PEACE RIVER
Courtesy: Peace River Twitter Page
The ATCO Gas and Pipelines Franchise Agreement Bylaw is an agreement between ATCO and the municipality. In this Agreement, the Municipality grants ATCO certain rights to provide natural gas distribution service to consumers.
Motion to provide the first reading to the attached Bylaw to provide a new ATCO gas franchise agreement with a 10-year term at a franchise fee of 32%, not including property taxes. CARRIED.
Director Websdale discussed the water infrastructure in a combination with Peace River’s geographical structure, and how that affects providing water to residents.
There were several options for how to proceed with water rates.
- One is a Full Cost Recovery model, wherein fixed and variable costs are balanced to provide a more stable cash flow model to fund our water and wastewater system.
- The second option is to phase in a Full Cost Recovery model over 2 years.
- Option three is to move to a Full Cost Recovery but to keep the percentage increase method. This option could be more problematic as there is significant subsidization of low usage rate customers.
In the end, the Request for Decision for the 2022 Water Rates has been adjusted to a Request for Direction. A motion to direct administration to bring back scenarios for a full cost recovery over one through five years for water, sewer, and storm-sewer raters was CARRIED.
HIGH LEVEL
At their recent town Council meeting, High Level has agreed to renew the agreement of the Electrical Distribution plan with ATCO gas.
The agreement will expire in late March of 2028.
Town Council has also carried a motion to conduct a study into possible audits of facility boilers and heaters.
Director of Community Services Ruth Rolfe says that a number of grants are available for Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduction feasibility.
GRIMSHAW
Grimshaw town council has approved their 2022 operating and capital budgets.
Town Administration say that will represent around a 3% Mill Rate Increase.
Council has also directed administration to transfer $155,000 from last year’s budget into an operating reserve for the town in 2022.
Keith Hopper, Trending 55
