MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The county's agricultural service board (ASB) has reviewed the proposed 2022 ASB operating budget and forwarded it to county council for recommended approval.
The move came by way of motion at the recent regularly scheduled board meeting, held in person and online.
The ASB is made up of county councillors and appointed public members, and is one of dozens of such boards in place in rural municipalities across the province.
The budget calls for revenue of $304,407, down from $326,750 in 2021, and total recurring expenses of $1,250,300, up from $1,126,825 in 2021. Total funding requirements in 2022 is proposed to be $875,893, up from $769,075.
On the revenue side, the land conservation ALUS program increases to $70,000 from $30,000 last year.
Jane Fulton, assistant director of agricultural services, said, “As $70,000 of funding has been requested from ALUS we then have an equal amount of expenses. This does result in a $40,000 increase shown in the expenses from the previous year budget. Only the amount of funding received will be spent.”
On the expenses side, a $5,000 increase in the weed inspection budget line and a $5,000 increase in the range and pasture herbicide rebate program has been proposed.
“In total in 2020, the total rebate program allocated funds was $17,807. In 2021, similar uptake of the program incentive was observed and an additional $5,090 from existing budget funds were utilized to cover the overage. It is proposed to increase the project line by $5,000.
“Proposed is an additional $5,000 of funding to be allocated to the weed inspection budget line for support of the Alberta Invasive Species Council and to create weed education videos to be utilized on social media.”
The board passed a motion recommending the 2022 proposed ASB operating budget to council. The complete budget is available for viewing on the county's website.
Proposed resolutions accepted
Meanwhile, board members approved a resolution aimed at increasing the focus and overall efficiency of requests for provincial government action on issues related to rural agriculture.
During the Dec. 13 board meeting members reviewed six resolutions scheduled to come before the upcoming provincial ASB conference, including a resolution put forward by the Mountain View County ASB.
The local resolution calls on the ASB provincial committee to “bring forward amendments to the regional and provincial ASB conference rules of procedure for consistent ASB member representation, and to facilitate greater oversight of the review of resolution to clarify the content with resolutions and reduce resolution duplication.”
The background briefing note accompanying the resolution states that, “It is essential that resolutions articulate the issue clearly for members to vote and for a response from the designated ministries. During a resolution session, discussion can be side-tracked or confused due to the lack of clarity and uncertainty created by having resolutions on the same topic during the voting process.
“This inevitably dilutes the messaging and direction of the resolution and the overall efficiency of the resolution process.”
The local ASB also reviewed and accepted five other proposed resolutions put forward by other provincial ASBs.
One resolution, put forward by the County of Two Hills/Leduc County, calls for Alberta Transportation to enhance its current vegetation management strategy at a minimum to the level of the 2017 provincial integrated vegetation management plan to manage noxious weeds, prohibited noxious weeds, and any unsafe vegetation on the full rights of way of all primary and secondary provincial highways.
Another resolution, put forward by the Municipal District of Pincher Creek, calls on Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, to “support and encourage regionally-based provincial government staff or contractors, with extensive experience in their chosen agricultural field, to be consistently available to meet with ASBs as an expert source of timely, detailed and unbiased information that ASBs are now expected to deliver.”
Another resolution calls for amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act to include natural gas and propane as exempt fuels for agricultural production.
