The County of Stettler is moving to repeal three more inter-municipal frameworks, continuing an initiative which began over the summer.
At the Sept. 9 meeting, council voted to dissolve Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) agreements with Kneehill County, Red Deer County, and Lacombe County.
The move follows an August decision to dissolve a similar agreement with Camrose County, leaving three active ICF agreements surrounding the Stettler district.
Bill 50 amended Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, allowing adjacent districts to end intermunicipal framework agreements if both councils agree that services are provided by other means.
Council approved termination resolutions for both Kneehill County and Red Deer County, determining that shared services will continue to be managed effectively without an ICF.
Kneehill County council has already passed a matching motion, while Red Deer County was expected to vote on the termination at an upcoming meeting.
For Lacombe County, council approved a resolution to terminate the framework and authorized the reeve to send a formal letter seeking Lacombe County Council’s approval to begin the official repeal process.
Administrative reviews showed that natural geography and existing regional agreements make a formal ICF unnecessary across all three jurisdictions.
The County of Stettler and Kneehill County are separated by the Red Deer River valley along their shared boundary with no interconnecting roads.
Similarly, connections with Red Deer County rely entirely on provincially controlled bridges across the Red Deer River.
Meantime, the boundary with Lacombe County is largely separated by Buffalo Lake and Highway 21, with only two miles of shared municipal road.
County administration noted that emergency services across all three borders are already covered by existing mutual aid agreements, while solid waste and water utilities operate through regional service models.
Following resolutions from neighboring councils, the motions will be submitted to the Minister of Municipal Affairs for final approval.
Environmental and recreational oversight along Buffalo Lake will continue under the Buffalo Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan.
Framework agreements with Starland County, Paintearth County, and Special Areas currently remain in place.
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
