Whitecourt may soon grow by 291 acres

The Town of Whitecourt has put through an annexation application for a 291-acre parcel of land from Woodlands County. Director of Planning and Development Jennine Loberg attended the Monday, January 28 regular meeting of council to answer questions from councillors.

“What we are proposing is a change in the municipal boundaries. North of Flats Road all the way to the Athabasca River, just slightly east of the Wastewater Treatment Plant is the area we are looking at,” she explained. “We initiated the process back in 2016, I believe, so we’ve had a few open houses and met with property owners. Now that we have finalized the report, Woodlands County provided its formal endorsement of the annexation on December 18. They have supported us all along. Following that, we submitted the formal application to the Municipal Government Board.”

The reason the town started the process is because it is the majority owner on a couple of big parcels within the 291 acres. “We’re looking at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the ball diamonds, and the golf course, and most of these lands are owned by the Town of Whitecourt so it makes sense. The proposed property line is just a logistical change,” said Loberg.

Rather than dividing Whitecourt and Woodlands County with Flats Road, the river would become the divider. The Woodlands County line would begin just past the first residence beyond the Wastewater Treatment Plant. For the two residents being brought into the town’s boundary it will mean a change in taxes. “Right now, residential rates are lower in the county than they are in the town so one of the proposals we made to make the process easier, mostly for the two residents, is to hold the tax rates for 10 years. So, whoever’s tax rate is lower, between the town and county, they would pay the lower amount for 10 years or until such a time a subdivision happens.”

The next step is for the Municipal Government Board to review the application. There was one objection to the annexation and the board will need to decide if it requires a public hearing before moving forward. “It sounds like if they do hold a public hearing that they will want to do it very quickly in case there’s a provincial election. Following that, there would be a recommendation to the minister to be forwarded for approval,” explained Loberg. This is the first annexation since she joined the town eight or nine years ago. “It doesn’t happen that often. It’s a long-term planning process and municipalities usually look to annex for future growth reasons. This one is more of a paperwork item than anything.”

Many residents probably think the ball diamonds and golf course are within the town boundary. Thankfully, the change will be minor. “We aren’t proposing any big changes. We will be doing an Area Structure Plan to determine future development, what should go there, and how that should work out but, for now, it’s going to stay as it is and just be a boundary change,” Loberg added.

One thing that will benefit from the change is dealing with enforcement in the area especially in terms of bylaw infractions. To see the full annexation application, visit the town’s website www.whitecourt.ca and type “annexation” into the search bar.