By Kevin J. Sabo
For the Advance
The County of Paintearth council gave third reading to four bylaws during the Nov. 20th meeting.
Three of the bylaws are bringing into effect Intermunicipal Development Plans with the counties of Flagstaff, Special Areas 2 & 4, and Stettler.
These agreements are a provincial government requirement that is designed to reduce conflicts between municipalities where it comes to land use.
Prior to April 1st, 2018 these agreements between municipalities were voluntary.
Municipalities have until April 1st, 2020 to prepare these intermunicipal agreements and have them brought into effect through bylaw.
Several of these bylaws have already passed third reading, and the County is in a good position to get them done by the deadline.
“I move this for second reading, and commend administration that we’ve got this done,” said Deputy Reeve Doreen Blumhagen.
“It’s a testament to our staff.”
Flagstaff, Special Areas, and Stettler County will all be required to create reciprocal agreements.
“Flagstaff is doing theirs…today, Stettler is doing theirs the first part of December, and Special Areas…they have a different procedure that they rattled up the chain of command at Municipal Affairs,” said County of Paintearth Planning and Development Officer Todd Pawsey.
One Intermunicipal Development Plan that is still outstanding is the plan between the County, and their urban partner, Halkirk.
Once the plan with Halkirk passes first reading, the County will be posting it online and then hosting a community engagement session prior to second and third readings.
The fourth bylaw that passed second and third reading during the Nov. 20th council meeting was bylaw 670-18, a road closure bylaw.
The road closure, which affects a County road on the south side of SW-3-38-9W4, will become official once the paperwork is submitted to the provincial government.
Once complete the land from the road will be transferred to land titles, and passed onto the adjacent landowner.