Rocky View County council agreed to rotate the acting County manager role between three senior staff until a full-time manager is hired.
During a council meeting April 23, council agreed that senior managers Chris O’Hara, Kent Robinson and Byron Riemann will each serve as acting county manager on two-week rotations.
“What a wonderful step forward to expanding the roles of our senior managers,” said councillor Margaret Bahcheli.
Ted Gard, general manager of community services, first took over as acting manager when former county manager Rob Coon resigned last November.
Gard stepped into the position on a short-term basis and will be returning to his manager position after he returns from vacation.
Chris O’Hara, Rocky View’s general manager of development services, will act as county manager until May 7. Robinson, general manager of corporate services, will serve from May 8 until May 21. Riemann, general manager of infrastructure and operation services, will fill the position from May 22 until June 4.
If a new county manager is not in place by that time, the three will begin rotating through the position again.
Tax auction
Twenty-nine Rocky View County properties are scheduled for a tax auction May 3. The taxes on these properties haven’t been paid and will go up for sale this month unless the outstanding balance is paid before 2 p.m. on May 3.
Council agreed to the reserve bids of the lots during a council meeting April 23. The bids are as close as reasonably possible to the market value of the parcel.
If the land isn’t sold during the sale, the county is entitled to possession and disposal of the land.
Details of each property will be disclosed at the time of sale. A 10 per cent down payment in cash or certified cheque is required for purchase on the day of the sale and the remainder must be paid within 90 days.
Road issue nearing resolution
Council is getting closer to resolving an historic road problem in Bragg Creek.
Currently three residents in the Saddle and Sirloin community, located north of Township 232, gain access to their property by driving on private property but there is no formal access agreement to allow for this.
In September 2011, the three residents contacted the county office and asked for assistance to resolve the issue. Possible solutions have been debated since.
Three options were presented to council on Jan. 29 this year with costs varying between $75,000 and $191,000.
At that time, council gave the residents in the area six weeks to try and come up with a solution.
During council April 23, residents explained that they had found a solution.
They suggested a land swap with the neighbour who owns the land. The owner spoke before council and said he is open to the agreement but said if council suggests any changes to the proposed plan he would have to reconsider.
Council agreed to the first reading of the bylaw. The second and third reading is dependent on approval from Alberta Transportation and the minister of transportation.
The costs associated with the swap is an estimated $36,000. Council already approved a budget adjustment in March for the $8,500 plan of survey. The remaining costs — $20,000 for driveway improvements, and $7,500 for post and rail fencing — will come back for council for consideration after receiving approval from the minister.
