LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY A YEAR IN REVIEW #3

LAC STE. ANNE COUNTY A YEAR IN REVIEW #3

Onto the third segment of our review. We are starting to get a little more pointed in our questions as there have been many examples of where some of these items have been brought to light previously.  Some we received responses to that didn’t meet the intent of the question so we reiterated the question.

Question #6 - Disposition of County Assets - Why was the current asset listed not have a current appraisal conducted to ensure the residents of this County that this is the “real value” that is being asked for this property? Why is there not a policy for disposal to follow? We asked this question on a number of occasions and the response was that disposal of assets was so rare that we did not need one. Here we go again disposing of another one and once again with no appraisal. 

LSAC response:  Policy #03-050-003 - Disposal of Tangible Capital Assets outlines Council’s expectations on the disposal of Tangible Capital Assets. Although the question does not specify the asset you refer to, we are assuming you are referencing the Glenevis Community Hall? If so, the County did secure a 3rd party appraisal from Knight & Company Appraisals Ltd and the sale price of this facility aligns with that appraisal. 

Had LSARA responded, we would have asked why we were informed that the “appraisal” was conducted by the County Assessors? We would have made a point of indicating that the value was oddly the same value as the old Administration building that was not safe to be occupied but yet sold right away. We would have asked why it wasn’t put up for tender and why the same Realtor always gets the listings of these “ infrequent” listings and sales.  

Question #7 - Landfill- What is the plan to ensure that all commercial users are paying their fair share for the use of the landfill? What is the plan to stop county card holders from accepting and charging others that do not have a card to bring their garbage to the landfills? 

LSAC responses:  The landfill is owned and operated by a commission not the County. We have been advised of some individuals offering to haul garbage for residents and are reviewing stop measures. 

Had LSARA responded we wouldn’t have  been as glib as the response we received. Essentially implying we didn’t know what we were talking about.  A misnomer in the term “landfill” where in fact they are transfer stations. The question of how they will be prevented from profiting while the rest of us pay was not answered. The commercial business use aspect of the “transfer stations” also wasn’t answered. If a commercial business is using the transfer stations and they are profiting from the use, they should pay for the use. 

This segment leads into a really big segment #4,  that should cause every single Ratepayer to get up and off their chairs and start asking questions. It begins to tie together some of the previous questions LSARA has put forward regarding the financial health of our County.  

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Your comments and concerns are valued. Your membership is very important to us. We look forward to greeting you all at our Annual General Meeting March 31st at the GUNN Hall from 2-4 pm.  Stay tuned for Post #4 in the series.