Photo: One of the parcels of land with a proposed change in land designation change. Screenshot/Lacombe County

Lacombe County council has approved first reading of a bylaw that updates the legal designation of dozens of county-owned reserve properties, with no changes proposed to how the land is currently used or managed.

At its June 25 meeting, council gave first reading to Bylaw No. 1464/26 and scheduled a public hearing for Aug. 27 before considering second and third readings.

The bylaw replaces an earlier version approved in 2024 after the Alberta Land Titles Office rejected changes to 10 property titles because of technical issues with the legal land descriptions. County administration revised those descriptions, had them reviewed by a professional land surveyor and prepared the new bylaw to meet Land Titles requirements.

The bylaw affects 59 county-owned parcels. Of those, 30 properties would be formally designated as Environmental Reserve, 27 would become Municipal Reserve and two would be designated as Public Utility Lots.

Many of the properties currently carry older designations such as Reserve, Public Reserve, Community Reserve or Park Reserve. Others are county-owned parcels that have never been updated under the current Municipal Government Act. The new bylaw changes those older labels to the modern classifications recognized in provincial legislation.

In practical terms, the county says nothing about the way the land is used will change. Properties already being managed as parks, natural areas, recreation spaces or utility sites will continue to serve those same purposes. The bylaw simply brings the legal titles into line with current legislation and removes uncertainty about how each parcel is classified.

Under the Municipal Government Act, Environmental Reserve lands are intended to remain in their natural state or be used as public parks. Municipal Reserve lands may be used for parks, recreation areas, school purposes or as buffers between different land uses. Public Utility Lots are reserved for municipal infrastructure such as drainage systems, utilities and other public services.

The county will advertise the public hearing in local newspapers, on its website and through social media before council makes a final decision on the bylaw.