Drug deaths underreported Inside Wednesday, October 23, 2024 Vol. 47, No. 43
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Merta named new deputy mayor of Viking Patricia Harcourt Editor
Viking Council held its organizational meeting for the final year of the four-year term on Monday, Oct. 21. This will be the final time for the current council to hold its annual organizational. In a year’s time a general municipal election will be held for a new council to be elected to office. Julianna Merta was appointed to the position of deputy mayor, replacing the outgoing Cindy Lefsrud. Merta was the last person to become a councillor following the departure of Clint Nearing earlier in the term. Council could not, however, make a decision on whether to appoint the current auditors Donnelly and Company LLP. Administration has encouraged the reappointment of these auditors to keep the continity while a new accounting system is being put into place. Mayor James Buttner asked Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Doug Lefsrud what progress was being made in changing the systems over. The system will still need more work and wouldn’t be operational until the New Year. Buttner decided to table a decision until later in the meeting when Donnelly and Company was extended for 2024. But no decision is made concerning another term of three years after that.
Council was quick, however, to approve the appointments of legal counsel by retaining the services of Reynold Mirth Richards and Farmer for regular items. Brownlee LLP was retained again as legal counsel for special project items for the Town of Viking. Wainwright Assessment Group is currently the town assessor and was retained again for assessment services. And the town’s current engineering firm, MPE Engineering, was appointed again as the town’s primary engineering firm. The town’s financial consultants will remain including CSP Municipal Solutions Ltd. with Dave McReynolds the town’s personal contact. Bylaw Enforcement Officer Wayne Nuback will remain as the bylaw officer. Amanda Nordstrom of AND Designs will remain at the social media consultant. Various boards and committees also had to be officially acknowledged as to their representatives including the Subdivision Development Appeal Board and Intermunicipal Assessment Review Board, the Viking Library Board, the Beaver Foundation Board, the Beaver Foundation Board and Viking/Beaver Family and Community Support Services Board. Council also underwent a review of its own board appointments, procedural bylaw,, council code of conduct and governance policies.
Viking Councillor Julianna Merta became the new Deputy Mayor for the Town of Viking at Viking Council’s organizational meeting Oct. 21. The mayor’s position is elected separately from the four councillors and not subject to change at an organizational. The deputy mayor’s position is given on an alphabetical basis among the four councillors.
New rules for local elections, political parties effective Oct. 31 Brett McKay
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Alberta’s Bill 20 will come into force on Oct. 31, bringing a host of changes for local councils and elections. The legislation establishes regulations for municipal political parties, sets limits for campaign contributions, and adds new responsibilities for municipalities. Political parties will soon be able to register in Edmonton and Calgary. To register, parties are required to have a
minimum of 1,000 members and a list of potential candidates who, if elected, would make up one third of the council. Local political parties aren’t allowed to share information, money, or resources with provincial or federal parties, and their names can’t resemble those of existing parties at any level of government. At a press event on Friday, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said these regulations would be adapted as needed when local political parties are intro-
duced to municipalities beyond the province’s two largest cities. Registered mayoral candidates can now spend up to $1 per person in the municipality on their campaign, or $20,000, whichever is greater. Campaign expense limits for councillors are set at $1 per person in the ward or municipality, or $20,000. Political parties can spend $1 per person based on the average population of all wards in each ward the party has endorsed candidates. Campaign expense limits are halved in
the year before a general election, and no campaigning is permitted in the first two years following an election. Alberta Municipalities (ABmunis), which represents 265 communities in Alberta, said these contribution rules effectively increase campaign spending limits for candidates affiliated with parties, and put independent councillors at a disadvantage. “We note that candidates who run under a political party will benefit from Continued on Page 13