MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — County council has approved an increase in the land purchase price paid by the municipality.
“Operational services inquired with the county’s assessment services department for 2020 land sales data,” said Ryan Morrison, director of operational services during a council meeting last month.
“Based on this assessment data, the average sales prices in 2020 was $4,818 per acre and the median sales rate was $4,674 per acre.
“The average price increased $469/acre from 2019 while the median prices saw an increase from $570/acre.”
Operational services believes it is reasonable to increase the county’s land purchase price to $4,500/acre from the current $4,000/acre, he said.
“It is important that we compensate our landowners reasonably,” said Reeve Bruce Beattie.
In other news from last month's meeting, council gave first and second reading to an amending bylaw making changes to the municipality’s water and wastewater utilities bylaw regarding private servicing.
“In December, the governance review committee looked at the bylaw and recommended that administration reorder the bylaw to place the permissibility of private services prior to the requirement for connecting to municipal servicing to align with the current standard method of servicing,” said Chris Atchison, director of legislative, community and agricultural services.
The amendments to the bylaw for wastewater services section of the bylaw include the following additions:
• If property is not connected to and is not required to be connected to a sanitary sewer system in accordance with this bylaw, the building used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes own such property shall be connected to the private wastewater disposal system complying with the provisions of this bylaw and the Alberta Private Sewage Disposal Regulation.
• The type, capacity, location and layout of a private wastewater disposal system shall comply with all requirements of the Alberta Private Sewage Disposal Regulation.
• No person shall discharge into a natural outlet within the county any wastewater or other polluted water.
• The owner of a property shall at all times operate and maintain in a sanitary manner any private wastewater system located on such property.
An amendment to the water services section of the bylaw now reads: “If a property is not connected to and is not required to be connected to a water main, in accordance with this bylaw, a private water system may be utilized.”
Coun. Peggy Johnson said delaying third reading of the bylaw will give the public time to comment on the proposed changes.
