Residents will decide whether Hythe remains a village, or becomes a hamlet within the County of Grande Prairie

By Shaun Penner

Viability Review

Hythe residents voting on village’s viability Tuesday, Wednesday following review

Mar 30, 2021 | 10:28 AM

Residents of Hythe will be going to the polls Tuesday and Wednesday to determine whether the community will remain a village – or dissolve to become a hamlet within the County of Grande Prairie.

The vote comes as a near capstone to the provincial viability review triggered by village council in April of 2020, as rising operational costs and much-needed infrastructure repairs were becoming too costly for the village to manage on its own.

Having looked at the final recommendations from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Mayor Brian Peterson says though it was not an easy conclusion for council to come to, they are recommending the village dissolve into the County.

This is because he and council don’t see a sustainable option for the village and its residents to try to go forward on their own.

“To stay the Village of Hythe, we would have to increase taxes an additional 150 per cent, at least,” said Peterson. “That has to be weighed into the decisions.”

The figure comes on the tails of a 25 per cent cut to the Municipal Sustainability Initiative from the province, as well as a 10 per cent decline in assessed values for properties within the village for this year.

That factors into the need to cover off $14.2 million in infrastructure deficiencies uncovered by an infrastructure audit, which would have to be addressed within a 10-year period.

“We don’t have the tax base to be able to handle that,” said Peterson, pointing to the 2017 census which showed the village had 827 residents.

A chart illustrating the tax implications for residents, should they vote to remain a self-governing municipality (Courtesy of the Village of Hythe)

Despite these challenges, Peterson says he understands there are two sides to this important decision Hythe residents will have to consider as they head to the ballot box.

“There’s the rational part of it that looks at the numbers and says ‘we can’t exist’ and then there’s another portion that says you’re giving up on the community,” said Peterson. “That’s the more difficult one to deal with.”

He says regardless of whether Hythe is a village or hamlet in the future, the community that is Hythe will still remain as it always has.

“Hythe has never been a community of people just within the boundaries of Hythe,” said Peterson. “It’s been a community of people in and around Hythe.

“I don’t see that pride changing just because of where the administration is done.”

The vote will occur on March 30 from 4-8 p.m. at the Hythe Legion, as well as March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Legion.

Should the village dissolve into the County, residents would be represented municipally within Division 7 of the County of Grande Prairie. If village residents overwhelmingly choose to dissolve, Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver would recommend the provincial cabinet allow the municipality to be absorbed by the County.