Ponoka County didn’t change up any of its positions during the organizational meeting held prior to its regular council meeting on Oct. 22.
Paul McLauchlin will remain as reeve for another year, while Coun. Bryce Liddle stays as the deputy reeve. There was just one update made to committee appointments — McLauchlin will be replaced on the Rimoka Housing Foundation by Coun. Doug Weir.
Compensation rates for council were also left unchanged.
Public Works
A few road projects have been completed, while agreements and approvals are still needed on a few others.
Range Road 35 near Township Road 450 as well as RR 11 south to Twp 435 and Baker Road (RR 254) north of the Ponoka town limits have all be finished, while RR 24 north of Twp 440 was due to have work begin on Oct. 21.
Approvals from Alberta Environment and other agreements mean work on RR 24 north of Twp 444, Twp 424 west of RR 274 and RR 251 (Lucas Road) to Twp 432 will be on hold until next spring at the earliest.
The rebuilding of the bridge on Twp 441 west of RR 15 , while four bridge culverts have been replaced around the county.
One other note was that nearly 127,000 feet of calcium had been applied to county roads for 85 rural properties as well as the haul road for the Bashaw gravel pit and for the Summer Village of Parkland Beach.
Municipal agreements
CAO Charlie Cutforth updated council on the status of the various provincially-mandated agreements the county must have in place with neighbouring municipalities by early next year.
On the Gull Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP), Ponoka County is the only one to have approved it. The Summer Village of Parkland Beach, Summer Village of Gull Lake and Lacombe County were not going to be able to pass it until they hold meetings in November.
Meanwhile, talks are ongoing with the Town of Rimbey on the Intermunicipal Collaborative Framework (ICF) with things progressing nicely. However, there are presently no negotiations scheduled on the ICF with the Town of Ponoka.
Rezoning
Council approved reclassifying just over 11 acres of land west of RR 275 from agriculture to country residential hobby farm for the purpose of subdividing out the property as an existing yard site. There no submissions were received.