Wheatland County in the black

Times Contributor     

 

The financial auditors, Young, Parkyn, McNab LLP, were on Wheatland County council’s doorstep May 20, to present the independent 2013 draft of their audited financial reports.

“Our responsibility is to audit the financials and provide an opinion, analysis and fair evaluation,” said Darren Adamson, spokesperson for the team. “Overall, all indicators here are very strong.”

Wheatland County assets were more than their liabilities, but had decreased slightly over a five year period. The financial assets over liabilities came in at 3.6 on a scale of four. Anything over one is rated as acceptable and Adamson said he knew of some counties who were showing negative indicators. The amount of capital revenues budgeted came in close to the actual spending. Adamson did note that salaries and wages were a large expenditure this year, which fits with some of the added hiring being done by the county. Utilizing contracted services was also a large expenditure of funds, but it was noted they were being utilized for infrastructure projects. 

Sustainability indicators measure the counties spending against the growth in the economy. Wheatland County’s indicator rose from .73 percent to .82 percent over the last year and Adamson suggested the county may want to pursue generating some of their own source income. There was some suggestion that council was showing a slight dependence on transfers from other governments for operating revenues, which Adamson said could be a risk if funding from the other governments was cut.

Overall the county is in a surplus position and Adamson noted they had realized some good returns on their investments over the past year. 

The audited draft was accepted and it will be filed with Alberta Municipal Affairs according to the Municipal Government Act. 

 

Weeds

Brandi Walls and Marina Meister were appointed weed inspectors by Wheatland County this year. They both have their certifications needed to fulfill the terms of the Pest and Weed control contracts. They will be inspecting and surveying for Fusarium Granimnearum, Clubroot and grasshoppers. They will also be assisting Agriculture Service officers as they do their inspections. There was an outbreak of purple loosestrife sighted on the east Strathmore boundary and local gardeners are asked to make themselves familiar with prohibited and noxious weeds. Weed them out from garden plantings, which helps terminate their spread to wider areas. There are some good pictures of them on the county website.

 

Too young to be old

Wheatland County council discussed the revisions to an old policy that outlined the county retirement incentive program, and the topic of old age was discussed, a timely issue as Alberta Seniors week is June 2-8.

The revision suggested removing the age limit restriction of not older than 65, as it discriminates against employees older than that age working for the county. The policy came into effect in 2005, which at that time supposed everyone would retire at age 65.

However, new Alberta government guidelines have eliminated mandatory retirement allowing workers to stay in the workplace longer. 

To apply for the incentive, employees must be over age 55 and have five years continuous service. Notice for retirement changed from year end to three months. At that time, they would receive three percent, times their years of service in a lump sum payment, up to a maximum of 50 per cent of their yearly salary.

Councillor Alice Booth wondered if designating age 55 was too young to offer the program.

“We don’t want to encourage them to retire too early,” said Booth.

Councillor Don Vander Velde countered Booth’s speculation, saying, “55 only seems young when you are 70.”

The last Canadian census showed a 28 per cent jump in those considering retirement and they were in the 55-64 age range.

Councillor Brenda Knight said she would rather see the policy focus on years served than age.

Many companies are opting to have former retired workers come back in consulting positions, or on a part-time basis, as qualified workers are harder to find. This policy stipulates that if you return to the county in another position after you retire, you pay the money back.

It also only applies to employees hired before Jan. 2, 2013, and won’t be given to those hired after that date.

“This policy is an old one and somewhat dated,” said Reeve Glenn Koester. 

Council accepted the changes recommended by staff.