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The Alberta authorities has prolonged the time period of an umpire tasked with overseeing Chestermere’s embattled metropolis council as provincial officers put together to disclose the long-awaited findings of a prolonged investigation into the town’s authorities.
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Municipal Affairs Minister Rebecca Schulz prolonged the time period of official administrator Douglas Lagore – who has the ability to overturn any council choice – till March 31 “to make sure continued oversight of the municipality till after the general public assembly to announce the outcomes of the inspection course of. ” stated the minister’s chief of workers, Alex Puddifant.
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“This extension protects the general public curiosity in good governance and helps the performance of the council,” Puddifant stated in a written assertion to Postmedia.
The province put in Lagore in September till the tip of January due to what then-minister Ric McIver referred to as “rising dysfunction” within the council. The appointment got here shortly after Mayor Jeff Colvin — backed by his majority voting bloc consisting of himself, Vice Mayor Mel Foat and Councilmen Stephen Hanley and Blaine Funk — sought to launch greater than 100 code-of-conduct investigations into his political foes, Councilmen Shannon Dean. Sandy Johal-Watt and Ritesh Narayan.
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Municipal inspection was initially launched in Might 2022
The province meant the appointment as a stop-gap till the tip of the municipal inspection into Chestermere – the primary investigation of its variety in Alberta since 2018. The inspection, launched in Might 2022 and performed by a 3rd occasion carried out, examined a number of claims of deficits inside the metropolis authorities and was triggered early final yr by complaints from Dean, Johal-Watt and Narayan.
Council and a few metropolis officers – together with Metropolis Director Kim Wallace, a top-level administrator lately charged with assault in reference to an alleged altercation with an worker – met with Secretary Schulz final week to debate the municipal inspection. The assembly got here at Colvin’s request with a acknowledged goal of “correcting the municipal inspection procedures” and adopted an almost 3,000-word rebuke penned in December by metropolis officers who declined to answer a draft model of the inspection’s findings submitted by the province. council in November.
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“We are going to proceed to maneuver ahead with the subsequent steps, which can contain updating the residents of Chestermere on the standing of the inspection within the coming weeks,” Puddifant stated.
Findings are anticipated to be launched in early March
Wallace continues to work on the metropolis regardless of the assault cost, albeit remotely. She was barred from Metropolis Corridor when the cost was introduced on February 3, however a number of sources inform Postmedia that she has not been positioned on go away and remains to be concerned in day-to-day operations. Municipal Affairs declined to touch upon the cost in opposition to Wallace.
The province is anticipated to announce the findings of the municipal inspection at a public assembly in early March. At the moment, Minister Schulz will supply directives to the council and metropolis administration to appropriate any points discovered.
If these directives usually are not adopted, the mayor, council members or the town’s chief directors might face additional sanctions, together with potential dismissal.
Neither the town of Chestermere nor Colvin responded to requests for remark from Postmedia on Sunday.
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez