MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – Al Kemmere, the president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) and a Mountain View County councillor, plans to meet with Kaycee Madu, the provincial minister of Municipal Affairs, later this month to discuss outstanding issues, he said Jan. 29.
“We are going to discuss many issues,” said Kemmere. “We have an hour-and-a-half meeting planned. We are dealing with assessments, with unpaid taxes, with the reduction in capital grants, and the extra cost of policing.
“It’s time to sit down and build a relationship and have him understand what his government is doing to us from a rural municipalities point of view.”
Although the exact date for the meeting has not been announced, it will occur in mid-February, he said.
The RMA represents 69 rural municipalities. It advocates for its members with the provincial government.
Meanwhile, Kemmere met with the Ben Brunnen, vice president of fiscal and economic policy with the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), in Airdrie last week to discuss the issue of unpaid property taxes owed to municipalities by oil and gas companies.
The RMA says companies currently owe more than $170 million to rural municipalities.
“I reached out to him and we met for a couple hours,” he said. “It will lead to more discussions.”
In an interview prior to the meeting with Kemmere, Brunnen said, “The (oil and gas) companies that are struggling right now and are failing to pay their municipal taxes are the ones that have mature assets and where the municipal assessment system just hasn’t kept up to date with the reality of the market.”
Council will meet with executive
In other news, county councillors will meet with RMA executives on Apr. 8 in council chambers to discuss issues facing rural municipalities.
“The purpose of these visits is to learn about municipalities, any specific issues of importance and to make a one-on-one connection with RMA members and representatives of the association,” administration said in a briefing note presented to council at the Jan. 29 council meeting.
Councillor Kemmere said he will be attending the meeting.
At the suggestion of deputy reeve Angela Aalbers during the council meeting, councillors will compile a list of issues that would like to address with RMA officials. That will be done on March 25.
