Skip to content

Eckville town council approves 2022 operating and capital budget

Changes to the spray park discussed among other topics during May 9 council meeting
29089038_web1_220127-SLN-Eckville-council_1
Town of Eckville/ Facebook image

Eckville town council approved the 2022 operating and capital budget during the May 9 regular meeting of council.

Some budget spending highlights include an increase in police costs by $10k, borrowing of approximately $250,000 to cover the town’s water treatment plant upgrade, other public health (nurse practitioner) cost of $16.75k and inflation to applicable goods and services expenditures among others.

Council passed a motion to contract G.L.V. Travellers Inc. of Nisku to install a new tuff coat surface at the Eckville Spray Park. It will be a multicolored rubberize surface, said town CAO Jack Ramsden.

The estimated cost of this project is between $33,000 and $36,000. Ramsden hopes for the work to be completed in June.

Council accepted the wastewater treatment facility study presented by Stantec Consulting as information. It will soon be available for distribution among the stakeholders.

The town owns and operates an aerated lagoon-based Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) to treat and dispose the wastewater collected in town. The WWTF discharges treated wastewater effluent twice per year to the Medicine River.

The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) requires the town to submit a proposal for receiving water quality assessment and wastewater treatment plant capacity assessment. An alternative proposal of connecting the town’s wastewater collection system to the North Red Deer Regional Wastewater System was another option.

Stantec prepared two proposals that have been reviewed and approved by Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP).

The town would need to carry out a WWTF expansion feasibility study based on the possible effluent discharge standards. However, the decision on the selection of the proposed solutions cannot be finalized before the receiving water quality study is completed.

Council passed a motion to reduce the sale price of lots in Westview manufactured home subdivision from $65,000 to $55,000 and to lower the sale price of all lots in the McDonald Heights residential subdivision by 20 per cent.