2010 Annual Report & Message from the Reeve
2010 can be considered the year of change for Brazeau County Council. With the retirement of our long time CAO Ken Porter, the administrative reigns were handed to Ron McCullough. 2010 also brought us another election and two new Councillors in Shirley Mahan and Kara Westerlund. Our Council table is diverse with experience and perspective. Council is interested in doing what is best for the community as a whole.
Some of the projects that we saw completed in 2010 were: the Breton Fire Hall and the Cynthia and Lodgepole Fire Smart projects. Unfortunately due to circumstances out of our control we were unable to move into our new Administration Building with the move in date now pushed back close to one year from the original target date.
The end of 2010 was by far the most interesting in all my time in politics, with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Drayton Valley which will explore working together with our neighbors to find a more fiscally responsible way to deliver joint services in the areas of planning, water and wastewater, recreation and economic development.
Amalgamation of the Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County is not an option, nor will it be in my foreseeable future. As a Council we recognized that although our residents live in Brazeau County, they may work, shop, go to the Doctor, use the recreational facilities and their children may attend the schools in Drayton Valley and Breton. Therefore what is good for Brazeau County is good for Drayton Valley and Breton and what is good for Drayton Valley is good for the residents of Brazeau County and Breton.
The proposed annexation settlement (which is still with the Municipal Government Board) will see the Reeve’s Message “The end of 2010 was by far the most interesting in all my time in politics...” end of many years of money spent on consultants and lawyers and resulting in neighbors divided. The agreement offers a solution for the next 50 years, and a platform where we can all move forward towards a more prosperous future.
Fighting never benefits neighbors, however working together always does. We need to stop seeing Drayton Valley as our competition and start to see them as our allies in the building of a stronger community. We may not always agree, and we may see things differently but by agreeing to put the past behind us and work together towards the future we are doing what we feel is best for all our residents both urban and rural.
I look forward to 2011 as the dawn of a new era for Brazeau County. Please plan to attend the Annual General Meeting at the Rocky Rapids Hall on May 17, 2011 with a Beef on a Bun Dinner at 6:00 pm and the meeting from 7:00pm - 9:00pm.
Sincerely
Wes Tweedle
To view the complete report click on 2010 Annual Report.pdf.