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Dino dinner
Adam Fyten decorates a cookie at one of the many stations during the Halloween Mini Monster Bash last Friday at the Okotoks Recreation Centre. The annual event was co-sponsored by the Town of Okotoks Community Services and the Toy Library. The 11th annual bash registered about 100 preschoolers.
- photo by Lynn Sketchley
Headwaters offers a special one-time meningococcal vaccine for local infants
By Cindy BallanceEditor
Like many other health authorities in the province, Headwaters is now attempting to deal with a substantial shortfall in revenues from the province.
Alberta Health and Wellness announced that 17 regional health authorities and two provincial government boards will have their base budgets reduced by $40 million.
In a press release, it stated that the adjustment is in an effort to assist the Alberta government in reducing spending by $1.2 billion.
The direct impact of the announcement means that Headwaters Health Authority is faced with the task to find ways to deal with a shortfall of $751,000 this year.
According to interim chief executive officer, Fergie Johnston of Headwaters, the board and administration are working to develop a plan to examine where expenditures can be decreased.
To do so, he explained, programs and services will be examined across the region to find ways to deal with the shortfall.
'We are first looking at ways of improving efficiencies and every effort will be made to minimize the impact on service delivery,' said Johnston.
The difficulty is that the board is six months into its fiscal year and having only four or five months remaining in the year to deal with the cutbacks is more difficult than if the board had known of the revenue shortfall at the beginning of the budget year.
'Unfortunately, we have only a few months to effect these changes but we will remain committed to providing quality health services across the region,' Johnston added.
He added that the board hopes to make a final decision on how to deal with the shortfall by mid-November.
In a separate announcement, Alberta Health and Wellness noted the deferral of several capital projects around the province.
However, Johnston said this does not include the new Okotoks Health Centre.
'The Okotoks Health Centre is not one of them (those project being deferred) and we are very pleased with that,' he said.
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Okotoks Council considers borrowing $925,000
By Cindy BallanceEditor
In order to upgrade the town's Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), the Town of Okotoks is considering borrowing $925,000 of the $3.7 million needed for the upgrade.
During its regular meeting held Oct. 22, Okotoks council gave first reading to a borrowing bylaw in order to secure funding for a combination of five projects.
The project includes $2.9 million for an integrated sludge management and composting system; $285,000 for new ventilation systems; $160,000 for a new system to discharge treated effluent to the Sheep River; $265,000 for an expanded pumping capacity (new auger headworks) and $80,000 for an upgrade to the electrical system. The project will bring the plant in line with regulation requirements for the facility.
The upgrades will bring the WWTP up-to-date to handle a population of 14,500 for the next three years. To reach the target population of 25,000 to 30,000, further upgrades in the future have been planned with much less significant costs.
The upgrade will extend the life cycle of the major parts of the plant while improving the quality of effluent discharged into the Sheep River and improve the outfall component of the plant.
In order to secure funds for the upgrades, a borrowing bylaw is needed to secure $925,000.
Council has received grant funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in the order of $150,000 under the Green Municipal Investment Fund with the condition that the town agree to borrow $425,000 over five years.
The borrowing bylaw was also presented with a 10-year debenture term for $500,000 to the Alberta Municipal Financing Corporation (AMFC).
The remainder of the funds will come from the Alberta Water/Wastewater Partnership program of $1.2 million and contributions from the sanitary sewer acreage assessments, $1.3 million.
If approved, the town will have 37 per cent debt compared to the maximum 75 per cent set out in council's policy.
Municipal treasurer Grant Roeland explained that once the project is completed the town will see significant cost savings which will be used to pay for debentures.
'We feel the savings from the program will allow us to pay the debentures off,' said Roeland.
With a borrowing bylaw, local residents may submit a valid petition to council calling for a vote of the electors to determine whether the proposed bylaw should be passed. Valid petitions received, within 15 days from the last publication date in the local newspaper of the long-term borrowing bylaw, will be presented to council.
Council may either abandon the bylaw or submit the bylaw to a vote by the electors.
If no valid petition is received within 15 days, council may consider second and third reading of the bylaw at the next regular meeting.
An open house highlighting the project is proposed following the bylaw's advertising date.
