Residents can hear directly from Mayor Tanya Thorn during an annual update this week.
During the Mayor's Town Update, Thorn and council will speak about future plans and look back on the past year, take questions and provide information about two hot topics in the community — water and development.
The event takes place on Thursday, Jan. 18 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Okotoks Art Gallery.
High up on the Town's priority list is the Foothills Okotoks Regional Water Project that will carry water from the Bow River to treatment facilities in Okotoks and Foothills County. The project is expected to be in operation by August 2025.
In a year-end interview, Thorn said the water project is the number one priority for the community.
"Until we can get that tuned in, it impacts everything else we can do,” she said.
The Province has contributed over $30 million to the project, which is expected to cover 45 per cent of the costs.
Much of the development taking place in Okotoks currently is paving the way for future growth when the pipeline come online, she said.
With development underway, the Town will work on a strategy this year to determine a comfortable rate of growth, she said.
“Council will have some abilities to look at a variety of different levers as we move forward with growth and proposed new development,” Thorn said.
“We can take a look at what the financial impacts are, what the economic impact is, what the environmental impact is and weigh all of those things to determine what growth makes sense.”
With drought conditions having the potential to put pressure on the water supply this year, over the coming months the Town will be looking at ways to further conserve and manage its water supply.
Residents can submit questions for the Mayor's Town Update using an online form at okotoks.ca.
