Municipal Affairs has informed Irricana council that it is now hiring a third party to do an inspection of the Town’s policies and operations.
The decision was made after a petition, signed by 325 residents and filed with the Province in the middle of May, was deemed sufficient under the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
The investigation will be made under the authority of Section 571 of the MGA.
Petition organizers are pleased their efforts will not be in vain.
“It is a relief,” said Jen Avery, one of the community members behind the petition. “We have (been told) that only a handful of people are disgruntled. This proves that more than that are disgruntled, because 325 people signed that petition.”
Avery said she expects a number of recommendations to come out of the investigation.
“Let’s go do it,” she said. “Let’s make it public.”
She added the staff at the Minister’s office likely had some concerns about the Town, or they wouldn’t have agreed to the investigation.
Longtime resident Dave Butters, who was also involved in circulating the petition, hopes the investigation will bring more transparency to the Town.
“I hope they will do things more openly,” he said.
Butters added that he is also concerned about possible “backdoor” deals and what he calls a rift between council members.
“I hope that they (Municipal Affairs) will come in and tell those guys… they haven’t been operating the way they are supposed to,” said Butters.
Irricana Mayor Josh Taylor said he is unconcerned about the investigation.
“I feel council and staff have nothing to hide and we welcome the opportunity to show that publicly,” said Taylor.
He added that he expects the investigation to begin in the middle of September and take about two or three weeks.
