Wednesday 16 May 2018

Municipal District of Foothills No. 31 or Foothills County?

Your Feedback is Important

PLEASE FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE provided in your tax notice or by going to the link HERE.


Council for the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31 (MD) first proposed a name change over five years ago. On the 7th of February, 2018, Councillors for the MD passed a resolution to submit an application to the Province of Alberta to change the name to Foothills County.

Council felt this was an appropriate time to revisit the proposed name change for several reasons.

Cost is usually the most obvious and significant issue to consider. One of the larger costs is signage. The MD has gateway signage on the main highways that pass through our area. This signage has needed to be replaced for some time now, as some signage has come down due to age and deterioration. Replacement of the gateway signage has been budgeted for, whether the name changes or not. Other signage on MD rural roads would only be replaced as needed.

Decals on municipal vehicles would be replaced as needed, when they are worn and need replacing, or when a new vehicle is brought into the fleet.

Stationary used to be a significant cost, however, as most documents are now digital, very little stationary is preprinted. Business cards are only printed as needed.

Municipal district or county will have no effect on the mailing address of residents. Canada Post now uses “Foothills” or the “hamlet name” for some areas of the municipality.

Council also feels that with a name change, there may be some positives to the economic development within this municipality. It has been suggested that the title of county is more self-explanatory with regards to the type of government and the area covered. More than two thirds of rural municipalities in Alberta have included county in their titles.

The proposed change is about the name only - the logo will remain the same. The brand image of the municipality will remain as it is.

The results of this survey and feedback will be provided to council to make a decision. (This survey will only allow one vote per computer/tablet/smart phone.)

Regardless of whether this municipality is called the Municipal District of Foothills No. 31 or Foothills County, its form and powers remain the same.

P.S. If you are a resident and are on Facebook, be sure to “Like” my page (www.FB.me/JasonParkerMD31) and share with other residents to be kept up to date on the latest goings on in our area. Additionally, make sure you enter your email in the box on the top right corner of any page on my website (www.JasonParkerMD31.com) to sign up for updates.