Members of the multi-stakeholder viability review committee examining the possibility of the Village of Cremona reverting to Mountain View County will hold their first face-to-face meeting on Jan. 31.
In February 2012 Alberta Municipal Affairs received a petition containing 162 signatures from village residents requesting the minister undertake a dissolution study of the municipality.
In April Alberta Municipal Affairs announced that the viability review committee team would be formed as part of the dissolution review process.
The committee will be examining a number of matters, including current governance, finances, and services in the municipality. It will be developing a viability plan over the next 10 months.
The committee is made up of representatives from the village, the county, Alberta Municipal Affairs and others.
Mountain View County Reeve and committee member Bruce Beattie says this week's meeting will see members discuss when public meetings may be held.
"The next meeting of the committee is set for January 31 and that is when we will have the first actual physical meeting of the team,î said Beattie. "We've just completed an initial evaluation and that has been sent in to Municipal Affairs. Each member of the team sent in an initial evaluation from the preliminary gathering of information. It was done on a confidential basis and we submitted the information we gathered.î
The Jan. 31 meeting will also include other discussions and planning, he said.
"There will be a communication plan presented for the media and public at that point,î he said.
Asked if he believes that the village will revert to the county, Beattie replied: "That would be quite presumptuous at this point. It is still early in the process from my perspective. There is certainly more work to be done.î
Although the Jan. 31 meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting of committee members, a conference call has already been held, he said.
Municipal dissolution is a legal process of local government restructuring established by the Alberta Municipal Government Act.
"In dissolution, a municipality gives up its incorporated status to become part of a bordering municipality,î said Jerry Ward, spokesperson for Alberta Municipal Affairs.
"There are many elements that make up a vibrant community. Community pride, history and a sense of belonging are all very important aspects of community life that will continue after dissolution.î
The viability process being used in the Cremona case is the first of its kind to be undertaken in Alberta, said Coral Callioux, manager of municipal sustainability with Alberta Municipal Affairs.
