MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County officials have released answers to questions asked in writing during the recent open house for Division 5 and Division 6.
Participants at the June 27 open house asked questions about such things environmental protection, road maintenance and repairs, development plans, and oil and taxes.
One participant asked, “Given the framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, coupled with the plans by both the government of Canada and the province of Alberta, is Mountain View County working on the development of a strategy, plan, and implementation program to address our specific needs?”
In response, the county said, in part, “Unlike the urban centres who focus on making infrastructure more energy efficient and upgrading public transportation networks to reduce automobile emissions, our county focus is directly on protecting and preserving a healthy ecosystem.”
Another participant asked, “Have the oil companies caught up their back taxes?”
The county responded, “Administration has worked hard with the oil companies within Mountain View County, and we are pleased to report that there are currently only a few limited outstanding tax issues in the county with respect to oil and gas companies.”
Another participant asked, “Are there plans to open a gravel pit in Bearberry in the near future on the land the county owns?”
The county responded, “The county holds lands for three purposes; infrastructure, including aggregate deposits and buildings, environmental and community. The three quarters that were purchased in Bearberry were purchased for future aggregate use. The current council has no plans to initiate aggregate extraction on these lands, however they are held for future aggregate extraction purposes.”
Another participant asked, “Why is the county not investing in rural connectivity?”
The county responded, in part, “Council believes that investment in connectivity is the jurisdiction of the provincial and federal governments. We continue to lobby for grant support to those private service providers that would like to invest in expansion of rural internet service within our county.”
Another participant asked, “During the late summer of 2021 Mountain View County, in conjunction with the RCMP, undertook enforcement activities regarding a series of unauthorized activities (rock concert, camping, etc) on the northeast quarter section at the junction of Twp. Rd. 340 and RR. 50. When will there be a full reporting of the county’s cost available to the ratepayers?”
The county responded, “This file is currently in the court system and so no information will be released until the conclusion of the legal action.”
A complete list of the questions asked at the open houses and the county’s answers are available for viewing on the county’s website.
