County considering consolidation of hamlet bylaw 

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County is discussing the potential to consolidate hamlet designations into a single bylaw, as well as establishing a community engagement plan.

The Municipal Government Act does not mandate a specific process for establishing a hamlet specifically, however it does state a designated region must have a defined name and boundaries. 

“Administration did do a report last term that compared certain criteria of the MGA of all of the named communities in Wheatland County, so a named community can be a hamlet, but a hamlet may not be a named community,” said CAO Brian Henderson. “A smaller one like Leveland, for example, that is a named community within Wheatland County, however it would not come close to meeting the definition of a hamlet.”

County administration has proposed to consolidate the hamlets using the land redesignation process in order to allow for public engagement through public hearings. 

The purpose of the consolidation will be to identify and formally establish hamlets which meet the definition outlined in the Municipal Government Act. This would allow the county to access alternate funding streams for these communities than what is currently available. 

Under the Municipal Government Act, the council of a municipal district or specialized municipality can designate an unincorporated community as a hamlet. 

A community may be considered a hamlet if it consists of five or more residential dwellings, a majority of which are on parcels smaller than 1,850 meters, has generally accepted boundaries, and contains land utilized for non-residential purposes.

Potential funding sources include the Alberta Municipal Water and Wastewater Partnership, and the ability to introduce tax levies to fund construction, upgrades, or maintenance of municipal infrastructure.

“Most of it is tied to the grants. Just because we name it a certain hamlet, if it does not meet the criteria under the MGA, it will not qualify for any funding or infrastructure if needed,” said Reeve Scott Klassen. “(With) more densification, you need more services. It makes more sense. You can’t have a bunch of water wells right beside each other.”

Within Wheatland County, there are currently six communities which meet the definition of a hamlet under the MGA, including Carseland, Cluny, Gleichen, Lyalta, Rosebud, and Speargrass. 

Despite not currently meeting hamlet criteria under the MGA, Cheatle may be added later once more properties are added on suitably sized lots. 

While several communities are commonly referred to as hamlets despite not meeting the formal definition, such as Nightingale and Namaka, the county is still encouraging them to be referred to as hamlets. 

Administration has recommended eight bylaws be rescinded should the new consolidated hamlet bylaw be established. These include establishment, adjustment, and expansion bylaws related to the boundaries of Carseland, Nightingale, Lyalta, Namaka, and Rosebud. 

The bylaw will return before council at a later date to see first reading before proceeding to a public hearing.