The report focuses on the complexity of municipalities and the multiple considerations that should inform any restructuring decision
The RMA has released Municipal Structures: An Alternative Dialogue for Municipalities in Alberta along with an accompanying executive summary and a municipal self-assessment tool. The report examines the link between how municipalities address the numerous and increasingly complex challenges that they face and the role of municipal restructuring (dissolution, annexation, amalgamation, etc.) as a potential solution. While the report does not argue for or against municipal restructuring, it argues that because municipal challenges are so complex and locally unique, that there is no single threshold or formula to determine when structural changes are necessary.
This report is intended to build on the RMA’s 2015 report titled Examining Municipal Government Models from the Alberta Perspective, which takes a more traditional approach in comparing various models in use across North America using a variety of criteria. The Alternative Dialogue report does not focus on the details of different structure options, but rather on the questions and considerations one or more municipalities should address to determine whether restructuring is a reasonable and relevant solution to a given challenge or issue.
The RMA will be hosting a workshop during the 2022 Fall Convention to walk through the report in detail and allow members to test the self-assessment tool. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, November 9 from 3:45 to 4:45 pm in Salon 4.
Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
789.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com