'It ain't simple': Edmonton releases new details in Leduc County annexation

After more than three years of negotiations, the City of Edmonton is inching closer to annexing two tracts of land in Leduc County.

The county committed to signing off on an application to the province's municipal government board by June.

A Thursday information session in Leduc was a chance for the people who already live in Leduc County to ask questions about what it means to become an Edmontonian.

• Edmonton looks to annex part of Leduc County
• Annexation bid gets thumbs down at Leduc County meeting

"Looking at it from the outside, you think it's simple,"JohnWhaleysaid.

"But once you get on the inside, it ain't simple. There's just too many things at play, there's too many things involved and it does take time for everyone to understand and hopefully come to a compromise."

Last November, Edmontonscaled back a more ambitious planto include land west of the Edmonton International Airport and south of Highway 19 in the annexation.

Instead, the city plans to take over the area around50thStreet, between Beaumont and Edmonton, as well as another stretch of land between Edmonton International Airport and the city.

• Edmonton scales back annexation plans for Leduc County land

"The city and county are working really well together in a way we didn't always in the past," Edmonton mayor DonIvesontold reporters at the information session.

"A lot of it is about finding common growth and some compromise. Did the city get everything that we were maybe hoping for at the beginning? No. Is the county going to get everything that they might have hoped for at the beginning? No."

'They've been in limbo-land'

Iveson estimatedthe new space will provide up for to 40 years of urban growth for south Edmonton. The land will bedensely developed to avoid spilling over into surrounding farmland, he said.

"But the city still does need some room to grow for both residential and non-residential activity," Iveson added.

People living inparts of Leduc County that have been proposed for annexationwill have half a century to adjust to the city's taxes.

The 50-year transition period for city taxes, Iveson said, is part of a series of stipulations that will be put in place to help those with land in the annexation area to adjust.

Leduc County farmers, for instance, will be allowed to continue using their land for agriculture while paying whichever tax rate is lower Edmonton's or the existing rate of Leduc County.

'People don't like change'

"They've been in limbo-land for a lot of years now, wondering what's going to happen,"Whaleysaid."People don't like change, generally, and it takes a while for everyone to come on board and understand what's going on."

Other stipulations for the area include:

Whether the city applies to annex the Edmonton International Airport will be determined through a collaboration between the city, county and airport. That negotiation is expected to conclude in July.

"It matters less whose flag flies over the airport,"Ivesonsaid. "It matters more that it can contribute the most to economic growth."

Ivesonsaid the city will use public feedback to put finishing touches on its application to the province, which he plans to submit before the next municipal election in October.

"All of this will feed into the city's finalapplication," he said.

The next information session is on May 2 at the Derrick Golfand Winter Club in Edmonton.