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Preamble:
WHEREAS the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) currently advocates for all resolutions to the same degree; and
WHEREAS RMA does not currently prioritize advocacy capacity or effort based on the level of support a resolution receives (e.g., resolutions passed by 60% are treated equally to those passed by 99%); and
WHEREAS RMA’s Board of Directors and staff have limited time and resources; and
WHEREAS prioritizing resolutions would allow RMA to focus advocacy efforts on issues with broader member consensus and strategic importance; and
WHEREAS the Government of Alberta has finite resources to provide to municipalities;
Operative Clause:
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Rural Municipalities of Alberta develop an advocacy prioritization framework for resolutions and associated advocacy efforts to ensure that advocacy items with broad support and province-wide implications are focused on before localized resolutions or resolutions with lower support.
Member Background:
The membership of the RMA endorses resolutions when they are passed by a 60% voting threshold. As RMA has no prioritization framework in place, RMA treats all endorsed resolutions equally in terms of advocacy focus, regardless of the margin of support, meaning a resolution with 60.1% support is given the same advocacy focus as a resolution with 99% support.
Since Spring 2022, a total of 134 resolutions have been brought forward with 113 being endorsed. These resolutions cover a wide range of topics, with some getting limited support due to their more niche nature and others receiving broad support due to their province wide implications. Each resolution requires significant effort on behalf of the RMA Board of Directors and staff, regardless of their scope.
While RMA takes great steps to advocate for all resolutions, including doubling the size of their advocacy team, there are still time and resource constraints which impact their ability to fully realize each advocacy opportunity.
Several other municipal associations, such as ABmunis, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipal Association, and Municipalities of Newfoundland and Labrador use a prioritization framework of some kind to positive effect.
The development of an advocacy prioritization framework would allow RMA to focus its efforts on key and timely items but still provide a method for members to bring forward items that do not have broader membership support or are more localized in nature.
RMA Background:
3-25F: Review of RMA Advocacy Reporting
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the RMA conduct a comprehensive review of its current advocacy reporting practices and develop recommendations to improve transparency and enhance information sharing on its advocacy efforts with the RMA membership.
Click here to view the full resolution.
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