Mountain View County council has passed a motion approving in principle a proposed $304,000 contribution to the Town of Sundre for the oversizing of utilities to the east side of Sundre.A second motion, expected to come before council on Oct. 3, would have to be passed before the contribution proposal can be sent to Town of Sundre council for consideration, said CAO Tony Martens.MVC councillors passed the initial motion during last week's regularly scheduled council meeting.The proposed second motion, the wording of which could be changed during the Oct. 3 council meeting should councillors so request, includes the following conditions:• This contribution is for the oversizing of the water and wastewater system to the east side of the Red Deer River.• There are to be no future connection feeds to the county or any future developer with the applicable areas as outlined in the Inter Municipal Development Plan.• This funding does not commit Mountain View County to paying for any other system infrastructure upgrades/replacement (such as) downstream upgrades; treatment plan upgrades.• Service charges will be based on a cubic metre cost and be the same rates for all customers.• Utilities to be operated and maintained by the Town of Sundre. The utility cubic metre costs are to be borne by developers/customers. These utility rates should provide funds for future capital upgrades/replacement.• Infrastructure required by developers to connect to the system and all costs will be the responsibility of developers.If the proposed motion is passed at the Oct. 3 council meeting, it could come before Sundre town council at its scheduled Oct. 15 council meeting.The Town of Sundre has conducted a major upgrade of the water and wastewater system east of the Red Deer River, bringing water and sewer to homes in the area.Those service extensions have not been brought to homes and properties in Mountain View County immediately adjacent to the Town of Sundre.In a note to council that came before the Sept. 19 council meeting, CAO Martens said: “The Greenwood Area Planning Partnership met on September 11 in Sundre to discuss, among other things, east Sundre servicing. At that meeting the county offered the $304,000, which is based on a combination of population and oversizing costs net of grants.“The county's proportionate share of the population is 26 per cent based on the rural population of the southeast Sundre area structure plan, and the town's portion, which is the population north of Highway 27.“The county's representatives stated this offer was firm and was not negotiable. Sundre requested that the offer be made formally in writing following a decision of county council.”Sundre Mayor Annette Clews was not immediately available for comment at press time.
