As of January 1, 2021, it has been 25 years since Strathcona County was incorporated as a specialized municipality. 
 

Strathcona County was incorporated as a specialized municipality as of January 1, 1996. In December 1995, Lt. Governor Gordon Towers approved Strathcona County’s request for a change in status from a municipal district to a specialized municipality, effective January 1, 1996 (Order in Council 761/95). Strathcona County had reverted to a municipal district when the provincial government repealed the County Act in 1994. Becoming a specialized municipality allowed Strathcona to better provide effective governance in both the rural and urban areas. 

A number of significant changes preceded this new status. 

• Chief elected official title changed to mayor -- On April 11, 1995, Council voted to pass a motion to change the title of the municipality’s chief elected official from reeve to mayor. While not everyone was on side, the majority ruled: a public poll reported 79 to 59 for the change, and the minutes from that Council meeting show six elected officials supported the motion and three opposed it (with one absent). At this time, the County also took steps to reduce the number of wards (and hence, the number of councillors) from 10 to seven, for a total of eight members of Council. (The number of wards increased to eight in 2007.) 
   
• Electors vote at large for chief elected officer -- When the Alberta government in early 1995 introduced changes that would allow electors to choose their chief elected officer at large, Strathcona County was the first county in the province to proceed in this direction. Previously, the reeve had to be chosen annually from among all councillors by way of an internal vote. The County adopted the provincial changes, and residents indeed voted in their first mayor—Vern Hartwell—in the October 1995 municipal election.  
   
• Our municipality's official name changes to Strathcona County -- While we began using the name Strathcona County informally as early as 1983, our municipality waited until 1995 to approach the Province of Alberta for an official name change. The request was granted approval by Lt. Governor Gordon Towers on April 26, 1995, thereby formally changing the name “County of Strathcona No. 20” to “Strathcona County”, as per Order in Council 351/95.  

20th anniversary --  In 2016, in recognition of the 20th anniversary milestone, Strathcona County celebrated by dedicating an existing tree stand as a Legacy Forest and pollinator garden. This outdoor space is located in Centennial Park. This area includes the addition of a few newly planted trees, two new benches for guests to enjoy and a native grass pathway leading to a pollinator garden.