Wheatland County Reeve Amber Link issued a Notice of Motion at the November 12 Regular Council meeting for Proportional Representation on Housing Management Bodies.
Motion 1 reads in part: “That Council support the submission of a letter from the Reeve to the Honourable Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Social and Community Services, urgently requesting a Ministerial Order to adjust Wheatland Housing Management Body’s board representation so that it aligns proportionally with each member municipality’s financial responsibility and for voting board member composition to reflect fiscal liability.”
A second motion reads in part: “That Council direct Administration to draft a resolution for Council consideration and subsequent submission to the Spring 2025 RMA Convention through the District process, requesting that the Government of Alberta amend the governance structure by Ministerial Order of housing management boards across the province to ensure municipal representation aligns with financial contributions.
In a backgrounder to the Motion, it points out there is a disparity between financial contributions made by municipalities. These municipalities are mandated by the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services to be members of these housing management bodies.
It points out that with the Wheatland Housing Management Body (WHMB), Wheatland County, with the highest equalized assessment, carries over 65 per cent of the financial liability for the operations, while only having 27 per cent of the representation. Strathmore carries 33 per cent of the financial liability but only has 18 percent representation.
“In our current local context, three villages, collectively responsible for just 1.42% of WHMB’s financial liability, could control reserve decision-making, resulting in an unreasonable scenario where the taxpayers of Wheatland County and the Town of Strathmore, responsible for 97.578% of the liability, lack proportionate influence,” the backgrounder states.
“These issues raise significant concerns about taxation without representation, particularly given that housing board members are appointed and not elected. Housing board decisions have direct financial impacts on municipal taxpayers. They can negatively impact investment attraction, profitability for businesses and industries (for example, mature oil and gas assets), and taxpayer affordability.
By providing a Notice of Motion, it provides transparency and allows councillors to take time to gather more information to make an informed decision. The Motion is it be voted upon at the December 3, 2024 council meeting.
