Lacombe County is proud to announce the winners of our 2018 State of the Environment Photo Contest. We received so many amazing shots, but these were the winning submissions for this year. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos for our contest!
| First Place – Vicki Heidt |
Second Place - Ron Prins |
Third Place - Jon Pfenghanssi |
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Several projects scheduled for 2018 will be postponed until warmer temperatures return in 2019, including the Hamlet of Mirror Boulevards, the Alix North Road, and Centreview Road. Click "Read More" for full details
Lacombe County invites tenders for the following property located in the southeast corner of the SE 25-40-24-W4M. The property contains approximately 25 acres of hay land. The successful lessee will be required to enter into a four-year lease agreement with Lacombe County which will include, but not limited to, the following terms and conditions.
Lacombe County reserves the right to reject any or all tenders or to accept any tender which may be considered to be in the best interests of the County.
Tenders will be received at Lacombe County Administration Office until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2018. For more information and specific conditions, please visit www.lacombecounty.com or contact:
Donna Mae Grant, Lacombe County, 403-782-6601
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lacombe County reminds residents that although fire permits are not required from November 1 until March 31, there are still limitations that come with burning, and any burning must be done in a safe and controlled manner.
No person shall:
Lacombe County is honoured to accept a second generous donation of land from local residents, Frank and Rosalie Kuhnen. Located on the east side of Lacombe County, the 65 acres of land runs along the north side of the Red Deer River and will remain in a natural state for the public to use for passive recreational purposes.
“We are excited to have a peaceful retreat in the east part of Lacombe County, where the public can enjoy the tranquility of nature,” said Reeve Paula Law. “The gift of this land from the Kuhnen Family exemplifies the importance community residents place on managing green space for the betterment of current and future generations.”
After two years of trying to revitalize the membership and viability of the Mirror Fire Department, Lacombe County Council opted to cease operation of the organization, effective October 31, 2018. This decision comes after significant efforts by Lacombe County, as well as current Mirror Fire Department members and residents of the hamlet, to bolster membership.
“It’s not an easy decision to close this department, but we were unable to get the membership necessary to safely operate this fire department,” explained Paula Law, Lacombe County Reeve. “Unfortunately, we didn’t receive enough viable applications to increase the membership of the fire department to a suitable level.”
Lacombe County’s Land Use Bylaw (LUB) was amended to accommodate cannabis legalization at the October 25, 2018, Lacombe County Council meeting. Before these changes were drafted, staff held two public meetings, in conjunction with Alberta Health Services, as part of the County’s Cannabis in Your Community public engagement strategy. The feedback from these meetings and a public survey were used to gather comments and concerns regarding cannabis legalization and its impacts on Lacombe County.
“Our goal from the start was to ensure the changes to the bylaw took into account the many perspectives held by our ratepayers,” said Reeve Paula Law. “Council felt that this updated Land Use Bylaw encompasses the concerns and opportunities felt by Lacombe County ratepayers while providing a strong foundation that can be built on for this emerging industry.”
During the October 23, 2018, Organizational Meeting, Lacombe County Council elected Division 4 Councillor Paula Law as Reeve for a sixth one-year term.
“Being Reeve of Lacombe County over the past five years has been an honour and I look forward to continuing my responsibilities as Reeve,” said Reeve Law. “I appreciate the trust and confidence my fellow councillors have in me, and I’m committed to working with this passionate group of individuals to serve Lacombe County.”
Following Lacombe County’s Cannabis in Your Community public engagement campaign, County Council gave both second and third readings of the updated Community Standards Bylaw, and passed it during the October 11, 2018 council meeting.
Since the Government of Alberta gave municipalities the authority to set out their own rules on the smoking and vaping of cannabis products, Lacombe County met with the public to get their input on the bylaw. This was done in July 2018, in conjunction with the Planning Department – who are putting the final pieces in place on the necessary changes required to update the County’s Land Use Bylaw.
“Our goal is to have a solid foundation in place that takes into the account the needs and concerns of the public,” said Reeve Paula Law. “The feedback we heard indicated that our public wants us to limit cannabis consumption in a similar way to that of alcohol and tobacco consumption.”
Following a successful review of Lacombe County’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB), the Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) recognized the County’s two-year-long process and their public engagement approach.
"An engaged and educated public is a powerful tool for any municipality, and we thank our ratepayers for giving us their time and working with us during our MDP/LUB review," said Lacombe County Reeve Paula Law. "We are so proud of our planning team, whose creativity and "outside the box" thinking managed to catch our ratepayers' attention, and led to a comprehensive review of the MDP and LUB that reflects the desires of the community."
The City of Lacombe, Town of Blackfalds, Lacombe County and the City of Red Deer are pleased to be the recipients of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association’s (AUMA) 2018 Sustainability in Collaboration Award.
The award recognizes AUMA member municipalities that have demonstrated excellence in implementing sustainability plans and achieving measurable outcomes related to environmental sustainability. It was presented on September 26, 2018, at the AUMA Convention at Westerner Park in Red Deer.
The four communities were selected for recognition based on the success of the North Red Deer Regional Wastewater System project, an inter-municipal initiative to address water quality in the Red Deer River, and to support the continued growth and sustainability of the central Alberta region.
Thanks to the recent cooler temperatures and recent precipitation, Lacombe County has lifted its Fire Ban.
Fire permits are still required for all outdoor fires, excluding fires used for cooking or warming purposes and burning barrels. Fire permits can be requested through our iPhone app (myLacombeCounty), through our online Fire Permit Request form, over the phone, or in person.
Lacombe County, Red Deer County, and Ponoka County recently joined together to ensure the proper recycling of plastic grain bags.
“For a number of years, Council has explored options for recycling agricultural plastics,” explained Lacombe County Reeve, Paula Law. “While this program won’t be operated on a cost recovery basis, it does eliminate expenditures associated with tipping fees when agriculture plastics are landfilled. The partnership with other counties provides an economy of scale for manpower and equipment while providing local producers with a recycling option that promotes sustainable agricultural practices.”
“The Ag Plastics Recycling Program is an important project for Red Deer County and our agricultural community. Not only does it show strong collaboration between neighbouring municipalities, it will take large volumes of plastics out of the landfill and allow them to be repurposed. This is a positive for our environment and our economy,” said Red Deer County Mayor Jim Woods.
“While the concern with agricultural plastic waste is more than a regional issue, I’m pleased that our three counties were able to come together to find a local solution,” said Paul McLauchlin, Ponoka County Reeve. “Our hope is that local producers will help us make this program a long-term success so that other municipalities could use it as a model when creating their own plan.”
UPCOMING TAX DEADLINE: To avoid all penalties, tax payments must be received by last business day in August. On September 1, a penalty of 6% will be applied to all taxes remaining unpaid after August 31.
Property tax payments can be made:
The August 2018 County News is ready! You can read it online HERE, or pick up a copy at the Lacombe County office.
It’s looking like harvest season will start a bit earlier this year, and Lacombe County wants to remind area producers, residents and visitors of their roles and responsibilities for safety during fall harvest operations.
Road Safety
Road safety is a big concern during harvest season. With an earlier harvest anticipated, roads will be busier than normal because harvest operations will coincide with the end of the summer holiday season.
"Lacombe County is an agricultural community, and producers have a short window to complete the annual harvest," emphasized Dion Burlock, Lacombe County Ag Fieldman. "Since starting this campaign in 2014, we have heard stories from both producers and drivers alike of unsafe driving during harvest season."
Do you love the environment/nature and taking photos? Lacombe County invites you to submit your favourite shots for our Promotional Photo Contest!
INFORMATION:
In response to the dry conditions in the area, Lacombe County Council passed a motion at the August 9 Council meeting to temporarily allow the grazing of livestock in ditches.
“The hot weather and lack of moisture have negatively impacted pastures in the County, and we want to support our agriculture producers by providing them with this option to feed their livestock,” said Reeve Paula Law.
Lacombe County residents may use roadsides to graze for the remainder of the 2018 season under the following conditions:
Due to the extreme dry, hot conditions, Lacombe County has issued a Fire Ban.
Effective immediately, Lacombe County will issue no new fire permits or fireworks permits, and existing permits are hereby cancelled.
The Town of Blackfalds hosted the second Open House on the Northwest Area Master Stormwater Management Plan on June 27. The evening featured a presentation on the updated plan followed by an in-depth question and answer session with content experts and presented an opportunity for public input on this project.
During the question and answer period the following information was presented and is stated below for clarification:
A statement made at the Open House may have been interpreted to indicate that Lacombe County Council endorsed the Northwest Stormwater Plan. This was not the intent. Rather, the statement should have been that Lacombe County administration, through recent discussions with Town of Blackfalds administration, supports the concept of developing of a Lacombe Lake Management Plan with lake stakeholders.
Despite the best efforts over the past 18 months to revitalize the Mirror Fire Department, there has been no increase in volunteers for the fire department. Lacombe County will be holding a public meeting as one last revitalization effort on July 25, 2018, to speak with the community about their options and the ramifications of closing the fire department.
“We have to meet the minimum standards to make this department viable and to perform the duties of a fire department safely, we need to comply with regulations,” explained Lacombe County Fire Chief Drayton Bussiere. “At the end of the day, we need the community to understand the importance of these minimum standards, as well as how it will affect their service levels and potential impacts to insurance if the Fire Department is not revitalized.”
Municipal property tax notices were recently mailed out to Lacombe County ratepayers and should be appearing in mailboxes in the coming week. If you do not receive your 2018 tax notice by the end of June, please contact Lacombe County’s Assessment Department at 403-782-6601.
"We encourage ratepayers to be proactive and make sure their tax notice was received,” said Michael Minchin, Manager of Corporate Services. “To avoid all penalties, tax payments must be received by last business day in August."
The County’s tax notice is a combined assessment and tax notice.
Lacombe, Alberta, Friday, June 15, 2018 – CN Rail has notified Lacombe County that they are planning to close the Lakeside Sargent Road at Range Road 26-5 on June 19, 2018 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Traffic will be detoured along local roads during the closure; watch for signs indicating the detour routes.
For more information contact:
Kevin Beavis
CN Rail
403-304-4114
With Canada Day celebrations approaching, Lacombe County reminds all residents that a fireworks permit is required if you wish to sell, purchase or set off fireworks within the province of Alberta.
“The use of fireworks is regulated under the Alberta Fire Code, and there are no exceptions to the rules spelled out in the code,” says Drayton Bussiere Lacombe County Fire Chief. “If you plan on shooting off fireworks, regardless of the time of the year, a fireworks permit is required within Lacombe County.”
Bussiere notes that conditions of having a Fireworks permit includes permission from adjacent landowners so it is important to discuss fireworks plans with your neighbors in advance. Fireworks can also not be set off from public lands or roadways, if there is a fire ban, or if wind exceeds 20 km/h.
Thanks to the recent cooler temperatures and light precipitation, Lacombe County has lifted its Fire Advisory.
Fire permits are still required for all outdoor fires, excluding fires used for cooking or warming purposes and burning barrels. The public is reminded that conditions are still relatively dry even though they are safer for burning and to ensure they are familiar with the conditions included with permitted burns. Fire permits can be requested through our iPhone app (myLacombeCounty), through our online Fire Permit Request form, over the phone, or in person.
Please visit our website (www.lacombecounty.com) for the most current information.
