Mountain View County council has approved a new intermunicipal development plan with the neighbouring MD of Bighorn.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
The updated Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires that intermunicipal plans be put in place between jurisdictions with common boundaries. Bighorn is located southwest of Mountain View County.
The purpose of the plan is to formalize and define the relationship between the two municipalities.
The plan sets the policy framework for planning matters that include future land use, environmental, transportation and items of mutual interest as it applies to lands in proximity to the shared boundary and defined in the plan area.
There are a number of goals of the plan, including to “ensure long-term compatibility of future land use within both municipalities”, “recognize that agriculture continues to be the primary use of land in the plan area and support the preservation of agricultural land except where statutory plans support non-agricultural use” and “recognize that land owned and developed by the Crown is not subject to the municipal planning and development requirements.”
The plan area is defined as half a mile on each side of the shared boundary between the municipalities.
Under the plan, all re-designation and subdivision applications within the plan area are to be circulated for comment to landowners and the responding municipality’s administration as required under the MGA and as identified in the initiating municipality’s land use bylaw and statutory plan policies.
As well, the road network "shall be maintained by the municipality having jurisdiction unless a separate agreement specified joint maintenance, maintenance swap or any other terms acceptable to both municipalities."
Both municipalities held public hearings earlier regarding the plan.
Bighorn council also approved the plan at its recent regularly scheduled meeting.
In related news, council also approved a new intermuncipal collaboration framework with the MD of Bighorn.
The framework sets out conditions for future projects and agreements, including that “in the event either municipality initiates the development of a new project or service that would benefit from a cost-sharing agreement, the initiating municipality’s CAO will notify the other municipality’s CAO providing the rationale as to why the project-service has a benefit to both municipalities.”
Both the new intermunicipal development plan and the framework contain dispute resolution guidelines.
