Sunday, November 10, 2019

CLEARWATER COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 11, 2019
ARBUTUS COMMUNITY HALL
1.0 Welcome

At 7:30 p.m. President Marianne Cole called the meeting to order.

2.0 Approval of Agenda
Items 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5 were updated. Dan Warkentin moved that the agenda be approved with updates and additions. Laverne Ahlstrom seconded. Carried.
3.0 Minutes of the previous meeting
Marianne Cole read the minutes of our last meeting from April 16, 2019. Marlene Brattberg moved that minutes be adopted as recorded. Ken Qually seconded. Carried.
4.0 Financial Report
Pat Butler read the financial statements for May 2019. Pat Butler moved that the financial statements be accepted as presented. Al Gaetz seconded. Carried.
5.0 Business Arising From The Minutes

5.1 Letter to the AER - was sent to three individuals on May 21, 2019 ( Mrs. Sheila O’Brien, Chairman of the Board, AER, Sonya Savage, Minister of Energy and Mr. Gordon Lambert, President & CEO of AER) with concerns of the operation and control of the AER and fracking. It was noted that Jason Nixon is overseeing the AER under his portfolio.

5.2 Prices of Grazon – the prices haven’t been looked into. The County has a sheet published with their prices.


5.3 Tax Rate info – council voted for a 0% tax increase in municipal taxes for this year but there is an increase in taxes due to the increase in the school tax.



6.0 New Business
6.1 County council meeting highlights
· Presentation by Mountain Rose Woman’s Shelter – new shelter should be completed by August. They would like representation from County council on their working group.
· North Saskatchewan River Park Update – a grant has been received and work will begin soon on a covered grandstand.
· Grant Funding for Community Halls Policy – council approved a policy that will see annual allocations based on hall capacity.
· Tax Rate Discussion – there may be a 5.41% increase for residential and farm and a 13.8% increase for business.
· Audited Financial Statements – county is in a favorable financial position. Revenue has increased 13.14% with expenses only increasing by 3.59% over 2017.

6.2 Friends of Corridor School
Fundraising has been postponed due to no clear answers from the provincial government. Until that is received, there is no clear target for fundraising.
6.3 Name Update

Alberta Clearwater Association has changed its name to Alberta Freshwater Alliance Society.

6.4 Memorial for Roy??

It was discussed and decided to contact friends to donate to a cause or charity in his name. Robert Brattberg made a motion to donate $100.00 to charity of their choice. Pat Butler seconded. Carried.

6.5 Clearwater Broadband Foundation
This foundation was established in 2016 to improve broadband in the county. They have a P3 partnership that is a combination of public and private. There is a fiber optic network that is up and running as a pilot project. Discussion took place about whether the county should be involved in providing internet service. An informal vote was taken and was overwhelming against the county being involved.


6.6 County Concerns
There were concerns that the county didn’t change the fire signs to a ban, but it was only a restriction, not a ban. There is a concern with a county vehicle being seen in Red Deer on a “shopping trip”. This will be looked into. The county has a number that can be contacted 24 hours with concerns.
** Marianne Cole read a thank you note from Coral Ahlstrom
7.0 Future Meeting: Tuesday September 17th @ 7:30 p.m.

8.0 Adjournment - Ken Qually moved for adjournment @ 9:09 p.m.
CLEARWATER COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 16, 2019
ARBUTUS COMMUNITY HALL
1.0 Welcome

At 7:25 p.m. President Marianne Cole called the meeting to order.

2.0 Approval of Agenda
Pat Butler moved that the agenda be approved. with additions. Dan Warkentin seconded. Carried.
3.0 Minutes of the previous meeting
Marianne Cole read the minutes of our last meeting from March 12, 2019. Ken Qually moved that minutes be adopted as recorded. Helge Nome seconded. Carried.
4.0 Financial Report
Pat Butler read the financial statements for March 2019. Pat Butler moved that the financial statements be accepted as presented. Dan Warkentin seconded. Carried.
5.0 Business Arising From The Minutes

5.1 Letter to council re: Compensation and AER concerns, School Board rep and to AER

AER Concerns – We received a reply from Reeve Jim Duncan in response to a letter written to him on March 14, 2019 addressing our concerns with using fresh water for fracking. In his letter, he noted that water is under provincial jurisdiction and council has not addressed this issue.
School Board Rep – There has not been a reply as of yet to our request for a school board rep to attend one of our meetings to update us on the new schools.
Councillor Cammie Laird replied to our e-mail for further information that was previously sent in January.
Letter to AER – A letter was sent to the AER by e-mail and it was answered by e-mail. Marianne will draft a letter to the AER after the election that will address the minister.

5.2 Concerns with chemical purchases/ rebates. Marianne will cost compare the cost of chemicals from the county to UFA and Co-op. Rebates are set by the chemical companies.


6.0 New Business
6.1 County council meeting highlights
· Rec vehicle storage, sewage dump. There are concerns with traffic from neighbors. Rezoning was passed. Applicants now have to apply for a development permit.
· There is an application from the Plumbing Shoppe to rezone a portion of land
· First readings on the Caroline – Clearwater ICF
· Collection of Business Information discussion and business licenses
· Support of the Corridor school enhancement projects – council will match funds raised for the new schools
· Presentation from Bellatrix – concerns with getting their product to market
· Town of RMH lagoon – improvements have been made. Unknown future costs.
· Request from CCTA for councillor compensation for meeting attendance – request was denied.
· Open mic time was discussed and livestreaming should be up and running by this fall.
6.2 Tax dollars owed to the County by oil/gas industry related companies
Front page of the Western Producer reports that there is over $81 million in property taxes that has gone unpaid in Alberta. $1.9 million is owed to the County from oil and gas companies. Names are being withheld. Are taxpayers on the hook for this deficit? Audited financial statements will be released the end of April.
6.3 Corridor School Survey

There is a survey being conducted for residents wanting ‘extras’ for new school, size of gymn, stage etc. Fundraising, how much and for what? Hard copies are available at the County office. Available online?

6.4 Up-coming council meeting/ financial statements/ tax rates

Agenda coming out soon.

7.0 Future Meetings Tuesday May 21 and Tuesday June 18, 2019 @ 7:30 p.m.
8.0 Adjournment – Dan Warkentin moved for adjournment @ 8:45 p.m.
CLEARWATER COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
MEETING MINUTES
MARCH 12, 2019
ARBUTUS COMMUNITY HALL
1.0 Welcome

1. At 7:30 p.m. President Marianne Cole called the meeting to order. All those in attendance introduced themselves.

2.0 Approval of Agenda
2. February meeting was cancelled due to weather so agenda items from February have been combined with items for March. Items 6.6 and 6.7 were added. Dan Warkentin moved that the agenda be approved with additions. Pat Butler seconded. Carried.
3.0 Minutes of the previous meeting
3. Marianne Cole read the minutes of our last regular meeting from October 11, 2018. Marlene Brattberg moved that minutes be adopted as recorded. Al Gaetz seconded. Carried.
4.0 Financial Report
4. Pat Butler read the financial statements for the previous year and Jan/Feb of 2019. Pat Butler moved that the financial statements be accepted as presented. Al Gaetz seconded. Carried.
5.0 Business Arising From The Minutes

5.1 Letter to council re: Bighorn

Marianne Cole wrote a letter to council January 29, 2019 expressing our concerns with the Bighorn Park proposed by the Alberta government and the concern we have with council not expressing their opposition to this plan. A reply was received January 31, 2019 from Reeve Jim Duncan stating that they were waiting for their next meeting to have a motion to be passed. On February 12, 2019 council issued an excellent letter to Minister Shannon Phillips stating their opposition to the park.



5.2 Future Guest Speaker: Jason Nixon – His office was contacted and they suggested waiting until more details about the upcoming election were made.

5.3 Letter re: CPO’s – Marianne Cole sent an e-mail to councillor Cammie Laird on January 9, 2019 stating our concerns with an officer living outside the county and parking the CPO vehicle at an insecure site, cost for parking, potential vandalism and driving county vehicles. Councilor Cammie Laird was in attendance at the meeting and stated that there had been a policy change as of January 1, 2019 and that vehicles would need to be picked up at the closest secure county building.


5.4 Appointment of Auditor for our 2018/2019 return – Laverne Ahlstrom made a motion to appoint Sharon Rubeling for auditor. Dan Warkentin seconded. Carried.

6.0 New Business
6.1 Update on Bighorn Proposal – the Bighorn Park has been put on hold for now pending the outcome of the election.

6.2 County Council Highlights:

· Partnership with Wild Rose School Division – council passed a resolution indicating it’s support for the Leslieville school enhancement project and will match funds raised by the community.
· The county has released its strategy for economic development that include: Prepare for business, Prepare for people growth, Promote opportunities and Foster a Culture of Growth.
· Clearwater County Regional Wastewater System Briefing – there have been issues with the effluent from the lagoon and upgrades are needed. The county is responsible for contributing money for upgrades. The county will continue to evaluate past and current studies.
Helge Nome made a motion that we write a letter to the school division inviting school trustees to our CCTA meetings to discuss school changes. Lawrence Stewart seconded. Carried.
Ken Qually made a motion to write a letter to council for two reps from council attend CCTA meetings and that time should be compensated. More are welcome to attend, but only two will be compensated. Pat Butler seconded. Carried.

6.3 Change in Meeting Date

The second Tuesday conflicts with some other meetings. Discussion took place about which day would be best. Helge Nome made a motion to hold meetings the third Tuesday of the month starting April 16th. Dennis Anderson seconded. Carried.


6.4 Rebate on Chemical Purchases - There has been some confusion about the rebate on chemical purchases purchased from the county. The rebate program amount is set by the chemical company.
6.5 Report on area “Water Activities”, fracking, earthquakes – A new association is being formed “Alberta Clearwater Association” . They gave a presentation at Red Deer College. There was a statistic read that 3 to 8 million gallons of water are used per frack. Ken Qually made a motion to write a letter to the AER board voicing our concerns with the use of fresh water and fracking. Helge Nome seconded. Carried with 1 opposed. He also encouraged members to contact council to address our concerns as well.

6.6 Council Spending Priorities – The question was asked if council had to take the lowest bid for items put out for tender. Discussion took place about how residents should have input on how the money is being spent, with better roads being an important priority.

6.7 CPO Parking @ James River – this item was addressed in agenda item 5.3.

7.0 Future Meetings – Tuesday April 16 and May 21st at 7:30 at Arbutus Hall.
8.0 Pat Butler moved to adjourn at 9:40 PM
CLEARWATER COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

MEETING MINUTES

JANUARY 8, 2019

ARBUTUS COMMUNITY HALL
1.0 Welcome

1. At 7:35 p.m. President Marianne Cole called the meeting to order. All those in attendance introduced themselves.

2.0 Approval of Agenda
2. Ron Hallahan moved that we approve the agenda as presented. Jim Pearson seconded. Carried.
3.0 Minutes of the previous Annual Meeting
3. Marianne Cole read 2017 Annual Meeting minutes that were held November 9, 2017. Pat Butler noted an error with the nomination of the auditor. Nomination should have read: Pat Butler nominated Sharon Rubeling for auditor. Marion Schafer seconded. Marlene Brattberg moved that minutes be approved with correction. Ken Qually seconded. Carried.
4.0 Financial Report
4. Pat Butler read the financial statements of October – December 2018. Pat Butler moved that the financial statements be accepted as presented. Ron Hallahan seconded. Carried.
5.0 Election of Officers
5.1 Election of Officers- all members in the following positions agreed to let their names stand. There were no other nominations from the floor.

· President –Marianne Cole. Pat Butler moved nominations cease. Seconded by Ron Hallahan. Carried.

· Vice President – Dan Warkentin. Ron Hallahan moved nominations cease. Doug Smith seconded. Carried.

· Secretary – Susan Durand. Marlene Brattberg moved nominations cease. Pat Butler seconded. Carried.

· Treasurer – Pat Butler. Ken Qually moved nominations cease. Ron Hallahan seconded. Carried.

· Board Members – Al Gaetz, Larry Titford, Jim Foesier, Helge Nome and Sharon Rubeling. Pat Butler moved nominations cease. Marlene Brattberg seconded. Carried.

6.0 New Business
6.1 Bighorn Wildland Park Issue
· Update – There are 2 distinct sides of the park issue. Council had asked to meet with Minister Shannon Phillips but had been declined. Meetings have been respectful. Councilor Theresa Laing has written a letter explaining council’s current position. Marianne Cole had written a letter to Minister Phillips voicing our concerns on May 4, 2018 which discussed our concerns with the economic impact, the human investment and the lack of transparency and public engagement. A reply has been received. Marianne also read some highlights of a letter received outlining the effects of the Castle Wildland Provincial Park that has had on that area. A report from Jessica Reilly, a senior Fisheries biologist suggests that most of the stream crossings have no fish passage or erosion concerns. The Clearwater Trails Initiative group conducted a survey of West Country users May- Sept 2017 with the majority indicating Camping, OHV use and Fishing as their activities.

· Further Action – Discussion took place about the park issue and various suggestions were: The problem is a lack of enforcement, creating a petition, town hall meetings or petition by councilors and personally invite councilors to next meeting. Helge Nome made a motion to write a letter voicing our concerns to council urging them to take a position and represent the taxpayers. Laverne Ahlstrom seconded. Carried.

6.2 Guest Speaker??? Jason Kenney???
The next guest speaker was discussed and attendees indicated by popular vote to invite Jason Nixon to speak about the Bighorn issue and Orphan Wells. A date and time TBA.
6.3 Highlights of County Council Meeting January 8, 2019
· Presentation by FCSS – Andrea Vassallo outlined their various programs and their funding model.
· Presentation by Wildrose School Division – Representatives gave an update on the plans for the Corridor Schools Capital Plan.
· Presentation by Monica Ahlstrom and Kyle Wadden from Ahlstrom Air – there are concerns with the proposed Bighorn Wildland Park and how it could potentially affect their business. (More In Camera)
· Presentation by Missing Link Internet – Missing Link made a presentation about their efforts to improve broadband service. (More In Camera)
6.4 Marianne Cole read a letter from Giant Truck & Car Wash explaining their increase in prices due to the increase in water and sewer by the town. She also read a letter from the town of Slave Lake that emphasized the need to work together and not to protect the interests of a few.
7.0 Open Forum
7.1 Leslieville/ Condor Firehall – There has been property purchased south of Condor. Combination fire hall/ public works building at Condor estimated at $4 million. Renovation of building at Leslieville estimated at $2 million.
Helge Nome suggested we include compliments to council for listening to resident concerns and wishes on this matter in the above mentioned letter to council on the Bighorn Wildland Park issue.
7.2 A member voiced several concerns. Should the county be spending money on broadband when it is rumored that Bell in bring in internet? Peace Officers within the county leaving a county vehicle unattended by James River. Oil & Gas legal battles from a wellsite dating back to 2007.

8.0 Next meetings February 12, 2019 and March 12, 2019 @ 7:30 pm. There will be a separate meeting for Jason Nixon. TBA.

9.0 Adjournment. Motion to adjourn was made by Ron Schultz @ 9:51 p.m.