Sk. municipalities, economic engine or anchor?

[ColevilleH2S]

I see the fight between the RM of Sherwood and the City of Regina made <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/11/15/sk-development-regina-rm-sherwood-121115.html">national news</a> last night. I don't see what has got everyone's panties in a knot. If the city wants a say in what development happens outside it's borders, it should pony up and buy the land for it's self. That said, there should be no expectation of city services leaving those borders either. Sherwood is collecting the taxes they should provide the fire,water,sewer,etc.

Seems simple to me.

[SASKFARMER3]

Some RMs are not only a anchor their a Dead
D10 cat trying to be pulled by a Prius!
The city of Regina is another problem. The lots
keep getting smaller and smaller now only a side
walk on one side and narrow streets. Cram in
English row houses. That's prosperity at 750,000
a house.

[Rareearth]

The city of Regina has no control, or should it for
what happens in the RM. ownership is
everything. If the city wants to sell services
outside of if jurisdiction, they can, and hopefully
for the right reasons. Maybe Moose Jaw is to
close, getting provincial dollars Regina could use?
For the record I like Moosejaw.

[wilagro]

Until you SaskatchewaNESE consolidate your RMs down to a reasonable workable number you will have nothing but trouble.

If you eliminated about 200 that would be a start.

Your Provincial Government is too damned CHICKEN to tackle this issue as have all previous governments. Divide and rule...that's the gist of it.

There!!!...how's that advice from a non-native observer?

None of my business?...yah...probably.

[ColevilleH2S]

I don't think I like the idea of going to a county sized municipal system. Roughly a decade ago, both the local health district, and local school division were amalgamated into larger sized entities. Since then we have lost services. There also seems to be more pencil pushers strapped with less accountability in the new, larger systems too. Bureaucracy in the worst sense of the term.

Just for illustration, if I am in administration at a municipal service. Am I more accountable to the ratepayer, if I am the only person doing my job, and the ratepayer is my neighbour? Or if I am one of five people doing the job, and the ratepayer is three towns away?

[blackpowder]

Bets on whether Kal Tire walks while everyone navel gazes??

[bluefargo]

I am with Wilagro on this. These little
fiefdoms are ridiculas. But no
government has the guts to do anything
about it.

[oneoff]

There is such a thing as having ones family, friends and oneself as being over represented.
For instance; is it necessary to have the mayor and his councillor wife on the same town council. What about it becoming desirable to being councillor in one RM and running for reeve in the adjoing RM 6 miles away?
Just what legitimate fears are there of not being able for decent representation by even someone you personally don't know.
Cole's... concern are indicative of how you can look after oneself by persoally having power or having someone in your pocket.....but those same persons will never give a rats ass about the concerns and democratic rights of anyone but themselves and their close knit circle.
Sask desperately needs to get rid of the albatross of effectively unaccountable small minded despots.
The rot runs deep and even the provincial government secretly recognizes how small town and rural politics has no vision or long term planning.
Perhaps save for RM Sherwood type examples and Councils with good intentions but severely lacking in scale and resources.

The rest are run as personal power bases; and small time income sources; which do no real service to communities. They blunder throgh one financial catastrophy after another and avoid public meetings and involving the electorate. Some even hide their decisions and plans; and the mess of bylaws, repealed bylaws and policies that are not enforced, selectively enforced nor meant to be advertised.
Don't anyone ever hold up Sask Rural municipal politics as a shining example of anything other than a poorly run cesspool.

They are generally an affront to real democratic principles.

[oneoff]

Alberta realigned rural electoral boundaries in the 1950's through a much smaller number of counties.

Here in Sask, 50 years later; our elected officials and SARM cling to their 115 year old model. And the Provincial government plays pure politics by recently repeating their committment to never forcing a change; no matter what the circumstances. In that letter they ridiculed the Sask Chamber of Commerce and of course that really reprehensiable NDP party for daring to suggest that all isn't perfect; and some change is not only warranted; but essential.

Maybe Alberta should return to the Saskatchewan near perfect system where council positions are usually filled by acclamation; and election have been won by a vote count of 3 votes won over 2 votes cast for the other seeking the council position. The gene pool for candidates contains few who see anything worthwhile or challenging in the puny financial operation of a typical rural municipality.
I've got to go be sick again.

[farmaholic]

Oneoff: Here on a local level there are
6 councilors in 6 divisions representing
12 townships. The same as it was when
the RM was first established. I once
suggested each councilor having 3
townships therefore reducing the number
of councilors to 4. They didn't seem to
like the idea. I told them no one has to
supervise their division with a horse
and buggy anymore and communication
shouldn't be an issue either. I know
you're talking much bigger changes like
amalgamating RMs. I can't see this
changing until change is forced upon
them. Some Municipalities are doing
quite well with revenue beyond
agriculture based assessments.
Pipelines, oil activity, commercial and
urban development make a big difference
to some while the neighboring RMs are
struggling with poorly assessed ag land
as their only tax base. No one wants to
amalgamate with the poor neighbor. No
RM wants to share their wealth or
resources with a less fortunate one.
Amalgamation would put an end to the Old
Boys Club and would give the electorate
a larger pool of prospective qualified
candidates to choose from. Remuneration
would likely have to increase to
compensate for the qualified people
willing to represent their divisions
because responsibilities would increase
with amalgamation. Also, in some cases
you would have a rural versus urban
battle, Good luck.

[LEP]

I just broke into a cold sweat, as I am agreeing with
oneoff on most of what he says here.

Besides being a fiefdom, I do think the main the
main reason they haven't amalgamated is the have
don't want to join the have nots.

While they don't have to be the size of school
boards or health districts, six townships by six
townships should be more efficient and yet small
enough to be responsive.

[oneoff]

Nothing wrong with paying people very good remuneration; when their expertise and time pays good dividends to their "employer". Those competent people are the ones who we should entrust with conducting our public business.
The fact is that there is rapidly growing support for the necessary changes to adapt to differences between 2013 and the early 1900's. Too bad SARM and our local cronies haven't shown leadership and can't see todays real world. Its a case of exceeding one's of incompetence.

Those elected representatives are not assets to their communities and it will take forcing them out one way or another to get any meaningful change.

And the comment about sharing the wealth of luckier RM with poorer neighbors is well taken. And in just about every instance it would be safe to say that those millions of dollars came from the pure luck of industrial assessment and oil and resource based taxation.
Yet reeves and councillors openly talk about "their money"
With farms now approaching township size; we could simply let every landowner become a councillor. That solution would only leave little details like the fact that 85% plus of tan RM's revenues were coming from industrial assessment which would remain unrepresented; and the serious problem of a growing number of rural residents being put at the mercy of a new set of dictators.

LEAD, FOLLOW or GET OUT OF THE WAY