The Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26 Corporate Services Department provides support to ratepayers, Councillors, and all internal departments within the Municipal District of Willow Creek No. 26.

Organizational Chart


Reception

Corporate Services staff also serve as the front line to all public inquiries - directing calls, answering e-mails, and taking payments. When you call the Municipal District of Willow Creek, your call is normally answered by a Corporate Services team member.

Cash Receipts & Accounts Receivable

A few examples of the receipts and Invoicing in the Corporate Services Department is responsible for are, but not limited to:

  • Accounts Receivable for other departments
  • Land rentals
  • Road Allowance leases
  • Property Taxes
  • Utilities

Payment Options

Accounts Payable

The invoices for all products and services that the municipality purchases or receives eventually reach the Corporate Services Department. Corporate Services is responsible for ensuring these invoices are correct, have the appropriate approval, and that the goods and services have physically been received, in accordance with the Municipality’s procurement policy.      

 Corporate Services also makes sure municipal funds are spent appropriately, responsibly, and according to the Council-approved budget. In addition to products and services received directly by the municipality, the Corporate Services Department is responsible for ensuring requisitions are paid out appropriately.

The Corporate Services departments is also converting payments from cheques to electronic funds transfer (EFT). This electronic system enables us to reduce fraud risk and eliminate the costly handling and mailing of cheques. It will provide the vendor with a more efficient method of depositing payments.

Please click the link below to access the electronic funds transfer (EFT) authorization form and submit by email.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Form

One of the Municipality's revenue sources comes from other levels of government in the form of grants. The Corporate Services Department is tasked with applying for, managing, and reporting on the use of all grant funds.

Financial Statements & Reporting

In order to be as transparent as possible to the public, the Corporate Services Department provides multiple reports to keep our ratepayers informed of where their tax dollars are being spent. This includes financial reports such as the Municipality’s annual financial reports, the annual financial statements, and the operating and capital budgets.

Over the last number of years, in accordance with the Municipal Government Act, Section 280, M.D. Council has appointed MNP, LLP as our independent auditor to report on the annual financial statements of the Municipality. The auditors’ responsibility is to express an opinion on whether or not the financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with the Canadian Public Sector Accounting Standards.

Tangible Capital Assets

As a part of the financial reporting process, the Government of Alberta requires municipalities to report on all tangible capital assets, and account for their deprecation, appreciations, added value, and write-offs so a better understanding of the future financial requirements can be achieved.

Operating & Capital Budgets

Each year the Corporate Services Department, in cooperation with other municipal departments and Council, reviews the expected revenues and expenses for each department in the municipality. From there, Council approves the municipal budget and a three-year Operating Plan to provide an overview of the operating activities of the municipality for the upcoming years. This ensures that the municipality is not only prepared for projected activities and service levels, but that the costs of these activities are planned in a fiscally responsible manner. The result is a greater level of stability of tax rates over the next four years.

The Operating Plan also allows the Municipal District to build-in projected increases in annual operating costs.  Examples of this are fuel, insurance and wages; projected inflationary increases in these costs can be included and the proposed service changes affecting these costs can be applied.  This also takes into account the Municipal District’s Strategic Plan and Goals. 

Planning for future operating projects, such as road graveling, which requires a stable supply of crushed gravel, is included in the Operating Plan to ensure that the Municipal District is preparing in advance for these types of operating projects.  This can include building reserves over multiple years to supply a project, rather than fund those costs all at once in the year that it takes place with a resulting spike in tax rates.  

Part of the budgeting process also includes investing for long-term capital equipment replacement so the money needed for tomorrow is available.

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP)

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act, in Alberta, aims to strike a balance between the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to privacy, as those rights relate to information held by public bodies.

This law was proclaimed October 1, 1995, and now affects all Provincial government departments, agencies, boards and commissions, school boards, health care bodies, post-secondary education institutions, and local government.

The Alberta legislation can be found at Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

FOIP info