(rdnewsNOW file photos)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

from rocky to rolling together

Annexation north of city proves strong relationship with Red Deer County

Mar 23, 2022 | 2:19 PM

Red Deer County council has approved, in principle, a proposed annexation of land by the City of Red Deer — an example of how the neighbouring municipalities are continuing to forge a stronger relationship.

The land totalling 137.38 hectares is located west of the QEII Highway and north of Hwy 11A. It’s being referred to by the City as Hazlett West, referring to Hazlett Lake east of the highway in the previously annexed North of 11A area.

Red Deer city council approved the intent to annex Hazlett West at a meeting in February. Now that county council has given its stamp of approval, in principal, the two parties can begin negotiations on specifics, followed by public consultations, and then it goes to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for final approval.

The City has committed to holding an open house, one-on-one meetings with landowners by request, and will launch a website to help get information out to the public.

One concern raised by Councillor Christine Moore at County council’s March 22 meeting was for her constituents in Linn Valley, which neighbours Hazlett West. She noted the potentially significant impact it will have for the area next to them to suddenly become part of the city.

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David Girardin, the City’s major projects planner, says those residents will be included in mail-outs and invitations to a future open house, the date for which has not yet been set. As for Hazlett West, there’s just one property owner to consult with, and it’s the same one who owns the land around Hazlett Lake east of the highway.

“The people of Red Deer County, in those areas, need to know this: we have a great relationship with the City and Red Deer city council. Mayor Ken Johnston is a pleasure to work with and we’ve had many great discussions about working together in the future to see great things happen for both the city and county,” says County Mayor Jim Wood.

“I want to give assurance to developers also that we’re going to see many good things happen because of the two of us working together. What’s good for one is good for the other. We’re very close and intertwined.”

An intermunicipal development plan (IDP) was established between the two in 2007, which followed a period of prickliness between the municipalities.

The IDP sets out compensation for annexations, using a set formula based on property taxes to calculate what’s owed. According to the IDP, for the first full year after the land has been annexed, the County will get 100 per cent of property taxes collected. Each year after, it goes down by 20 per cent until arriving at zero.

Some members of County council also expressed a desire for greater advance notice on which areas the City may be looking to annex, something Girardin says the City is working on.

Speaking to rdnewsNOW in Mayor Johnston’s stead, as he is on days off, Deputy Mayor Cindy Jefferies says things were rocky and communication had fallen apart between the two councils prior to 2007.

“A lot of work has been done to try and come to an understanding of how we’d like to work together and where our respective growth areas are. Work on the IDP has guided both of us well,” says Jefferies who served three terms on council starting in 2004, before her recent return.

“We hope the County would see this annexation as an important piece of our growth and things would go fairly smoothly. Our working relationship has come a long way and we recognize we need to work together to grow and benefit.”

Jefferies notes city growth has slowed from previous projections, adding that the IDP is reviewed on a regular basis.

“The IDP identifies growth patterns for both of us so we’re not trying to grow into the same spaces,” adds Jefferies.

For ongoing updates of the City’s annexation proposals, visit reddeer.ca.

RELATED: Red Deer wants to expand: land annexation north of city