[4:18:42] just given those transitions. So really
[4:18:44] assessment services provides the
[4:18:46] property values for residential farmland
[4:18:48] commercial properties. Uh the county uh
[4:18:50] coordinates receiving all of this
[4:18:52] information from the province for linear
[4:18:54] properties and it's just about providing
[4:18:57] um ensuring that we're using market
[4:19:00] values, regulated regulatory rates and
[4:19:03] um
[4:19:04] agricultural values depending on
[4:19:06] provincial legislation. And so this is
[4:19:08] really um designated by the municipal
[4:19:12] government act in terms of the
[4:19:13] regulations and uh Alberta assessment
[4:19:16] standards.
[4:19:17] So if you look at the overall summary uh
[4:19:20] for cost, you'll see some increases in
[4:19:22] terms of the general and general
[4:19:25] services in contract based on us
[4:19:27] shifting from in-house assessment
[4:19:29] services to an external third party. So
[4:19:32] you'll see in the first uh the
[4:19:34] comparison of 2025 to 2026 that this is
[4:19:38] a transition year uh in in anticipation
[4:19:40] of our county assessor retiring. And so
[4:19:44] this will be uh the year of of getting
[4:19:48] all of that knowledge and of of that
[4:19:51] information and ensuring that we have
[4:19:53] all of the structures and systems and
[4:19:55] processes in place that we will be able
[4:19:58] to kind of divide what would be
[4:20:00] internally continued to be provided
[4:20:02] versus what would be provided by this
[4:20:03] third party. And so then after 2026,
[4:20:07] you'll see some savings uh in terms of
[4:20:09] comparison for 2027 as we um adjust to
[4:20:13] this new way of providing assessment
[4:20:16] services for the county. So that change
[4:20:18] is reflected there. Um again, all of the
[4:20:22] similar kind of 2% escalation um and
[4:20:27] just some obviously the outsourcing of
[4:20:30] of the contract. And then as we look
[4:20:32] forward, we would would see some of
[4:20:35] those reductions in the in the previous
[4:20:37] years.
[4:20:39] And that is it for corporate services.
[4:20:51] » That's correct.
[4:20:53] Um so
[4:20:55] >> so that is a
[4:20:58] » so that is a
[4:20:58] anticipation that we're going to have
[4:21:01] some services that were provided um
[4:21:05] because of in-house and there's just
[4:21:08] some uncertainty about what what will be
[4:21:10] done in terms of dividing between the
[4:21:13] third party provider and what will
[4:21:15] continue to be provided inhouse. So, for
[4:21:18] example, when a call comes in for an
[4:21:20] assessment question, we feel those calls
[4:21:23] still depending on if it's about the,
[4:21:26] you know, they need a reprint of their
[4:21:28] bill and or if they need an updated
[4:21:31] address and that sort of thing versus
[4:21:33] what services um the third party would
[4:21:36] provide in terms of specifics about
[4:21:38] their assessment value and also just
[4:21:41] like system uploads into our financial
[4:21:43] system, the printing of the of the
[4:21:46] documentation. And so just because of
[4:21:48] that uncertainty, we've earmarked some
[4:21:50] dollars um in 2027 which we will need to
[4:21:53] revisit after we completely understand
[4:21:55] what those impa implications will be in
[4:21:58] 2026.
[4:22:01] » Yeah. One thing that we've seen like a
[4:22:02] lot of municipalities with our size will
[4:22:04] have especially those clerks like we've
[4:22:05] got tax and utilities consolidated right
[4:22:07] now because we have in-house assessment.
[4:22:10] We don't know is the biggest answer. We
[4:22:12] don't know what the actual human
[4:22:14] resource capacity is in turn. That might
[4:22:17] be high. It might go to zero. It might
[4:22:19] be we need a little bit more. It's a
[4:22:21] placeholder for consideration in 2728 as
[4:22:24] we navigate this transition essentially
[4:22:26] to to further understand what aspects
[4:22:29] are transitioning and what type of
[4:22:30] administrative support less provides
[4:22:33] currently in his current role. It's just
[4:22:35] a we have to go through this first
[4:22:38] before we can answer that.
[4:22:43] Okay.
[4:22:53] » Yeah. Roll up your sleeves, everyone.
[4:22:56] Let's go talk.
[4:22:58] >> Let's go
[4:23:01] » Let's go
[4:23:01] guys. I didn't realize I need to be
[4:23:03] grandstanded. Oh, yeah. Great.
[4:23:07] >> Good afternoon, council.
[4:23:13] So, council, I'll just uh briefly uh
[4:23:15] briefly go over uh what emergency
[4:23:17] services encompasses. So, fire and
[4:23:19] emergency response, our newly
[4:23:21] implemented regional emergency
[4:23:22] management partnership, uh the community
[4:23:24] peace officer program, and also included
[4:23:26] here is the budget for our provincial uh
[4:23:28] policing requisition.
[4:23:30] For the purposes of this budget, um
[4:23:32] we're going to be doing a consolidation
[4:23:34] of all of those together.
[4:23:38] So in the revenue side on this slide
[4:23:41] you'll show that our 2025 budget you
[4:23:44] approved last year along with the
[4:23:46] proposed budget for 26 to 28 for your
[4:23:48] consideration. Under the revenue we
[4:23:51] adjusted our projected revenues for
[4:23:52] sales and uh of goods and services to
[4:23:55] align more closely with our actual trend
[4:23:57] over the last few years. Uh we left the
[4:24:00] forecast for the fines and penalties
[4:24:01] unchanged.
[4:24:03] And you'll notice that in 2026 the
[4:24:05] transfers from the reserves increased
[4:24:07] quite a bit. However, these dollars uh
[4:24:10] have been accumulating in the reserve
[4:24:12] account for over the last few years uh
[4:24:13] to pay for new fire equipment as it
[4:24:15] reaches its end of life cycle and it
[4:24:18] shows the withdrawal for that purpose.
[4:24:21] So the expenditures uh on the
[4:24:23] expenditures side uh you'll notice that
[4:24:25] there is an increase from 2025 to 2026
[4:24:27] before it begins to drop down and uh
[4:24:30] using the waterfall on the next page. Um
[4:24:33] I'll explain that in a little more
[4:24:35] detail. Any questions on that slide at
[4:24:37] all?
[4:24:42] » Sure.
[4:24:43] >> Hi. Thanks. Um could you maybe just uh
[4:24:46] » Hi. Thanks. Um could you maybe just uh
[4:24:46] touch base on what uh the projection
[4:24:50] 821,000 sales of goods and services
[4:24:53] where we collect that money from?
[4:24:57] >> Uh
[4:24:59] » Uh
[4:24:59] do you want to comment on that?
[4:25:03] >> Okay.
[4:25:05] » Okay.
[4:25:05] So, we collect money when there's a fire
[4:25:11] response and then we use that to pay our
[4:25:14] service providers.
[4:25:16] We reviewed the last couple of years or
[4:25:19] through the reef to council coopers. We
[4:25:22] reviewed the last couple of years. We
[4:25:24] decreased the expected revenue by
[4:25:29] $50,000. We believe that it's a more
[4:25:31] accurate but conservative amount to use
[4:25:34] for our budget.
[4:25:39] » Okay.
[4:25:47] » I don't know what's going on, you guys.
[4:25:49] Just must be
[4:25:52] [laughter]
[4:26:02] All right. [laughter]
[4:26:04] So, uh I know you're familiar with the
[4:26:06] waterfall falls um graphs from before.
[4:26:10] So, uh I'll just cover off the key
[4:26:12] messages here. So, number one, our
[4:26:14] provincial policing requisition is
[4:26:15] expected to increase by 57%.
[4:26:18] We currently pay approximately $700,000
[4:26:21] per year. We expect this cost to
[4:26:23] increase to $1.2 $2 million per year.
[4:26:25] The waterfall shows that there's a
[4:26:27] $376,000
[4:26:29] increase.
[4:26:30] Second key was during 2025, we stood up
[4:26:34] our uh regional emergency management
[4:26:36] initiative in collaboration with our
[4:26:37] municipal partners, which was a great
[4:26:39] initiative. We wanted to show the total
[4:26:41] cost of our program here of $198,000.
[4:26:44] We show our portion of uh regional
[4:26:47] emergency management included in the
[4:26:48] green bucket as a transfer of
[4:26:50] departments.
[4:26:52] Third point, uh you'll notice a small
[4:26:54] increase of $28,000 for transfers to
[4:26:57] reserve so that we ensure that we are
[4:26:58] putting enough money in for future
[4:27:00] capital equipment purchases.
[4:27:03] Story on the IT allocation is you've
[4:27:05] heard it a couple times already
[4:27:07] throughout the budget. Uh it's the same
[4:27:09] as other departments. And uh the piece
[4:27:12] that you're probably most interested in
[4:27:14] is the big red fire engine red uh bar
[4:27:17] which represents changes to our
[4:27:18] contracted fire service agreements with
[4:27:20] our municipal partners along with as we
[4:27:23] discussed in our previous slide money
[4:27:25] we've moved from our reserves to pay for
[4:27:26] our portion of capital expenses
[4:27:28] including the new fire engine in cold.
[4:27:31] These capital costs in 2026 are offset
[4:27:34] by corresponding decreases in 2027 and
[4:27:36] 2028 before the budget settles down back
[4:27:38] in about approximately 3.8 8 million uh
[4:27:42] per year in 2028. We expect this to be
[4:27:46] the new norm with the regional emergency
[4:27:47] management and cost increases to the
[4:27:50] provincial police requisition. All all
[4:27:52] in.
[4:27:54] So with that, I know that's pretty
[4:27:57] short, but if do you have any questions?
[4:28:03] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh so the big the
[4:28:06] big bubble there was really just us
[4:28:08] getting out of capital on our our fire
[4:28:11] services contract.
[4:28:14] >> Go ahead.
[4:28:15] » Go ahead.
[4:28:15] >> Yeah. Through the chair to deputy ree
[4:28:16] » Yeah. Through the chair to deputy ree
[4:28:16] kerbass. So um that is part of it. Part
[4:28:19] of it is is uh we remain committed to
[4:28:22] capital at least under our current
[4:28:24] agreements um in a few municipalities
[4:28:26] and other ones. It was always the
[4:28:28] intention. We've just frontloaded that
[4:28:29] contribution for a couple of those. So
[4:28:31] that also includes the contribution to
[4:28:33] Colddale for the fire uh engine rescue
[4:28:36] which we continue to be a partner in in
[4:28:39] that under that agreement. So yes but it
[4:28:42] only partially about twothirds of that
[4:28:44] contribution would be that and then one
[4:28:46] third would be the other.
[4:28:48] >> Perfect. Thank you.
[4:28:51] » Perfect. Thank you.
[4:28:51] >> Anything else for you?
[4:28:55] » Anything else for you?
[4:28:55] >> Thank you very much.
[4:28:59] » Thank you.
[4:29:15] All right, we'll move into growth
[4:29:17] [clears throat] and engagement. Uh so as
[4:29:19] this this department uh we've
[4:29:21] consolidated it also includes marketing
[4:29:23] and communications. So, the growth and
[4:29:26] engagement portion, um, I know we've had
[4:29:28] this conversation with council a number
[4:29:30] of months ago, is a new initiative in
[4:29:32] our efforts to strengthen our regional
[4:29:34] economy, support local business, and
[4:29:36] position the county for long-term
[4:29:38] sustainable prosperity. So, this isn't
[4:29:41] just economic development. It's
[4:29:42] investment attraction, business
[4:29:43] retention, expansion, stakeholder
[4:29:45] engagement, intergovernmental relations,
[4:29:48] and strategic partnerships to help
[4:29:49] advance our overall economic
[4:29:51] opportunities.
[4:29:53] And then it is like I mentioned the
[4:29:55] communications and marketing department
[4:29:57] as well which is responsible for the
[4:30:00] county's brand public and engagement
[4:30:01] issue management and outreach efforts.
[4:30:03] So we'll move into the department. We've
[4:30:06] split this one in a couple ways and
[4:30:09] we'll get into it in the waterfall. The
[4:30:10] big addition here is the consolidation
[4:30:12] of growth and engagement which includes
[4:30:15] um an allowance. A lot of our grant
[4:30:16] applications
[4:30:18] a lot of our grant applications we've
[4:30:20] just put an earmark there on some of
[4:30:21] those. We've got Southgrow contribution
[4:30:23] which increased by about 50% this year.
[4:30:26] Um we've got um uh obviously the the
[4:30:30] corresponding salaries and initiatives
[4:30:32] and then there's some of it is an
[4:30:34] earmark as we proceed with some of the
[4:30:36] grants that are coming forward to
[4:30:37] council on December 4th and that we
[4:30:39] discussed at the last council meeting.
[4:30:41] There is a matching contribution there.
[4:30:42] So we put some earmarked funds aside.
[4:30:45] Whether they're fully covered here or
[4:30:46] not, we'll understand better once we we
[4:30:49] find out what we get traction with.
[4:30:50] Other than that, we've continued with
[4:30:52] the deep roots bright future video
[4:30:55] series. We've got a lot of traction
[4:30:56] there. We've consolidated our
[4:30:58] advertising budget to in a similar vein
[4:31:01] as we did with it to give more
[4:31:03] responsibility to the subject matter
[4:31:05] experts to help us navigate and make the
[4:31:07] best recommendations for our advertising
[4:31:09] efforts for the various departments. And
[4:31:11] then there's a number of buckets there
[4:31:13] that are kind of up and down that are
[4:31:14] just minor changes. We've moved some of
[4:31:17] those initiatives up and out, but
[4:31:19] they're fairly nominal.
[4:31:21] Is there anything the council wants to
[4:31:22] discuss in detail there?
[4:31:32] So this is the slide that we had before.
[4:31:35] This was the summary based on what was
[4:31:38] um originally proposed. I think this is
[4:31:42] before we move to capital. This is the
[4:31:43] time to kind of see where council's at.
[4:31:46] If there's anything we want to circle
[4:31:48] back to, we can go back to our parking
[4:31:49] lot item up for discussion. Um, but
[4:31:54] everything you've seen today, this would
[4:31:55] be the the net of those revenues and
[4:31:58] expenditures and projected tax rate
[4:32:00] implications.
[4:32:12] Sure. Do do we want to have any
[4:32:14] discussion here? Whatever whatever we
[4:32:16] lock in here is what will be coming
[4:32:17] forward on the fourth for
[4:32:20] recommendation. So I just want to make
[4:32:21] sure that
[4:32:23] we're good on operating
[4:32:47] You know, I think what's unique this
[4:32:48] year is the growth that we're
[4:32:50] experiencing is not that is not just
[4:32:52] assessment growth based on index
[4:32:54] property values. That is primarily net
[4:32:57] new growth. And so, um, some of that
[4:33:00] coming online offsets what those rates
[4:33:02] are. When we set that rate in April is
[4:33:05] is when we talk about that that
[4:33:08] distribution,
[4:33:09] um, on how we want to do that. I I would
[4:33:12] anticipate and I and I can't answer this
[4:33:14] in earnest to say here's exactly what
[4:33:16] this is once we peel that new growth out
[4:33:18] because it is still a projected growth
[4:33:20] at this point. We don't have all of the
[4:33:22] information on some of that finalized
[4:33:24] assessment. Um that we're probably
[4:33:27] talking about a couple percent increase
[4:33:29] across the board. how that gets
[4:33:30] bucketed, if it is it more on one side
[4:33:32] or less on the other from a what do you
[4:33:35] see on your tax bill? That that's the
[4:33:38] conversation we need to have when we set
[4:33:39] those tax rates to support that.
[4:33:51] Yeah, I I think our recommendation would
[4:33:53] be to treat them a lot more equally this
[4:33:56] year, especially based on some of the
[4:33:58] other um potential advocacy efforts and
[4:34:01] initiatives that council's exploring for
[4:34:04] revenue um right now similar to and
[4:34:08] we'll talk about it in capital even our
[4:34:09] market access network and the business
[4:34:11] tax um program there where I think we
[4:34:15] just we plan to index it kind of across
[4:34:18] the board rather than targeting egg at
[4:34:20] this time until we have a better
[4:34:22] understanding what those impacts are.
[4:34:27] That that's kind of what I'm thinking is
[4:34:29] if if that proceeds then I think it
[4:34:31] would probably not make sense to index a
[4:34:33] at a greater rate at this stage. If that
[4:34:35] doesn't proceed then I think we'll know
[4:34:38] more by April and that could change our
[4:34:40] strategy at that time. And and so I
[4:34:41] think that's kind of the big question
[4:34:42] mark that we have to understand at this
[4:34:45] stage.
[4:34:57] I think if if you guys want to tackle
[4:34:58] it, we can. I know Haley's pulled some
[4:35:00] numbers. I mean, we have we would have
[4:35:03] to do some more vetting if you want to
[4:35:05] truly subsidize it to understand what
[4:35:08] the
[4:35:10] um the total would be. Now, just on our
[4:35:14] MG30 side, it was like for what they pay
[4:35:16] for the dust suppression that we had
[4:35:17] calculated previously was covering. If
[4:35:20] we were just to say we're adding a
[4:35:21] second application, I think it's fair to
[4:35:22] assume it would be in and around that
[4:35:24] $500,000.
[4:35:26] I I would be reluctant to do that. What
[4:35:30] I would rather see us do is add the
[4:35:32] second application at a paid rate. We go
[4:35:35] back and we figure out what that
[4:35:36] secondary rate needs to be based on some
[4:35:38] of the calculations that they've done to
[4:35:40] date that gets incorporated or tweaked
[4:35:41] in the schedule of fees before we roll
[4:35:43] out that form. Figure out the value
[4:35:45] proposition there and the uptake and
[4:35:47] then if it has the impact and we want to
[4:35:49] continue with that. I think it's a lot
[4:35:50] easier to say we would then subsidize
[4:35:53] that or or look to add that for free. I
[4:35:56] think it's a lot harder to add it for
[4:35:57] free at this stage.
[4:36:00] I mean, open to the discussion. It's
[4:36:02] it's a council decision. It's just a
[4:36:05] it's not a small amount of money.
[4:36:07] >> I would I would maybe start at the
[4:36:08] » I would I would maybe start at the
[4:36:08] beginning.
[4:36:10] Is there an appetite from council to
[4:36:13] provide
[4:36:14] dust control, dust suppression
[4:36:17] option to our residents? Is that is that
[4:36:20] a level of service that we want to
[4:36:22] >> just overall is this a program that we
[4:36:25] » just overall is this a program that we
[4:36:25] Maybe we need to provide a level of
[4:36:27] service for
[4:36:31] Is there an appetite to explore a second
[4:36:35] application?
[4:36:37] >> Yes. Okay. Then I move to Eric's
[4:36:40] » Yes. Okay. Then I move to Eric's
[4:36:40] question. I guess is that something the
[4:36:43] council would entertain
[4:36:45] uh subsidizing that second application
[4:37:04] I I'd like to
[4:37:18] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I could
[4:37:20] see people wanting people that want the
[4:37:22] second application would be willing to
[4:37:24] pay for it. That's why they would go for
[4:37:26] it. So I don't see us to me it would
[4:37:28] just keep the two same and if you
[4:37:30] subsidize the second one they're going
[4:37:31] to go aren't you subsidizing the first
[4:37:33] it just so if we can come up with a few
[4:37:35] structures so that you give pe people
[4:37:37] the option of having a second and if
[4:37:39] they do this is what's going to cost
[4:37:40] them. So come up with those numbers.
[4:37:44] >> Thank you Mr. Chair. I first of all I
[4:37:47] » Thank you Mr. Chair. I first of all I
[4:37:47] believe in the program but I believe
[4:37:48] that the program needs to be reworked so
[4:37:52] that it's uh um well so that we generate
[4:37:57] less complaints so we do a better job
[4:37:58] with it. I think if we're going to do
[4:37:59] something, we need to do a good job of
[4:38:01] it. And I think, you know, providing a
[4:38:04] session an application is definitely
[4:38:06] merited. But I believe that the program
[4:38:08] should fund itself through through the
[4:38:12] contribution from those that support it
[4:38:14] because I that's the way it is right now
[4:38:18] um for the most part. And I I think it's
[4:38:21] important to make sure that the people
[4:38:23] that that choose not to have dust
[4:38:25] control don't subsidize the people that
[4:38:28] do.
[4:38:31] >> I basically agree with what John says. I
[4:38:33] » I basically agree with what John says. I
[4:38:33] think if you uh uh include it all in one
[4:38:36] package, you'll be doing the same amount
[4:38:37] you did in the spring because everybody
[4:38:40] will want it done. So that just cuts
[4:38:42] into our time, too. So jobs that other
[4:38:45] jobs need to be done.
[4:38:49] I want to maybe push back a little bit,
[4:38:51] John.
[4:38:53] It is about matching expectations
[4:38:55] whether it's dust control, dust
[4:38:56] suppression.
[4:38:58] I do I think that across the board there
[4:39:00] is there's something to be said for how
[4:39:02] the program is delivered. I think the
[4:39:03] expectations of the program are the
[4:39:05] biggest limitations to it. It's what it
[4:39:07] is. It's suppression and it we live in a
[4:39:11] desert with high high load high
[4:39:14] intensity traffic and I think it's
[4:39:15] trying to I don't know how we
[4:39:18] expectations because I think there's an
[4:39:20] element of well you didn't do this you
[4:39:22] didn't do that but at the end of the day
[4:39:24] it is it's not the silver goal it's like
[4:39:26] well I do appreciate what you're saying
[4:39:28] I think it is our messaging has to be
[4:39:31] spot on clear and what it is and what it
[4:39:33] isn't I think we have to be very clear
[4:39:35] from what the application is when the
[4:39:37] windows of application are
[4:39:39] and the fact that we're going to break
[4:39:42] through those when we have to not
[4:39:45] as long as we're hearing that and We as
[4:39:48] council have the same as administration.
[4:39:50] I think we have to proceed
[4:39:54] in aligned fashion, but it's tough.
[4:40:00] I would say that's valid. I think, you
[4:40:02] know, maybe that's part of it, you know,
[4:40:04] in terms of of getting the message out
[4:40:06] there of us doing a better job with the
[4:40:08] program is is, you know, making sure
[4:40:11] that people understand what it is that
[4:40:13] they're getting. So, I think that's a
[4:40:14] very valid point.
[4:40:18] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[4:40:19] >> Yes, it's calculated.
[4:40:20] » Yes, it's calculated.
[4:40:20] >> Yeah, I'm trying.
[4:40:23] » Yeah, I'm trying.
[4:40:23] Um,
[4:40:24] realistic numbers what I see when I'm
[4:40:26] out there up and down my road. I buy 300
[4:40:29] m.
[4:40:31] I do uh I have work to deal with
[4:40:33] neighbors, so I buy 300 m. I buy 100 of
[4:40:35] their meters at uh at the $65.
[4:40:39] So, that's $1,950
[4:40:41] for my 300 m.
[4:40:44] Uh, it lasts in all reality 1 to 4 weeks
[4:40:48] of good suppression.
[4:40:53] If I got to double that
[4:40:56] to get 8 weeks of suppression of good,
[4:41:00] heavily effective, I'm at $3,900,
[4:41:04] but that's on our what I'm going to call
[4:41:05] better. I also had complaints and I saw
[4:41:08] it come that one week of the nurh hall
[4:41:11] over it. The guy says, "I put nine or he
[4:41:13] had the lower amount, so whatever. 200.
[4:41:17] He put $1,300 out for one week of use,
[4:41:21] cost per day,
[4:41:24] uh, effectiveness, all that. Yes, I want
[4:41:26] to see the program work. And I think the
[4:41:30] product is getting applied very well. I
[4:41:32] think we are trying very hard or we
[4:41:35] public works is trying, but these don't
[4:41:39] compute to me to put out $3,900.
[4:41:42] That's like my tax bill going into a
[4:41:46] quality of life thing. Um, so I I still
[4:41:50] going to be pushing a lot harder to say
[4:41:52] uh yes, second second application, but I
[4:41:55] think the the bare minimum I want to see
[4:41:57] is that that it's it's half subsidized.
[4:42:00] you know, we get a second application,
[4:42:02] we're going to get less product. That's
[4:42:03] what the discussion was. Unless we want
[4:42:04] to give a full rate second application,
[4:42:07] but we believe there's some residual, so
[4:42:09] it's a top up. So, I want to see it go
[4:42:11] on, you know, maybe have it as a top up
[4:42:14] program at three bucks
[4:42:17] uh or something like that.
[4:42:19] Um open for discussion on that, but
[4:42:21] that's my proposal would be more like
[4:42:23] that. So that our total comes in at 950
[4:42:26] for a double application or 650 for a
[4:42:28] single.
[4:42:32] » Start over on that side.
[4:42:34] >> Thanks. That goes back to one of the
[4:42:36] » Thanks. That goes back to one of the
[4:42:36] previous comments is that why should the
[4:42:38] people don't even subsidize those that
[4:42:40] do? That's your option. So if you you
[4:42:42] want to you know like you said you got
[4:42:44] your 600 meters and your guy got hauling
[4:42:47] a manure and if we didn't have the
[4:42:48] program would you be okay with the dust
[4:42:49] or you'd be screaming for a program. So
[4:42:51] it's if it lasts a week or whatever, I
[4:42:53] mean like we we've been told I mean the
[4:42:56] product is designed to last in regular
[4:42:59] conditions, light traffic for 3 months.
[4:43:01] So um if it's getting if you're losing
[4:43:04] it in a week, you got bigger problems.
[4:43:06] It's traffic volume I would think. So
[4:43:08] but I still think we need to do
[4:43:09] something um and provide an option to
[4:43:12] our residents and let them if they want
[4:43:13] it, they can pay for it. And I still
[4:43:16] think the second off or the second
[4:43:18] application at a different time of year
[4:43:19] is help.
[4:43:21] It's going to it varies every year. One
[4:43:22] year you may be having dust problems
[4:43:24] like crazy because you've got four
[4:43:26] different crops coming off late around
[4:43:27] you. Other years there's nothing around
[4:43:28] you. So it's you know it's a nice quiet
[4:43:30] summer have a barbecue in your front
[4:43:31] yard every year. So um dust is going to
[4:43:34] be non-stop. But I think to to eliminate
[4:43:37] the program isn't going to help. That's
[4:43:38] going to make it worse. So I think that
[4:43:41] I mean like I said if you've got it if
[4:43:42] you're losing it in a week then there's
[4:43:44] bigger issues and it's not the the
[4:43:46] product. It's there's just the traffic
[4:43:48] volume. So just I don't know how we deal
[4:43:51] with
[4:43:54] >> Yeah. [clears throat] I mean, my first
[4:43:56] » Yeah. [clears throat] I mean, my first
[4:43:56] takeaway is we need benchmark to
[4:43:58] reassess Eric's taxes, but um
[4:44:02] the uh I think the bigger conversation
[4:44:06] may there's two ways to put this into
[4:44:09] context and if I could package something
[4:44:12] or propose something to councelor Van
[4:44:14] Essen where maybe the first option is
[4:44:16] it's an in-n-out, we don't subsidize
[4:44:18] that second application at all. whatever
[4:44:20] that is. Um, or if you're going to do
[4:44:22] it, because we don't have some of those
[4:44:23] numbers today, I think there's a lot of
[4:44:26] work to figure out what that is and we
[4:44:28] can do that. But as for budget
[4:44:31] conversations, one thing that we could
[4:44:33] maybe explore, and I'm I'm not
[4:44:35] suggesting we do this or don't, but but
[4:44:37] to what's been proposed is setting
[4:44:40] whatever that is and then just
[4:44:42] earmarking a set number of dollars
[4:44:44] either through tax equalization or
[4:44:45] something else to say, hey, whatever
[4:44:47] that program is in those applications,
[4:44:49] we base it on our projections and we
[4:44:51] offset it by $100,000 from reserve or
[4:44:54] something for this year or $50,000 or
[4:44:57] pick your number. we'll go back because
[4:44:59] then the budget can remain. We can go
[4:45:02] back rather than having to adjust that
[4:45:04] rate. We do it year one, see what the
[4:45:06] uptake is at that second application
[4:45:08] rate that gets calculated subsidized
[4:45:12] as best as we could predict it by that
[4:45:15] that dollar amount. So now we've said,
[4:45:16] hey, it's not like we're just earmarking
[4:45:19] X to go towards that program. And then
[4:45:22] if it's successful, then we talk about
[4:45:24] what that rate should be in year two
[4:45:25] because I think we also need a year of
[4:45:28] What is the feedback? How we and and a
[4:45:30] conversation we need to have with
[4:45:31] marketing and communications when we do
[4:45:33] this, how we get objective feedback
[4:45:35] because right now we hear the complaints
[4:45:38] and then you get out there and it's like
[4:45:40] not everybody's up like not every
[4:45:42] everybody's upset about the program. We
[4:45:44] love the program. They don't want it to
[4:45:45] go away. I think we need to also have a
[4:45:47] strategy as part of this to see how far
[4:45:49] we're moving the needle with this versus
[4:45:51] the single application. those that that
[4:45:54] would be how I would maybe suggest to
[4:45:56] approach the two items that are being
[4:45:58] discussed.
[4:45:59] >> Okay.
[4:46:00] » Okay.
[4:46:00] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah. And I I
[4:46:02] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah. And I I
[4:46:02] totally agree with you about with with
[4:46:05] Eric about, you know, offering it to to
[4:46:08] the residents. I just for me would like
[4:46:10] to see the numbers, right? Um of what it
[4:46:13] would actually cost to do that. So, if
[4:46:16] we're able to get those numbers, then I
[4:46:19] can.
[4:46:20] Yeah, that's just how I'm saying.
[4:46:25] >> Thanks.
[4:46:27] » Thanks.
[4:46:27] What if we if we decided as a group to
[4:46:31] date to double that number that we have
[4:46:34] in the budget currently?
[4:46:37] What would be the the I guess the the
[4:46:40] implications on our our increase in the
[4:46:44] taxes? Because I mean there is an
[4:46:45] implication there. bring it up from from
[4:46:48] 3% to
[4:46:52] » Yeah, I think we can calculate that. I
[4:46:53] think to to Lauren's point, the number
[4:46:56] just needs to be the exact same number
[4:46:58] as the first application because if it's
[4:47:00] free, you're doing too. Why? We're just
[4:47:03] going to assume that
[4:47:04] >> and then we just remove the revenue side
[4:47:06] » and then we just remove the revenue side
[4:47:06] of that equation and see how that
[4:47:07] adjusts. And that's something that Haley
[4:47:09] could look at. I mean, it's
[4:47:10] >> and so here's my thought process on
[4:47:13] » and so here's my thought process on
[4:47:13] that. If if we agreed to do that and
[4:47:15] have an increase in our budget,
[4:47:18] then we've got some flexibility when we
[4:47:21] go to pass that that bylaw
[4:47:24] if we're going to what are we going to
[4:47:25] do? Are we going to do two applications?
[4:47:27] We're going to do one application. Is it
[4:47:29] going to be subsidized? Is it not going
[4:47:30] to be subsidized? I I'm my concern is
[4:47:34] that if we pass the budget as it sits
[4:47:36] without putting an increase in it, we
[4:47:38] just fund it from reserves as as sort of
[4:47:41] a a uh stop gap. Um is that maybe the
[4:47:46] right approach or should we It's a 3%
[4:47:49] increase roughly. It would be another
[4:47:50] 3%.
[4:47:53] Yeah. Well, that answers a lot of
[4:47:54] questions, doesn't it? Yeah.
[4:47:58] Yeah. So that you know that would bring
[4:48:01] the increase up to 6% which um I
[4:48:04] >> our recommendation
[4:48:06] » our recommendation
[4:48:06] >> my pallet is not there
[4:48:07] » my pallet is not there
[4:48:07] >> we would need to lower contributions to
[4:48:08] » we would need to lower contributions to
[4:48:08] reserve or something there to solve that
[4:48:10] that's just
[4:48:12] >> that's a very large job
[4:48:20] » Tony thoughts
[4:48:27] thank you Mr. Sure. Close your remarks.
[4:48:31] Uh subsidize services. We subsidize a
[4:48:35] variety of things we don't use already.
[4:48:38] Just going to put that out there. That's
[4:48:41] not everything that we're funding uh
[4:48:43] benefits everybody. So to say, well, you
[4:48:46] know, nobody can we can't possibly
[4:48:48] consider a subsidized second application
[4:48:51] because not everybody gets it. Happens
[4:48:54] on everything. Uh so anyway, we'll let
[4:48:56] it lie and I do agree that's get some
[4:48:59] numbers and and we can work on it from
[4:49:00] that side. Thanks.
[4:49:05] » What are the numbers that we're asking
[4:49:07] for? Is it just the cost of the second
[4:49:08] application? Because I think right now
[4:49:10] what I would really like to understand
[4:49:11] is what that strategy is because it will
[4:49:13] affect the budget next week. Are we is
[4:49:16] there any appetite to subsidize this in
[4:49:18] any way or not? Like I
[4:49:21] >> I I need to know the answer to that
[4:49:22] » I I need to know the answer to that
[4:49:22] definitively. The question is there an
[4:49:25] is there an appetite
[4:49:27] believe Eric has an appetite to
[4:49:29] subsidize a second application. I would
[4:49:31] ask that the rest of the council. Is
[4:49:32] there an appetite to subsidize a second
[4:49:34] application?
[4:49:57] We take a short 10 minutes.
[5:04:43] at 2:05 this afternoon. Uh, cool. Yours?
[5:04:48] >> Yeah, I think we'll just do maybe uh
[5:04:50] » Yeah, I think we'll just do maybe uh
[5:04:50] after the break uh one more call for
[5:04:53] [clears throat] discussion on the
[5:04:54] operating budget before we move on to
[5:04:56] capital.
[5:04:57] >> I had one uh question, Cole. I know
[5:05:01] » I had one uh question, Cole. I know
[5:05:01] we've talked uh over the years uh about
[5:05:04] our our operations
[5:05:06] uh
[5:05:09] and I guess looking forward to where
[5:05:11] we're going, where we are, where we're
[5:05:13] headed as far as uh yeah, the county's
[5:05:17] operations. Is there,
[5:05:20] how do I put this?
[5:05:23] Where are we at, I guess, in those
[5:05:25] conversations? And is there a next step
[5:05:27] forward in those conversations?
[5:05:29] Yeah. Uh, thank [clears throat] you, Mr.
[5:05:31] Chairman. Really the next step for us,
[5:05:34] well, we've identified sites. We do know
[5:05:36] we have aging infrastructure in some of
[5:05:38] our facilities. Um, not understanding
[5:05:41] what that plan is, the scope, scale,
[5:05:44] cost of that makes it hard for us to
[5:05:46] make some of the midterm decisions, I
[5:05:48] would say, around our current assets.
[5:05:49] And so the next step that we had
[5:05:51] discussed, it's not included in this
[5:05:53] budget, but it would be a one-off um
[5:05:55] almost an operating project, would be to
[5:05:57] do a functional study or functional
[5:06:00] programming, which would provide an
[5:06:01] assessment of all of our current
[5:06:03] operations. It would help us assess what
[5:06:05] our current growth rates are, what we
[5:06:07] need, what we don't need, and then it
[5:06:10] would plan it. It almost provides you a
[5:06:12] bit of a a bible so to speak on on what
[5:06:16] your build would look like or how you
[5:06:18] could estimate your costs because you
[5:06:19] would have that vetted and refined. And
[5:06:22] so it's a highle study um looking at all
[5:06:24] of those things. And some of those are a
[5:06:26] little bit more complicated when we get
[5:06:28] into how are we servicing fleet, how are
[5:06:29] we doing some of those items that that
[5:06:31] drive a lot of those costs. So that
[5:06:33] would be probably our recommendation uh
[5:06:35] should count council want to proceed to
[5:06:36] the next step is to complete a
[5:06:38] functional um program or a functional
[5:06:40] study and because it would be a one-off
[5:06:43] I think we would recommend we pull that
[5:06:45] from like the tax equalization reserve
[5:06:47] and we earmark some funds there and we
[5:06:50] would then go to an RFP and secure the
[5:06:53] necessary consultant to complete that
[5:06:55] for us.
[5:07:03] It's hard to say depending on how we
[5:07:06] package that. I think that if we're
[5:07:07] going to provide a recommendation, I
[5:07:09] mean, we could say I I could see it
[5:07:11] being in the 60 70 to $100,000 depending
[5:07:14] on how detailed and how much information
[5:07:15] we're going to get out of that report.
[5:07:17] Uh if we were going to set a rate as
[5:07:18] part of budget, even as an in and out uh
[5:07:20] out of one of those reserves, our
[5:07:22] recommendation would probably be to set
[5:07:24] that at $100,000 for to complete that
[5:07:27] study. Now, having done a lot of these
[5:07:30] in the past, that is a a large dollar
[5:07:33] amount, but it is a large dollar amount
[5:07:35] that saves you millions on the back end
[5:07:39] by having it properly vetted now. So, if
[5:07:41] we're moving forward with that, I I
[5:07:43] think it's an important document and an
[5:07:45] important review to complete before we
[5:07:47] look to proceed with anything else.
[5:07:58] Well, I think it's something that we
[5:08:00] need to move forward to do, but I don't
[5:08:02] know that it's anything that we need to
[5:08:04] sort of worry about in this particular
[5:08:05] budget [clears throat] because it is
[5:08:07] we're just in the infasy of this, but as
[5:08:09] you'd said, you know, when we look at
[5:08:11] moving forward, you're thinking we
[5:08:13] should fund that out of reserves
[5:08:15] initially then, right?
[5:08:17] >> Yeah. And it's hard it's hard to know
[5:08:19] » Yeah. And it's hard it's hard to know
[5:08:19] what moving forward is without that
[5:08:21] done. So, if we're going to do it in 26,
[5:08:24] my recommendation would be let's let the
[5:08:27] council direct us to make that change
[5:08:28] now. It won't affect the tax rate or
[5:08:30] anything as proposed, but we would make
[5:08:31] the budgetary changes in the in the
[5:08:35] budget uh that comes forward on the 4th.
[5:08:37] We could that would basically give us
[5:08:39] the approval to start with that RFP in
[5:08:41] 2026.
[5:08:43] If it's high, low, or whatever, we could
[5:08:45] adjust it at that time. We just wouldn't
[5:08:47] complete that transfer or we would bring
[5:08:48] that back to council if it was over that
[5:08:50] amount. But that gives us the
[5:08:51] authorization to proceed should council
[5:08:53] want us to proceed with that in 2026.
[5:08:56] And then once you have that report, that
[5:08:57] probably would take us 12 or 24 months
[5:08:59] to complete that review. Then we could
[5:09:02] take that, we would have some of those
[5:09:03] more concrete estimates and that would
[5:09:05] guide our next steps on facility sale
[5:09:08] consolidation, what that could look
[5:09:10] like.
[5:09:14] » I have a second thought on that regard.
[5:09:15] Then, you know, this is something that
[5:09:19] has been on the table for a long time
[5:09:22] and we kind of keep kicking it down the
[5:09:24] road and kicking it down the road and I
[5:09:27] I think we're we're probably very fast
[5:09:30] getting to the point where we're not
[5:09:32] going to be able to kick it down the
[5:09:33] road anymore. And if we don't start the
[5:09:36] process,
[5:09:38] you we we potentially could be sitting
[5:09:41] here three years from now with a a plan
[5:09:45] where we have to hurry up the situation.
[5:09:48] And um and to administration's point,
[5:09:52] usually when you have to do things in a
[5:09:54] hurry, it costs a lot more. You end up
[5:09:56] making mistakes or having unintended
[5:09:58] consequences because you haven't done
[5:10:00] the work in the background. So, I I
[5:10:02] would think that it it's probably
[5:10:04] prudent for us to start that process
[5:10:06] now.
[5:10:11] » Any other thoughts from council?
[5:10:17] » I think I would agree with John. I think
[5:10:18] it's one of those things where it's been
[5:10:20] in the background and I think that
[5:10:22] before we even suggest to make a plan, I
[5:10:25] think if we don't have the the
[5:10:27] information to move forward with that, I
[5:10:28] think we're doing ourselves a
[5:10:29] disservice. So I would I would support
[5:10:32] doing it sooner rather than later and if
[5:10:33] that's 2026 I would support that
[5:10:39] » thank you Mr. Chair this study lays out
[5:10:44] start to finish potential revenues of
[5:10:47] sales options all that or how
[5:10:51] comprehensive is it?
[5:10:52] >> No [clears throat] the study would be on
[5:10:53] » No [clears throat] the study would be on
[5:10:53] our operations. So, typically what you
[5:10:56] would see is you would hire a um there's
[5:10:59] firms that specialize in this. So, they
[5:11:00] would come in, they would do an
[5:11:01] assessment. Well, I'll use a really easy
[5:11:03] one like they would look at planning and
[5:11:05] development. They're going to actually
[5:11:06] earmark here's how much office space
[5:11:08] they need. Here's the services provided.
[5:11:10] Here's what the county has to do. Here's
[5:11:12] the infrastructure requirement for you
[5:11:13] to provide that service. The harder ones
[5:11:16] are fleet as an example. What are we
[5:11:19] doing for servicing? What does that look
[5:11:21] like? So this study is more on what are
[5:11:23] your operations and what are the
[5:11:25] infrastructure requirements and then
[5:11:26] subsequently you have a very very high
[5:11:29] level build cost estimate they would and
[5:11:32] and again high level because it's really
[5:11:34] based off of square footage and and the
[5:11:36] categor categorization of the space
[5:11:39] types like office space is obviously
[5:11:40] different than shop space in there from
[5:11:42] there that would then inform we also
[5:11:45] have um assess property values we also
[5:11:47] have and then it would be our team that
[5:11:49] would be responsible to consolidate that
[5:11:51] and say here's what this could look like
[5:11:52] if we wanted to move forward. So this is
[5:11:54] more on the infrastructure cost estimate
[5:11:56] side of a build for current state and
[5:11:58] growth. There's some assumptions there.
[5:12:00] The one nice thing about these studies,
[5:12:03] you can shelf them and you have to brush
[5:12:05] them off because things do change, but
[5:12:07] you were just brushing them off to say
[5:12:09] what's different, not reproducing the
[5:12:12] whole thing again. So if we do this and
[5:12:14] let's say that it's it sits on a shelf
[5:12:16] for 5 years because that's the strategic
[5:12:17] position we're in. we're we're really
[5:12:19] pulling it out and say, okay, what's
[5:12:21] different now than was different then
[5:12:22] for services, not a wholesale, we're in
[5:12:25] a totally different business. And I
[5:12:26] think, you know, that's not the nature
[5:12:29] of what we do. So, um, but that's that's
[5:12:32] just that piece. And then that's a piece
[5:12:34] of the puzzle that goes into what you're
[5:12:35] talking about of the other information
[5:12:36] that we've already been gathering, the
[5:12:37] team's working on.
[5:12:38] >> And to your point that, you know, you
[5:12:41] » And to your point that, you know, you
[5:12:41] dust it off and you go it again, um, we
[5:12:44] are not unique as much as we think we're
[5:12:46] special. Uh, is this not just a a
[5:12:49] requirement for a municipality of this
[5:12:51] size or um this like is there not just
[5:12:56] shelves of this is how much space you
[5:12:58] need um that we have to do this
[5:13:00] comprehensive study on it?
[5:13:02] Some of it I mean that's reflected the
[5:13:04] the stuff that's really straightforward
[5:13:05] is reflected in the cost of that study.
[5:13:08] And I'm I'm just going to speak from
[5:13:09] coming from healthcare where that there
[5:13:11] is we did that but it was a lot there's
[5:13:13] a lot more nuance where it was the same
[5:13:15] thing. It's like this is how big you
[5:13:16] build an operating room for these
[5:13:18] services. This is how big you build X
[5:13:20] for this. But a lot of that is
[5:13:22] consolidating all of that. So we
[5:13:24] actually know what it is we're looking
[5:13:25] for and it's defensible to say you do
[5:13:28] this because I think the we're under the
[5:13:31] and and we should be you go and build
[5:13:33] something and you make those key
[5:13:35] decisions in design and construction,
[5:13:37] they need to be predicated on something.
[5:13:38] So as much as we can say, hey, there
[5:13:40] should be there should be just this
[5:13:42] blanket standard. Um then you get into
[5:13:45] design and everybody has these opinions
[5:13:46] and and what is your guiding or
[5:13:48] northstar document or principle? This
[5:13:50] kind of gives us that to say no we built
[5:13:52] the suit for now and the future based on
[5:13:54] these key decisions versus we just
[5:13:57] thought it would be a good idea to have
[5:14:00] X in that. And so that's what this kind
[5:14:02] of gives you. But yeah, some of it is
[5:14:03] easily like office space is easy. Like
[5:14:06] that's not even just that's not unique
[5:14:08] to municipal but some of the other
[5:14:09] things for
[5:14:11] council lounge like how many spectators
[5:14:14] there are how many those are
[5:14:16] municipality specific some of those
[5:14:18] things are good to account for in in
[5:14:20] documents like this so that we can
[5:14:21] actually plan for that and what the
[5:14:23] costs are
[5:14:28] anything else
[5:14:32] do we support this
[5:14:38] Okay. To a dollar amount to the 100.
[5:14:45] » Okay.
[5:14:52] [clears throat]
[5:14:55] » All right. Good afternoon again,
[5:14:56] council. Here to present the 2026
[5:14:59] through 2030 infrastructure services
[5:15:01] capital budget.
[5:15:04] Uh this slide I don't think I need to go
[5:15:06] over as Haley um described the purpose
[5:15:09] analysis and planning for capital budget
[5:15:12] in her initial presentation.
[5:15:15] So just going through all the
[5:15:16] departments 26 through 2030
[5:15:19] capital summary uh you'll see that
[5:15:21] agricultural services is looking at
[5:15:24] $160,000
[5:15:25] fleet services almost 3.1 million
[5:15:28] infrastructure services uh 7.35 million
[5:15:31] market access network program 2.15
[5:15:34] million and IT at 300,000 almost for a
[5:15:37] total capital uh 2026 capital value of
[5:15:41] $13 million 30,000 Getting
[5:15:46] into the sources of funding that we have
[5:15:49] for our capital projects. Uh this graph
[5:15:52] shows the green circles show our revenue
[5:15:54] sources that are our primary and
[5:15:57] consistent revenue sources such as our
[5:15:59] bridges and paved roads reserve. Our
[5:16:02] Canada community building fund grant and
[5:16:05] local government fiscal framework. Those
[5:16:08] are our primary funding sources as I
[5:16:09] mentioned. uh they are fairly consistent
[5:16:12] and are a reliable source of revenue to
[5:16:14] offset capital expenditures. Competitive
[5:16:17] funding sources such as the Alberta
[5:16:19] municipal water and wastewater program
[5:16:21] which we got funding for Shaughnessy and
[5:16:23] their strategic transportation
[5:16:25] infrastructure program in which we got
[5:16:26] funding for our bridge files and our
[5:16:28] cement stabilized roads. Those are
[5:16:30] competitive grant sources and should not
[5:16:32] be relied upon as a consistent source.
[5:16:35] Um it's great when we get those we get
[5:16:36] to maintain some of our reserves and
[5:16:38] some of our other consistent or our
[5:16:41] primary funding sources but um not to be
[5:16:44] relied on as a consistent um revenue
[5:16:47] generator.
[5:16:49] This slide shows our projected
[5:16:51] carryovers for those grant funds. So
[5:16:53] this is showing what we're carrying
[5:16:55] forward year-over-year. The green line
[5:16:58] shows our bridges and paved roads
[5:16:59] reserve. So that shows an opening
[5:17:01] balance of 6 million going through the
[5:17:03] years. You can see that being drawn down
[5:17:05] in 2030 to about $3.6 million. The blue
[5:17:08] line is our local government fiscal
[5:17:10] framework. Can see just over $2 million
[5:17:13] in 26, up a little bit in 27, and then a
[5:17:16] downward trend into 2030. And then uh
[5:17:19] our Canada Community Building Fund as
[5:17:21] well. Um trending that down into 2030.
[5:17:24] Um, the reason why I'm sharing with this
[5:17:26] this with you is I know in the past
[5:17:27] there was some concern with our grant
[5:17:30] funding carryovers and the risk that
[5:17:32] potentially the provincial government
[5:17:33] will claw that money back. Um, so we're
[5:17:36] aiming to keep that carryover uh as
[5:17:39] little as possible year-over-year just
[5:17:40] to ensure we actually utilize those
[5:17:43] funds that that were allocated
[5:17:48] going into the 2026 proposed
[5:17:50] infrastructure capital projects. uh
[5:17:53] pretty much the same as what I presented
[5:17:54] last year with a couple uh additions in
[5:17:57] here. The first one at the top is Range
[5:18:00] Road 21-1,
[5:18:01] otherwise known as the McNal Road. This
[5:18:04] includes the rehabilitation of McNal
[5:18:07] Road from Township Road 82. So that's
[5:18:10] where the uh McNut Center is uh south to
[5:18:13] Highway 508 through cement stabilization
[5:18:15] and double chip seal. Uh if you've
[5:18:18] driven that road, you know it is in
[5:18:19] fairly poor condition and requires
[5:18:21] continual maintenance. Um we I know Ryan
[5:18:24] earlier this year did uh uh some
[5:18:26] maintenance on that road and it is
[5:18:28] showing its age and and uh and those
[5:18:31] failures are occurring. So by
[5:18:33] rehabilitating this road, we will
[5:18:34] greatly extend the life and and reduced
[5:18:37] operations maintenance requirements on
[5:18:39] that stretch. And we are also planning
[5:18:42] to do some drainage enhancements to
[5:18:44] align with the Tiffen storm water
[5:18:45] management plan because that road is
[5:18:47] within that Tiffen basin and we want to
[5:18:49] make sure whatever we're doing on this
[5:18:50] project we're aligning with uh those
[5:18:52] drainage requirements.
[5:18:57] Second one is Range Road 23-4, otherwise
[5:19:01] known as Old Highway 23.
[5:19:03] And again, we're proposing to cement
[5:19:05] stabilize this road from Township
[5:19:07] Township Road 102 to Township Road 104.
[5:19:10] 104 was the end limits of our previous
[5:19:12] project. Um, so this is just extending
[5:19:15] that 2 miles further south. Uh, again,
[5:19:19] this road is in poor condition and does
[5:19:22] require continual maintenance. And uh
[5:19:24] this is the ultimate intent is to uh
[5:19:27] have that entire stretch of Westview
[5:19:30] Road/Old Highway 23 fully cement event
[5:19:32] stabilized. You'll see another project
[5:19:34] further in the budget that completes the
[5:19:36] remaining gap and at that point um we'll
[5:19:40] have a a only seasonally banned road
[5:19:43] structure all the way from Highway 3 up
[5:19:44] to Highway 519. Um that will obviously
[5:19:47] allow for greater movement of uh
[5:19:49] agricultural commodities and heavy
[5:19:51] equipment along that corridor.
[5:19:55] Uh couple bridge files that we have on
[5:19:57] the docket for replacement. 77523
[5:20:01] is located about 9 km northwest of
[5:20:03] picture but 79595
[5:20:07] uh is on 211 between 100 and 102. These
[5:20:11] are part of our regular bridge
[5:20:12] replacement program. Uh they're reaching
[5:20:14] the end of their life cycle and require
[5:20:16] replacement. And as always with our
[5:20:18] bridge file projects, we do apply for
[5:20:20] STP funding. And that's that competitive
[5:20:21] funding I spoke to earlier. If we get
[5:20:23] it, great. Maintains our reserve. Um if
[5:20:26] not, then we just draw from our reserve
[5:20:28] to fund those projects.
[5:20:31] And the last one on here. So this one
[5:20:33] did get bumped up a year just due to
[5:20:35] some um deterioration that we
[5:20:37] experienced on the picture golf course
[5:20:40] road. I see a spelling error there I
[5:20:41] need to fix. Um Range Road 215 that goes
[5:20:45] from Highway 25 south to the Picture
[5:20:47] Golf Course Road. Uh, as I just
[5:20:49] mentioned, there was some uh significant
[5:20:51] deterioration on that road this past
[5:20:53] year due to some hauls that occurred and
[5:20:56] uh just to fix that section. There was
[5:20:58] probably at least a $200,000 touch out
[5:21:00] of operations. So, uh we wanted to bump
[5:21:02] that up from 27 to 26 to take care of of
[5:21:06] that road and not put $200,000 into a
[5:21:08] road that we're planning to replace a
[5:21:10] year. Uh anyway, so
[5:21:13] uh so at the bottom we've got our total
[5:21:15] funding. Oh,
[5:21:17] >> yes. Riveridge Road.
[5:21:19] » yes. Riveridge Road.
[5:21:19] >> Oh, sorry. Thank you. River Ridge Road
[5:21:22] » Oh, sorry. Thank you. River Ridge Road
[5:21:22] Rehabilitation. Of course, that's uh in
[5:21:24] your neck of the woods. Thank you for
[5:21:25] pointing that out. [laughter]
[5:21:28] >> Yes.
[5:21:30] » Yes.
[5:21:30] Um so, River Ridge Road, uh again, we're
[5:21:34] proposing to do the cement stabilization
[5:21:36] and that's going to be from the Highway
[5:21:37] 3 intersection. So, as you come off
[5:21:38] Highway 3, there's a little short gravel
[5:21:40] section, then it turns to Ashvalt. We're
[5:21:42] going to do that whole section from the
[5:21:44] intersection all the way down to the end
[5:21:46] of the ashvault. uh at Township Road 92.
[5:21:49] And uh what that'll provide is a uh hard
[5:21:52] surface road all the way from Highway 3
[5:21:54] onto Riveridge Road accessing. There's a
[5:21:56] diesel repair shop there. There's
[5:21:58] headwater equipment and there's Elorado
[5:22:00] RV. That road as well is currently
[5:22:03] permanently banned right now. And with
[5:22:04] this, we'll be able to take off that
[5:22:06] permanent ban and only have a seasonal
[5:22:07] ban applied to it.
[5:22:12] » Is there any questions on 26?
[5:22:16] >> Thank you. So that does that mean it
[5:22:17] » Thank you. So that does that mean it
[5:22:17] goes all the way to the research station
[5:22:19] road or
[5:22:22] >> um close to it? Yes. So that the
[5:22:25] » um close to it? Yes. So that the
[5:22:25] ashvault ends
[5:22:27] >> so there's that little subdivision just
[5:22:28] » so there's that little subdivision just
[5:22:28] south of Headwater Equipment kind of on
[5:22:30] the side of the hill that residential
[5:22:31] subdivision
[5:22:32] >> about to that intersection is where
[5:22:33] » about to that intersection is where
[5:22:34] we're going. We're going to pull it just
[5:22:35] past that intersection.
[5:22:36] >> Okay.
[5:22:37] » Okay.
[5:22:37] >> Yeah.
[5:22:39] » Yeah.
[5:22:39] >> Yeah. the the hard surface ends
[5:22:41] » Yeah. the the hard surface ends
[5:22:41] basically right at the at the south end
[5:22:44] of headwater almost exactly right there
[5:22:47] and then it goes back to gravel at that
[5:22:50] point.
[5:22:52] So I drive it weekly.
[5:22:57] So then just a couple other questions on
[5:22:59] the McN road. When you say rehabil
[5:23:01] rehabilitation, does that mean you're
[5:23:03] going to rebuild some of the road
[5:23:05] because uh um that quarter that's on the
[5:23:09] south uh east side there? Uh I don't
[5:23:13] know why it never had so much water in
[5:23:15] it before in its life, but it is just
[5:23:18] softening that road up something
[5:23:20] terrible. Mhm.
[5:23:21] >> And without correcting that problem, I
[5:23:23] » And without correcting that problem, I
[5:23:23] don't know there's a lot of point in in
[5:23:25] doing that road until that's kind of
[5:23:27] fixed.
[5:23:28] >> Yes. And I do plan specifically with
[5:23:31] » Yes. And I do plan specifically with
[5:23:31] that road to to do some of those deep
[5:23:34] strength repairs. So instead of going a
[5:23:35] foot down with that cement
[5:23:36] stabilization, they can peel away a foot
[5:23:39] and do two feet of cement stabilization
[5:23:40] to bridge that underlying saturated
[5:23:42] layer. So if I know the location you're
[5:23:44] talking about and uh we will definitely
[5:23:46] address that.
[5:23:47] >> It's the same where they turn into the
[5:23:49] » It's the same where they turn into the
[5:23:49] feed lot there. Yep.
[5:23:50] >> Okay.
[5:23:50] » Okay.
[5:23:50] >> Absolutely.
[5:23:51] » Absolutely.
[5:23:51] >> And then on the picture golf course
[5:23:53] » And then on the picture golf course
[5:23:53] road, uh, does that include going to the
[5:23:56] campground or is the campground approach
[5:23:59] before the end of the road there? I
[5:24:01] can't remember.
[5:24:02] >> Yeah. So, it does include the approach
[5:24:03] » Yeah. So, it does include the approach
[5:24:04] to the campground. The end of the
[5:24:05] ashvault goes just past the campground
[5:24:07] and the entrance to the golf course. So,
[5:24:09] that that uh cement stabilization will
[5:24:13] uh go past both of those entrances.
[5:24:15] >> So, is that the end of the road there or
[5:24:17] » So, is that the end of the road there or
[5:24:17] does it go further south? Uh there's a
[5:24:18] gravel portion that goes further south.
[5:24:21] >> Is it quite a ways?
[5:24:22] » Is it quite a ways?
[5:24:22] >> I I can bring it up on the map if
[5:24:23] » I I can bring it up on the map if
[5:24:23] >> Well, I just wondered if it if there was
[5:24:25] » Well, I just wondered if it if there was
[5:24:25] just a short little piece
[5:24:26] >> half mile if it was point Maybe we
[5:24:29] » half mile if it was point Maybe we
[5:24:29] should do the whole darn thing, but I
[5:24:31] don't know what's at the end of the
[5:24:32] road. So
[5:24:32] >> I think there is a single feed lot at
[5:24:34] » I think there is a single feed lot at
[5:24:34] the end of that road, I believe.
[5:24:35] >> Not a feed lot.
[5:24:36] » Not a feed lot.
[5:24:36] >> No, it's abandoned.
[5:24:39] » No, it's abandoned.
[5:24:39] Okay.
[5:24:42] >> Okay.
[5:24:54] Okay. And then just uh a bit of a
[5:24:57] funding summary. So at the bottom you'll
[5:24:58] see our funding sources for the 2026
[5:25:01] program. Got about 8 uh 1.8 8 million
[5:25:04] out of CCBF, just about 2.3 out of LGF,
[5:25:08] and almost 3.3 out of the Bridges and
[5:25:10] Paved Roads Reserve for a total program
[5:25:12] value of 7,350,000
[5:25:14] for 2026.
[5:25:21] Moving on to 27.
[5:25:25] So, the first project on the list here
[5:25:27] is Township Road 92 overlay, otherwise
[5:25:31] known as the Walmart Express. So this is
[5:25:33] the road that uh connects Cole down the
[5:25:35] city of Lethbridge. Um so this project
[5:25:38] would entail doing an overlay from 43rd
[5:25:40] Street to Range Road 21-2.
[5:25:43] So this is a mile of that 3M segment and
[5:25:46] it is projected uh through our asset
[5:25:48] management program to require that
[5:25:49] overlay to preserve the existing
[5:25:51] subgrade of the road uh prevent water
[5:25:53] infiltration and extend the life of that
[5:25:55] uh particular segment of roadway.
[5:26:00] The next one is Range Road 20-5.
[5:26:04] So, this is the portion of road just
[5:26:07] south of Highway 512 that goes to the
[5:26:09] Vista Meadows subdivision. Uh, again,
[5:26:12] this the existing road is in fairly poor
[5:26:14] condition, requires continual
[5:26:15] maintenance, and uh felt that cement
[5:26:18] stabilization was the best method of
[5:26:20] rehabilitation for this segment of road.
[5:26:22] And it'll be about 1 kilometer long.
[5:26:24] It'll go past the entrance to Vista
[5:26:26] Meadows uh a little ways a couple
[5:26:27] hundred meters. I believe the Ashefalt
[5:26:29] ends on that segment of road. Uh that
[5:26:32] one as well uh to Lauren's uh point does
[5:26:35] have some soft spots in it that we will
[5:26:37] address through design and construction.
[5:26:39] Ensure that uh that subgrade is
[5:26:41] appropriate for the traffic loading that
[5:26:43] it'll experience.
[5:26:45] >> Is that banned, Deon?
[5:26:46] » Is that banned, Deon?
[5:26:46] >> I believe it's currently banned. Yeah,
[5:26:49] » I believe it's currently banned. Yeah,
[5:26:49] I'm pretty sure it's permanently banned.
[5:26:50] Yeah. And moving forward with that uh
[5:26:52] after that uh application, would it
[5:26:55] continue to be then probably or
[5:26:57] >> just seasonally banned like the rest of
[5:26:58] » just seasonally banned like the rest of
[5:26:58] our roads? Yeah. All and I'll just thank
[5:27:00] you for bringing that up. Whenever we're
[5:27:01] doing these cement stabilized roads,
[5:27:03] they will be a seasonally banned only
[5:27:05] just like our paved roads. They do not
[5:27:06] need to be permanently banned anymore.
[5:27:08] >> Okay, cool. Thank you.
[5:27:11] » Okay, cool. Thank you.
[5:27:11] >> The next is uh Range Road 20-5. This is
[5:27:15] » The next is uh Range Road 20-5. This is
[5:27:15] just a double chip seal project. So
[5:27:19] otherwise known as the Ffield
[5:27:20] subdivision road um between highway 5 or
[5:27:24] sorry highway 4 and 508. Um again
[5:27:26] through our asset management program and
[5:27:28] subsequent uh conditional assessments a
[5:27:31] double chip seal is required to uh seal
[5:27:33] the existing surface and preserve the
[5:27:35] roadway and extend the useful life of
[5:27:37] that of that portion of roadway.
[5:27:41] One one nice thing with these uh chip
[5:27:43] seals that we're doing is we actually
[5:27:45] have our own pile of chip seal aggregate
[5:27:47] in our rackus pit that we have the
[5:27:49] contractors use. So we're able to save
[5:27:51] some some money on aggregate crushing
[5:27:54] and hauling because we have that source
[5:27:56] in our rackus pit. However, I do give
[5:27:58] the contractor the option if they want
[5:27:59] to whatever's cheapest. If they want to
[5:28:01] haul it because they've got a lot closer
[5:28:02] and they give me a better price, I'll
[5:28:04] take it. If it's cheaper to take our
[5:28:05] aggregate, then we'll go that route.
[5:28:10] Thanks, Mr. Chair. Sort of off topic,
[5:28:12] but is that like a a special crush or is
[5:28:14] that something that's a byproduct of
[5:28:17] crushing?
[5:28:18] >> No, it is a special product. Yeah.
[5:28:27] » Um the next project is Shaughnessy
[5:28:29] Sanitary Sewer Pipeline Lining.
[5:28:33] Um so we've done we've done some sewer
[5:28:35] pipelining this year with with fantastic
[5:28:37] success. Uh if you're not aware of what
[5:28:39] uh lining a pipe is, they basically send
[5:28:42] uh a sock through our existing pipe with
[5:28:44] resin. They bake it in place, cut out
[5:28:47] all the services, and you get basically
[5:28:50] another 75-year pipe out of this. It's a
[5:28:52] brand new pipe inside of your existing
[5:28:53] pipe. Shaughnessy is full of clay pipe.
[5:28:56] That was just the type of material they
[5:28:57] used at the time. So, by doing this, we
[5:29:00] basically do not have to tear up and dig
[5:29:02] up the road to replace a pipe. We line
[5:29:04] it and uh and we're saving a lot of
[5:29:07] expense with not having to to do any
[5:29:09] other repairs on the roadway itself.
[5:29:13] » Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[5:29:15] >> Have you guys used that before?
[5:29:17] » Have you guys used that before?
[5:29:17] >> Yes, we have.
[5:29:18] » Yes, we have.
[5:29:18] >> And have you had good experiences with
[5:29:20] » And have you had good experiences with
[5:29:20] it?
[5:29:20] >> Very good. Yeah, it is it is something
[5:29:23] » Very good. Yeah, it is it is something
[5:29:23] that uh we've used for a few years now.
[5:29:25] I know other municipalities use it as
[5:29:27] well with with uh great success. So um
[5:29:30] yeah, it is a it is a very a very
[5:29:33] cost-effective product and very
[5:29:35] unintrusive uh way of rehabilitating our
[5:29:38] sewer infrastructure.
[5:29:39] >> It's spectacular technology.
[5:29:41] » It's spectacular technology.
[5:29:41] >> It is. Yeah.
[5:29:45] » So the next one, a couple bridge
[5:29:47] replacements, uh 79597 and 79618.
[5:29:52] 597 is located uh on 20-5 just north of
[5:29:57] 102 and 618 is located on 211 just south
[5:30:01] of Highway 512. And like our other
[5:30:03] bridges, they're projected to reach the
[5:30:05] end of our use their useful life and
[5:30:07] will require replacement in 2027. And as
[5:30:10] always, we will apply for stip funding
[5:30:12] to uh to try and get some of that
[5:30:14] competitive grant funding.
[5:30:17] The next is Township Road 90 or Mountain
[5:30:20] Meadows Road, Walsh Drive, whatever you
[5:30:22] want to call it. Uh isolated repair and
[5:30:24] double chip seal. So last year um
[5:30:27] operations conducted some soft spot
[5:30:29] repair out there as there was some uh
[5:30:31] issues with some heaving ashalt. Uh this
[5:30:34] project proposes to do a little bit more
[5:30:36] soft uh isolated spot repair primarily
[5:30:38] at the west limits of that road. As the
[5:30:41] ashalt transitions to gravel, it is
[5:30:43] getting chewed up and it's kind of
[5:30:44] eating back towards the east. So
[5:30:46] reestablishing that and uh doing a chip
[5:30:49] a double chip seal layer on that
[5:30:51] ashvault preserve the surface and the
[5:30:53] subgrade and uh and extend the life of
[5:30:55] that roadway.
[5:31:01] » Um just a uh I got a significant number
[5:31:04] of thank yous from the Mountain Meadow
[5:31:05] people about the soft spot repair that
[5:31:08] was done because that's something that
[5:31:11] they've uh had a major concern about for
[5:31:14] years. So yeah, but yeah, I got got some
[5:31:18] good positive feedback from that. So
[5:31:19] >> good, good to hear. Thank you.
[5:31:23] » good, good to hear. Thank you.
[5:31:23] >> And then the last one is some upgrades
[5:31:26] » And then the last one is some upgrades
[5:31:26] to the Tiffen Basin. Um so as I kind of
[5:31:29] mentioned before with the McNal Road, we
[5:31:30] do have a Tiffen Basin storm water
[5:31:32] drainage plan. Uh if you're familiar
[5:31:35] with that area, when we do get severe
[5:31:37] rain events and melt events, there is
[5:31:39] significant flooding in that area. So,
[5:31:41] this project will help alleviate some of
[5:31:43] that flooding and it includes the
[5:31:44] installation of 300 m of 1500 mil
[5:31:48] pipeline. Uh, if you're familiar with
[5:31:50] the tiff and dairy, there is an existing
[5:31:52] 1500 mil concrete pipe that does take
[5:31:55] some storm water drainage, but it is
[5:31:57] undized and the report that we had
[5:32:00] completed uh suggested another 1500 mil
[5:32:03] pipe is required to accommodate the
[5:32:05] storm water flows in that area. So this
[5:32:07] project is to essentially install that
[5:32:09] that 1500 millimeter pipe to reduce the
[5:32:12] impacts of overland flooding in that
[5:32:14] Tiffen basin. Uh that is the downstream
[5:32:16] reach of this basin. So as we progress
[5:32:20] uh through some of our other drainage
[5:32:22] projects throughout the years, we'll
[5:32:23] work further upstream to to help
[5:32:25] alleviate some of those pressures. Our
[5:32:28] funding summary for 27, uh, just over
[5:32:31] 500,000 from CCBF, almost 3 million from
[5:32:34] LGF, and almost 1.7 million from the
[5:32:38] Bridges and Paved Roads Reserve for a
[5:32:40] total program value of 5.17 million.
[5:32:47] Any questions before I go to 28?
[5:32:52] So 2028 Range Road 21-1, otherwise known
[5:32:56] as the How Road overlay. Um, this is
[5:32:59] again a uh part of our asset management
[5:33:02] program. We need to do an overlay on
[5:33:03] this road from Highway 4 to 512 to
[5:33:06] preserve the existing ashalt and base
[5:33:09] structure and um extend the life of this
[5:33:12] road and that is uh 4.4 km in length.
[5:33:17] a couple bridge files 79599 and 600.
[5:33:22] They are located on 20-3 and Township
[5:33:25] Road 102. They're kind of right beside
[5:33:27] each other. So, we're going to engineer,
[5:33:29] design, and tender these out at once
[5:33:31] because they are literally right beside
[5:33:32] each other. And we should see some
[5:33:34] savings in bundling those projects
[5:33:36] together.
[5:33:38] Um, and yeah, that is just part of again
[5:33:41] our regular uh bridge replacement
[5:33:43] program and we'll apply for step funding
[5:33:45] for those bridges as well.
[5:33:48] And then the next one, as I alluded to
[5:33:51] before, is kind of the final phase of
[5:33:53] that Westview Road/Old Highway 23 cement
[5:33:56] stabilization and double chip seal. So
[5:33:59] this includes the portion of Township
[5:34:01] Road 100 A or 10-0 from 234 to the
[5:34:06] Palister School entrance and then west
[5:34:09] and north towards 102 uh through cement
[5:34:12] stabilization and double chip seal. And
[5:34:14] this will then close that gap between
[5:34:16] the north and the south sections, making
[5:34:17] that whole corridor cement stabilized
[5:34:19] and a uh only seasonally banned road.
[5:34:25] » Oh, thank you
[5:34:28] there.
[5:34:32] And for 28, our funding is 350,000 from
[5:34:36] CCBF, 3.19 million from local government
[5:34:39] fiscal framework, and 1.89 989 through
[5:34:41] the bridges and paved roads reserve for
[5:34:44] a total program value of 5,430,000.
[5:34:49] » Thank you. Um so just on our road going
[5:34:52] north of 512 what's the condition of
[5:34:54] that road that that pavement is it
[5:34:58] pretty good yet or not or
[5:35:00] >> so north of 512.
[5:35:01] » so north of 512.
[5:35:01] >> Yeah,
[5:35:02] » Yeah,
[5:35:02] >> that is the Corteva road I believe
[5:35:05] » that is the Corteva road I believe
[5:35:05] >> it is.
[5:35:05] » it is.
[5:35:05] >> Yes. Yeah, we did an overlay on that 34.
[5:35:09] » Yes. Yeah, we did an overlay on that 34.
[5:35:09] Yeah, somewhere in there. So that the
[5:35:11] we've got at least another 15 years on
[5:35:13] that road. Yeah.
[5:35:21] Going into 29.
[5:35:24] So again, we've got Township Road 92 on
[5:35:26] here, which is the known as the Walmart
[5:35:29] Express. So again, another overlay, and
[5:35:31] this is from the end limits from the
[5:35:33] previous project to the Broxburn Road,
[5:35:35] completing two miles of an overlay. Uh
[5:35:37] again this is scheduled as part of our
[5:35:39] asset management program uh to preserve
[5:35:41] the existing pavement and road structure
[5:35:44] thereby extending the life of the road.
[5:35:48] Uh Shaughnessy infrastructure
[5:35:49] improvements which is water storm water
[5:35:51] and road improvements. Pretty large
[5:35:53] project for Shaughnessy. Uh this one
[5:35:55] includes the reconstruction of first
[5:35:57] street and a portion of third street and
[5:35:59] Shaughnessy. Water manes and service
[5:36:01] connections will be upgraded along first
[5:36:03] street and third street and storm water
[5:36:05] retention ponds will be constructed. So
[5:36:08] this is another phase of the of the work
[5:36:10] that we're doing in Shaughnessy. I
[5:36:11] talked about the sewer lining before. If
[5:36:13] you recall this project was further in
[5:36:16] um it was further up in the budget
[5:36:19] because of the information we had
[5:36:20] indicated there was some PVC pipe out
[5:36:22] there. Uh further investigation
[5:36:23] concluded that we had those clay tile
[5:36:25] pipes. So instead of ripping up the
[5:36:26] streets as I alluded to before, we lined
[5:36:28] those. We'll get all the sanitary sewer
[5:36:30] lining complete and then we'll come in
[5:36:32] after address the water manes where we
[5:36:34] need to because there are some water
[5:36:35] manes in Shaughnessy that are 4 in and
[5:36:37] not 6 in which means you can't have a
[5:36:38] fire hydrant. So for fire protection
[5:36:40] purposes uh we need that 6-in water
[5:36:43] line. There's not a lot of 4in in
[5:36:45] Shaughnessy, but by upgrading to 6 in,
[5:36:47] we'll be able to meet those standards.
[5:36:49] And uh then also the storm water
[5:36:51] retention ponds as Shaughnessy does not
[5:36:53] have uh any current storm water
[5:36:55] management just and you'll notice some a
[5:36:57] lot of our hamlets don't have that. They
[5:36:59] are grandfathered. Um basically
[5:37:02] nowadays, if you were to construct those
[5:37:03] subdivisions, you need storm water
[5:37:05] management because our hamlets are so
[5:37:06] old. It isn't a requirement. Uh, but it
[5:37:08] is a best practice wherever possible to
[5:37:10] try and mitigate the the storm water
[5:37:12] flows and problem areas that we have in
[5:37:14] some of our amlets.
[5:37:15] >> Deon, just a question.
[5:37:18] » Deon, just a question.
[5:37:18] >> Thanks, Deon.
[5:37:20] » Thanks, Deon.
[5:37:20] >> I've been called worse.
[5:37:25] » Now, I'm really off my game. Um,
[5:37:28] [laughter] when we're doing the the
[5:37:32] doing the water revitalization in
[5:37:34] Shaughnessy, are I'm assuming the water
[5:37:37] lines are below the sewer lines in terms
[5:37:39] of depth. Is there when we're doing
[5:37:42] that, is there going to be any
[5:37:43] disruption to the sewer lines that we've
[5:37:45] lined two years earlier?
[5:37:47] >> Sorry, the water line is above the sewer
[5:37:49] » Sorry, the water line is above the sewer
[5:37:49] line.
[5:37:50] >> It is above the sewer line. Okay. Yeah.
[5:37:51] » It is above the sewer line. Okay. Yeah.
[5:37:51] Well, then never mind. [snorts]
[5:37:57] Okay. And then the final one for 2029 is
[5:37:59] bridge file 79865. Again, part of our
[5:38:03] regular bridge replacement program. Uh
[5:38:05] it's just a few miles northwest or
[5:38:07] northeast of picture but uh again we
[5:38:10] will apply for step funding for that
[5:38:12] project. Our funding summary CCBF is uh
[5:38:17] 1.18 million LGF 3.4 million bridges and
[5:38:21] paved roads reserve 1.4 4 million and
[5:38:23] the utility reserve for that Shaughnessy
[5:38:24] project at 1.3 million for a total
[5:38:27] program value of 7.28 million.
[5:38:35] Finally, as we get into 2030,
[5:38:38] we've got another bridge replacement
[5:38:39] 79769
[5:38:42] uh just a few miles southeast of
[5:38:44] Coldale.
[5:38:45] Again, as part of our regular bridge
[5:38:47] replacement program, Township Road 104
[5:38:50] rehabilitation.
[5:38:52] So, this is up by our Nolan Hill Greater
[5:38:54] Camp. There's a section of paved road
[5:38:56] that goes to the east that is
[5:38:58] permanently banned and in very poor
[5:38:59] condition. And what this project would
[5:39:02] do would uh basically cement stabilize
[5:39:05] and double chip seal that road as a lot
[5:39:07] of it is uh you have to take quite a
[5:39:10] detour to get around that segment of
[5:39:11] road if you're hauling full weights. So,
[5:39:13] by completing this project again, we'll
[5:39:15] have just that seasonal ban. And I'm
[5:39:17] also going to pull the hard surface to
[5:39:19] the road that heads down to the river
[5:39:21] bottom, which is ashalt to those
[5:39:22] acreages down below. So, it'll be a hard
[5:39:25] surface all the way down to the bottom
[5:39:26] there and lifting that permanent
[5:39:28] roadband to allow for um heavy truck
[5:39:31] traffic.
[5:39:33] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh why is
[5:39:36] » Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh why is
[5:39:36] that a hard surface road? Why is it p I
[5:39:39] I honestly don't know councelor Vanesson
[5:39:41] why it was paved to begin with. Um but I
[5:39:44] just know it's it is fairly poor
[5:39:46] condition and it is permanently banned
[5:39:48] which as I alluded to before does cause
[5:39:50] quite a detour for that heavy truck
[5:39:52] traffic trying to access Highway 45.
[5:39:56] Sorry, I don't know why it was paved to
[5:39:58] begin with.
[5:39:59] >> Well, it seems to reflect the special
[5:40:01] » Well, it seems to reflect the special
[5:40:01] interest or so versus general good. So
[5:40:04] thanks.
[5:40:06] Well, the old part going to the river
[5:40:07] that was part of the old highway, was it
[5:40:09] not?
[5:40:10] >> Correct.
[5:40:10] » Correct.
[5:40:10] >> Yeah.
[5:40:14] » I don't know. Yeah.
[5:40:29] » And then the last project for 2030 is
[5:40:32] Township Road 84 and that's a double
[5:40:34] chip seal. So that's the road from
[5:40:36] basically where the YMCA is out to
[5:40:37] Sunset Acres. Um basically just sealing
[5:40:42] up the surface of that road, preventing
[5:40:43] any water infiltration and uh extending
[5:40:46] the life of that road. So you'll notice
[5:40:48] in 2030 that the budget is a little bit
[5:40:50] light. Usually in the last 1 to two
[5:40:52] years, I try and keep I try and keep
[5:40:54] some leeway for some projects that may
[5:40:56] come up that may be un unexpected. Um
[5:40:59] which is why you're seeing a total
[5:41:00] program value of 1.51 million for 2030.
[5:41:08] And that concludes the infrastructure
[5:41:10] capital budget. Is there any questions
[5:41:11] from council?
[5:41:13] >> Thank you. I do have one. In 1984
[5:41:17] » Thank you. I do have one. In 1984
[5:41:17] when the SMRD rehabed the main canal
[5:41:19] there and put all those new bridges in.
[5:41:22] Uh about four years later than that,
[5:41:24] they came along and they uh sandlasted
[5:41:27] all the uh support columns and repainted
[5:41:30] them. But the paint is really coming off
[5:41:32] those now and they're starting to rust.
[5:41:34] Is that is our responsibility to look
[5:41:36] after that portion of it? Or
[5:41:39] >> if if the bridge is owned by the county,
[5:41:40] » if if the bridge is owned by the county,
[5:41:40] then yes, it would be. I'd have to look
[5:41:42] at those bridges in particular to see if
[5:41:44] they're SMRDs or Lethbridge counties.
[5:41:45] But yes, if they're the counties, that
[5:41:47] would be part of Ryan's operational
[5:41:49] budget for bridge maintenance, things
[5:41:51] like that. Yeah,
[5:41:52] >> because before they get too much further
[5:41:55] » because before they get too much further
[5:41:55] deteriorated, it would be a good thing
[5:41:56] to
[5:41:57] >> Yeah. Maybe I'll uh I'll maybe catch you
[5:41:59] » Yeah. Maybe I'll uh I'll maybe catch you
[5:41:59] after and we'll take a look at those
[5:42:00] bridges. Yeah, if that's okay.
[5:42:20] » Oh, I guess I didn't go through the
[5:42:21] summary.
[5:42:36] Um I realized after I did the uh
[5:42:39] operating forecast it probably would
[5:42:41] have been helpful to have this next
[5:42:42] slide um just in terms of a visual. So,
[5:42:45] I'll have to add that uh to the
[5:42:46] presentation for the next update just
[5:42:49] given uh the complexity of the market
[5:42:51] access network and I've had some trouble
[5:42:54] trying to wrap my head around what how
[5:42:56] this program works. So, um bear with me
[5:42:58] as I try and walk through this and
[5:43:00] explain because it's a bit complex. But
[5:43:02] when we looked at that operating
[5:43:04] forecast previously and we talked about
[5:43:06] that 500 hall route, it's essentially
[5:43:10] one component of the market access
[5:43:13] network because there's essentially
[5:43:14] three different revenue streams that
[5:43:17] contribute to this program which then
[5:43:20] flows as a funding source to some of the
[5:43:23] proposed programs that you saw that
[5:43:25] Devon just talked about in terms of
[5:43:27] infrastructure capital projects. So this
[5:43:30] is the business tax that we talked about
[5:43:32] is asking where that was shown. And so
[5:43:35] when I was demonstrating the property
[5:43:37] tax um revenue versus the requisitions
[5:43:42] and the assessments um this business tax
[5:43:46] is about approximately $ 1.5 million.
[5:43:49] It's on a per unit headcount
[5:43:52] um and is separate from property taxes.
[5:43:54] And so that's one funding source to this
[5:43:57] market access network program. We've got
[5:43:59] the cap levy which approximately
[5:44:01] contributes
[5:44:03] 150,000 which is um gravel hall and
[5:44:06] andor sand. And then we have the
[5:44:10] um how route farmland levy of
[5:44:13] approximately 500,000 of property taxes
[5:44:16] that contribute to this um network as
[5:44:19] well. And so all of those roughly make
[5:44:21] up the 2.1 million um per year which is
[5:44:27] uh broken down further between the loan
[5:44:31] payments that are connected to the hall
[5:44:33] routes um which is approximately $75,000
[5:44:38] per year. And then the remainder of that
[5:44:40] is transferred to the paved roads and
[5:44:43] bridges reserve to be used for future
[5:44:46] capital projects. um some of which Devon
[5:44:50] talked about previously over 2026 to
[5:44:52] 2028.
[5:44:54] And so that just gives kind of a visual
[5:44:56] of all of the components that contribute
[5:44:59] into this uh program. Um and then it
[5:45:03] just is again there included in the
[5:45:06] slides is just a summary of kind of the
[5:45:09] overall program and the breakdown
[5:45:11] between the debt and then the remainder
[5:45:13] that's transferred to the reserve. So
[5:45:15] anything over and above the 2.15
[5:45:18] would be and net of the loan payments
[5:45:21] would be transferred to the reserve. So
[5:45:23] if more dollars are collected than the
[5:45:26] 2.15, it would just be transferred to
[5:45:28] the reserve. So that is the components
[5:45:32] that make up the market access network.
[5:45:34] I just wanted to note that because
[5:45:36] there's some obviously these are
[5:45:38] included in the budget, but it's kind of
[5:45:40] its separate own little um
[5:45:44] funding source for capital projects
[5:45:46] related to the hall routes.
[5:45:50] » Thanks, Mr. Chair. And that then
[5:45:53] explains why we had that $500,000
[5:45:55] breakout at the beginning because that's
[5:45:57] the farmland levy that actually gets
[5:45:59] transferred into that fund. Yeah.
[5:46:12] Devin, can I ask you one question? Sure.
[5:46:15] And it's yours. Sorry, Ryan. with the um
[5:46:19] sorry the one you spoke of last or
[5:46:21] second last sorry I guess the township
[5:46:22] road the 104 rehabilitation just how you
[5:46:26] have that structured or you have how you
[5:46:28] have that set out in 30 is there
[5:46:33] is there a way that that could move come
[5:46:36] forward sooner and the only reason I say
[5:46:38] that is because I it's just a massive
[5:46:40] bottleneck in that corner of the county
[5:46:42] where you have any producer who's coming
[5:46:44] out of the north east part of the
[5:46:46] county. That is the last road before the
[5:46:48] river, the last road to get to 512. And
[5:46:51] I think the unintended consequences of
[5:46:53] banning that have just really
[5:46:56] exacerbated things on that 2 miles south
[5:46:59] there and then down further south yet.
[5:47:01] >> Is there I guess is the
[5:47:04] » Is there I guess is the
[5:47:04] um is there any data to or any would
[5:47:07] suggest it should be brought forward or
[5:47:09] is there an opportunity to maybe
[5:47:11] entertain moving that forward in the
[5:47:12] budget?
[5:47:14] >> So I think there is an opportunity. I'm
[5:47:15] » So I think there is an opportunity. I'm
[5:47:15] just going back to the carryover
[5:47:17] projections and when I look if we were
[5:47:19] to fund that from the um bridges and
[5:47:22] paved roads reserve uh we could we can
[5:47:24] certainly do that. I've got a estimated
[5:47:26] value on that one of just over 700,000.
[5:47:29] So we could do that potentially if
[5:47:31] council wanted to next year and just
[5:47:33] that uh bridges and paved roads reserve
[5:47:36] that graph line would just go down by
[5:47:38] 720,000 but we do have funds in the
[5:47:40] reserve to complete that. Um I know I
[5:47:43] had a lot in 26 for cement stabilization
[5:47:45] about 10 and a half kilometers but uh we
[5:47:47] can certainly add that 1.3 km to that
[5:47:50] list and get it done next year if it is
[5:47:53] causing uh you know significant
[5:47:54] operational challenges like you describe
[5:47:57] >> and I I I don't I just know that one a
[5:47:59] » and I I I don't I just know that one a
[5:47:59] little more intimately because people
[5:48:01] have been impacted by it and been very
[5:48:04] vocal about it. I I don't have a good
[5:48:07] sense of how it uh ranks priority-wise
[5:48:10] amongst these other priorities, but I
[5:48:13] would suggest that three more summers, I
[5:48:17] think the the degradation of those other
[5:48:20] roads and the the damage that we're
[5:48:21] going to see on some of those other
[5:48:22] roads will probably far exceed that
[5:48:25] $700,000 in that investment if there is
[5:48:28] a way to move it forward. I again
[5:48:29] without having the the data before me I
[5:48:32] I don't want to you [clears throat] know
[5:48:34] uh get ahead of myself but I think it's
[5:48:36] a worthy discussion at least. Sorry
[5:48:38] Cole.
[5:48:41] >> Um so one thing that will be coming
[5:48:43] » Um so one thing that will be coming
[5:48:43] forward for discussion just because of
[5:48:45] how that reserve was originally set up
[5:48:48] was we cash flow. So we have a cap on
[5:48:50] that reserve that sometimes gets
[5:48:53] exceeded based on the timing of these.
[5:48:55] So, we're spending to bring it in to to
[5:48:57] line, but depending on when we collect
[5:48:59] and when we expend is created. So,
[5:49:01] that's a conversation we need to have
[5:49:02] with council at one of the next couple
[5:49:03] council meetings. Um, but based on that,
[5:49:07] it doesn't hurt from a cash flow
[5:49:09] expenditure standpoint, like just purely
[5:49:11] on the finance side, and I don't want to
[5:49:13] speak to Devon's operational capacity.
[5:49:15] On the finance side, to move one of
[5:49:17] those projects up is probably a good
[5:49:18] idea for us anyways to to bring that in.
[5:49:21] whether we can handle that and do that
[5:49:23] and if that's the right one I I can't
[5:49:25] answer that question but
[5:49:27] >> sorry
[5:49:29] » sorry
[5:49:29] >> I was just gonna agree with you because
[5:49:31] » I was just gonna agree with you because
[5:49:31] when anybody's hauling lentils over to
[5:49:33] Vera there they never go down that road
[5:49:35] they go the other ones it's pretty hard
[5:49:37] on them
[5:49:41] » thank you Mr. Sure. I was I I basically
[5:49:43] I was going to concur on that. I like if
[5:49:45] there's something especially on that
[5:49:47] particular road because of its location
[5:49:49] because it is a bottleneck on that.
[5:49:52] Not getting to that might end up causing
[5:49:55] significantly more damage because
[5:49:57] everybody just they move to the one
[5:50:00] south and pound the crap out of that one
[5:50:01] then move to the one south and and and
[5:50:03] there's a cascading effect. My question
[5:50:07] to you, Devin, was when you say next
[5:50:09] year, do you mean 2026 or 2027?
[5:50:12] >> 2026.
[5:50:13] » 2026.
[5:50:13] >> Okay.
[5:50:13] » Okay.
[5:50:13] >> Yes.
[5:50:14] » Yes.
[5:50:14] >> And to answer Cole's question, we have
[5:50:16] » And to answer Cole's question, we have
[5:50:16] capacity to to add that to our list.
[5:50:19] Absolutely.
[5:50:20] >> I I would definitely support it if there
[5:50:23] » I I would definitely support it if there
[5:50:23] was an appetite and and a willing or an
[5:50:26] ability to do that. I would definitely
[5:50:27] support it.
[5:50:29] >> I can make that change if that's
[5:50:31] » I can make that change if that's
[5:50:31] council's wish. Absolutely. I would
[5:50:33] support that.
[5:50:35] Thank you.
[5:50:35] >> Okay,
[5:50:37] » Okay,
[5:50:37] I know Kevin's
[5:50:42] just so we're clear. I
[5:50:46] county [laughter] just so we are crystal
[5:50:48] clear.
[5:50:53] » Thank you, Deon.
[5:50:54] >> Thank you.
[5:51:00] » Back for more.
[5:51:04] All right, let's get into everyone's
[5:51:05] favorite. So, uh, fleet capital
[5:51:08] projects. Probably just want to give a
[5:51:09] bit of overview. Actually, I'm going to
[5:51:11] I'm going to flip to this slide um to
[5:51:14] give a bit of a highlight. So, our 2026
[5:51:18] was approved uh earlier this year in
[5:51:20] October October [clears throat] 1st,
[5:51:22] which allowed us to order some of the
[5:51:23] items that had long lead times to ensure
[5:51:25] that they would be available for our
[5:51:27] 2026 season. So, thank you council for
[5:51:30] for that. But it also allows us to
[5:51:31] dispose of some of those items uh at the
[5:51:35] high demand which is typically in the
[5:51:37] spring. So we get highest value for uh
[5:51:39] salvage. But what I did want to
[5:51:41] highlight on this particular slide is
[5:51:44] and we didn't discuss it in in any
[5:51:46] detail in October when we met to uh
[5:51:48] approve the 2026 was uh the 16% decrease
[5:51:52] in actual capital spend from 2025 to
[5:51:55] 2026. So, that was uh very purposeful um
[5:51:58] as we've um looked at realigning and
[5:52:03] resetting um where we're at with our
[5:52:05] capital equipment expenditures. If we
[5:52:08] would have stayed on the path that we
[5:52:10] were at historically, uh we would have
[5:52:13] spent every dime and then some of our
[5:52:15] capital equipment reserve by 2030. So,
[5:52:18] it was unsustainable. And so what you're
[5:52:21] seeing uh for 2026 which was already
[5:52:24] approved and then the proceeding or the
[5:52:26] the the following four years is quite a
[5:52:30] flatline as we are working through
[5:52:32] extending the life of our capital
[5:52:34] equipment. And I'll explain of some of
[5:52:37] the strategies that the team has taken
[5:52:39] not just going forward but this last
[5:52:41] year uh under Shaun Gerschnik as our
[5:52:43] fleet manager when he first arrived with
[5:52:45] the county has has started some of this
[5:52:47] change.
[5:52:48] um
[5:52:53] we've been able to do this. So I I asked
[5:52:55] the team to look at this. Um
[5:52:59] and the reason we're able to do this is
[5:53:00] just a different approach. Um so really
[5:53:03] we've we've shifted we've shifted to a
[5:53:05] needs-based approach, collaborative
[5:53:07] discussions with our operators based on
[5:53:10] operational needs in the field. Um to
[5:53:13] identify our highest priority equipment
[5:53:14] versus past practice had been was just
[5:53:19] no matter what seven years or so many
[5:53:20] hours just flip it no matter what and
[5:53:22] those days are over. It is part of the
[5:53:25] conversation but it's more meaningful
[5:53:27] conversation in terms of really
[5:53:30] prioritizing what do we need that has
[5:53:32] the biggest value for our operational to
[5:53:34] provide services to residents also
[5:53:36] managing mis uh risk mitigation and our
[5:53:39] operational needs. This provides us more
[5:53:41] flexibility with decisions focused not
[5:53:43] only on on the value of what we're
[5:53:45] purchasing, but the value added to our
[5:53:47] operations and to residents. The data is
[5:53:50] still an integral part of our
[5:53:51] decision-making matrix and includes the
[5:53:53] following factors. Factors such as age
[5:53:55] of the unit um or the years uh so usage
[5:53:59] of the unit which could be hours
[5:54:02] depending on the the type of equipment
[5:54:04] and how it's monitored or the
[5:54:05] kilometers. Um, also looking at our
[5:54:08] overall maintenance costs for the
[5:54:10] lifetime of that equipment. Um, the unit
[5:54:14] cost versus the market value of a new
[5:54:17] unit is something we're always looking
[5:54:18] at. If we invest X, do we get another uh
[5:54:21] another year out of that piece of
[5:54:23] equipment and what's that balance or
[5:54:25] risk of investing that money so that we
[5:54:27] can ensure that that that equipment is
[5:54:29] actually still available.
[5:54:31] Uh the other
[5:54:34] the other the other one to keep in mind
[5:54:36] in terms of that cost maintenance and
[5:54:37] I'll use the example of a a grater uh
[5:54:40] typically our graders uh have been
[5:54:42] purchased and had been flipped on a very
[5:54:44] consistent basis at seven years
[5:54:46] regardless of hours of use just
[5:54:47] regardless if they were good or bad to
[5:54:49] us. Um we had a a grater that had a
[5:54:53] complete engine repair uh done uh during
[5:54:56] that warranty. And so we had the
[5:54:58] conversation to say, "Okay, that was
[5:54:59] done in 2022.
[5:55:01] Uh, it's a very new grader still. Don't
[5:55:04] just flip it because it's almost a brand
[5:55:06] new grader. We can almost reset our
[5:55:09] amateurization period and extend that
[5:55:11] out. So taking a different approach
[5:55:13] instead of just arbitrarily just always
[5:55:16] flipping it has allowed us to flatten
[5:55:18] our spend so that we can catch up so
[5:55:22] that we can try to close the gap of our
[5:55:24] equipment rental rates with what we're
[5:55:26] actually spending.
[5:55:28] Um, another piece we look at uh in
[5:55:31] determining uh capital equipment
[5:55:33] investment and uh how long we're keeping
[5:55:36] these or using these pieces of equipment
[5:55:38] is the overall performance and
[5:55:39] reliability while they're in our
[5:55:41] ownership. Uh because we're always
[5:55:42] looking at our availability,
[5:55:45] the impact of downtime, frequency of
[5:55:47] breakdowns, and the overall uh cost to
[5:55:49] run these. So, it also provides the the
[5:55:52] flexibility for us. if if it's a lemon,
[5:55:56] we will we will walk away from that
[5:55:58] asset as soon as it's financially
[5:56:01] meaningful to so that we don't bear that
[5:56:03] additional risk once something were to
[5:56:05] come off of warranty. But um I'll use an
[5:56:09] example of a a greater earlier this year
[5:56:12] which was under warranty. the the vendor
[5:56:14] themselves was over $30,000 in on trying
[5:56:18] to solve an issue that they could not
[5:56:20] solve and the downtime for that piece of
[5:56:23] equipment was almost 3 weeks. Um
[5:56:26] fortunately we have some contingency
[5:56:29] with spare graders so that we don't shut
[5:56:31] down our operations, but this was a
[5:56:33] warrantied item. Um
[5:56:36] which is super scary because they didn't
[5:56:38] even know how to fix it. So there's this
[5:56:39] balance of of availability is is a key
[5:56:43] point because our season's also very
[5:56:45] small in the in the summer season that
[5:56:46] we need to be able to run or we have
[5:56:48] that opportunity cost where we're not
[5:56:50] delivering services. So so holistically
[5:56:53] we really have changed the approach
[5:56:54] where it's really decision based on
[5:56:57] value for dollar but operational impact
[5:57:00] but overlaying the data and looking at
[5:57:03] it from every way and that's how we've
[5:57:06] been able to flatten this out. Um I'll
[5:57:08] use one more example and and then we can
[5:57:11] um kind of go over year by year was be
[5:57:14] when we met in 2025 after we had the
[5:57:17] approval for the 2025 capital spend we
[5:57:20] looked at what was on there and for the
[5:57:22] first time engaged um our foremen those
[5:57:26] actually doing the work saying from
[5:57:28] their perspective and the work that was
[5:57:30] planned for the 2025 season where we get
[5:57:32] more bang for our buck and at that point
[5:57:34] uh based on that conversation
[5:57:37] Um, we determined that replacing a low
[5:57:40] hour D7 dozer offered much less value
[5:57:43] operationally in terms of bang for your
[5:57:46] buck than addressing more pressing
[5:57:48] operational needs. And so we then
[5:57:50] refocused or redirected those funds to
[5:57:53] purchase a new GPS equipped excavator
[5:57:56] which uh dramatically improved our
[5:57:57] Culver installation efficiency and a
[5:58:00] dedicated water truck to eliminate the
[5:58:02] disruption caused by older tankers
[5:58:04] downtime. So allowing that flexibility
[5:58:07] and actually looking at what are we
[5:58:08] trying to accomplish and what's the most
[5:58:10] cost-effective way to do that is really
[5:58:13] how we're approaching this plus the
[5:58:15] data. But these changes uh that we made
[5:58:18] with 2025 alone uh improved our culvert
[5:58:22] work for drainage gravel division's
[5:58:24] capacity to improve flexibility across
[5:58:27] operational crews and enhance service
[5:58:29] delivery to county residents. Capital
[5:58:31] investments directly impact service
[5:58:32] delivery and crew productivity. So
[5:58:34] that's the lens we're coming at. Just so
[5:58:36] just kind of provide an overview of of
[5:58:38] how we're doing this. The other major
[5:58:41] shift in our fleet management is how we
[5:58:44] manage our graders. So over the 2026
[5:58:47] season, we'll have 14 graders. And when
[5:58:50] someone asks you how many graders does
[5:58:51] your county own, that's like someone
[5:58:53] asking you how big is your ranch? Um
[5:58:57] that's a lot of graders. That's a lot of
[5:58:58] capital investment. But it also has the
[5:59:01] biggest impact to residents in terms of
[5:59:04] quality life and our transportation
[5:59:06] network. So when we looked at how can we
[5:59:09] maximize the life of these u to get
[5:59:12] dollars out of them
[5:59:16] the historical was seven years flip them
[5:59:20] regardless of ours usage. We've extended
[5:59:23] that where our target is 10 years and by
[5:59:27] pulling and stretching that out um
[5:59:30] that's a substantial uh cost savings in
[5:59:33] terms of our capital investment. We're
[5:59:34] confident in man uh mitigating risk as
[5:59:38] those fall off of um warranty after the
[5:59:41] seven years that we're very mindful of
[5:59:43] the ones we're keeping. But we're on
[5:59:45] track now where it's every year for the
[5:59:48] next 10 years, we have a greater that
[5:59:50] slowly falls off one at a time instead
[5:59:53] of multiples. And so keeping in that
[5:59:57] sequence, we're confident that we
[5:59:59] continue to maximize our capital
[6:00:01] equipment investment specifically in
[6:00:03] greater because they do represent such a
[6:00:05] large part of our fleet and capital
[6:00:07] investment.
[6:00:09] Um,
[6:00:12] let's go back to this, I think. Any
[6:00:15] questions I guess to this point? We
[6:00:16] talked a lot.
[6:00:21] » Not a question, but a comment. Um, I'm
[6:00:24] sure you've heard this from myself and I
[6:00:26] know that you've heard this from um, one
[6:00:29] of our new old counselors in the past,
[6:00:31] but uh, I I just want to extend my
[6:00:34] appreciation for the thought process
[6:00:36] that goes into this as opposed to, you
[6:00:39] know, just look at the piece of
[6:00:40] equipment and look at the flat line on
[6:00:42] it and go, well, doesn't really matter
[6:00:44] what it's been great to us or it's been
[6:00:45] bad to us. Just move it along. So um I I
[6:00:49] appreciate the effort that
[6:00:51] administration has put into this because
[6:00:53] it is a huge huge expenditure and and
[6:00:58] I've said all the way along that I I
[6:01:00] thought we needed to find ways to drive
[6:01:02] better value out of it. So u yeah I
[6:01:05] would just like I said like to extend my
[6:01:07] appreciation to administration for for
[6:01:10] going down that path. Appreciate that,
[6:01:12] John. And again, my shout out to Shauna
[6:01:14] O Gchnik who really kicked this off when
[6:01:16] he was hired uh almost two years ago
[6:01:19] with his background in fleet management
[6:01:21] and then Sean McCrae who is our current
[6:01:22] fleet coordinator that do carry on this
[6:01:25] work. Uh we have an amazing software
[6:01:27] system called RTA where we track all of
[6:01:30] the work and we link the work
[6:01:32] maintenance and repair activities to
[6:01:33] every piece of equipment and that helps
[6:01:36] us tell that fleshed out story. That's
[6:01:37] the data element which we then overlay
[6:01:40] with hours or kilometers or fuel usage
[6:01:43] that helps us make these you know guided
[6:01:45] decisions of how best to uh maximize our
[6:01:48] capital equipment investment. So um
[6:01:54] maybe just one more plug and then then
[6:01:56] we can go through this is you know why
[6:01:59] why did we have to slow the spending
[6:02:00] because until 2025 we just
[6:02:03] systematically had not um addressed the
[6:02:07] dramatic increase of capital equipment.
[6:02:11] So postcoid the lead time on some heavy
[6:02:14] equipment was year if not years
[6:02:18] and so a grader for example our standard
[6:02:21] divisional grader less than five years
[6:02:24] ago was about $350 $400,000 and now that
[6:02:28] same greater same functionality
[6:02:31] is closer to 7 or $800,000. So when such
[6:02:35] a major piece of equipment that's
[6:02:36] fundamental to our service delivery
[6:02:38] essentially doubles, this is why we
[6:02:40] required a reset because we have to live
[6:02:44] within our means and and it just we had
[6:02:47] there have been no reset until 2026. So
[6:02:50] that's why you're seeing what you're
[6:02:51] seeing with the trending over the next
[6:02:53] four years.
[6:02:55] >> Question.
[6:02:56] » Question.
[6:02:56] >> Sure.
[6:02:57] » Sure.
[6:02:57] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Do you mind
[6:02:59] » Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Do you mind
[6:02:59] commenting on your enterprise program
[6:03:01] and the the 12 trucks and it shows up
[6:03:03] year after year um working happy with it
[6:03:06] and just comment on it a little?
[6:03:08] >> Sure. Absolutely. I have a whole section
[6:03:10] » Sure. Absolutely. I have a whole section
[6:03:10] on that so we can 100% move into that.
[6:03:13] So enterprise uh the enterprise fleet
[6:03:16] program that the county started in 2022.
[6:03:20] um how it got to that point. There's
[6:03:23] other jur other jurisdictions nil county
[6:03:26] and the MD of Taber uh did RFPs at that
[6:03:29] time
[6:03:31] for fleet management and both those
[6:03:34] entities actually decided best value to
[6:03:38] to go to an enterprise. Enterprise is
[6:03:40] part of the canoe procurement under RMA
[6:03:44] program. Essentially, the easiest way to
[6:03:46] look at Enterprise, it's like a futures
[6:03:49] market for trucks where we purchase the
[6:03:52] vehicle uh direct from manufacturer
[6:03:55] through Enterprise, maximizing our
[6:03:56] municipal uh discounts and then we sell
[6:04:01] them back um at a very coste effective
[6:04:07] price point. Um I can provide you an
[6:04:10] example. our 2022 fleet when we we
[6:04:14] purchased those vehicles, the average
[6:04:15] vehicle for the trucks was $48,000.
[6:04:19] And after that 12 month term, we the
[6:04:23] resale average on each of those was
[6:04:26] $41,000.
[6:04:28] So that average around there was just
[6:04:31] over $500 uh a month to run those
[6:04:35] vehicles, which are fully warrantied.
[6:04:38] Typically in this transition, the only
[6:04:40] thing you pay for is fuel. Oil is
[6:04:43] actually oil changes are actually
[6:04:45] covered uh under warranty. So you're
[6:04:47] paying for fuel and windshields. We
[6:04:50] avoid any other additional maintenance
[6:04:52] elements such as tire repairs typically
[6:04:54] depending on the mileage on those
[6:04:56] vehicles. So it is a very coste
[6:04:57] effective um method uh of running a
[6:05:01] fleet. have heard very positive feedback
[6:05:04] from other people that use the vehicles
[6:05:06] in terms of the safety and reliability
[6:05:08] as well.
[6:05:10] Um
[6:05:12] what else?
[6:05:15] So we have one of the thing one of the
[6:05:16] advantages with enterprise um there is a
[6:05:21] a monthly uh admin fee. It's about 2% no
[6:05:25] that's yeah 1.9%
[6:05:27] um on a vehicle that we pay to
[6:05:30] enterprise and essentially that's for
[6:05:32] them to manage our fleet. So in 2026
[6:05:38] that dollar will be about 14 or $15,000
[6:05:42] and that provides us with all the market
[6:05:45] access of what supply and demand is what
[6:05:49] are the right trucks to buy so that we
[6:05:50] can sell them at the highest value um
[6:05:53] when we roll them at either a 12 month
[6:05:55] 24 months or if we choose to extend that
[6:05:57] or even purchase the vehicle outright in
[6:05:59] the end. So full flexibility on what's
[6:06:02] coming and going um with this program as
[6:06:05] well which is very valuable for us as a
[6:06:08] county uh that has good value added
[6:06:14] » follow up with that then
[6:06:18] that's good information I'm not
[6:06:19] understanding your chart then
[6:06:21] >> the proceeds of the sale of equipment
[6:06:25] » the proceeds of the sale of equipment
[6:06:26] think I have it that not all of them are
[6:06:28] deducting this proceeds of
[6:06:32] Which
[6:06:32] >> am I missing something?
[6:06:35] » am I missing something?
[6:06:35] >> Which specifically are you looking at?
[6:06:37] » Which specifically are you looking at?
[6:06:37] >> So, well, I guess that the fleet is
[6:06:39] » So, well, I guess that the fleet is
[6:06:39] where I started and that one makes
[6:06:45] or is that the Oh, I guess the
[6:06:46] replacement reserve
[6:06:49] >> that would be
[6:06:51] » that would be
[6:06:51] us total.
[6:06:52] >> Correct. So this would be this would be
[6:06:54] » Correct. So this would be this would be
[6:06:54] the potential value market upon selling
[6:06:59] of those vehicles would be the 540.
[6:07:03] And then when we go to replace those
[6:07:06] because we buy them outright initially,
[6:07:08] then this would be that $120,000 that
[6:07:11] we're pulling out of a replacement
[6:07:13] reserve.
[6:07:19] » Thank you, Tori. Uh just a question on
[6:07:21] when you talked about you sell them at
[6:07:24] the end of 12 months or 24 months
[6:07:26] whatever they agreed but then you said
[6:07:28] if you decide to extend its life you
[6:07:30] would have to purchase that. I I don't
[6:07:33] know what you meant by that.
[6:07:34] >> So I may I may have misspoke Lauren. Um
[6:07:37] » So I may I may have misspoke Lauren. Um
[6:07:37] we have the opportunity if if if the
[6:07:40] market if we felt the market wasn't
[6:07:42] strong that we could p we could outright
[6:07:44] purchase like we could buy out the end
[6:07:46] of that contract.
[6:07:48] So, we already owe it.
[6:07:50] >> Yeah. Yeah, we already own it, but
[6:07:51] » Yeah. Yeah, we already own it, but
[6:07:51] there's just like a
[6:07:52] >> Yeah.
[6:07:53] » Yeah.
[6:07:53] >> a a top up fee on that to to actually
[6:07:55] » a a top up fee on that to to actually
[6:07:55] just keep it and walk away altogether
[6:07:57] and not return it back in.
[6:07:59] >> Okay.
[6:08:01] » Okay.
[6:08:01] >> It' be sort of like paying enterprises
[6:08:03] » It' be sort of like paying enterprises
[6:08:03] commission if they sold it.
[6:08:07] >> That's probably the equivalent. I'd have
[6:08:08] » That's probably the equivalent. I'd have
[6:08:08] to confirm exactly what that number is,
[6:08:12] >> but it it it really is worth
[6:08:14] » but it it it really is worth
[6:08:14] contracting. Like I said, it's about
[6:08:17] 145,000 a year to have market access in
[6:08:22] a market of trucks of of basically it's
[6:08:25] a futures market for trucks. And as long
[6:08:27] as the supply or the demand is high,
[6:08:30] then there's still value. If where there
[6:08:32] is risk to the county is if the demand
[6:08:35] for trucks were to drop and then the
[6:08:37] resale value would drop accordingly as
[6:08:39] well. Um and then at that point in time,
[6:08:42] then we look to keep the truck Yeah.
[6:08:47] Any other questions on that?
[6:08:51] >> Thank you.
[6:08:52] » Thank you.
[6:08:52] >> Okay.
[6:08:54] » Okay.
[6:08:54] So, 27.
[6:08:57] Um, we could go through all of these if
[6:09:01] council wants or not. Um, this is based
[6:09:04] on on what I already presented earlier
[6:09:07] with the principles of how we're
[6:09:08] applying and making decisions for
[6:09:10] replacement. And we review these
[6:09:14] annually um in terms of operationally
[6:09:17] where do we get our biggest bang for the
[6:09:19] buck also looking at the data and our
[6:09:21] total maintenance and repair costs for
[6:09:24] um all these pieces of equipment.
[6:09:28] There's one I would like to highlight
[6:09:32] and it's actually in 2029
[6:09:36] and it's the it's the top one here. It's
[6:09:39] it's labeled meal razor.
[6:09:41] We don't want to highlight this because
[6:09:43] this is a core piece of equipment for
[6:09:45] our treatment of our hall routes.
[6:09:49] Um that particular attachment which is
[6:09:51] on a a motor graater um has no
[6:09:54] replacement. Um that company who built
[6:09:57] those is out of business and I think
[6:09:59] there's only one other in the entire
[6:10:01] province.
[6:10:04] as we
[6:10:06] review our hall route and our
[6:10:08] processing. This was very purposeful
[6:10:10] that we pushed this to 2029. Um, this
[6:10:13] was originally slotted for uh purchase
[6:10:16] in 2027,
[6:10:18] but if I don't know what our direction
[6:10:20] is going to go, I'm certainly not going
[6:10:21] to invest an additional one and 1.2 1.5
[6:10:25] million in a piece of equipment that a
[6:10:28] doesn't exist, but b might not meet our
[6:10:30] operational needs.
[6:10:33] >> What's the mill raiser? So this is what
[6:10:35] » What's the mill raiser? So this is what
[6:10:35] uh what's the best way to describe it?
[6:10:36] It chews up bit roat tills the the rod
[6:10:40] and then injects the MG30.
[6:10:43] >> Yeah.
[6:10:47] » Yeah. This this because a mill razor
[6:10:49] doesn't exist. This would be for a
[6:10:51] reclaimer which is a mill a standalone
[6:10:55] piece of equipment that would go much
[6:10:58] deeper than our current 3 to 4 in. uh
[6:11:02] and it would go up to 12 in typically
[6:11:06] most reclaimers of that. And we would
[6:11:09] also be able to do uh the deepbased
[6:11:11] stabilized roads which we talked about
[6:11:13] earlier today as well as cement base
[6:11:16] stabilized roads with a 2029 investment
[6:11:21] in in a in a reclaimer. And so that's
[6:11:24] why this hinges with the 2029 that as we
[6:11:27] look at that trial for deepbased
[6:11:29] stabilization and continue with the
[6:11:31] cement base stabilization roads if that
[6:11:34] is a direction that we believe is worth
[6:11:37] the investment. This is where that would
[6:11:39] sit in 2029.
[6:11:45] And then to balance out in 2030
[6:11:48] um again total spend of of three and a
[6:11:51] half million which is still lower than
[6:11:53] our 2025 capital investment um for
[6:11:57] equipment. So we definitely have
[6:11:59] flatlined that and as I stated earlier
[6:12:03] how we were able to achieve that was
[6:12:05] just we're looking at things differently
[6:12:07] and being more flexible.
[6:12:13] There's the summary.
[6:12:16] No other questions. I'll move on to the
[6:12:18] municipal reserve and the parks capital
[6:12:20] plan.
[6:12:21] >> Ryan,
[6:12:22] » Ryan,
[6:12:22] >> yes.
[6:12:22] » yes.
[6:12:22] >> Is it still uh anticipated that we would
[6:12:25] » Is it still uh anticipated that we would
[6:12:25] have these discussions in September
[6:12:27] October uh preceding budget? Is that
[6:12:30] still the plan moving forward just to
[6:12:32] satisfy those delivery timelines?
[6:12:35] >> Thank you uh Reef Campbell for that
[6:12:37] » Thank you uh Reef Campbell for that
[6:12:37] question. Yes, we're still seeing uh
[6:12:40] significant lead times on some pieces of
[6:12:42] equipment up to 6 months. And so if
[6:12:45] there's a way that council would like to
[6:12:48] provide direction or authorization
[6:12:51] multi-year in advance, that would
[6:12:53] certainly be appreciated from an
[6:12:54] operation standpoint, but
[6:12:57] can also present again in in the fall of
[6:13:00] 2026 for the 2027
[6:13:03] um planned expenditures for capital
[6:13:06] equipment.
[6:13:11] Did you have something?
[6:13:12] >> Yeah, I was just wondering how that
[6:13:13] » Yeah, I was just wondering how that
[6:13:13] would fit in with the MGA whether we
[6:13:15] would be able to do that.
[6:13:22] » As long as there's a resolution, which
[6:13:24] there would be in terms of the approval
[6:13:26] and and it specifies the the date, then
[6:13:29] we would just roll that in as a
[6:13:31] previously approved decision into the
[6:13:33] into the operating budget for that year.
[6:13:35] So I think it's it's a fine approach in
[6:13:38] terms of helping to plan for operations
[6:13:40] and also then having that transparency
[6:13:42] and disclosure of of the approval
[6:13:46] in December.
[6:13:47] >> Pardon me. [snorts]
[6:13:53] » Thanks.
[6:13:57] » So municipal re reserve. So this is for
[6:14:01] uh parks capital plan. So I'd asked the
[6:14:04] team uh historically municipal reserve
[6:14:07] funds had had built up and not been
[6:14:10] systematically invested back into
[6:14:13] uh the county for the purpose that they
[6:14:15] were
[6:14:18] acred. So I'm going to read a little
[6:14:20] statement here. I'm added this. Did you
[6:14:22] have this? So nice. Thanks Haley. So
[6:14:26] [snorts] funds are accumulated through
[6:14:27] cash inl contributions made by
[6:14:29] developers when subdiv sub subdividing
[6:14:32] land. Money provided in place of
[6:14:34] municipal reserves and the interest
[6:14:36] earned on reserve monies must be
[6:14:37] accounted for separately and may be used
[6:14:40] only for any of the following purposes.
[6:14:42] A publicly owned park, a publicly owned
[6:14:44] or operated recreation area, schoolboard
[6:14:48] purposes, or to separate areas of land
[6:14:50] that are used for different purposes.
[6:14:53] Municipal reserve funds must only be
[6:14:55] used for municipal projects on public
[6:14:56] lands or publicowned or operated
[6:14:58] facilities or for the purchases purchase
[6:15:02] of public lands. They may not be used
[6:15:04] for projects with public characteristics
[6:15:06] on private land or which are privately
[6:15:08] owned or operated. So with those
[6:15:10] parameters in mind, uh this current
[6:15:13] municipal reserve is at
[6:15:16] 1 point well 1.2 2 million is the
[6:15:20] projected and the eb and flow of those
[6:15:23] monies into
[6:15:26] uh the county is based on when a
[6:15:27] subdivision is finalized and we get
[6:15:30] those monies. So there's not a how much
[6:15:33] per year people ask I've asked that
[6:15:34] question and people ask me uh I I don't
[6:15:38] know but what we do know is right now
[6:15:40] we're sitting on there's over a million
[6:15:41] dollars there that we would we need to
[6:15:44] reinvest uh with those parameters. So,
[6:15:46] what's presented here is a five-year
[6:15:48] plan. Um, each year what we target is
[6:15:52] one fairly major project. For 2026, that
[6:15:56] major project is in Mount Meadows to
[6:15:59] replace uh refresh that trail system.
[6:16:03] In 2027,
[6:16:05] the major project
[6:16:08] or the court replacement uh in Diamond
[6:16:11] City. So you can see that we're hitting
[6:16:13] uh primarily our hamlets and larger
[6:16:16] subdivisions for these reinvestments as
[6:16:18] it has the biggest uh value added for
[6:16:20] the most residents. In 28 the biggest
[6:16:23] project there is a court replacement in
[6:16:26] Monarch. In 29 uh the big project
[6:16:32] is the play structure in Fair View and
[6:16:35] then in 2030 Ball Diamond uh replacement
[6:16:38] in Monarch. And then we also sprinkle in
[6:16:41] some other uh work in the other hamlets
[6:16:45] uh as outlined there from either
[6:16:48] replacing or planting new trees or
[6:16:50] amenities. Amenities meaning uh things
[6:16:53] like as park benches, picnic tables,
[6:16:56] garbage cans and things like that that
[6:16:58] really uh make those spaces uh useful
[6:17:01] and provide a high level uh experience
[6:17:04] for individuals.
[6:17:06] So, total projected spend um over this
[6:17:10] uh period is $95,000.
[6:17:13] [clears throat]
[6:17:15] Any questions?
[6:17:21] » All right. Thank you.
[6:17:42] Let's do that now.
[6:17:44] >> I'm going to entertain a motion to go
[6:17:47] » I'm going to entertain a motion to go
[6:17:47] into a close section uh close session
[6:17:50] section 19 ATIa
[6:17:52] uh harmful to third party business
[6:17:55] interests. We just have something that's
[6:17:56] rather emergent that uh to speak to. I
[6:17:59] think it'd be good to have that
[6:18:00] conversation especially while still
[6:18:01] here. So, someone make that motion.
[6:18:04] Thank you, Kevin. Uh Kevin moved to
[6:18:06] enter close se session at 3:17. Is there
[6:18:09] any discussion?
[6:25:21] Thank you. Um so just in terms of
[6:25:23] continuation with the capital plan we
[6:25:25] just want to look at the information
[6:25:26] technology capital items. Uh so in in
[6:25:31] this instance the biggest uh impact in
[6:25:34] terms of capital projects is what we
[6:25:36] talked about previously a little bit
[6:25:37] with the financial system in terms of
[6:25:39] replacing our ERP. We're proposing that
[6:25:42] comes from uh the administration reserve
[6:25:46] although that will significantly draw
[6:25:49] that reserve down and it will it is also
[6:25:53] the reserve that we use for any kind of
[6:25:55] facility
[6:25:57] um maintenance requirements should
[6:25:59] something be unexpected or um
[6:26:01] significant in terms of of uh rehab or
[6:26:06] maintenance of the buildings. So just
[6:26:08] wanted to highlight that it it is a an
[6:26:11] expensive um project but um it is where
[6:26:15] we are in terms of proposing it in the
[6:26:17] capital project. Um and then the rest of
[6:26:20] them are smaller
[6:26:22] um
[6:26:24] various kind of server replacements and
[6:26:26] different capital projects related to it
[6:26:29] um and the needs to ensure we sustain
[6:26:31] our stable systems and uh support going
[6:26:34] forward. So this just highlights a
[6:26:36] summary of all of the proposed capital
[6:26:39] projects related to information
[6:26:41] technology within the next five years.
[6:27:00] And that brings us to the end of our
[6:27:03] presentation. Unless Cole has something
[6:27:05] he wants to add.
[6:27:22] Thought you were gonna give me a fist
[6:27:23] bump or something. [laughter]
[6:27:40] I guess a question for council is uh so
[6:27:43] with with what has been uh proposed uh
[6:27:47] the requirements and then those
[6:27:49] contributions to reserves um leads us to
[6:27:52] that 3%
[6:27:54] uh or the projected 3% after growth. Um
[6:27:59] I guess I would be frank and just ask
[6:28:00] how how we are with that and and if we
[6:28:03] think that that's adequate. uh moving
[6:28:06] forward when we talk about how we're
[6:28:08] contributing to our reserves in the
[6:28:09] future. Um
[6:28:12] is that I know the term modest I I I do
[6:28:15] agree with the term modest given some of
[6:28:17] the pressures that we're facing, but
[6:28:19] maybe just your overall any comments or
[6:28:22] thoughts on that and any any concerns,
[6:28:25] questions, anything that you'd like to
[6:28:27] see brought back, any further
[6:28:28] discussion? I would open the floor. You
[6:28:31] want to go ahead and Yeah.
[6:28:34] Yeah, when I saw the 3% I thought, well,
[6:28:37] this is that was very positive. I just
[6:28:39] uh sort of I guess my concern again
[6:28:41] would be around the reserves we've
[6:28:43] talked about. We've been using them
[6:28:44] quite a bit over the last few years. So,
[6:28:46] it's just making sure that we have we
[6:28:50] have an adequate amount in there. So,
[6:28:51] and I understand we're not fully
[6:28:53] refunding things, but it's just it's
[6:28:55] it's trying to find that balance and
[6:28:57] it's fair to fair to us and fair to our
[6:28:59] rate payers, but looking big picture
[6:29:01] down the road to make sure that we've
[6:29:02] we're in a good place. So, if it's, you
[6:29:04] know, one year where we're not
[6:29:05] contributing enough, but I know over the
[6:29:07] last couple years, we've continually
[6:29:08] talked about we need to refresh our
[6:29:10] reserves or replenish them. So, that
[6:29:12] that's my only concern. So,
[6:29:18] [clears throat]
[6:29:18] >> uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh just in
[6:29:20] » uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh just in
[6:29:20] response to councelor Ser's comment
[6:29:22] there, I I think it's there's always a
[6:29:24] bit of a a tugof-war there and planning
[6:29:26] for the future and sustainability and
[6:29:28] managing sustainable growth and we've
[6:29:31] tried to strike that with this. One
[6:29:32] thing I will note um and I I think it
[6:29:35] was on slide 21 um but you know we have
[6:29:40] the starting balance and while that
[6:29:42] technically we have um about $2.5
[6:29:45] million more going out than going in I
[6:29:48] think it is also important to note that
[6:29:51] 3 I think it's 3.4 million of that is
[6:29:54] the two is between the gravel crushing
[6:29:56] and the capital expenditures for fleet
[6:29:58] that are not annualized. So if I look at
[6:30:00] the amount of money going into reserve
[6:30:02] versus out over a period of time, I
[6:30:05] would say that our contributions are
[6:30:06] actually higher with that removed than
[6:30:09] the outgoing knowing that some of those
[6:30:11] are one-time or costs that we then go
[6:30:14] and and make those contributions in year
[6:30:16] two, three, four in the future. So yes,
[6:30:19] we would also I mean it it improves our
[6:30:21] flexibility and everything else love to
[6:30:23] have more in there. I think this was us
[6:30:26] trying to strike that balance to to
[6:30:27] maintain those levels.
[6:30:30] Yeah, I'm not not wasn't criticizing it.
[6:30:32] I just it was just a commentary, but I
[6:30:33] think I appreciate all the work you've
[6:30:34] done because I knew we knew coming in
[6:30:36] that there was going to be some tough
[6:30:37] decisions and uh to Tori's point earlier
[6:30:40] on like I really appreciate all the work
[6:30:41] the staff's done. I said we came here
[6:30:43] and we see all this documentation, but
[6:30:45] the process and the time it's taken just
[6:30:47] to get this to us is amazing. So, I
[6:30:49] really appreciate it. And then like it's
[6:30:50] the fifth year I've done this. So, this
[6:30:52] there's been a lot of heavy lifting here
[6:30:54] in tough times and I again the staff,
[6:30:56] your staff and the whole team has done a
[6:30:57] great job. So it wasn't don't take it as
[6:30:59] a criticism. It's just a commentary.
[6:31:01] Yeah. And I just want to add, I mean,
[6:32:04] Haley and Patrick and the team did a ton
[6:32:06] of work, but I also want to give a
[6:32:07] special thank you to Justin who I mean,
[6:32:10] did did a heavy lift on this um really
[6:32:13] dug through a lot of the historical
[6:32:15] records, helped us um make a lot of
[6:32:17] these changes and transition. So, just
[6:32:19] on on that note for what Lauren said, I
[6:32:22] mean, I I you're looking at me when you
[6:32:24] said thank you and and I feel very much
[6:32:25] like you should be looking at everybody
[6:32:27] else in this room and not over here.
[6:32:28] They they they did I appreciate that,
[6:32:30] Mark. No, they did they did a phenomenal
[6:32:32] job and I just I they they should get
[6:32:34] the credit that they deserve for for all
[6:32:36] the work that went into this. So, thank
[6:32:37] you to them.
[6:32:40] >> Don't worry, the rest of us won't thank
[6:32:42] » Don't worry, the rest of us won't thank
[6:32:42] you, Cole. Promise.
[6:32:43] >> We're all looking.
[6:32:49] Go ahead, Kevin.
[6:32:54] » So, I just want to thank you all for
[6:32:57] everything you've done.
[6:33:00] [laughter]
[6:33:00] >> No, but in in all honesty, you guys uh
[6:33:04] » No, but in in all honesty, you guys uh
[6:33:04] you guys did awesome. Um I look at these
[6:33:07] numbers and yeah, they there's
[6:33:09] definitely a lot to go through. So,
[6:33:10] thank you for everything you've done.
[6:33:13] Um, mine is same as uh Mark here with
[6:33:16] with the reserves. You know, it'd be
[6:33:18] nice to have money going in there a
[6:33:20] little bit more, but you know what? I'm
[6:33:23] uh I'm happy with this. And the 3% like
[6:33:25] Lauren said, too. You know, it's it's
[6:33:28] hard to always keep asking for more, but
[6:33:31] it also uh helps cash flow things, too.
[6:33:34] So, I'm good with it. Thank you all.
[6:33:38] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would reiterate
[6:33:40] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would reiterate
[6:33:40] what what uh Mark and Kevin had both
[6:33:43] said. Um I appreciate the effort that
[6:33:45] administration has put into this. Um you
[6:33:48] know, especially the directors and and
[6:33:50] all the people under Cole. Um and um
[6:33:54] yeah, in terms of terms of u reserves, I
[6:33:59] I understand and appreciate that, you
[6:34:01] know, we've been saving for the last
[6:34:03] three years to spend it this year on
[6:34:05] things like the gravel crush. Um, I
[6:34:08] would like to get to a point where we
[6:34:10] are putting more into the reserves on an
[6:34:13] annual basis because, uh, frankly,
[6:34:16] that's what we're we need to be looking
[6:34:19] for for future generations. Um, you
[6:34:22] know, it's nice that we're putting money
[6:34:23] away for three-year projects, but we
[6:34:25] also have to have to start looking at
[6:34:28] and focusing on what we're going to be
[6:34:30] able to need to put away for 10 year
[6:34:33] projects, 20-y year projects, and
[6:34:34] 30-year projects. But I also understand
[6:34:36] we need to have a balance on that. You
[6:34:38] know, I mean, we can't uh can't expect
[6:34:40] our uh our tax increase to be
[6:34:44] significantly higher than it is. So, you
[6:34:47] know, finding that balance is is
[6:34:49] important. So, um I think, you know, we
[6:34:51] did a good job on this uh you know, from
[6:34:55] administration standpoint to try to find
[6:34:56] that balance. So, it's appreciated from
[6:34:58] my end.
[6:35:04] » Thank you, Mr. Mr. Chair, um, good job.
[6:35:19] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. No. Um, for
[6:35:21] myself being that this is like the my
[6:35:23] first uh budget experience there, um, I
[6:35:26] just want to say you guys did a
[6:35:27] phenomenal job, you know, presenting the
[6:35:29] information and, you know, clear and
[6:35:31] precise and, uh, yeah, I mean, kept
[6:35:34] everything very
[6:35:35] wellrounded there. And, yeah, just want
[6:35:37] to thank you guys a lot.
[6:35:43] » Thank you. Thanks, Tony. Uh, thank you,
[6:35:46] council, for for everything today.
[6:35:48] Appreciate it. Uh again, just reiterate
[6:35:51] what's been said. Thank you, uh staff.
[6:35:53] Thank you for everything that goes into
[6:35:54] this, especially Justin. I know, um I
[6:35:56] think that um I've I've known Justin, we
[6:35:59] were at university at the same time, so
[6:36:01] I've known Justin for 20 years and uh on
[6:36:04] and off and and I think the type of
[6:36:06] person that has such a deep respect for
[6:36:09] for governance and and in that deep
[6:36:12] respect is just trying to provide
[6:36:14] information. he would provide rather
[6:36:16] provide you mountains and mountains of
[6:36:18] information and have you parse through
[6:36:19] it and feel that you're informed as
[6:36:21] opposed to missing anything. So I always
[6:36:23] appreciate his approach in that sense
[6:36:25] where you know we joke about how many
[6:36:26] slides there are but it comes from a a
[6:36:29] really you know well-intended good place
[6:36:31] of just wanting us as the decision
[6:36:34] makers to have that information. So just
[6:36:36] a a huge thank you to him and to to
[6:36:38] everyone else Haley everyone in your
[6:36:40] department um we really appreciate it.
[6:36:42] Candace, I know um 11:34 getting the
[6:36:45] ding at night that the
[6:36:48] >> Well, it's all appreciated. Um thank you
[6:36:51] » Well, it's all appreciated. Um thank you
[6:36:51] very much. Um having said all that, I I
[6:36:54] do think that as we can tell from the
[6:36:56] tone of some of these discussions, we
[6:36:57] have a lot of, you know, heavier
[6:36:59] philosophical questions moving forward.
[6:37:00] But as well as far as level of service
[6:37:03] goes, where where we want to be and and
[6:37:05] I think Ryan, when you and I talked
[6:37:07] briefly, it was, you know, what what do
[6:37:09] we want to be and where do we want to be
[6:37:11] in three, five, seven years because I
[6:37:13] think there's a lot of uh tough
[6:37:15] decisions that are not only budgetary
[6:37:17] but level of service discussions that we
[6:37:18] have to have. So look forward to that
[6:37:20] and just thank you to everyone for your
[6:37:22] contributions and appreciate it.
[6:37:25] >> Anything else? Cool. Oh, sorry. Quarter.
[6:37:29] » Anything else? Cool. Oh, sorry. Quarter.
[6:37:29] >> Perfect. You're good. Okay. John.
[6:37:34] » Perfect. You're good. Okay. John.
[6:37:34] >> Motion to adjurnn. John has moved to
[6:37:36] » Motion to adjurnn. John has moved to
[6:37:36] adjourn at 3:37.
[6:37:39] Any discussion? Call the question. in
[6:37:40] favor.