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By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

REC FEES, FLEET MANAGEMENT, AND MORE

Blackfalds town council searches for savings and revenue opportunities

Dec 11, 2024 | 3:10 PM

In Blackfalds’ town council’s regular meeting Dec. 10, multiple decisions with budget implications were brought to the table that found both savings and revenue opportunities for the town moving forward.

Facilities fees

Council unanimously approved third reading of Bylaw 1318.24, which outlines the fee schedule for community facilities in the town.

Changes are indicated in red in the images below. One change is the removal of the Baseball/Soccer Player Fee; instead, local non-profit minor sports associations using ball diamonds or soccer pitches will be charged the local non-profit rates, which have been reduced slightly. Additionally, an increase to $300 from $100 has been made to the non-alcohol event damage deposit.

The changes passed first and second reading on Nov. 26, and provide additional rental revenues to the Town to offset operational costs. They are expected to come into effect in January 2025, with the exception of arena fees, which take effect at the start of the next ice season in August.

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Affordable Housing Taxation Bylaw

Second and third reading of the Affordable Housing Taxation Bylaw passed unanimously, reversing a provincially-legislated exemption from property taxation for non-profit subsidized affordable housing.

Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, was passed in May 2024 and received proclamation in October. One of the changes outlined in the Act exempted these affordable units from property taxation, set to begin in the 2025 tax year.

This bylaw only reinstates the municipal portion of the property tax charges; the units will still be exempt from paying provincial requisitions.

There are 20 of these units in Blackfalds, which are run by the Lacombe Foundation/Bethany Group. Lacombe Foundation did send a letter requesting that council consider leaving the exemption in place, to which the town responded by reminding those taxes fund public services like roads, snow removal, recreation facilities, and more.

Altogether, the average property tax for the 20 units is $55,157. With the provincial exemptions in place, the Lacombe Foundation/Bethany Group will still save about $13,340 of that total with the municipal portion reinstated, and the town will retain its nearly $42,000 in municipal revenue.

The bylaw passed first reading on Nov. 26.

Fleet management equity lease

Unanimous endorsement was given by council for the town to enter the Enterprise Fleet Management (EFM) Lease Program and to approve an additional $25,000 expense to facilitate this change.

EFM is an entity that buys vehicles and leases them to non-profits and government entities under a Master Agreement negotiated by the Rural Municipalities Association and the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada. EFM manages the procurement, maintenance, and reselling of these vehicles under the lease.

As a member of Canoe, Director of Corporate Services Justin de Bresser says the town will have access to pre-negotiated competitive rates outlined in the Master Contract.

Benefits of the program include conservatively projected savings of $54,000 over 10 years and a reduced administrative burden. Some of these savings would be realized through fixed maintenance expenses built into the leased asset, better fuel efficiency due to a younger fleet, and a three-year resell cycle that would off-board vehicles while resale values are high.

In the 2025 budget, the Town allocated $175,000 for the purchase of a one-ton fire brush truck. An additional $25,000 was approved to be added to this total to facilitate the rollout of the EFM program, which the fire brush truck will be acquired under.

Mural corridor project

Town council unanimously endorsed Peter McGee, Economic Development Officer, and the rest of administration to explore the feasibility of developing a tourism corridor along Highway 2A.

McGee said in his report that tourism corridors cluster tourism assets, which can increase their draw and economic impact. He suggests Highway 2A, and current and potential future murals along it, could provide a corridor where travellers are more motivated to leave the QEII and travel through Lacombe, Blackfalds, and Red Deer instead.

The QEII, running west of Blackfalds, has an average daily traffic flow of 40,000 vehicles, McGee reported. If just 3000 of those vehicles could be diverted to the 2A, and 300 of those stopped and spent $5 in town, it could have a financial impact of about $500,000 per year, he said.

While there are no specific next steps outlined for McGee, he shared he intends to begin by connecting with neighbouring stakeholders such as the City of Red Deer, City of Lacombe, and their respective counties.