Public engagement for an upcoming review of Rocky View County’s (RVC) electoral boundaries and governance structure will include informing and “listening and learning" only, following a council decision at a regular meeting Sept. 10.
The decision followed a request by County administration for guidance on the project, which was originally green-lit by council July 9. According to Municipal Clerk Charlotte Satink, “the review will provide council with options to redistribute RVC’s electorate…and a governance structure review to consider an elected mayor-at-large position.”
In researching the cost of the review project, she added, the level of public participation was found to be a major factor in determining the price tag.
“Based on [Request for Information] proposals received, the cost estimates for the review was vast – between $30,000 to $215,000, with an estimated completion timeframe of seven to 12 months,” Satink said. “Common amongst all proponents was identifying the level of public participation to be the varying factor in determining project costs.”
Satink presented three public engagement strategies for council’s consideration, ranging from simply “listening and learning” – gathering, understanding and acknowledging the public’s feedback – to consulting with the public through open houses, directly reflecting the public’s feedback in whatever decision is made.
She noted that, while the Municipal Government Act (MGA) recommends input from residents is valuable, the County is not legislatively or legally bound to any type of public engagement.
“Council gets to decide which [options], if any, it would like to use for public engagement,” she said. “There is no specific legislative requirement to engage the public on any changes regarding electoral boundaries or governance.”
With the increase to RVC’s population over the past two decades, a review of electoral boundaries is necessary, Satink added. When the matter was originally presented to council July 9, she said the County’s last major electoral boundary review was conducted in 2000.
“Since 2000, the County’s total population has increased by 43 per cent, and there currently are four divisions above or below the generally accepted 25 per cent legal deviation standard,” she said.
Satink added, in order for the changes to be in effect before municipal voters head back to the polls, the electoral bylaw and appointment of chief elected official bylaw must be advertised and passed at least 180 days before the next general municipal election Oct. 18, 2021, making April 22 of that year the deadline for the project’s completion.
Coun. Kevin Hanson moved for an engagement strategy of informing, listening and learning, and consulting the public. According to Satink, this would include a questionnaire, a council workshop and a public consultation comprising three open houses – one each in east, west and central RVC.
“I will support that motion,” Reeve Greg Boehlke said. “I think it’s good to hear what people have to say, come back, build a plan, take it back to them and say, ‘How did we do?’ I believe that’s what this option will give us.”
However, Hanson’s motion failed 5-4. Coun. Samanntha Wright requested a recorded vote, and Deputy Reeve Al Schule and Couns. Daniel Henn, Jerry Gautreau, Kim McKylor and Mark Kamachi raised their hands in opposition.
“I think the inform, listen and learn option is perfectly fine,” Gautreau said. “Public engagement is still going to happen.”
Gautreau then moved for a strategy that would merely inform, listen and learn from the public. Satink said this strategy would include only an online questionnaire and a council workshop.
Schule supported the motion, saying he preferred a lower level of public engagement because it will keep the cost of the project low.
“We seem to spend a lot of money on these studies and all kinds of things, and I think we sometimes look for the hard things when the simple thing’s right in front of us,” he said.
Gautreau’s motion was passed 6-3 in an unrecorded vote, with Hanson, Wright and Coun. Crystal Kissel voting against.
With council’s direction, Satink said, administration will undertake a Request for Proposal process to secure an independent consultant – “who will conduct objective and neutral reviews” – and return to council with a budget adjustment no later than Nov. 30.
