Mountain View County councillor Al Kemmere says he plans to seek re-election as the president of the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC).
The association – which represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View County and Red Deer County – will hold elections, including for president, at its annual general meeting next month,
Kemmere was elected to the post of president of the association following the last municipal election. He says he now plans to seek a second two-year term.
“At an (association) zone meeting last week I mentioned that I will seek a second term as president,” Kemmere told the Gazette.
“The last two years have been fairly active years, to put it mildly, with the change in the provincial government and the Municipal Government Act review.
“Both of those two items have been items that I think we've got a really good start on but we need to continue to work and build on those relationships.
“I would like to continue on in those relationships, to work together on those things.”
The AAMDC lobbies the provincial government on issues and concerns facing rural Alberta.
Asked if he sees specific challenges facing rural municipalities over the next two years, he said, “The Municipal Government Act (MGA) review is the one item and my job is to represent rural Albertans in that.
“Many rural municipalities, including our own, are looking at significant challenges as far as collecting taxes from certain aspects, the oil and gas industry as an example.
“Plus it was shared with us the other day that there is a significant reduction in assessment expected over the coming year from the linear (taxation), both the gas and pipeline. They are talking a reduction of between 10 and 12 per cent depending on the area, which is a direct item that affects our budgets as rural municipalities.
“Our job is to try to represent the municipalities to make sure that they can optimize those dollars while at the same time figure out ways to deal with how we can get the uncollected taxes reduced.”
The AAMDC president is elected by rural councillors from the association municipalities and is the chief spokesperson of the association.
In order to seek re-election as association president, Kemmere will need to be nominated by a fellow AAMDC councillor.
“I'll be working to find somebody who will do that for me,” he said.
In order to hold the position Kemmere must also remain an elected member of a municipal council. As such, he says he will seek re-election in Mountain View County in 2017.
“I plan to seek re-election in my division (7) for a few different reasons,” he said. “I think we've come a long way in the last few years in increasing our service level on the roads and building relationships with our urban partners and providing the services that the majority of people need. I would like to continue on to make sure that we continue to maintain that.”
Kemmere was first elected in Mountain View County in 2004.
"The last two years have been fairly active years, to put it mildly, with the change in the provincial government and the Municipal Government Act review."Al KemmereAAMDC president
