The criteria used to evaluate municipal proposals for a Community Revitalization Levy is currently undergoing review by Alberta Municipal Affairs.
At a recent Uptowne Olds meeting, members heard that the entire CRL may be in jeopardy. But a spokesperson for the provincial government says that is not true.
“The ministry is working on a set of evaluation criteria for review of CRL requests. That process is just beginning. The program is not in jeopardy,” said Wendy McGrath, spokesperson for the Alberta Municipal Affairs.
The CRL allows municipalities to re-direct school taxes into various re-development projects for 20 years. The levy has long been a cornerstone of further redevelopment of the uptown core and has been one of the factors motivating Uptowne Olds to devote time and money into improving the core.
Leon Durand, chair of Uptowne Olds, said following the Uptowne Olds meeting that all of the group's plans for improvements in the core have been predicated on the Community Revitalization Levy and Main Street Alberta funding. If the CRL is suddenly removed, long-held plans to beautify the core could be delayed or put in jeopardy.
“There is some concern as to whether or not that … program is still going. It will impact what we're able to do and how soon we're able to do our street-scaping. It's another piece of the puzzle,” Durand said,
Mayor Judy Dahl said the town is hoping to get an official response to what may be happening in regard to the CRL, but town officials don't know the status of that just yet. She said town officials have asked MLA Bruce Rowe to look into the matter.
“It's very vital for the Town of Olds because we've had so many volunteers and our operations department has worked so hard and spent so many hours on putting out proposals for our future for Olds,” she said, adding that she was pleased to hear that the program is still in operation. “I think that's great.”
