Cochrane's Smart City Challenge submission might be ready for release tomorrow after what is expected to be the last meeting to finetune the statement tonight.

Mayor Jeff Genung says they have been paying particular attention to detail in selecting the right 50 words in hopes of securing $50 million in Smart City funding from the federal government.

"We're still staying firm to the public engagement and what we heard," says Genung. "It's just tweaking it. Language is very important. We've been looking at what other communities have come out with and we've looked at who won it in the States."

"We want to do well, so there's a lot of pressure on everybody there and they all feel it and they love it. They're rising to the occasion."

Since January, CAO Dave Devana and Mayor Genung have been spearheading an effort to secure the funding to help the town embrace smart technology and to attract other hi-tech companies to the community. Community engagement was a large part of the process and included a public meeting on Mar. 1 and online discussion on the town's new Let's Talk Cochrane outlet. The town has also been consulting with Cochrane's existing hi-tech industry.

The town has opted to go for the top prize of $50 million but also met the criteria to compete in the $5 million and $10 million categories. There's intense interest across Canada in all categories and close to home Cochrane will be competing against Calgary and Olds, to name only two.

The submission deadline is Apr. 24 and those municipalities shortlisted will receive $250,000 to further flush out its ideas and create a business model. The final decision on who receives the funding will be announced in the spring of 2019.