BOWDEN - Mayor Robb Stuart says the outlook for Bowden is rather hazy right now as the town awaits moves from the provincial government and others on various projects.
The biggest item on the agenda is the town's budget.
Stuart anticipates it'll essentially be hammered out by late January/early February, although town officials will still have to wait for federal, provincial and school board budgets as well as official assessments to be completed before the budget can be finalized.
Earlier, chief administrative officer James Mason said the town has set a goal of no increase in municipal taxes or sewer and water rates.
Stuart is hopeful that goal will become reality, pending the results of the other budgets mentioned above.
"I think we did have a little surplus this year so hopefully we can keep the taxes down again. Last year was the lowest increase we've had that I know about. We'll see," he said during a year-end interview with the Albertan.
One big issue is going to be the effect the provincial government's carbon tax has on the town. It officially came into effect Jan. 1.
Stuart says it's too early to know what effect it will have.
"I know a lot of people are trying to plan what the increase in electricity will be, but nobody knows for sure about the gas or natural gas, because it's all going to be affected," he says.
Stuart says town council has tried to do what it can to mitigate the effect of the tax by agreeing late last year to a FortisAlberta suggestion to replace some of its streetlights with LED lights.
During a meeting with council on Nov. 14, FortisAlberta stakeholder relations manager Stan Orlesky said 148 lights in Bowden would be changed under the program. He projected the new lights could save the town $5.70 per light per year.
"It'll be a little bit of cost to begin with, but after that, we should save energy over a 25-year period," Stuart says.
Stuart is also looking forward to progress on a new community hall for the community, spearheaded by Bowden's Expanding Horizons Society.
Fundraising is still underway for the hall, which would replace the current Lions Hall and would be located on a parcel of land in the 2100 block of 27th Avenue.
Stuart says the Expanding Horizons Society has applied for a grant to help cover the cost of the project, which he says could be somewhere between $1.8 and $2.1 million.
He says if the committee has the money it needs in place, he anticipates construction on the new hall could begin some time this spring.
A few years ago, the town became part of the South Red Deer Regional Wastewater Commission (SRDRWC).
Late this past year, councillors expressed alarm at the fact that the town's sewer bill from the SRDRWC is rising.
As of this year, the town will be paying $2.25 per cubic metre, up from $1.95 a couple of months ago.
Stuart says that's way above the 60 cents a cubic metre cost the town incurred when it had its own sewer system.
The town is going to try to avoid raising sewer rates to Bowden residents this year, but can't guarantee those rates won't rise in future years to cover costs.
To try and find out why the town's costs are rising so much, Stuart says almost certainly, cameras will be sent down Bowden sewers to see where and what the problem is.
"We've got to camera a bunch of lines and find out where the problem is," he says.
Construction on a new $40-million, 55,000-tonne Paterson grain handling facility to be located just outside Bowden (Highway 587 and Rge. Rd. 12) is expected to begin this spring.
Stuart is looking forward to the new facility and the impact it could have on the town.
He's hopeful some Bowden tradespeople will be employed during its construction and that some employees will spend money in local businesses, such as restaurants.
In December, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportion Brian Mason told Stuart and CEO James Mason that the provincial government will provide $50,000 a year to ensure the rest stop at Bowden keeps operating.
Because of that promise, Stuart says this year, the town will look for someone to maintain the facility.
However, he says more money will likely be needed for upkeep such as replacing or repairing the building's roof.
This past fall, longtime Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) worker Corrie Monk left her position with the town to move to Winnipeg to be close to her ailing mother.
So far, town employee Jade Prefontaine has been filling that post on a part-time basis. Stuart is not sure whether the town will continue going that way or look for a full-time replacement.
In March, James Mason will have been the town's chief administrative officer for a full year, replacing Andy Weiss who retired after about nine years on the job.
Stuart says Mason has done well, although he says it's a challenging job.
"It's a learning experience. The CAO has to be so versatile; you're dealing with council and you're dealing with the ratepayers and the staff," he says.
"To be honest, you couldn't pay me enough to be a CAO. There are just too many variables - you're trying to put out 17 fires a day; some are big, some are small - especially this time of year, with budget and so many unknowns."
"I think we did have a little surplus this year so hopefully we can keep the taxes down again. Last year was the lowest increase we've had that I know about."ROBB STUART MAYORTOWN OF BOWDEN
