Local News

Last week's article, Councillors opt to defer final budget until spring, was interesting for a few reasons.

Mountain View County council adopted a new fee schedule last week that raised the price of gravel to bring it more in line with private industry and also tripled the fees for rig inspections.

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Richard Marz stepped out of the party line last week, announcing to the legislature that he would not support the province's controversial impaired driving legislation, Bill 26.

When Monika Hoegger moved with her family to a rural acreage in Bergen, she decided to keep some animals on the property. While neighbours raised cows and horses, she decided to choose an alternative livestock: reindeer.

Mountain View County council last week adopted an $18.5-million interim operating and capital budget for 2012.

Progressive Conservative MLA Ty Lund says if he wins his party's nomination in the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre constituency he plans to run the next provincial election campaign on a combination of his past record and his future plans.

The East Side had its say last week on Mountain View County's draft Municipal Development Plan at open houses in Reed Ranch and Carstairs ñ and the reception was markedly negative compared to the first two sessions held the previous week in the West

Sand and gravel pit operators in Red Deer County will now pay a 25-cent-per-tonne levy commencing Jan. 1 after council approved second and third reading of a community aggregate payment bylaw at council Tuesday.

Making businesses in West Central Alberta and elsewhere more competitive is one of the principal goals of a newly formed provincial task force, says chairman and Rocky Mountain House-Sundre MLA Ty Lund.

A 3.5 per cent property tax increase for Red Deer County was recommended in the 2012 draft budget presented to council Tuesday.