The petition calling for a dissolution study in the Village of Clyde has completed the verification process, but it could still be many weeks before residents are told the results.
Wendy McGrath, a spokesperson for Alberta Municipal Affairs, said the appointed administrator has completed the petition verification process as of the June 15 deadline. The results, however, will be revealed to the petition representative and village council once he has read the report. There is no legislated time frame for this process.
“The CAO has completed the review of the petition. Once the minister has completed the report, the petition representative and the village council will be advised of the outcome of the result,” she said, adding it could be several weeks before that happens.
Clyde resident Ann Wegernoski started the petition earlier this year, calling for a study into whether the village should dissolve, becoming a hamlet within Westlock County.
In a May 28 letter to the Westlock News, she cited concerns about high taxes, a lack of amenities and roadblocks to development, among other things.
Once the petition to is submitted to Municipal Affairs, the minister appoints a CAO to verify the petition within 30 days. That information is then given to the minister, who must conduct a dissolution study if the petition is found to be valid. That process, however, is left to the minister’s discretion.
In the past several years, only a handful a dissolution studies have been conducted, with just a few of those municipalities ultimately dissolving.
As for what the process will look like for Clyde, or how long it will take, McGrath couldn’t say. The process may begin to look clearer when the results of the petition verification are made public.
“The minister needs to review the CAO’s report before any of the results are released,” she said. “It’s just due process. The minister needs time to review the report, and we need to give that process due course.”
