Current News Releases

We are at the beginning of a new year, and it’s natural to reflect on the successes of 2022. As an organization dedicated to continuous improvement, let’s look back at the highlights of the year that was!

We received many amazing photos for the 2022 Environmental Photo Contest, which wrapped up in December.

A selection committee met to review the submissions. Congratulations to the following individuals for their winning photos. Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo. We appreciate your participation.

Lacombe County Council has adopted the County’s 2023 interim operating and capital budgets. Each year, Lacombe County Council and Administration meet to establish what follows the priorities set out in the County’s Strategic Plan and multi-year operating and capital plans. For 2023, Council’s focus was on continuing to deliver high levels of services to our ratepayers while minimizing tax rate increases.  

“We recognize that the challenges of inflation are impacting all our residents and businesses,” said Michael Minchin, Director of Corporate Services. “Council voted to approve interim capital and operating budgets for 2023 that recognizes these issues while ensuring the expenses of maintaining and running Lacombe County are addressed.”

• pdf Interim Consolidated Capital Budget 2023 (82 KB)
• pdf Interim Consolidated Operating Budget 2023 (114 KB)

Interim operating and capital budgets are approved each year in two stages:

Winter weather has arrived, and Lacombe County crews are out and about, clearing roads for residents. Visit our website for information on winter road maintenance and how we prioritize snow removal: https://www.lacombecounty.com/.../road.../winter-maintenance.

PLEASE NOTE - Lacombe County does not maintain any numbered highways (eg. Hwy 12, Hwy 597, etc.). Those are maintained by Mainroad Alberta Ltd. (https://mainroad.ca/our.../mainroad-alberta-contracting-lp).

On October 24, 2022, the Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI) awarded the Sylvan Lake Intermunicipal Development Plan (SLIDP) with the 2022 Award of Merit for Comprehensive Policy Plan. Maven Strategies, the consultant for the SLIDP, submitted the application for this award, which recognizes the collaborative efforts put forth by the eight partner municipalities: Lacombe County, Red Deer County, Town of Sylvan Lake, Summer Village of Birchcliff, Summer Village of Jarvis Bay, Summer Village of Half Moon Bay, Summer Village of Norglenwold, and Summer Village of Sunbreaker Cove, as well as partner firm, McElhanney.

“The Sylvan Lake IDP signifies the completion of a project which had been initiated several times previously,” said County Manager Tim Timmons. “This is the first time an Intermunicipal Development Plan for the unique area around Sylvan Lake has been created and formally approved by all project members – which was NOT a small feat.”

Lacombe County was the managing municipality on behalf of the eight municipalities, with Senior Planner Cajun Paradis taking the lead as project manager for the SLIDP.

During the October 25, 2022 Organizational Meeting, Lacombe County Councillors appointed Division 3 Councillor Barb Shepherd as Lacombe County Reeve for a second term. Councillor Shepherd assumed the Reeve’s Chair after taking the Oath of Office from County Manager Tim Timmons. 

“It has been my honour to serve as Lacombe County Reeve over the past year to lead Lacombe County forward alongside a group of dedicated councillors representing our residents and their needs,” said Reeve Shepherd. “I thank my fellow councillors for placing their trust and confidence in electing me. With a Provincial election looming within the next few months and the current rate of inflation, there will be challenges to deal with – together. Council will stay focused on the financial demands these challenges will bring, and respond to them in a responsible, thoughtful manner.”

MEDIA RELEASE October 20, 2022

Temporary Closure of the Prentiss Road North of Highway 597
(Lacombe, Alberta, October 20, 2022) – CN Rail has notified Lacombe County that they are closing the Prentiss Road north of Highway 597, in order to conduct repairs.
This Prentiss Road closure is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 2022, beginning at approximately 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.
Traffic will be detoured along local roads during the closure. Please watch for signs indicating the detour routes and drive with caution in this area.

MEDIA RELEASE October 19, 2022

Lacombe Regional Emergency Management Partnership (LREMP) plans full-scale exercise on Oct. 26

(Lacombe County, Alberta, October 19, 2022) – The Lacombe Regional Emergency Management Partnership (LREMP) is conducting a full-scale emergency management exercise on October 26, 2022. The exercise will test our local and regional emergency response plans and will primarily be a trial run of an updated Regional Emergency Social Services (ESS) plan. By simulating a broad spread emergency across Lacombe County, resulting in multiple evacuations with all municipalities being affected.

“This exercise is the result of a year of planning and coordination between 13 different municipalities, as well as Fortis Alberta and Wolf Creek Public Schools,” said Julian Veuger, LREMP Coordinator “You never know when or where a disaster will strike, and we want to ensure that our Central Alberta communities are safe and that each municipality is prepared if a crisis occurs."

Lacombe County invites tenders for the following properties located in Lacombe County and Ponoka County.  The successful lessee will be required to enter into a five-year lease agreement with Lacombe County which will include, but not limited to, the following terms and conditions. 

Click Read More for full details on the lease and properties

PAID PARKING REMINDER | Earlier this year, Lacombe County launched the HotSpot Paid Parking program at Sandy Point Beach, Sandy Point Boat Launch, and Sunbreaker Cove Boat Launch. Users of these facilities are reminded that the Paid Parking program remains in place and will be enforced.

Funds generated by the Paid Parking Program will be put towards maintenance at these facilities. To learn more about using HotSpot and Lacombe County’s Paid Parking Program, visit https://www.lacombecounty.com/index.php/paid-parking-program-q-as.

Harvest work will soon be in full swing, which means local roads and highways will see increased farm traffic. Lacombe County reminds travellers to keep safety at the forefront during fall harvest operations, whether you’re driving a van, pulling a camping trailer, or behind the wheel of a combine or semi-truck.

Road safety is a major concern during harvest season. Slow-moving farm equipment will be on roads already busy with summer travellers and commuters alike, increasing the need for everyone to drive safely and considerately.

“Lacombe County is an agricultural community, as well as a tourist destination and high-traffic corridor between several major centres,” said Lacombe County Reeve Barb Shepherd. “With that in mind, road courtesy is important no matter where you are driving, and we ask everyone to practice patience on local roads – whether you’re driving in Lacombe County or venturing elsewhere in the province.”

Alberta Land Titles has seen a lengthy delay in processing change of ownerships for properties in Alberta. This has had an impact on new owners receiving tax notices as municipalities rely on information from Alberta Land Titles.

New owners are encouraged to contact Lacombe County so that a copy of the tax notice can be sent out.

Property owners are still responsible for ensuring taxes are paid by the August 31, 2022 deadline to avoid penalties. (Learn more about paying taxes HERE).

For those who miss out on notifying the County, the Province has introduced a property tax late penalty reimbursement program. Details of this program can be found at: https://www.alberta.ca/property-tax-late-penalty-reimbursement.aspx.

A blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) bloom has been identified in areas of Haunted Lake. Residents living near the shores of this lake, as well as visitors to this lake, are advised to take the following precautions: 

• Avoid all contact with blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as soon as possible. 
• Do not swim or wade, or allow your pets to swim or wade in any areas where blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is visible.   
• Do not feed whole fish or fish trimmings from this lake to your pets.  
• Consider limiting human consumption of whole fish and fish trimmings from this lake, as it is known that fish may store toxins in their liver. (People can safely consume fish fillets from this lake). 

Lacombe County is conducting a County-wide recruitment campaign for paid-on-call firefighters to serve throughout Lacombe County – specifically in the Alix, Clive, Bentley and Eckville departments.

“Lacombe County recruits throughout the year, as needed,” explained Drayton Bussiere, Lacombe County Fire Chief. “We are looking for some new faces to join our dedicated fire team who provide this crucial first response service for our communities.”

Specifically, Lacombe County is looking for day-time available, paid-on-call firefighters in those communities. This would make an ideal opportunity for self-employed individuals, individuals who work and live in these communities, or individuals at home looking for a rewarding way to be part of the community.

Lacombe County is excited to open nominations for the Environmental Stewardship Award, which is designed to recognize a Lacombe County resident who practices environmental conservation and sustainability on their property. 

Any member of the public can nominate an individual for this award. A committee will select the successful recipient. The nomination period is from July 5, 2022 to August 31, 2022. Please submit applications in person or by email to . The winner is selected by a judging panel and will receive a one-time cash prize of $1,500. 

Eligibility 

While development booms in Lacombe County, residents are being asked to weigh in on the kind of economy they want to build. The County kicked off an economic development strategic planning process earlier in the year, starting with a resident survey to gather insight into the goals and aspirations of the community.  

“We knew coming into the strategic planning process that preserving both the agricultural land and rural way of life would be priorities,” said Monica Bartman, Economic Development Officer for Lacombe County.  She continues, “Early results from the resident survey confirm those values, but also highlight the desire for vibrant business development within the footprint of existing communities across the County”.

Alberta Transportation and CIMA+ Engineering are holding TWO public open houses for the Highway 11 Twinning study in Condor (Weds. June 22) and Rocky Mountain House (Thurs. June 23). 

Click "Read More" to see the full details

The County wishes to advise you that Chris Scott of the Whistle Stop Café, located in the Hamlet of Mirror, has submitted an application for a Special Events Permit Application for consideration.

It has come to the County’s attention that the information package mailed to affected landowners was incomplete and did not include the Development Permit Application.  Attached is a copy of the letter that was circulated and a copy of the Development Permit Application.

If you have any comments or concerns respecting this proposed application, please submit your questions, comments or concerns directly to by June 29, 2022 for mitigation.

A copy of your correspondence can be forwarded to for the file as well.

ATTENTION | The issue with the County's phone system has been resolved. You can once again reach our main line at 403-782-6601 or the public works shop at 403-782-3567. You can find our other department phone numbers in the Contact Us section. 

Lacombe County Council recently approved a new Strategic Plan, which will help guide the organization over the next five years. The plan has identified four focus areas to support future decision-making and implementation activities: our business, our finances, our assets, and our community. 

Each focus area has an intended outcome and series of strategies and performance indicators to guide Administration in achieving the NEW vision for Lacombe County: Success grows here!

MEDIA RELEASE

June 2, 2022

Lacombe County 2022 property assessments/tax notices mailed-out

(Lacombe County, Alberta, June 2, 2022) – Municipal property assessments/tax notices were mailed out to Lacombe County ratepayers on June 1, 2022 and should be appearing in mailboxes in the coming weeks. If you do not receive your 2022 notice by July 15, 2022, please contact Lacombe County’s Assessment Department at 403-782-6601.

Check out the May 2022 County News! You can read it online here, grab a copy from the Adminstrative Building, or call 403-782-6601 to be added to our mailing list!

Lacombe County is booming with development, with construction values increasing by 264% in 2021 over pre-pandemic levels. The trend highlights the opportunities for businesses to grow and succeed in the County, thanks to important steps Council has taken to create a business-friendly climate.

“Success grows here,” says County Reeve Barb Shepherd. “We pride ourselves in creating a proactive and competitive business climate by ensuring that the necessary infrastructure is in place, taxes are competitive, services meet our needs, and approval processes are business friendly”

Building on success, the County recently hired Monica Bartman as Economic Development Officer to proactively support positive economic growth and opportunities in the region. Ms. Bartman draws on years of experience working with the business community as Executive Director of the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce. One of her first orders of business is to build an economic development strategy that focuses her efforts on the priorities of local residents and businesses. “We want to hear from residents and business leaders about emerging opportunities and key challenges so that we can work together to build a bright future here in Lacombe County,'' says Bartman.  

The economic development strategy kicks off with a pair of surveys to gather input from the community. The first is a resident survey (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LacombeCountyResidents) that runs until June 10 and will help shape the long-term future of the County and establish high-level goals for economic development.