A decision on Okotoks’ proposed annexation plans could be in place as early as May.
The Town of Okotoks received notice in February that it’s proposed annexation of 1,950 hectares of land from the MD of Foothills was approved by the Municipal Government Board (MGB). It will now go before the provincial cabinet for final approval, which could take about two months.
The annexation agreement between the two municipalities went before the MGB at a public hearing on Oct. 12, where some residents spoke in opposition of the proposed boundary, seeking changes to include their lands in the annexation plans.
Okotoks CAO Elaine Vincent said the Town doesn’t know whether those requests have been fulfilled.
“When they do the sign-off, they do not share the information in terms of what they’ve signed off on,” said Vincent. “So, we’re not aware if they’ve made changes to it, if they’ve accepted it as-is, or put in additional conditions. That we won’t know until we actually receive the annexation order.”
The Town and MD originally asked for the annexation to be effective Jan. 1.
Vincent said the Town doesn’t know why the process has been delayed.
“We knew it was optimistic for us to put in the rush to have it signed off, so we don’t know if the annexation order will be retroactive to the date we requested, or if it will be to the date of signing,” said Vincent.
Having the annexation effective from a mid-year date would cause some complications for both the Town of Okotoks and the MD of Foothills, as well as residents slated to be annexed into the town, she said.
A January adjustment makes tax roll calculations simple, but having an annexation come into effect partway through the year means residents could potentially owe some taxes to the Town of Okotoks and another portion to the MD of Foothills, she said.
“Our preference would be for the date we requested,” said Vincent. “I know from my experience previously in Red Deer, the orders were dated and effective at a date in the future, so having that retroactive piece, I haven’t gone back to determine how often that does happen.”
The MGB did not return phone calls or emails from the Western Wheel prior to publication.
