Sundre's elected officials continue to harbour reservations regarding the potential long-term impacts of a proposed gravel pit on neighbouring Mountain View County land.
During a special meeting held Oct. 30, council agreed to direct administration to file an appeal over the county's redesignation of land intended as a future source of aggregate.
Sundre's council also carried a second motion to begin a dispute resolution process.
"The town has serious concerns about that development moving forward," said mayor Terry Leslie, adding council wants further discussions with the county.
Among the lingering issues troubling Sundre's council are the concerns of town and county residents as well as landowners that remain to be fully addressed, he said.
"The mining of these lands is long term ó it could be 50-plus years."
Since the aggregate extraction operation would border Sundre, there are concerns about how the gravel pit could potentially impact future development and expansion as the municipality grows.
"We can't watch development occur that we haven't talked about that will hamstring our future growth."
There are also air quality, noise, transportation as well as environmental concerns, he said.
"We're at the headwaters of the Red Deer River watershed ó there are 300,000 residents downstream that could stand to be affected."
Additionally, the provincial flood mapping review remains incomplete, he said.
"We think it's premature," said the mayor about the gravel pit development, citing a lack of comprehensive discussion to date.
"It's moved way too fast."
While Sundre's council hopes to resolve the issue amicably through conversation and collaboration, the decision to appeal was made to ensure the municipality preserves its right to appear before a municipal government board should all other avenues fail, he said.
"The process is such that we have to file for this within a 30-day period of the land redesignation," said Leslie, adding Sundre would forfeit the right to later challenge the change if it doesn't.
However, the mayor said council wants to pursue several other avenues before taking the matter before a provincial body.
The first step of the dispute resolution process will be a review of the issues between the Town of Sundre and Mountain View County's chief administrative officers, who will meet in an attempt to resolve concerns, he said.
Should that process end up at loggerheads, the municipality will then initiate further review through an inter-municipal committee that is part of a memorandum of understanding previously agreed to by both the town and the county, he said.
If by that point no headway has been achieved, the services of an independent mediator that would investigate the concerns raised and then issue a written recommendation to both councils will be retained, he said.
But if worse comes to worst and mediation does not resolve the dispute, he said Sundre's council would be willing to initiate a judicial procedure at the provincial level to appeal through a municipal government board. However, "that's a last course of action," said the mayor.
"What we're looking for is to try and have discussions and resolve some of the issues we're concerned about."
The mayor did express understanding of the county's need to secure gravel for road repairs, but stressed the importance of further detailed discussions to ensure a mutually beneficial solution.
"That's the expectation in the modernized Municipal Government Act ó that municipalities get together to talk about, collectively, where growth will occur, and how to agree on that future growth."
Bruce Beattie, Mountain View County's reeve, said he is disappointed by Sundre council's decision.
"But I'm sure after we have a chance to sit down and discuss the matters we'll be able to reach a reasonable solution," said Beattie.
The reeve said there seems to be an erroneous impression that Mountain View County can operate in a fashion similar to Alberta Transportation without going through a development permit process.
"That's not the case. We make sure to go through the same process that any other gravel operation would be required to do," he said, adding there is plenty of opportunity for input and discussion.
He said the county has been a provincial leader in bringing forward regulations that ensure the impacts of gravel pit operations on residents are mitigated. However, he said people also have to recognize ó as the county does ó the importance of aggregate.
"We all drive on roads. We all want cement basements. It's a resource that we need."
Responding to concerns the gravel pit has been rushed through, the reeve said the land in question was originally purchased in 2003 specifically for future aggregate extraction and that discussions about the proposed project started last spring. Since then, there has also been a public hearing process and there still remains a two- to three-year development permit process to work through, he said.
Additionally, he said the county would not develop the proposed gravel pit until operations ceased and reclamation efforts started at the McDougal gravel pit. So from the county's perspective, he said there would be no net increase in gravel pit operations around Sundre, adding there is no rush.
"We're very open to a full consultation process with the town and residents."
In the meantime, he said "we'll look forward to hearing (Sundre council's) concerns and what the basis of the appeal might be." He added the town and county both have very competent administrators and that he remains hopeful their discussions will move the process forward.
Beattie remains "absolutely confident" that the town and county can, through in-depth consultation and discussion, improve the municipalities' working relationship over the coming years.
There have been, after all, numerous positive partnerships in the past that have resulted in projects such as the Mountain View Seniors' Housing facility as well as a more recent agreement for the county to cover the cost of Sundre's recycling centre, he said.
