The Town of Black Diamond is moving ahead with plans to annex 740 acres of Foothills County land - 613 of which are developable - in preparation for five decades of growth.
Once the proposal was approved by Black Diamond and Foothills County councils last month, Black Diamond administration submitted the request to Municipal Affairs for approval with plans for it to come into effect Jan. 1, 2020.
“I’m very hopeful that it will go through uncontested and I’m looking
forward to welcoming those landowners that happen to be in the annexation application into our town,” said Black Diamond Mayor Ruth Goodwin.
“We’ve been working on this for a year and a half and we’ve done our due diligence with regards to all of the check boxes that have been provided through the Municipal Governance Board through Municipal Affairs and the County.”
The proposal calls for annexing quarter sections east and south of Town, as well as between Black Diamond and Turner Valley south of Highway 7 to create continuous borders between the towns in the event of amalgamation.
Most of the proposed annexed land is for residential development, with industrial development south of Highway 7 at Black Diamond’s east end and some commercial development on both sides of Highway 22 at the town’s south end, according to Town planning and development officer Rod Ross.
A committee consisting of Foothills County and Town of Black Diamond councillors and administration engaged in annexation discussions the past year and a half to allow Black Diamond to invest in planning, engineering and financing strategies as it secures land for future residential, commercial and industrial development.
The process included public information sessions with affected landowners and servicing studies for future water, sewer and transportation networks, said Ross.
While the Town is not purchasing the land or
taking ownership of it, affected property owners will be regulated by the Town and be taxed at the Foothills rate for 25 years until a triggering event takes place such as subdividing or redesignating land, or connecting to the Town’s water and sewer services, at the landowner’s request.
If the agreement is approved, the Town must pay Foothills County $110,770 in compensation for lost municipal property taxes for existing development and infrastructure improvements made by the County in the annexation.
Linda Buck, who lives northeast of the proposed annexation boundary, attended both Black Diamond and Foothills council meetings last month to express her dissatisfaction over the proposal.
She called the plans “unreasonable” and “excessive,” and said she’s concerned about increasing the population, saying the land is being acquired prematurely despite deficiencies in water and sewer infrastructure.
Buck also expressed concerns about the Town’s spending in “Alberta’s crippled economy” after the Canadian Federation of Independent Business put the town in the bottom 10 for sustainable municipal operating spending the past decade.
Foothills County Coun. Jason Parker told council the proposal received very little opposition, adding the annexation board did extensive outreach to ensure questions were answered.
He said the last open house he attended saw more committee members present than concerned residents.
Coun. Delilah Miller told council the committee went above and beyond trying to accommodate everybody.
“We’ve really done our due diligence despite what the one resident said,” she told council. “There’s been lots of opportunity, I’ve opened my door to
anyone who wants to come and discuss annexation. I know the councillors from Black Diamond have done the same.
“I know we’ve all been extremely transparent on what we’re doing, we’ve been thoughtful, we’ve included a provision for future amalgamation possibilities, I think we’ve done a great job of working with our partners on this and I fully support this annexation the way it’s drawn up.”
A part of the agreement some County councillors didn’t support was waving the franchise fee on gas and utility bills, which Black Diamond property owners pay, for three years. It includes a 16 per cent franchise fee on the distribution portion for gas and 10 per cent for electricity.
While many councillors spoke against the fee, saying rural property owners put in more money than their town counterparts for services, County CAO Harry Riva Cambrin said those who supported being annexed are aware of it and that those annexed may get no relief anyway.
“There is a chance that the Municipal Government Board will not recommend this particular clause because, as far as I know, it’s never been applied on any annexation anywhere,” he said. “I am not aware of any annexation agreement where this issue has been dealt with in this way.”
With files from Megan Thrall
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