Officials with Clearwater County and the Town of Rocky Mountain House have rehashed a funding agreement that would see the County contribute a lump sum to help fund the Town’s recreation facilities.
The previous agreement, which dated back to early 2009, saw the County contribute a percentage of operational deficits to the Town, such as contributing 50 per cent to Town facilities such as the arena.
The new agreement would instead see the County forward an annual lump sum payment based on the Town’s recreation budget. According to the agreement, 50 per cent of budgeted capital and operational costs, and 25 per cent of administrative costs would be covered by the County.
The change to a lump sum contribution would make the contributions more predictable from a budgeting standpoint, says Clearwater County Chief Administrative Officer, Rick Emmons, as well as giving the Town more flexibility with how the dollars are spent.
Any additional capital expense requests would be considered on a case-by-case basis, said Emmons.
Councillor Neil Ratcliffe said he is concerned about the 50/50 cost ratio, as he says county residents typically don’t use the recreation facilities such as trails, playgrounds and sports fields as often as town residents.
Matt Martinson, director of agricultural and community services for Clearwater County, says there is a mutual benefit.
“The benefit to County residents is that they access to the shared services that the Town and County have agreed to,” says Martinson. “The Town is a large service centre for this part of the county and it just makes sense that we share services and provide them together.”
Martinson adds, one exception is baseball diamonds within town limits as the County already improves ball diamonds in places like Alhambra and Leslieville.
Clearwater County Reeve Michelle Swanson says the agreement isn’t set in stone forever, as there’s always an opportunity to collaborate with partners at the Town to tweak the agreement in the future.
“We know that this community is going to continue to grow,” says Martinson. “That includes recreation, and we hope that continues to happen, because that’s the sign of a vibrant community.”
Shared amenities include the Rocky Regional Recreation Facility, North Saskatchewan River Park, The Aquatic Centre, tennis and pickleball courts, as well as the Rocky Spray Park and its newly opened bathroom facility.
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READ MORE: New bathroom facilities open at Rocky Spray Park
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“I am pleased with the continued partnership between the Town of Rocky Mountain House and Clearwater County in operating our recreation facilities and programs for the benefit of the entire region,” said Town of Rocky Mountain House CAO Dean Krause. “The forward-thinking agreement will serve residents of both municipalities for many years to come.”
The agreement is in place for 10 years, expiring December 31, 2033.
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