By Kevin J. Sabo
For the Advance
For the second time in six months, the Halkirk Village council has appointed a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).
After the previous CAO, Andrea Benoit, gave notice in November, the village council was again on the hunt for a new village administrator, and, after interviewing prospective candidates, have appointed Marcy Renschler to fill the position. Renschler will begin in her new position in the New Year.
With Renschler coming in, interim-CAO Doris Cordel has been asked to remain on for a few weeks to wrap up end of year paperwork and help bring Renschler up to speed.
Council made the appointment during a special meeting of council held on Dec. 28th, which was called to wrap up some end-of-year issues.
Generators
In a move to be prepared for inclement winter weather, the Community Hall and the fire hall have been equipped with emergency electrical switches which would allow the facilities to be powered by generators. The village office is also slated to receive the same upgrade, which will allow the municipality to remain operational in the event of a prolonged power loss.
In order to support the three buildings in an emergency, in a motion made by Mayor Dale Kent, council authorized the purchase of three 9,500-watt generators, at a price of $1,549 each, for a total expenditure of $4,647.
“We pretty near have to have them,” said Coun. Dennis Cordel, a sentiment echoed by Coun. Sherry Jamison.
Viability review
Village of Halkirk administration has received word from Alberta Municipal Affairs that the application for the infrastructure study grant, which needs to be done as part of the review, has been moved into the 2021 year, with approval expected in early January. Once the grant is approved, the village will be required to put out a request for a proposal to do the study.
“It needs to be done very soon,” said Interim-Administrator Doris Cordel.
As part of the update from Municipal Affairs, council was also informed that if the review is not completed by summer, it would likely have to wait until after the fall 2021 election cycle.
Municipal Development Plan
As a requirement of the Municipal Government Act, all municipalities in the province of Alberta are required to develop a Municipal Development Plan, a document to be used by the municipality as a guide for, “Future land use in the municipality, and the provision of municipal services and facilities.”
The Municipal Development Plan is being prepared with Village of Halkirk administration Palliser Municipal Services. As part of the plan, council approved a questionnaire developed by Palliser in which community members will be asked questions about issues such as healthcare, affordable housing, and business development.
The survey was prepared using SurveyMonkey, and the link will be sent out in the village bill.