Decision Makers Special: How to Run For Council

As municipal elections approach across the province, chief administrative officer of the RM of North Cypress-Langford Trish Fraser runs through what it means to serve on a municipal council.

While a lot of the information is relevant to any municipality in the province, the history of the RM of North Cypress-Langford, including its amalgamation in 2015, is specific to this area. It had an effect not only on the physical size of the municipality requiring service but also on the ward system, which ensures governmental representation for all areas of the municipality. The RM of North Cypress-Langford is also in a somewhat unique situation because they share responsibility with the Town of Carberry, which has its own mayor and councillors, for many services such as the fire department, parks, and sanitation.

Councillors need an understanding of required services in an RM, such as roads and emergency services, and how they are prioritized against additional services, such as recreation. As well, Fraser outlines the organisational chart of an RM; it is important for incoming councillors to understand that all of the staff reports to the CAO, and it is only the CAO that reports to the Council.

The role of the Council member is to make decisions regarding services, policies and programs. The role of administration is to implement those decisions as well as manage day to day operations of the municipality. Each Council member gets one vote, and must uphold decisions even if they voted against them. Decisions should be made based on the best interests of the entire municipality, not just the ward that the councillor is representing. That is an important distinction to make, because some potential nominees or residents of the ward might expect otherwise.

Following election, there is a Code of Conduct which is built right into the Municipal Act, and on which there is mandatory training for new councillors. The time commitment for a councillor goes beyond the mandatory Council meetings on the second Monday of each month and includes other committees and boards, various conventions, seminars and conferences, and making themselves generally available to residents.  Compensation is set out in a municipal bylaw and is roughly $1,000 a month plus mileage, a monthly communication allowance, and reimbursement for some other costs incurred while conducting duties.

For more information, Fraser invites people to contact her at the North Cypress-Langford office, whether they are interested in running or just interested in the general process of the election. Voting will take place across the province on October 26th.