The County of Stettler council has formally approved its 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, establishing a roadmap to guide them for the next four years.
The plan adopted at the Aug. 12 council meeting, follows a multi-month process that included a two-day strategic planning workshop and reviews by administration and the Committee of the Whole.
The document serves as a decision-making framework for municipal spending and program delivery through the remainder of the council term.
A component of the planning process was an environmental scan of systemic risks facing the county.
Key economic vulnerabilities include unpaid oil and gas property taxes, volatile commodity pricing, and potential financial pressure from provincial cost downloading.
To offset this, the municipality is targeting economic diversification in the agriculture and resource sectors, including lithium, helium, carbon capture, and nuclear energy development.
The county also plans to deploy technologies such as artificial intelligence, and drone-assisted infrastructure inspections.
Implementation of the strategic plan will begin immediately across all county departments, with administration providing semi-annual progress reports to council.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
