As per Section 192(1) of the Municipal Government Act, “except in a summer village, a council must hold an organizational meeting annually not later than 2 weeks after the 3rd Monday in October.”
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On October 24, 2022, Coaldale Town Council held its annual organizational meeting, during which it adopted a new meeting calendar and appointed members of Council to various local and regional boards and committees.
In Alberta, municipalities operate according to what’s called the “Municipal Government Act” (MGA), Section 192(1) of which states that “except in a summer village, a council must hold an organizational meeting annually not later than 2 weeks after the 3rd Monday in October”. Accordingly, exactly one week after the 3rd Monday in October, Coaldale Town Council held its own annual organizational meeting.
Although brief, the meeting was one the most important of the year as it saw Council not only adopt a new meeting calendar, but also, determine which members of Council will sit on various local and regional boards and committees.
Concerning the meeting calendar, it includes all the Regular Council Meeting dates as well as tentative placeholder dates for notable Town-run and community events. “This year we did things a bit differently,” said Lana Antony, Municipal Clerk for the Town of Coaldale. “In the past, this calendar included dates for all of Council’s Regular Meetings, as well as for statutory holidays. Now, however, it includes dates for all of Council’s Regular Meetings, statutory holidays, and Town-run and community events.”
Concerning Council representation on various local and regional boards/committees, Council appointed members to sit on the Barons-Eureka-Warner FCSS Board; the Chinook Arch Library Board; the Coaldale & District Chamber of Commerce; the Coaldale & District Handi-Ride Association; the Coaldale Library Board; the Gem of the West Museum Board; the Green Acres Foundation Board; the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association; and many others. “Not everyone realizes just how important it is to have a vibrant board and committee system in place for effective governance in Coaldale,” said Town of Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn. “These boards and committees are usually made up of a combination of Coaldale residents, members of Council, and sometimes other elected officials from neighbouring municipalities, and do much of the leg work when it comes to advancing local projects, planning events, and providing direction to not-for-profit organizations from which many of our residents benefit. By doing this important work, these boards and committees make Council’s job much easier and Coaldale itself a better place to live.”
To see a full list of all the boards and committees that make up the Town’s committee system, click here: https://www.coaldale.ca/committees-boards.