Cremona council gave third reading and approved a bylaw increasing its number of council members from three to five, a polarizing issue in the village of just under 500.
The vote passed by a 2-1 vote, with Mayor Leslie Abrams and councillor Malinda Whittle voting in favour, and councillor Karel Beckman against.
The matter was raised due to a group of individuals who collected a number of signatures requesting council add two additional councillor positions to alleviate the current situation some view as two councillors continuously voting against one.
The village has received several letters voicing opinions against the proposed increase, highlighting such issues as having to pay for two extra councillors, the difficulty in finding qualified applicants and what some believe to be a waste of time with the village soon to undergo a dissolution study, a sentiment echoed by Beckman.
“Although I am open to considering a five-person council if that is the wish of the villagers,” Beckman said in an email, “I cannot consider it until the viability review team has concluded their work.”
Beckman said increasing to a five-person council is a ‘haphazard approach to a serious concern,’ that concern being what he called a permanent alliance between two of the three council members, resulting in the 2/3 provision of the Municipal Government Act being misused.
“The third councillor,” Beckman said, “although duly elected, is prevented from advancing the issues of village residents.”
Beckman also pointed out that in Rocky View County, where there are nine councillors, he often sees a five to four split on votes, with five from the eastern part of the county voting against the four from the western side.
“The viability review may make the five-member council recommendation,” Beckman said. “However, they might also find that a rotating mayor is a better idea, with the councillor with the most votes becoming mayor. Or that each resident has only one vote, so that each of the councillors will have been someone’s first choice.”
Another issue for Beckman is the authenticity of the 120 signatures that were on the petition requesting council add two councillors.
“I am not convinced that this position is sufficient with respect to the signatories,” he said. “Have all the signatures been verified by phone call?”
Beckman believes that if the petition calling for a five-person council is accepted, then a past petition with 130 signatures asking for council to rethink the decision to eliminate angle parking on Railway Ave. should have also been been acknowledged.
Cremona’s dissolution study was to move forward in the fall of 2012, but is currently undergoing a review process by the province. Villagers have been somewhat split on whether control of the municipality being given back to Mountain View County is the best way to resolve Cremona’s issues.
Council approved a new Fire Services bylaw, also by a 2-1 vote, with Abrams and Whittle in favour and Beckman opposed, establishing fire services, including a fire chief, within the village.
Beckman said his reasons for voting against was because the bylaw was a ‘poorly thought out motion’ and that the current process had served the village well for many years and there was no need for change.
