2019 City Highlights

Park Upgrades

Over the past year, we have been working to make improvements to our parks and green spaces.
Major projects included:

• Upgrades to the off-leash area by adding more pathways, berms, amenities at the dog beach and signage to show users where to go
• Reopened the Cove Park after 2018 upgrades to add a new playground and refurbish the sand beach
• Adding new shade features at the Bike Park
• For more information, check out our interactive parks map.

Cut Taxes by 2%

On May 21, Chestermere’s City Council officially set the 2019 Tax Rate and included a 2% tax cut for Chestermere residents.

“We heard you, Chestermere. You wanted lower taxes and you wanted us to find more efficiencies and we’ve done exactly that,” says Mayor Chalmers.

A property assessed at $500,000 paid approximately $107 less in municipal taxes this year. The reduction was achieved primarily through improved efficiencies, personnel adjustments and realigned projects.

Read more about the tax cut at www.chestermere.ca/budget

Cut Utility Rates by 8%:

“Residents gave Council a mandate to bring relief from high utility rates. Today, we made that happen,” says Mayor Marshall Chalmers.

In July, City Council slashed utility rates for the community by 8% and guaranteed the rates would stay at this level until at least the end of 2020.

The work to cut rates began from City Council’s very first days in office. Tasked by voters to find a better path forward, Council decided last fall that the status quo of Chestermere Utilities Inc. (CUI) would no longer be a viable option.

“Now that we have a new, sustainable path forward for the delivery of utility services in Chestermere, I am very pleased that we have found the efficiencies needed to reduce utility rates for our community,” says Mayor Chalmers.

For more information visit www.chestermere.ca/utilities

New Lake Safety Plan

Last winter, City Council embarked on the development of a Lake Management Plan to detail how we can keep Chestermere Lake in great condition for everyone to enjoy.

The plan will include a description of the vision for the Lake, especially in terms of recreational safety and ensuring long term environmental sustainability. The development of this plan will take place from 2018 -2020 (approximately).

Based on the recommendations made in the Lake Recreation Safety Plan pilot, safety initiatives implemented this past summer included:

• Boat launch electronic permit system
• Lake Safety Education Program
• Safety and speed limit buoys

Read more about the lake safety plan visit www.chestermere.ca/lake

Township Road 240

This multi-year project consists of upgrading the existing gravel road along Township Road 240 and Range Road 282 to a new paved road.

Chestermere’s southern border road was one of the few remaining gravel roads in the community and serves approximately 800 vehicles per day. The paving and road upgrade will also enhance development opportunities for the southern part of Chestermere.

The 2019 portion included adding a new bridge south of Kinniburgh and utility installation and road construction for Range Road 282 and Township Road 240 between Range Road 282 and Rainbow Road.

For Township Road 240 project updates, visit www.chestermere.ca/240upgrade

New Black Carts Delivered

Although the City of Chestermere only took over utility operations in August, we already made changes to improve services for residents, starting with providing black garbage carts.

“We are delighted that our staff are already finding new ways to serve residents better,” says Mayor Marshall Chalmers. “Many residents have been asking for this service for a long time. We heard you Chestermere, and we are pleased to be taking action.”

City Council approved the idea on August 20 after a presentation from the City’s new Environmental Services team. The black carts were ordered and delivered before the end of October.

For more information about what goes in your black carts, visit www.chestermere.ca/recycle

Dismantled CUI

Tasked by voters to find a better path forward, Council decided last fall that the status quo of Chestermere Utilities Inc. (CUI) would no longer be a viable option.

Today, we mark the end of CUI,” says Chestermere Mayor Marshall Chalmers. “Our community asked us to find a better path forward for utility services in Chestermere. This marks the end of CUI’s existence as we know it and the beginning of the City of Chestermere managing utilities for our community.

In June, Council announced that they would dissolve the company and that the City would provide utility services to residents. A shell corporation will continue to exist in order to hold the debt of CUI separate from the City. The shell corporation will not be allowed to incur any new debt but the new legal structure helps ensure that the City retains flexibility to pursue municipal projects such as transportation and recreation in the future.

For more information about this decision, read about the process to dismantle CUI.