Submitted March 2, 2023
The meatgrinder of McKillop claimed another victim with the December 23 resignation of the CAO. The problems with governing and administrating RM 220 continue.
Power and Control: With the boundary changes to the RM divisions in 2018, the resort hamlets ratepayers can now elect the majority of RM councillors, with or without the reeve. They have the power to send to council people who will govern the whole RM by a majority. This is protected by law in the Municipalities Act. The problem is the majority of voters (ratepayers) in the resort hamlets are not permanent residents. Imagine if 600,000 non-resident voters went into Regina or Saskatoon and voted in the controlling members of city councils and mayors. The province would quickly step in to change the rules, not so in McKillop or other RM’s that have significant seasonal resort developments. The system is broken.
Money: The nine organized hamlets in McKillop receive 43% of their property tax to spend as the hamlet board sees fit, with the approval of the RM council. Their budget surpluses go to their reserve accounts. Together the nine organized hamlets have approximately 2 million dollars in reserves. In the future, these reserves may well grow to the point where they exceed the entire annual budget for the entire RM.
The funding formula for organized hamlets in the province allows between 40% - 75% of the hamlet property taxes to be returned to each of the hamlets. This is protected by law in the Municipalities Act.
The nine organized hamlets (not including the 11 unorganized hamlets) have enough voting power to elect the majority of councillors and the reeve. They have the power, control and the money. The system is broken.
They say that water and oil don’t mix well. In McKillop, that has been shown to be true. This broken system can only be fixed by the minister and provincial government. The oily farmers and the watery beach owners should be separated in a restructuring of the RM McKillop.
All the beaches should be amalgamated into a few larger groups. If the remaining rural lands are unsustainable as a group, divide (or not) the rural with the adjoining RMs. Maybe McKillop must die. It is certainly no longer a rural municipality. It is an urban-governed resort municipality.
-Bob Wilson, Former RM councillor and a lifelong resident of RM McKillop #220
Opinions and ideas expressed here are those on the Author and do not represent LMT.
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