TAMRMS#: B06
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Inter Municipal Development Plan Funding
Notice given by: Mayor Heron
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BUDGET POSTPONED MOTION:
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That the IDP be postponed until 2022 and $160,000 be added to the residual growth balance.
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Administration’s Understanding of the Intent of the Motion:
Administration’s understanding is that work on the Intermunicipal Development Plan between Sturgeon County and the City be postponed to 2022, after the annexation has formally come into effect.
Operational or Organizational Impacts if Motion is Approved:
If the motion is approved, no work will be done on the IDP in 2021, absent some high level project scoping in coordination with the County in anticipation of budget submittals for 2022. Workload that would have been allocated to the IDP will be reallocated to other proposed and emergent planning activities.
Financial Implications of Motion:
Based on the motion, $160,000 will not be allocated to the planning & development department for IDP activities and will be added to the residual growth balance which is recommended to be applied against the 2021 base taxes. The could impact the City's ability to access the Alberta Community Partnership grant, and which could reduce the actual costs of this project to the City to $60,000.00.
Stakeholder Consultations:
Sturgeon County Administration has been made aware of the notice of postponed motion. Sturgeon County had intended to make the budget request for IDP funding in 2021 for the 2022 budget.
Background:
As part of the Sturgeon County/City of St. Albert annexation of Sturgeon County lands, the two parties had agreed to undertake an intermunicipal development plan (IDP) in the lands adjacent to the proposed new city/county boundary to provide both parties with some greater level of security about what types of uses may take place. Sturgeon County Administration had indicated that they intended to make their budget request for IDP funding in 2021 for their 2022 budget. City Administration had made the request in 2020 for 2021 funding to enable an earlier start on the IDP, but has no objection to deferring the funding to 2022 to better align with the County’s anticipated funding request. This information was collected prior to the announcement of the Alberta Community Partnership grant.
Recently the Province of Alberta announced a grant opportunity for intermunicipal collaboration projects, like the Intermunicipal Development Plan, through the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) program. There is an opportunity in 2021 to fund this project (in part) through grant dollars, should St. Albert and Sturgeon County submit a joint application. The maximum grant award is $200,000, which is estimated to be a portion of the overall project budget projected to be an approximately total of $320,000.00 (to be cost shared equally between St. Albert and Sturgeon County) While grant applications are not always successful, being awarded a grant could reduce the funding implications on St. Albert and Sturgeon County to $120,000.00 (with St. Albert's share equaling $60,000.00). The Alberta Community Partnership grant application is due to the Province by January 5, 2021, with a contract award expected by March 31, 2021.
Should Council want Administration to pursue a joint ACP grant application, Administration recommends that the funding for the business case for the IDP be reduced from $160,000 to $50,000, contingent on a successful joint ACP grant application with Sturgeon County, and that $110,000 be added to the residual growth balance.
Report Date: December 1, 2020
Author: Adryan Slaght
Department: Planning & Development
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble
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