Mountain View County (MVC) council has approved steep increases in fines for commercial and industrial projects that fail to have the appropriate permits in place.
For failing to have proper permits in place, the first offence violation fine has increased from $2,000 to $4,000, second offences from $3,000 to $6,000 and third offences from $4,000 to $8,000.
The changes – which also include new signage permit violation fines – were approved at the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
Reeve Bruce Beattie says the changes were made to ensure future projects are in compliance. “The general feeling from council was that the message wasn't getting out that there was a need to respect the planning regulations within the county,” said Beattie. “We had a one-year moratorium where people had the opportunity to come in and apply for development permits and there would be no fines. That's passed by and we didn't have what I would call an outstanding response to that.
“Council is of the opinion that by increasing those fines it gets the message across that people need to ensure that if they are going to go into business that they need to get the right and appropriate permits.”
Asked why developments need proper permitting, he replied, “To a large extent it is really to protect other property owners. When someone is going to open a business or do development, it has the potential to have an impact on neighbouring properties.
“Whether it's property values or the enjoyment of the neighbouring property, there is the potential to have an impact. Neighbouring landowners need to be made aware so they can have input about the development and whether there needs to be certain conditions applied to the permits.
“Most of those development permits are for the protection of the landowners who are adjacent to those developments, to ensure they have an opportunity for input and to understand that development may take place and how it might affect them.”
During the recent council meeting, councillors also approved new penalties for non-compliance with required highway and other road signage permitting, with the fine for first offence set at $500, second at $1,000 and third at $5,000.
“We had a significant number of signs along Highway 2 that were not permitted,” he said. “On Highway 2 and on our other various highways, it is council's opinion from an aesthetic and safety perspective that there needs to be some limitations on the number of signs that are going to be along the highways.
“They are commercial signs that someone is paying someone else to allow them to put up. It is a commercial activity so they need to have the correct permits as well.”
The county has had discussions with Alberta Transportation “trying to get some clarity around their regulations because in actual fact those signs were not permitted under their regulations and yet they have not taken upon themselves to enforce their regulations,” he said.
The issue of unpermitted highway signs has prompted Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) members to pass several resolutions calling on the province to act.
Most recently, an MVC-sponsored resolution passed at the AAMDC's fall convention calling on Alberta Transportation to enforce existing third-party sign regulations within development control zones along provincial highways.
“We haven't heard anything back about that, but we will be having our convention in the spring so hopefully we'll hear something back then,” he said.
MVC councillors passed a motion last summer in support of administration plans to increase enforcement of the county's rules for unauthorized highway signage.
At the time Coun. Jeremy Sayer said it is time the county increase enforcement of the existing rules.
“Take them (signs), impound them and fine the owners,” said Sayer. “My reason for the hard stance is we've got the rules in place. If we are not going to enforce the rules, there's no point in having the rules.
“One of the things that I've found most frustrating sitting at this table is the lack of respect for the table when it comes to development. There are so many developers within this county that go ahead with development and then come back and ask for forgiveness. I think that needs to end and it's no different than with the signs.
“If we are not going to stand behind what we've put in the land use bylaw as a council and say enforce it, then there's no point in having it.”
Coun. Duncan Milne concurred with Sayer, saying it is time for the county to start removing what he calls “junker” signs.
"The general feeling from council was that the message wasn't getting out that there was a need to respect the planning regulations within the county."Bruce BeattieMVC reeve
