Dear Editor;
At the annexation meeting on April 14, the question was asked, if rural property owners were annexed, would they be required to tie into the Town’s waterline if it was extended past their property?
The response from the Town officials was, “No.”
I called Alberta Municipal Affairs and was told by one of their officials that under Section seven of the Municipal Government Act the Town has the authority to pass legislation to require a property owner to hook up to the waterline if the Town wished to do so.
Some friends of mine checked with a lawyer and found that the Town’s policy in their Municipal Development Plan, Policy 62, Connection to Municipal Services, states, “Where services are available, require property owners to connect to municipal services adjacent to subject property to maintain acceptable urban standards.”
A quote from the lawyers’ letter states, “Policy 62, in particular, states that the Town will require property owners to connect to municipal services.”
The Municipal Act gives the Town the authority to do so and their policy reveals that they intend to do so.
The Town’s “No” response, needs clarification.
Nick Kohlman
Ponoka