Mountain View County plans to conduct “business as usual” with the Village of Cremona, while both await word from the minister of Municipal Affairs on the authenticity of a petition submitted by a group of Cremona residents.
“The county will await the minister's ruling on the petition's authenticity and confirmation that an investigation into dissolution will be undertaken before determining a definitive position on the subject,” a spokesman for the county stated. “At this time, Mountain View County has not been directly contacted by Municipal Affairs regarding this issue.”
About 162 signatures were collected in recent months from residents in the community who were requesting the minister's office to conduct a dissolution study.
Villagers in Cremona have expressed concerns over decisions council and village administration have made, with many believing the majority of council “isn't listening.”
The minister's appointed chief administrative officer (CAO) is required to make a declaration on the sufficiency of the petition within 30 days after the date on which the petition was filed. A petition is considered sufficient when electors numbering at least 30 per cent of the municipality's population has been verified.
“The CAO for the petition may only report on the petition to the minister of Municipal Affairs,” said Jerry Ward, public affairs officer for Alberta Municipal Affairs. “Progress reports cannot be provided during the review process. If the petition is sufficient, in accordance with the Municipal Government Act, the minister must proceed with a dissolution study.
“At that time, the dissolution study process and timelines will be determined.”
Dissolution studies are provincial processes designed to ensure all parties, including county ratepayers, have all the relevant information regarding a petition to dissolve a municipality and does not guarantee success of the petitioners.
“It will be interesting to see what unfolds,” said Patricia McKean, Div. 2 councillor and deputy reeve with Mountain View County. “If the dissolution study goes ahead, the county will have input and we will get to be involved, but at this point, we haven't yet been contacted by Alberta Municipal Affairs.
“In the interim, Mountain View County will continue to conduct business as usual with the Village of Cremona in terms of all inter-municipal agreements and other obligations.”
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"The county will await the minister's ruling on the petition's authenticity and confirmation that an investigation into dissolution will be undertaken before determining a definitive position on the subject." MVC spokesman
