The final community we’ve analyzed as part of our pre-election report card series is Three Hills.
We took a look at Three Hills Town Council’s decisions in three key areas: public services, housing, and transparency/accountability. Like we did for Red Deer and Blackfalds, we used a traffic light system (🟢 Green = good/pass; 🟡 Yellow = mixed/needs improvement; 🔴 Red = poor/fail).
Here are the results of our analysis:
Three Hills Town Council Report Card
| Category | Grade | Notes |
| Public Services | 🟢 | Good overall, with continued investment in improvement. |
| Housing & Shelter Spaces | 🟡 | More rentals and housing will be needed for future growth. Relying on outside shelter spaces may not address local needs. |
| Transparency & Accountability | 🟡 | While council is ticking all the main boxes for communication and seeking public input, other communities use tools like YouTube and website highlights to keep residents more informed. |
🟢 Public Services
Grade: Green
Three Hills has several parks and over 4 kms of walking trails. The Aquatic Centre and Splash Park are heavily used. Town staff continue to do regular maintenance such as mowing and pruning while a new staff member was trained to water flowers and tree bags this summer. Staff also maintain the arena for winter use. After a water pumphouse failure in 2022, Three Hills Town Council not only worked hard to quickly address the problem, but has since successfully replaced this critical piece of local infrastructure with a new pump house which opened this year. The Town has also been expanding the landfill, among other capital projects.
Main concerns:
- While parking is easy to find, this is a town where having a car is essential to get around because there aren’t any transit options.
- Three Hills could possibly use more recreational activities and events for the senior population and young families, or to attract new visitors, especially in summer.
👉 Verdict: Council generally prioritizes public services and infrastructure in Three Hills.
🟡 Housing & Shelter
Grade: Yellow
Located approximately an hour from Red Deer, Olds, Calgary, and Drumheller, Three Hills has become a regional hub and service centre. While overall Three Hills may offer a lower cost of living than in the city, house prices have gone up in recent years. There is more competition for the limited number of jobs and housing in this community of just over 3000 people. In the recent past, Town Council has taken some steps to encourage development, such as by significantly reducing the price of Sunrise Estates Lots. Building a new home on an available lot may be an option for those who can afford it.
Main Concerns:
- According to the Town, 26% of people in Three Hills rent, while 74% own their homes. Although vacancy rates for Three Hills aren’t available from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, rentals tend to be full. Based on social media posts seeking rentals, it can be difficult for people who obtain employment in the area to find a place to move to in the community.
- Golden Hills Seniors Lodge, operated by Kneehill Housing Corporation, has struggled with a funding crunch partly due to rental vacancies. However, lately more new residents have been moving in as reported by councillors.
- There have been some resident complaints about property tax assessments, notably Prairie College (formerly Three Hills Bible School) which argued for a religious and educational use tax exemption for their dormitories. However in 2023 the Central Alberta Regional Assessment Review Board (CARB) upheld the Town’s assessment.
- Three Hills does not have its own shelter spaces and relies on shelters in larger communities.
👉 Verdict: There is an ongoing need for more rental spaces, and homes sell quickly. Future growth will likely depend on ensuring there is housing for people who get employment in or near the community and want to move there.
🟡 Transparency & Accountability
Grade: Yellow
Three Hills Town Council recently sought public input to decide whether to expand the council from five to seven members or not. Based on the feedback they received, council passed a bylaw to keep the number of councillors to be elected this fall set at five. Budgets, policies and meeting agendas/minutes are easily accessible on their website. Council meeting highlights are usually published by The Capital newspaper.
Main concerns:
- Council could do more to provide easy-to-understand council highlights and meeting livestreams/videos like other Central Alberta municipalities such as Blackfalds and Red Deer.
- The Town’s social media such as the Facebook page generally has low engagement, so most residents may not be seeing announcements posted there.
👉 Verdict: While Three Hills Town Council is willing to seek public engagement and make decisions based on that feedback, more could still be done on the communication end to ensure the general public is fully aware of council decisions.
Three Hills Town Council Report Card Conclusion:
With current Mayor Ray Wildeman not seeking re-election, there is an opportunity for a new Mayor in Three Hills. The challenge for future councils will be how to grow and develop the community by attracting new visitors and investment, while also keeping up service quality and keeping it an affordable place to live. Recent local resistance to a proposed wind turbine project which could bring more power and tax revenue to the area highlights the challenges in attracting new kinds of investment.
For a full list of municipal candidates running in Three hills, click here. Or consider running yourself!