The financial records of the County of Paintearth No. 18 have been audited by Endeavor Chartered Accountants again this year. The Auditor's Report along with a Financial Synopsis and department reports are included to help provide an understanding of the County's operations for 2012.

The County had a very busy year with the construction of 83 windmills in the Halkirk and west Castor area; with the east and north areas of the County being busy with oil activity.  All of this puts a strain on the County's road network and we would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding when you live in the areas that are being affected by this activity.  Road stabilization projects were completed in high pressure areas throughout the County in conjunction with the industry that are using these roads. The County gravelled 300 miles of County Roads in 2012. This was increased due to the wet spring. There has been discussion on implementing a special mill rate for road construction.  Please give your opinions to your local Councillors.

In the last provincial budget, funding for local bridge programs was cut making the 143 bridges located within the County a responsibility of the County of Paintearth. This will mean low traffic bridges could become rock crossings and a lot of the smaller bridges may be replaced with culverts. This being said, that will add an extra expense to the County's budget.

The County continues to lobby the government aggressively on the repair and maintenance of our numbered highways that run throughout the County. As we all know that some of these numbered roads are in urgent need of attention. Any help ratepayers can give to lobby provincial politicians for the repair on our numbered highways would be greatly appreciated.

The County continues to work on partnerships with our urban neighbours.  One initiative is the retention and recruitment of Doctors and we are proud to say that two Doctors have signed contracts and will be part of our communities. The County has recently become a member of Ports to Plains.  Ports to Plains is the designated corridor that travels from Mexico to Fort Mac, and Highway 36 is part of this initiative.

For the most part, the agricultural community had a wonderful summer with lots of moisture at the
start of the season. The fall was hot and dry, and harvest was finished in most areas.  It was great to see lots of feed in the area for our cattle producers.

Our residential assessment was increased by 8% however the County's municipal taxes remained the same as the year before with a slight increase to the school requisition and Paintearth Lodge. In 2012 the County was impacted by a decision of the Municipal Government Board concerning the assessment of power generation
equipment which is done by the Province. The decision affected the 2011 and 2012 tax years, and resulted in the
County being required to refund $472,000.00 of your tax dollars.  The County was also required to respond to a
major assessment review board complaint concerning the power plant buildings.  The hearing resulted in a
minor reduction to the assessment of the buildings, but came at a cost to the County for legal fees and experts fees of approximately $300,000.00.  Construction was completed in 2012 on the wind farm, however the County will not be receiving any tax revenue from this project until fiscal 2014 - due to the provisions of the legislation.

County Council wishes everyone a prosperous 2013 and thanks the residents and dedicated staff for
their continued support in making the County of Paintearth a great place to live, work and grow.

Respectfully Submitted,

George Glazier, Reeve