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Photo by Curtis Galbraith.
By Curtis Galbraith
City and County of Grande Prairie

City, County sign new agreement on recreation and culture

Dec 18, 2024 | 3:19 PM

A signing ceremony, Monday night after the Grande Prairie city council meeting marked the City and County of Grande Prairie officially entering into a new Recreation and Culture Cost Sharing Agreement.

It will see the county provide the city with $2.76 million per year, plus another payment of $4.6 million spread over the four years. It will also see both sides commit to funding for the library and art gallery at 2024 levels.

Mayor Jackie Clayton says data from user groups helped the two sides arrive at these numbers.

The number is not arbitrary,” Clayton says. “It’s been, I would say, almost two years of meetings and evaluation.Our administrative teams from the city and county did significant work back and forth in understanding each other’s interpretation of the data and really being all hands on deck to find a number that made sense, based on the data.”

“Working alongside the City of Grande Prairie on this agreement shows our shared dedication to building a region where recreation and culture thrive, and services are provided to residents efficiently and cost-effectively. This partnership ensures that residents from both municipalities can continue to benefit from accessible, high-quality facilities and programs that enhance our communities,” says County of Grande Prairie Reeve Bob Marshall in a joint release from the two municipalities.

Clayton believes both sides are happy with the deal.

“Based on our operational spend on our recreation and culture buildings, but also recognizing the one-time capital for the facilities that were already in existence in the city that had been previously built and what they provide to the region.”

Clayton calls this “a great day for our region.”

“We are great collaborative partners, and we don’t always have to agree on everything but when you have data that makes sense and is easy to interpret, the numbers speak for themselves.”

by Curtis Galbraith