Election 2017 – Last Chance to Save the County
A final appeal to Business, and Home Owners......
Has there been a more important election in the County of Lac Ste Anne, ever? I doubt it. During the most recent Information Event the County held in Darwell, Planning Manager Matthew Ferris declared the County as the new RV Recreational County. I am not aware of another declaration of this type anywhere in Alberta, and for good reason.
The County is inundated with RV's, and apparently it hasn't been a big problem because nobody spoke up. I don't know why people didn't speak up, I just know they didn't. So rather than enforce the long standing Land Use Bylaws in place that said “no RV's in Residential Subdivisions” the scale of this problem is now causing some home owners to complain about enforcement.
The County has two choices, enforce the law properly, and honor the commitment that they made to investors when home owners purchased property in the County based on the existing Bylaws, or just screw them and re-write the Bylaws. The County has chosen the the latter. Basically the County has long run on the old bate and switch tactic, get enough people in to make it look like a subdivision, and then fill the community up with RV's.
The County wants you to believe that Developers, and Real Estate agents are to blame. Don't buy that story, the County is the boss, they are to blame.
So this forces the County's new economic plan. They are caught now trying to pay for the lovely County Office they built. Hard to get blood from the stone, the people that actually live, and pay taxes in the County are already stretched. So as opposed to trying to develop real economic opportunity in the County they decided to try and pick up a few extra dollars from campers.
RV owners will claim they pay their taxes and spend money here. I agree, they do pay taxes, and to my knowledge they typically pay less than a third of what I pay. Imagine, if one third of the RV owners had to decide to convert to building a cottage because the were now forced to make that choice by the County Laws that are currently in place. The County would have the same revenue, your communities would become communities again, and people might actually choose to live in the County...
But paying taxes is one thing, spending extra money in the County is something else, and here is where the appeal to Business owners, and future development comes in. Where do you think the RV owner bought the jug of milk they have in the RV fridge? They brought it with them. How do I know that? Because I know how hard it is to find a place to buy milk in the County. If you live anywhere but in a few County towns you have a significant drive ahead of you.
RV owners buy their stuff and bring it with them. Other than gravel for their lot (the gravel guy has made out like a bandit), they bring everything, even the wood they used for their gate. It's easy, convenient, and since the County has no real economic development plan whatsoever there is no place to buy the stuff in the County.
Business owners should take long look at this election. If you found it hard to grow your business up to now, get ready for the future, because an RV Recreational County is a pretty tough place to make a living.
RV owners think they are going to get off scott free if the new Bylaw goes through. Remember, they fought the Special Event $500 fee and got that canceled. Unfortunately for them they don't know why it got canceled. You see the $500 fee was a stop gap measure to collect some money before the County hatched the new RV County fiasco. Once your subdivision is declared an RV subdivision in the Bylaw, the County will make the $500 fee look like chump change. The Bylaw allows the County to now impose significantly higher taxes on the RV owners. All the improvements, the holding tanks, the extra RV's, everything will be taxed accordingly. I want to think this is an insidious plot by the County to eventually force people to build a home, since having an RV on a property becomes too expensive. Sorry, there is nobody smart enough at the County, including the Manager, that could have come up with this as a plan.
Finally, to the Home Owners, the people that bought property, built a home and likely will rely on it's wealth to provide for their retirement. If you are lucky to sell that home in the future I can almost guarantee that it will be for less dollars than other places. Would you buy property in a campground?
Think about your situation, once the County gets this passed there is no going back. So vote, but not just for anybody. Make sure you vote for a Candidate that does not support this RV Bylaw Plan, get that person on Council and lets save the County.
Kevin Blomme
Lessard Landing
CALL ANY OR ALL COUNCILLORS TO DEMAND THE ANSWERS AND MAKE SURE THEY KNOW HOW YOU FEEL - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
- Phone: (780) 937-5360
- Phone: (780) 967-3073
- Phone: (780) 786-4290
- Phone: (780) 785-2095
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