Residents of Wheatland County are being asked to help set the course for the county’s development.
On Monday, May 27, at the Cheadle Community Hall and Tuesday, May 28, at the Rosebud Community Hall, the county is hosting Town Hall meetings to discuss the new Municipal Development Plan (MDP) being drafted by the county. Both meetings start at 6:30 p.m.
“Public consultation is always encouraged when we’re doing a bylaw. We always try to do a presentation. Our consultant will go through what’s different and then people can comment,” said Linda Henrickson, Project Manager for Wheatland County.
The current MDP was adopted in 2006. Since then, much in the county has changed and it was felt it was time to update the county’s development direction.
“We’re required to look at it every few years according to the Municipal Government Act. The MDP we have currently wasn’t the best plan as far as details go. It was done in 2006, so it was time,” said Henrickson.
The draft refines the document and places a greater emphasis on encouraging development in the county’s hamlets. The goal is to move residential development to the small hamlets and villages, rather than sprawling acreages, which take away from available agricultural land.
“There wasn’t much direction as far as development goes in the old plan. One thing we added is we’re trying to encourage development in the hamlets, as opposed to out in the middle of the county, so we can preserve our agricultural land. It’s tough to make people do that, because they want their dream acreage,” said Henrickson.
The MDP is a document adopted by municipalities which serves as a guideline for the vision, goals, objectives, and policies of the municipality.
Everybody in the county is encouraged to attend one of the meetings.
“Everybody should stop by, learn about what’s going on, and help set the direction for the county,” said Wheatland Reeve Glenn Koester.