By Marianne Cole
- BUDGET DELIBERATIONS Significant discussion and questioning took place on the 2026 budget during council meetings December 10-12, 2025, with final approval taking place December 19th. Highlights included:
- Operating Budget This included expenses of $58,866, 409. Of special note in the operating category were:
- Assisting the town with the washroom facility at the new bike park for $60,000.
- Expansion of the Leslieville Cemetery for $253,000.
- Support of the Ferrier Community Hall project for $125,000.
- Helping fund the warming shelter in Rocky for $300/day to a maximum of $20,000.
- Increased work plan for broadband operations for $60,000. (These monies will be used to gather information and legal advice on current operations.
- Capital Budget This approved budget provides for expenditures of $40,311,347. Of special note in capital plans were:
- Postponement of building a heated storage facility until 2027.
- $2,000,000 support for the Caroline Arena Ice Plant.
- $250,000 support in 2026 for the Nordegg Cemetery expansion, with the remainder to be discussed during 2027 budget deliberations.
- Postponement of the Nordegg south townsite access road until 2027 with $25,000 allocated in 2026 to explore alternative road locations.
- Hold Broadband expenditures to $2,826,601 until a decision can be made regarding the future of the broadband project.
Several notable items/topics will be brought forward in future deliberations including policies on dust control, grading, solid waste management plans, community hall and rec. board policies/funding, Nordegg development plan, infrastructure in Caroline, and broadband.
Special kudos to our dedicated councillors for their serious consideration of the budget including their requests for complete, accurate information as they wisely work for financial responsibility.
- BROADBAND This has been a significant topic of discussion throughout the county with various opinions and concerns. A specific meeting of the Broadband Committee (made up of all councillors) was held on November 27, 2025. Notable information presented/discussed included:
- Fibre installation to be completed in 2026 include Ferrier/Crimson Lake, Nordegg north side, and initial Rocky East. Plans for 2027 include Rocky east to county of Lacombe border, Rocky north to county of Wetaskiwin, and Rocky south to Caroline and Mountain View county border.
- To date 932 homes have been passed with 288 ready for service.
- The total project cost is estimated to be $140M with approximately $87M to be funded by federal and provincial grants, leaving $52M to be funded by the county.
- If there would be a 50% uptake by residents there is a possibility of the project cash flow to reach a break-even point in 2029.
- A possible pricing model would have customers pay a monthly fee of $90.00 with $25.00 going to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) and $65.00 going to the county.
Throughout the meeting there were excellent questions and concerns expressed by council members. Most of these focused on finances with a strong desire for answers related to current and projected costs along with potential revenue.
In the meantime, resident concerns have focused on:
- Distinct lack of information on the project being provided by the county.
- Over reliance on using the county website to access information.
- Difficulty manoevering through the county’s website to find the information wanted.
To counter these concerns various methods of providing information including newspaper articles, neighborhood sandwich boards, and door to door visits are being planned.
UP-COMING MEETINGS: Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 7:30PM, Leslieville Elks Hall; Wednesday, February 11, 2026, same time and place.
“Approach the new year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.”Michael Josephson.
“What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” Vern McLellan
Board member list: Ron Schultz, Susan Durand, Pat Butler, Reg Belyea, Leona Bertagnolli, Christine Foesier, Jim Foesier, Julie Layden, and Leah Schultz.
