MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council has reviewed a proposed long-range infrastructure plan and instructed it to be forwarded to 2021 capital budget deliberations.
The move came by way of motion during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, held by teleconference.
Prepared by the county’s long-range infrastructure plan committee, the plan is meant to both outline the county’s existing assets and identify the requirements of how new assets and upgrades to existing assets are to be prioritized, administration said in a briefing note to council.
It deals with roads, bridges, buildings, airports, industrial parks, water, wastewater, recreation and lands.
The plan identifies suggested capital investment in infrastructure, prioritizing which projects should be done in the next five to 10 years.
Thirteen main conclusions were reached by the committee, including the following:
• The county currently has an overall infrastructure capable of delivering the current service levels.
• Capital recurring projects, such as re-chipping, re-gravelling, base stabilization and long patching, will have priority in capital funding. “It is most important to maintain the current county systems first and foremost. In 2019, $4.8 million was spent on capital recurring road projects,” the report states.
• It is not recommended to pre-invest in infrastructure that could support high density development in areas that are identified in policy (municipal development plan and area structure plans) but have not yet received approval.
• All county road upgrades will be considered on a case by case basis. A comparative analysis and budget are required for each project, and the committee concluded that the number of subdivisions adjacent to a road was not considered to be the lone trigger for road upgrade.
• Each project will be evaluated on a risk analysis basis, and the criteria should including such things as the number and size of wetlands in the area, the availability of qualified contractors to do the work, and the amount of land acquisition required for a project.
• Capital upgrade roads should be focused on the highest traffic areas and those providing access to the towns where county residents access services.
• Lifecycle costs should be a consideration in all infrastructure projects, and there needs to be a funding flow for each year that illustrates how each year of projects will be funded and how it will affect overall county finances.
The complete proposed long-range infrastructure plan is available for viewing on the county’s website.
