The City of St. Albert and Sturgeon County have signed a three-year cost-sharing agreement for recreation facilities, the city announced today.
The agreement, which will give county residents the same level of access to recreation programs as St. Albertans, entails the County pitching in between $260,000 and $270,000 annually over the next three years to off-set operational costs in city facilities, such as Servus Place or Fountain Park Pool.
“As part of the agreement, which expires on March 31, 2026, Sturgeon County will provide the City of St. Albert with pre-determined funding to support existing operational costs associated with the city’s recreational services, facilities or initiatives, or existing capital costs of the city’s recreational facilities,” states an April 28 news release from the city.
According to the release, for the year beginning April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 the county will pay $260,222, followed by $265,426.44 the next year, and $270,734.99 for the final year of the agreement.
“The agreement will be in place during a transition period while the county and city develop and implement a system to track resident usage of County and City recreational facilities,” the release says. “The tracking system will inform the development of a future funding allocation model.”
“County residents will pay the same fee as city residents to access city recreational facilities, programs, and services.”
The Gazette will have further coverage of the agreement in the Thursday, May 4 edition of the newspaper.
