Nicholas L.M. Allen, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Crowsnest Pass Herald

Crowsnest Pass council has advanced and deferred numerous initiatives for the 2027 budget process during a special budget meeting Aug. 19.

The decisions came during the first review of council’s budget initiatives and were not final spending approvals. Administration told council that moving an initiative forward meant working out its details and including it for consideration with the final budget package. It did not guarantee approval in December.

Council reviewed 46 initiatives submitted by members and seven projects carried forward from earlier years. Members generally decided by consensus whether each item should stay in the budget process, rather than holding formal votes on every proposal.

The package listed $13,871,500 in initiatives with dollar figures, but that was not a proposed tax increase or an approved spending total. Only five of the 46 new council initiatives had amounts, totalling $2,381,500, while seven carried-forward projects accounted for the remaining $11.49 million. Several of those projects were deferred during the meeting. Other subjects were combined, deferred or sent to another council process.

Roads and infrastructure move ahead in narrower forms

Council did not move forward with Mayor Pat Rypien’s broad roads-and-sidewalks initiative because it did not request a specific budget change. A separate general sidewalk initiative was also removed after council treated it as part of the same discussion.

Administration said the municipality has about 110 kilometres of asphalt road and currently undertakes a rehabilitation project worth just over $1.2 million every two years. That was described as enough for about half a kilometre of pavement annually. CAO Patrick Thomas estimated the municipality would require $4 million to $5 million each year to keep pace with the road network’s deterioration.

Council did not move forward with Councillor Tony Vastenhout’s proposal to direct future municipal capital grants to roads instead of vehicles or equipment. Administration said the Local Government Fiscal Framework is already part of the capital plan and the federal fund formerly known as the gas tax is used for road projects. Vastenhout agreed the proposal could be removed after the explanation.

Councillor Dean Ward’s proposal for a second road-patching machine was kept as a possible budget item. Council wants to see how the municipality’s first machine performs through a freeze-thaw cycle and determine the cost of the staff needed to keep one or two machines operating.

The second machine was discussed as costing less than $150,000, but administration did not give a firm price. Members said the existing machine has produced promising repairs, while noting that two machines would require four operators when the public works department has 13 employees.

Ward’s trails and connections initiative moved forward with a tentative $50,000 budget amount. The proposal could support repairs, widening and future connections, with the heavily used trail near Blairmore among the areas discussed.

Council also kept the Hillcrest ball diamonds as a possible capital project while design work continues. No budget amount was selected. Administration said a complete buildout would have to address fields, water, washrooms and other supporting infrastructure. Thomas estimated the fields could cost about $1 million each before all site work is included.

Council did not move Ward’s proposed infrastructure charge for new developments directly into the budget. Thomas said the municipality would need engineering and legal work to show which growth-related projects the charge would support. Members agreed to discuss the subject at a future council policy meeting before deciding whether to fund a study, which was expected to cost at least $100,000.

Ward’s proposal to expand the municipality’s land supply through Crown land purchases or boundary expansion was also sent to a future council policy meeting.

Thomas said Crown land would have to be purchased at market value, and the province would assess whether disposal was in the public interest. He said an uncontested annexation could take three to five years, while a contested process could take about 10 years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Council did not fund an annexation or land purchase.

Council asks to see cost of putting more into reserves

Council moved one of the meeting’s most important financial proposals forward by asking administration to show what putting more money aside in municipal reserves would mean for the budget.

Thomas said the existing 2027 budget guidelines called for a general reserve contribution rate of 8 per cent and a utility contribution rate of 25 per cent. Council asked to see a general rate of 9 per cent and a utility rate of 27.5 per cent in the initiative package.

Administration estimated the previous year’s contribution formula generated about $2 million and the guideline increases already approved for the base budget would generate roughly $2.1 million to $2.2 million. The additional amounts requested August 19 still require calculation and council did not approve their tax or utility-rate effects.

The change replaced Ward’s broader proposal to build reserves equal to twice the municipality’s operating costs with figures administration could add to or remove from the draft budget.

Rural garbage-bin pilot moves forward while full rollout is deferred

Council moved forward with a tentative $50,000 pilot for a central bear-resistant garbage site serving one or two country-residential areas.

The concept would allow residents in a subdivision such as Valley Ridge or another rural neighbourhood to bring bagged garbage to one enclosed collection point. Council said a concentrated site could make collection more efficient and reduce wildlife access in areas with large lots and forest cover.

Members also raised the risk that people from outside the pilot area could use the site or leave furniture and other prohibited waste. Site selection, enclosure design, collection costs and illegal-dumping controls remain to be worked out.

The pilot replaces, for now, a carried-forward proposal for a community-wide bear-resistant cart system estimated at $2 million, not including a compatible collection truck. Council deferred that full rollout and will use the smaller project to test the service model.

Vehicle use and GPS remain under review

Council moved Rypien’s municipal-fleet proposal forward after combining it with Councillor Doreen Johnson’s more detailed initiative restricting personal use of municipal vehicles.

The discussion did not produce a new vehicle policy. Administration will review which employees require take-home vehicles for on-call responsibilities, whether passengers are permitted, possible taxable benefits, insurance and secure overnight storage.

Council was told the municipality has about 40 light-duty vehicles, roughly 10 of which are taken home, and about 100 fleet units when trailers, mowers, fire trucks and other equipment are included.

Nastasi’s proposal to remove GPS units from municipal equipment also moved forward, but only so council can receive more information about its cost and risks.

The service was estimated at about $27,000 a year across the fleet, subject to confirmation. Administration said GPS information had been used to locate employees needing serious assistance and to investigate complaints about vehicle location and speed. Members questioned its value as a theft deterrent and asked for firm installation, monitoring and contract figures before deciding whether to remove any units.

Council removed a duplicate GPS review submitted by Vastenhout and folded its questions into Nastasi’s initiative.

Municipal Equipment Initiative

Rypien’s municipal-equipment initiative moved forward as a review of the municipality’s policy. Council supported basing replacement decisions on an asset’s evaluated condition, reliability and operating cost instead of age alone.

Thomas said the municipality already tries to extend equipment life when practical, citing a track hoe it hopes to keep for six more years despite a breakdown that required an approximately $20,000 rental while parts were obtained. He said no major fleet purchase was expected in 2027, with a vacuum truck identified as the next major unit in 2028 and other heavy equipment scheduled later.

Fire-truck postponement does not move forward

Council did not move forward with Rypien’s proposal to postpone the municipality’s next fire-engine order.

Thomas said one engine was already under contract to replace the Coleman engine and was expected to arrive in about a year and a half. Another engine was expected to be ordered during the coming winter because delivery takes about four years.

He said front-line engines are generally recognized for 20 years, with one possible five-year extension, before their status can affect property-insurance ratings.

Council also heard that the municipality’s ladder truck is a front-line engine with added ladder capability. Thomas said it responds to roughly 70 per cent of calls and had been used three times in the 30 hours before the meeting.

Rypien accepted the consensus not to move the postponement initiative forward and said she could seek more information through a different process. A councillor used $350,000 as an example of what a cancellation charge might be, but no actual cancellation fee was established.

Call centre and contracting cuts are removed

Council did not move forward with Nastasi’s proposal to eliminate the municipality’s after-hours call centre.

Administration estimated the service costs about $8,000 a year and said it screens calls before directing water, sewer and road problems to public works. Other callers may be told to contact 911, FortisAlberta or a gas utility instead.

Thomas said call volume can reach 100 contacts in a week and removing the service could send unrelated complaints directly to the employee on call. Nastasi said he had expected a much higher cost and agreed the proposal did not need to proceed.

Vastenhout withdrew a proposal to reduce contracting-out expenses through a regionally shared specialist after administration described existing in-house pump and equipment expertise.

Thomas said the municipality previously proposed sharing a part-time information-technology position with another community, but the other municipality did not see value in the arrangement. Crowsnest Pass will continue considering equipment and service sharing when practical, but no new regional position entered the budget.

Utility-manager decision is deferred

Rypien and Nastasi both proposed removing the unfilled utility-manager position. Council deferred their duplicate initiatives after discussing the matter in closed session.

Before council closed the meeting, Thomas said money budgeted for the position was being used for contractors and consultants responding to operational needs. He said the municipality was not managing the department well without additional capacity.

Council returned to open session and deferred the item, leaving the position’s public budget treatment unresolved.

Signage and complex lighting stay in

Council moved Councillor Doreen Glavin’s $500 proposal for directional signs at 13th Avenue and 83rd Street in Bushtown forward for more work.

Thomas cautioned that placing directional signs away from attractions could create a precedent for similar requests in other neighbourhoods, but council chose to leave the proposal in for development.

Vastenhout’s lighting proposal also moved forward after council broadened it from curling-club parking-lot lights to lighting for the south parking area at the Sportsplex.

Members described the area as dark and hazardous during icy winter conditions. Thomas said the agenda’s $6,000 estimate would likely be too low once foundations and installation were included. Council kept the project in the budget process for a revised price rather than approving the amount.

Glavin’s separate $325,000 proposal to buy a Main Street property in Bellevue for parking did not move forward. Administration said it had already examined the parcel and found its dimensions and orientation unsuitable for efficient parking.

Summer Games and community involvement proceed

Council moved Vastenhout’s proposal to investigate hosting a future Southern Alberta Summer Games forward.

Administration will determine facility requirements, available years and whether a neighbouring community could host events the Crowsnest Pass cannot accommodate. The decision did not commit the municipality to a bid or establish a hosting budget.

Ward’s community-involvement initiative moved forward with a tentative $10,000 budget amount. Members discussed school outreach and other ways of involving more residents, particularly people between 20 and 45, in council, committees and non-profit organizations.

The amount is intended as a starting point and would be reviewed after 12 months if it remains in the final budget.

Revenue ideas move to existing policy processes

Council did not use the August 19 budget review to change land prices, development fees, infrastructure charges for new developments or charges added to utility bills.

Ward proposed moving away from municipal land sales based on assessed value, arguing that local listings were substantially above assessments and that two-to-three-year closing periods delayed revenue.

Thomas said land-sale policy should be discussed outside the budget process. The base budget already estimates $50,000 in land-sale revenue, with an equal amount directed to reserve, because administration cannot predict which properties will sell.

Council sent the policy issue to a future council policy meeting.

Ward’s development-fee review also moved outside the current budget review. Administration agreed to compare development permits and related charges with neighbouring municipalities through the normal fees and charges bylaw review in early 2027.

Thomas said administration should not build additional revenue into the 2027 budget before council has reviewed and adopted the bylaw. Any unexpected revenue received during the year would otherwise become surplus and could be captured in the following budget.

Vastenhout also proposed increasing the charges utilities add to customer bills for using municipal property and considering an infrastructure charge for larger developments.

Administration said franchise-fee rates normally return to council in September or October. Council did not set an increase. Glavin cautioned that utilities pass the fee to customers and said residents would experience an increase as another household cost even if it did not appear on the municipal tax bill.

Ward’s protective-services cost-recovery initiative did not create a new budget item. Administration said the municipality already bills vehicle insurers and neighbouring municipalities when legally possible, while hikers may have no insurance that can be charged.

Council discussed continued provincial advocacy because much backcountry rescue work supports tourism on Crown land. No new fee for hikers, trail users or non-residents was approved.

Planning and training proposals are redirected

Council removed Rypien’s requests for infrastructure and land-sales education from the budget list because both could be handled through workshops.

Ward’s strategic-plan update also did not move forward as a new 2027 expense. Administration said work had been expected in 2026, although the timing may change because the municipality must orient a new councillor after the November by-election.

Ward’s municipal development plan proposal was sent to a future council policy meeting. Council will first decide whether the document requires a limited update or a complete rewrite before assigning money.

His proposal for a third-party refresher on council roles and responsibilities moved forward in a modified form because of the council vacancy. Thomas said administration must provide a crash course meeting legislative requirements in late November or early December, with outside experts likely brought in during 2027.

Ward’s committee-training initiative did not move forward as a separate budget item. Administration will instead examine internal orientation material, templates and existing workshops for volunteer boards.

His employee attraction and retention initiative also did not produce a new funded measure. Thomas said the municipality already uses wellness and recruitment efforts and relies heavily on the Crowsnest Pass lifestyle when recruiting, but employee movement after about two years has become increasingly common across organizations.

Housing assessment may be updated outside municipal budget

Council did not assign municipal money to Ward’s proposal for an updated housing-needs assessment.

Thomas said administration was pressing Northback to update the earlier assessment prepared with Community Futures and believed the work may form part of the company’s Alberta Energy Regulator requirements.

He said the matter would return if municipal funding is needed. Northback’s responsibility and any regulatory requirement require confirmation before the work can be treated as secured.

Council’s proposed $50,000 expense budget is set aside

Council did not move forward with Johnson’s proposed $50,000 council budget as submitted.

Johnson said she wanted clearer provisions for business cards, cellphone costs and training. Administration said business cards are already available by request and course-registration fees are paid from a central training account, while council’s existing budget covers items such as travel and accommodation.

Johnson withdrew the cellphone component after other members did not express the same privacy and operational concern. She said she would continue paying for a separate council phone herself.

Council asked for actual spending figures and a review of its pay and training policies before considering changes. Members noted the proposed $50,000 would represent a significant increase to council’s existing budget, while administration said the current budget has often finished below estimate because meeting attendance varies.

The initiative was deferred without approving a new council expense budget.

Pedestrian walkway goes to administration

Council agreed 135th Street in Blairmore presents a serious pedestrian and traffic-safety concern but did not move a designed or costed walkway project forward.

Johnson said the steep road, blind corners and winter conditions leave children and other pedestrians sharing a narrow, sanded path with vehicles. Council discussed a sidewalk, a separate gravel path, stairs through a municipal utility corridor, changes to school-bus access and operational improvements.

Administration said a sidewalk would be difficult and costly, could be interrupted by the road layout and would create snow-clearing obligations for adjacent residents. Members directed administration to examine possible solutions and return with more information.

Gazebo Park and facility plan move back

Council deferred the $1-million Gazebo Park construction item by moving it one or two years later in the capital plan.

Rypien argued roads and sidewalks should take priority over the beautification project. Council did not cancel the park and discussed possible historical society grant support, but agreed it should not remain an immediate construction priority.

A duplicate initiative asking for Gazebo Park plans, costs, grants and business consultation was deferred with the main project.

Administration also recommended moving the $250,000 facility master plan one year because of staff capacity and related work on facility energy and greenhouse-gas recommendations. Council agreed.

The carried-forward $50,000 Sportsplex automatic-door proposal remained a possible December item. Administration initially suggested delaying it another year, while members cited accessibility and the difficulty of moving hockey bags through the existing doors. The final discussion kept the project in the budget process for a later decision.

The $155,000 Sportsplex rubber-flooring replacement moved forward. Administration said the flooring in the hallways, dressing rooms and officials’ room is worn and cannot be restored. The previous quote was described as reasonably close but likely to increase.

Sentinel Reservoir remains unresolved

Council did not select an option for the carried-forward Sentinel Reservoir project, which has a $7.6-million recommended pipeline option in the meeting package.

The reservoir provides non-potable water for fire suppression and industrial users in the Sentinel industrial park. The package says it is leaking, had exposed reinforcing steel during a 2024 inspection and could not be sealed successfully in 2025.

Thomas told council the structure has failed, is holding water only at partial capacity and cannot be repaired. He said the remaining capacity is sufficient for present use but there is no certainty about how long it will continue.

Council discussed the high replacement cost in relation to the small existing service area, as well as fire protection and potential future industrial or residential growth. It deferred the issue to a separate meeting without choosing the $7.6-million pipeline, a replacement reservoir, cisterns or shutting down the service.

Any project will require further discussion about what service the municipality will continue to provide, who uses it, engineering, available grants and how much the municipality would have to pay.

Library elevator waits on grant decision

Council deferred a decision on the $435,000 Crowsnest Community Library elevator while awaiting a grant decision.

The package estimates $380,000 for construction, $55,000 for consulting and about $3,000 in annual operating costs. It contemplated a municipal contribution between $110,000 and $220,000 if grants covered at least half and preferably three-quarters of the project.

Administration said an application for the full amount remained unanswered. Council described the project as likely to be pushed back unless grant funding arrives. No municipal contribution was approved August 19.

The next budget meeting is scheduled for October 15 and is expected to include council committee and board presentations, Category 1 and 2 grants and department initiatives. The council initiatives kept in the budget process will return with more information before council makes final budget decisions.

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