Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County supports a proposal to be part of an Inter-Municipal Subdivision and Development Appeal Board serving a wider region.
At its regular meeting Nov. 27, council adopted a bylaw to establish the board with the Town of High Prairie, the Town of Swan Hills, the Town of Slave Lake and the M.D. of Lesser Slave River.
Council also passed a motion that the current members of the board serve until Jan. 8. 2025 and prior to that date, council shall reappoint two members to the board for a three-year term starting Jan. 8, 2025.
The current term for members expires in 2026, Pat Olansky, director of community services and planning, told council.
When the inter-municipal board was formed in 2019, Lesser Slave River declined to be a member, but now wants to join, she added.
“They’ve been having the same issues we’ve been dealing with,” Olansky said.
“It was the consensus of the present members to welcome Lesser Slave River to the board.”
Under the new bylaw, the name would change to the Slave Lake Regional Inter-Municipal Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.
The new appeal board would be comprised of members-at-large and no council members.
The most significant change would be the board would decrease to a minimum of five and maximum of nine members from the previous 12 members.
Each municipality would be responsible to appoint at least one member and may, at most, appoint two members by council resolution.
Each member municipality must concurrently pass a new appeal board bylaw to enter a new agreement, Olansky advised.
She added the expanded board has many benefits.
“One of the main advantages of forming the new board is that it provides cost savings,” Olansky said.
“By forming the Slave Lake Regional IDAB and sharing clerks and board members, participating municipalities will decrease the overall number of clerks and board members and share a lower cost of training fewer people.”
It will also increase experience for board members and make for better decision making.