Since 2018, Lacombe County Council and Clive Village Council have been meeting to discuss and negotiate an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) agreement between the two municipalities. Recently, both municipalities officially signed the ICF agreement, finalizing the process.
“Because the county and village already had agreements in place for many of the required services, the ICF process proved to be an exercise that highlighted the successful relationship between our municipalities,” said Reeve Paula Law. “The signing of this ICF agreement paves a path forward for continued collaboration and communication between Lacombe County and the Village of Clive.”
This document specifies what and how services are funded and delivered and details how Lacombe County and the Village of Clive can work together efficiently. The Lacombe County / Village of Clive ICF includes the following key points:
- An update and consolidation of the Fire Services Agreement between the village and county;
- An endorsement of the existing Facilities Operational Cost Sharing Agreement;
- A joint approach to capital planning for capital assets used by village and county residents;
- An opportunity for each municipality to have input into policy and service level development for operating cost-sharing;
- Service inventories outlining the types of service, funding mechanisms, and the party(ies) responsible for delivering each service, including Water, Solid Waste, Fire Response Services, Emergency Management, Library Services, Family and Community Support Services, and Seniors Housing.
“We were pleased to work with the County on our ICF; through this process, it was evident that both the Village and the County truly believe in the power of partnerships,” said Village of Clive mayor Luci Henry. “The ICF allows us to plan and deliver programs and services effectively, efficiently and economically to the residents we both serve.”
Background Information: Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICFs)
Municipalities that share a common boundary must create an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF), which is a new legislated requirement that was introduced in the Modernized Municipal Government Act in 2016. Municipalities have until March 31, 2020 to finalize all required ICFs for their municipality.
Frameworks are intended to:
- provide for integrated and strategic planning, delivery and funding of intermunicipal services
- allocate scarce resources efficiently in delivering local services
- ensure municipalities contribute funding to services that benefit their residents
Each framework must identify which service they provide, which service is shared between municipalities, and which are provided by third parties. The ICF also details how the services listed below are funded/delivered:
- transportation
- water and wastewater
- solid waste
- emergency services
- recreation, and
- any other services that benefit residents in more than one of the municipalities that are parties to the framework