Looking back at 2023 Lethbridge County Reeve Tory Campbell says it was what some would call a transitional year for the county.
The county started the year looking to fill the Chief Administrative Officer position after Ann Mitchell left to take the job as City Manager in Medicine Hat. In May council announced Cole Beck was hired for the job, and officially took the reigns in July. Campbell says having a strong CAO who can continue to deliver while working and thinking with council is important.
“Council, you know we set the direction and we point the ship, but it is up to the CAO and their team to execute the vision so we are really lucky to have a great team at the county.”
Campbell says Beck has also played a role in continuing to build working relationships with other municipalities in the region; which he adds has been an important task for the current county council. The municipal leader says that he knows county administration and the City of Lethbridge administration have been able to work closely on several initiatives and bridge the gap between the two communities, as well as working with some of the smaller urban communities in the region.
“I think that has been key for us and I think bringing Cole into that role as CAO has been critical for us because we really have been able to take another step, build those relationships with the province and it has really paid dividends for us and our residents.”
Campbell says he is proud of what they have accomplished with these relationships to this point and is looking forward to continuing them moving forward. He adds that these partnerships will also play a key role in dealing with the water issues the region is seeing, as open and clear lines of communication will be critical.
“Just understanding what the situation is, how the situation has evolved, and acknowledging the situation. We all realize that the drought is very real and unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it is going to get better very quickly, I mean that could change with ideal precipitation in the right places this winter, but I think we have to go into next year, keeping in mind that there could be some challenges and some struggles ahead.”
In 2023 Campbell says the county saw industry growth, with an example being the $600 million investment McCain Foods announced in March for their plant in the region, which more than doubled the number of jobs available at the facility. He says with these sorts of investments and this type of growth the municipality can diversify its tax base. However, he acknowledges that does not come without challenges as continued growth also means demand of the county’s infrastructure continues to grow.
Other highlights Campbell mentioned in 2023 include the bylaw amendment that allows landowners to keep a limited number of livestock on their properties in the hamlets of Fairview, Kipp, Monarch, Shaughnessy, Diamond City, Chin, Iron Springs, and Turin, and the review of the land-use bylaw.