Armed with detailed briefing notes, town council is ready to advocate for Cochrane at the Alberta Municipalities convention that gets underway today (Sept. 25) in Red Deer.
Town councillors will be meeting privately with ministers of Municipal Affairs, Transportation and Economic Corridors, Public Safety and Emergency Services, and Environment and Protected Areas on Thursday.
He says all of these ministries play a huge role in the future of Cochrane.
"The advocacy strategy from the past is all coming together and we're going to hit the ground running in Red Deer and hopefully we'll bring home some wins for Cochrane," said Mayor Genung during the Sept. 23 council meeting.
Preparing detailed packages in advance of conventions has become a norm for the town. Besides briefing council in advance of their meetings with cabinet ministers, it provides notes on resolutions hitting the floor on Sept. 26 that are of particular interest to Cochrane.
There are some standouts among the 27 resolutions.
Rocky Mt. House, Sylvan Lake and Legal are seeking support for the creation of an independent office for integrity for local government.
The requirement for municipal councils to have a code of conduct has stirred the hornet's nest in some municipalities, including Cochrane, raising the concern that is sometimes being used inappropriately when opinions differ between members of council and with administration. Part of this office's role would be to act as a third, unbiased party in assuring the code of conduct is used appropriately.
"While the principle of code of conduct bylaws is important, it is just as important that it is implemented in a fair and unbiased manner," states background notes on the resolution. "The creation of an independent third party such as an integrity office would alleviate this, whereas the office would evaluate and determine if a breach occurred, investigate and recommend disciplinary actions that are suitable to the breach."
St. Albert and Rocky Mt. House want the right to use automated counting systems reinstated for municipal elections. Amendments made to the Local Authorities Elections during the Legislative Assembly's spring session (Bill 20) require a manual count of paper ballots. Its implementation is seen as costly and will increase the risk of delay and errors.
Other resolutions of note include the restoration of provincial grants in lieu of taxes for property owned by the province in municipalities, a push to increase funding for Family and Community Support Services, and a proposal to establish a provincial emergency shelter strategy.
Both Premier Danielle Smith and Official Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi will be speaking on Sept. 26. It will be the first time newly-elected NDP leader Nenshi, a former Calgary mayor, has addressed the assembly as a provincial party leader.