There’s a lot on the wish list for the MD of Foothills this year. This year’s assessment for budget discussions is based on a growth rate of one per cent and an estimated increase in provincial school requisition amounts of 2.74 per cent and a Westwinds requisition increase of 1.1 per cent. The increase can be broken down to $569,000 for school amounts, $10,600 for Westwinds and $1,040,000 for municipal services. “The residential and farm mill rate is projected to increase on a two per cent basis on this budget, non-residential increasing 2.07 per cent and machinery and equipment mill rate 2.2 per cent,” said Christine Hummel, MD director of corporate services. Municipal service expenses in the budget show $150,000 for additional RCMP coverage, as well as $506,000 in capital equipment purchases for the Foothills Fire Department, she said. The fire department is looking at $130,000 for new vehicles, $56,000 for CAD mapping software in response units, and $237,000 for an air tank truck that would refill breathing apparatus tanks. Currently that service is contracted out by the department. “That one is a big expense,” said Ryan Payne, MD director of community services. “It’s one I believe [fire chief] Jim Smith is talking to his counterparts in other towns as well. It could be a regional vehicle we could share amongst ourselves.” He said those discussions are currently underway and no decisions have been made in other municipalities to-date. It would make sense to share in the investment with regional partners like Okotoks and High River, as they co-respond to many incidents in the MD, he said. In the interim, the MD is including the full cost of the truck in its budget to ensure it is on council and administration’s radar, he said. MD CAO Harry Riva Cambrin said if regional partners don’t agree to joint use, it will have to be reviewed to see whether it makes sense to own the truck or continue contracting out the service. That will be a decision of council down the road, he said. There may also be other options available, such as municipalities hiring the MD to fill their tanks rather than jointly investing in the truck, he said. “In the end, staff will come to council with the recommendation with respect to whether we should continue contracting or whether we should enter into a joint agreement with the other municipalities, how we should do it,” said Riva Cambrin. Public works also had a list of capital purchase items in the proposed 2019 budget, for a total of about $1.87 million. Replacement equipment includes a grader, various sanding and plowing vehicles, a tri-axle pup trailer, and three pick-up trucks. The costs are estimated at this time, and won’t be finalized until 2019, said Hummel. “By spring when we’re prepared to pass the final version of the budget, we’ll have firmed up some of those capital prices,” she said. In terms of road work, the 2019 budget lists $660,000 for chip seal, $5.7 million for dust control, and $2 million for bridge replacement or paving projects.
