MD of Bighorn homeowners forced from their homes during the June flood will see some financial relief.
Bighorn councillors unanimously passed a motion Tuesday (Oct. 8) to provide flood-affected homeowners with a refund of municipal taxes, local improvement levies and either credit or cancellation of municipal utility fees.
Refunds, credits or cancelled fees will be calculated for every month a home is (or was) unoccupied after July 15 to a maximum of 12 months.
This program also applies to second-home owners whose properties are not covered by the Disaster Recovery Program.
According to a report prepared by Shaina Carvelli, finance director for the MD, the municipality will refund a total of $1,732 for municipal taxes and improvement levies and municipal utilities for those 11 homes that have been re-occupied.
For the 34 homes that are still unoccupied, the MD is expecting to refund a total of $8,268 for taxes, levies and utilities.
Council also approved financial relief to the Exshaw Community Association (ECA) for the Exshaw Water Local Improvement Levy, penalties on the unpaid portion and utility bills. This period extends from July 15 to a maximum of a year.
For July to October, the MD will provide the ECA relief to the tune of $276 and if the community hall, gym and seniors centre remains closed for a year, the total would be $1,253.
Councillor Paul Ryan told councillors Alberta Health had recently inspected the lower floor of the ECA community building and declared the building uninhabitable, as it required more mould mitigation.
Waterline appeal stalled
An appeal filed by the MD of Bighorn to halt work on a covered waterline near Exshaw Creek has been held up until Nov. 29 at the request of the province, following an indication Lafarge is willing to work with the MD and the province.
Jodie Hierlmeier, a representative of Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, environmental law section, filed a request Oct. 2 that the appeal be held in abeyance to give Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, the MD of Bighorn and the Lafarge Exshaw plant to find a mutually satisfactory solution.
AESRD gave Lafarge permission to repair and cover its process water line, which is used to provide the plant with water from Exshaw Creek.
The MD filed an appeal Sept. 24 after learning Lafarge was using eight-inch-plus shot rock to cover and insulate the line.
The concern, according to the MD’s letter of appeal, is that eight-inch plus shot rock (a small form of riprap or rubble), can be washed away during a large flood and can plug culverts and cause other downstream issues.
“Much of the damage resulting from the flooding came about from the debris carried by the creek-flows: that debris included some material not unlike the material proposed to be used in covering the replacement water pipeline,” MD Reeve Dene Cooper wrote in the letter of appeal.
Also, in a meeting with Jay Litke, Alberta Environment’s director for the southern region, it was indicated that Bighorn and Lafarge needed to work together on creek remediation.
Cooper also indicated the MD would withdraw the appeal if Lafarge worked with the MD and the province to find a better solution to cover the pipeline.
In a letter from plant manager Heinz Knopfel, dated Oct. 6, he stated that Lafarge is prepared to work with both parties to find an acceptable solution.
“… the burial of our line is critical to ensure freezing does not occur. For us, this line is essential to providing the water we need for plant operations, dust suppression and most importantly, fire suppression in an emergency situation,” Knopfel stated.
“Lafarge, as always, is willing to meet with the MD… and AESRD to develop a long-term solution for the entire creek. It is our strong feeling that addressing segments of the creek in isolation will cause greater issues should there be a future flood event.”
