Cochrane and Rocky View County are one step closer to completing the proposed annexation of two small parcels of land by the town they hope to have finalized by the spring of 2019.

Drew Hyndman, Cochrane's senior manager of development services, says the two municipalities have reached an agreement in principle and now are moving forward with public consultation. Here in Cochrane, the first one is at the town's Let's Talk Barbecue being held at The Clubhouse Activity Centre, at the Cochrane Ranche Historic Site, this Wednesday, June 27, from 4 to 8 p.m.

"Both negotiation teams took the agreement in principle back to their respective council. and we've got an agreement in principle. We want to get feedback from the public, see how the public feels about the proposal, if there are any concerns, and then bring this to council. Ultimately, the public will have an opportunity to address council directly but this is the opportunity to speak with administration and ask questions and we'll provide those answers for them."

In total, the town seeks to annex a total of about 200 acres of land. It would bring into town boundaries a 160-acre parcel of land purchased several years ago by Rocky View Schools (RVS) for a future high school, just north of Cochrane's current western boundary, that also offers additional recreational opportunities for the town. A 40-acre strip north of the Sunset neighbourhood is also sought to help provide a more viable second entrance/exit to the large subdivision.

What exactly has been agreed upon isn't available to the public as of yet but will be in the future. Hyndman says it's a fair agreement to both jurisdictions and the acquisition will basically be based upon tax revenue from one of the properties. RVS's property is the largest of the two and is already tax exempt.

"We're trying to come up with a fair compensation that will be outlined at a future public hearing but it's safe to say it's not hundreds of thousands and certainly not millions of dollars."

There is an agreement in place for the town to acquire excess land from the school division and the town will be meeting with RVS officials to reconfirm the details.

Besides the Let's Talk Barbecue, residents can contact both town and Rocky View officials to ask questions and provide input over the next few weeks. Informational posters will be located at the SLS Family Sports Centre and the downtown visitor's centre.

Feedback received will be reviewed by the negotiating committee and a draft copy of the legal agreement will be completed to present to both municipal councils. Public hearings will ensue and upon approval by both councils, it will be submitted to the Alberta Government's Municipal Government Board. That board will decide if further hearings are required or if it should simply be approved.

Hyndman says it's a relatively small annexation with a few basic intentions.

"We're not looking at a growth base annexation, this is not the intent. This is really based on the one opportunity for the school site and some recreational  property and a technical solution for access to Sunset."