Starting April 4, Woodlands County residents will have their chance to weigh in on the proposed Whitecourt Culture and Events Centre.
Woodlands County council held a special meeting on March 29, to approve the revised survey that the County will be putting to its residents.
When council received the first draft of the survey at their March 17 meeting, the survey projected a tax rate increase of $3.51 per month to the average homeowner to cover the cost of the Centre. County council wanted a number that was 20 per cent greater to account for inflation and cost overruns, and factor in an operating deficit that would be twice as much.
With these new revisions, the number that will now be presented to Woodlands County ratepayers is a proposed tax rate increase of $5.38 per month.
The revised survey also includes a smaller number of questions, and requires participant to include their name and e-mail so it can be verified that they are a county resident.
The Whitecourt Culture and Events Centre is a new facility that proposes to give the Town of Whitecourt a new library, 600-seat performing arts space, and new Town administration offices all in one complex. The projected cost of the facility is $59.5 million. Under the funding model, 12 per cent of the funding is to come from partners, specifically Woodlands County. That would put the County’s share at approximately $7 million.
The survey will begin on April 4, 2022, and County residents will have two weeks to fill it out. The survey can be completed online at the Woodlands County website, www.woodlands.ab.ca, or at the Woodlands County Facebook page. Physical copies of the survey will also be available at the Woodlands County offices in Whitecourt and Fort Assiniboine.
More information on the Whitecourt Culture and Events Centre can be found at cultureandeventscentre.ca.
