An administrator has been appointed to the Village of Delia as it moves closer to a vote on whether it should remain as a village.
The Village of Delia Council made a motion in October of 2022 to apply to Municipal Affairs to have them conduct a Viability Review. This came after a public meeting on September 8 of that year, when the future of the Village was discussed.
A Viability Review begins with a Ministry screening. If the minister decides a review is necessary they will then go into information collection. This will review the information supplied by the municipality being reviewed as well as the receiving municipality. They will also review the municipality’s finances and infrastructure. Stakeholder involvement can include written submissions, surveys, open houses and public meetings.
When this is complete they will present the report. It will show two options. One is a recommendation for the Village to reach viability, and two, a description of the changes and impacts if the municipality were to be dissolved and became a part of Starland County.
Residents will then have the public vote to determine the future. Depending on the results of the vote, the minister will either issue a ministerial directive or recommend municipal dissolution to the cabinets, which will make the final decision.
Since that time the Village has had the wheels rolling. On July 2, Harold Johnsrude was appointed by Municipal Affairs to work on the review. He is there for advice and assistance. Public meetings have been held, and an inventory of the Village’s infrastructure has been taken.
Right now they are working on their audited financial statements to have the package complete. They expected this to be complete by the end of August.
After this is complete the will be a public meeting prior to a vote.
