Municipal Affairs to Conduct Preliminary Review of Village of Ryley

Municipal Affairs to Conduct Preliminary Review of Village of Ryley

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Alberta’s Minister of Municipal Affairs has signed off on a letter authorizing ministry staff to conduct a preliminary review into the concerns raised in a petition from local citizens back in November of 2021.

In the letter dated Jan. 18, Minister Ric McIver stated, “The preliminary review will help determine the underlying reason for the request and ensure an appropriate response from Municipal Affairs.

A preliminary review includes interviews with councillors, administrative staff, and the petition representative. The preliminary review will provide context for my decision in responding to the petition.”

According to the Municipal Government Act signatures from electors equal to at least 20 percent of the village’s population for a petition requesting a municipal inspection to be sufficient. The town’s population was 483 upon receipt of the petition, and 102 of the 109 signatures were considered valid. The petition was received by Minister McIver on November 25.

On Feb. 4 members of village council accepted the letter for information and were instructed to follow the next steps as outlined in the letter by Interim Chief Administrative Officer, (CAO) Ron Cust. Interviews have been booked for next week and Cust urged councillors to “be straight” with ministry staff, and to provide information that is asked of them.

McIver’s letter also stated that, “It is important to note this preliminary review is not a verification process and cannot result in formal directives. No written submissions or documents will be received during the preliminary review.

The review is a voluntary process, and you have a choice regarding your participation; however, I encourage your full cooperation and participation to assist me in making an informed decision. Once I review the background from the preliminary review, I will advise you of what further steps, if any, will be taken.

Lastly, note that an inspection may result from a preliminary review. If an inspection is ordered and municipal financial capacity allows, the inspection costs, or a portion of, may be charged back to the municipality. Inspections typically cost between $60,000 to $75,000 depending on the scope and magnitude of the inspection.”

Mayor Nik Lee.

(Paul Smith/Submitted Photo)

The petition representative is resident Brian Ducherer, who is one of two candidates running in the upcoming byelection in the Village of Ryley which will take place on Feb. 28. Voting will be held in the village office between the hours of 10 am and 8 pm. The other byelection candidate is Donna Pitre.

The byelection is a result of the resignation of Councillor Sam Kumson. On Nov. 3, 2021, Kumson submitted his resignation to the CAO. Mayor Nik Lee said, “Council was not provided with a reason for resignation. I was disappointed to see Mr. Kumson resign because I was looking forward to working with him.”

Kumson told the Vegreville News Advertiser, (VNA) that he was not happy with the direction council was taking, and that is why he resigned. That same day, (Nov. 3, 2021) council passed a motion to place CAO Glen Hamilton-Brown on paid leave, “pending completion of an investigation into his management of the Village’s finances.” On Nov. 3, council appointed Michael Bolach as Acting CAO.

On Nov. 1, a special meeting was called by council to discuss the recruitment of an Interim CAO.

On Oct. 31 a special meeting was called by council. The sole item list on the agenda was a telephone conference with the candidate for the Interim CAO position.

On Oct. 28, council had a meeting with legal counsel. On Oct. 26 council held its organizational meeting which included elected officials taking the oath of office, the appointment of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and selection of representatives to various committees, boards and commissions.

At the Oct. 28 council meeting, Mayor Lee made the motion, “that Council remind you, (the CAO) of Article 10 of your employment agreement with the Village of Ryley and the fact that the same requires you to conduct yourself ‘personally and professionally’ in a manner that will not bring the Municipality into public disrepute.

It is for this reason that we are now directing you to cease posting or commenting in any manner whatsoever, to any social media platform in your capacity as the current CAO of the Village of Ryley unless you receive authorization in writing to do so. Failure to comply with this direction or Article 10 in your employment agreement will constitute cause for dismissal.” That motion was carried. held on Dec. 1 to discuss CAO recruitment. At that meeting Ron Cust was hired as the new Interim CAO. Mayor Lee did confirm during an interview with VNA that, “We received a resignation from the Interim CAO, (Bolach) on Nov. 29, 2021.”

At the Dec. 17 council meeting Cust addressed council and thanked them for the opportunityto work in the Village. “I look forward to bringing in some systems and policies to help streamline operations in the office without creating stress to council and the Village,” stated Cust.

According to Cust’s biographical information he has over 40 years of experience in municipal government in Alberta. Since 2015 he has been a Senior Consultant in Municipal Governance and Assessment Administration with Transitional Solutions Inc.

An Executive Assistant to the CAO was hired on a part-time basis in December as well as a part-time Legislative and Administrative Coordinator. Additionally, Paul Smith has been contracted by the Village to hire and coordinate local contractors to promote the community through photographs, videos and promotional materials.

Smith told VNA, “I have been hired as a consultant to assist the Village of Ryley administration with live-streaming council meetings and ensuring that residents concerns on social media are relayed to the CAO. In addition, I have been tasked with bringing the newsletter, social media and website up date.”