Town council gave the go-ahead to Coun. Harvey Walsh to support the approval of the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission's governance and administration budget for 2014 to 2016. The approval was given at town council's Nov. 25 meeting.
The commission's board is due to meet on Dec. 13 to consider the $122,100 2014 budget, $119,100 budget for 2015 and the $116,000 budget for 2016.
Walsh explained in an interview that this budget deals strictly with the administration of the commission and doesn't cover the operating or construction costs of the line, which will stretch from the Red Deer Wastewater Treatment Plant south to Olds.
“That budget is strictly for paying our (chief administrative officer) and the job he does to keep things organized and to cover the cost of the governance side of it. It really doesn't apply to the construction of the line. Until (the commission) starts generating a lot of revenue, then it will slowly move over to the operations part of the budget,” he said.
Each municipality pays a portion of the administrative costs of the commission, with the towns of Olds and Innisfail budgeted to pay a total of $36,510 each in 2014, $35,610 in 2015 and administrative costs to be recouped through wastewater rates in 2016. Other participating municipalities are being asked to pay different amounts from a high of $17,805 from Red Deer and Mountain View counties to a low of $5,935 from the towns of Bowden and Penhold.
The commission was due to take tenders until Dec. 10 to complete upgrading of the northern portion of the line from the Penhold lift station to the Red Deer treatment plant.
