At the Feb. 10 regular council meeting, Lacombe City Council voted to continue to levy municipal property taxes on affordable housing accommodations. Recent provincial legislative changes exempted affordable housing accommodations from property taxes starting in 2025. The legislation also permits the City to pass a Bylaw to continue to levy the municipal portion of the property taxes (but not the education tax portion) from these properties. The city currently levies municipal property taxes for student dormitories.
Council also passed a bylaw amendment to allow unattached construction trailers on streets and roadways without penalties or fines. Administration has drafted an amendment permitting construction trailers to be parked unattached at work sites between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with specific requirements for reattachment after hours. The city's updated Traffic Bylaw introduced permit fees for road use with medium or high traffic impact but exempted franchisees like ATCO Gas Ltd. and FortisAlberta from these fees. Proposed amendments further clarify this exemption while maintaining franchisees' obligations to obtain permits and comply with penalties for non-compliance or failure to restore work sites.
In addition, Council directed Administration to develop Terms of Reference for a Regional Collaboration Committee involving the City of Lacombe, Lacombe County, and the Town of Blackfalds.
Council voted in favour of a motion to direct Administration to bring forward improved methods of communication to transparently and effectively share City initiatives and information to the public. The three key elements of this strategy are traditional media, social media/email, and public signage.
The next regular council meeting will take place Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.