Greetings From Council
On behalf of your 2021-2025 elected Council, Marty Baker, Dale Swyripa, George Kuneff, Jason Stelmaschuk, Les Cusack, Clinton Murray and myself, Stacey Hryciuk, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our ratepayers and staff for the many expressions of support we received over the past four years and we look forward to our next term. It is my pleasure to serve as your Reeve with Clinton Murray as Deputy Reeve.
To say Council has seen extreme changes over the past four years would be an understatement. We have witnessed our ratepayers working through some of the most challenging hardships experienced in many years and the County of Vermilion River has not been left untouched. We thank our Directors and administration staff for their efforts in sharing their knowledge and experience in order for Council make consistent and viable decisions.
Even with the struggles of a slow economy, Council has strived to build and maintain through strategic budgeting. It was once again a very busy year for all departments and a big thanks goes out to our frontline employees who continually work in the eye of the public on designated projects, maintenance and unforeseen issues as they arise.
Over the past four years we have went from extreme amounts of moisture to drought which is evident by the vast amount of empty sloughs across the landscape. We have seen workloads increase in all departments due to Government mandates, rural crime, emergency response calls, influx of noxious weeds, pests and club root. We are experiencing increased pressures with the downloading from the Provincial Government like never before in the area of costs of policing and this has lead to making difficult budget decisions. We have all felt the impact of the rise in rural crime and understand how important it is to keep up a high level of RCMP and Community Peace Officer presence in the County.
No one can argue there are tough decision ahead due to the status of the current local economy. Council is reviewing all areas of finance and department budgets and we are fully aware adjustments will need to be made to ensure a sustainable future.
Together we will work hard for our ratepayers to continue to maintain a high level of integrity and a focus on delivering services with fiscal responsibility.
Reeve Stacey Hryciuk