Hussar debates village status

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

The Village of Hussar is exploring the viability of continuing its village status, by examining the pros and cons of becoming a hamlet under the County of Wheatland.
Municipal Affairs representatives Linda Reynolds and Darryl Joyce appeared at Wheatland County Council on July 7, to outline the processes involved in decision making processes offered by Municipal Affairs.
“We have a diverse background and have the ability to talk the talk and work with people on these issues,” said Reynolds during her presentation.
She outlined the partnerships and strategies that would be involved once a request for help is made by the community to Municipal Affairs for help from the community. It could be initiated through a council request, resident petition, or a failure to meet key measurement guidelines.
A questionnaire would be used as a tool to ascertain if the village is meeting key measurements for viability. Three or more ‘no’ answers indicate there may be problems. Reynolds said this doesn’t mean dissolution is necessarily a given outcome, as there are a lot of resources that can be accessed to help villages get back on track.
Municipal Affairs is sending a team that includes Reynold and Joyce to provide support to Hussar working through the process. The first step will be completing a self-assessment tool kit that will identify the village’s strengths and weaknesses. There will be meetings with residents to develop key messages. Goals will be developed for actions to take.
An electoral vote will be taken and then village council will make a decision. A final report will be generated to deliver to the community and it will also be sent to the Municipal Minister. The minister has the final decision on dissolution.
The process can take anywhere from nine to 12 months, and there are resources that the village can take to illicit funding. One of the options in the viability toolkit provided by Municipal Affairs is to determine if there are other resources that can be tapped to maintain viability. One suggestion is asking for help from Wheatland County council.
Hussar has occasionally requested help with funding from the County of Wheatland. The most recent request was a reduction in waste transfer contract fees. Councillor Ben Armstrong felt that the village should meet the terms of the original contract, which they had previously signed with the county.
“I question whether next time they will come at us for something else they can’t afford,” said Armstrong.
If all factors in the process add up to a dissolution decision, there are grants that can be obtained to complete the smooth transition to county administration of the hamlet.
The 2014 grant for an infrastructure review is $150,000 transitional funding for administration, government and legislative costs of $350,000 and a final grant of $450,000 for critical upgrades to capital assets and non-utility capital debt repayment. Reynolds cautioned that these were last year’s guidelines and there has not been an indication from the current government if this will be continued or changed.
There have been other villages in the county, such as Gleichen and Namaka, that have decided to become hamlets. Hussar is not alone in the province going through this process; Swan Hills, Rycroft, Hill Spring, and Willington are all completing similar processes this year.