Restructured municipality in West River taking shape
The recently restructured Rural Municipality of West River continues to put its administrative house in order.
Co-ordination of banking, insurance, legal and accounting services is ongoing for the new municipality.
West River continues to be responsible for the New Haven-Riverdale development bylaw and has appointed RG Professional Planning Services as its development officer.
The municipality has established a temporary office in the Kingston Legion, which will serve as home until a 40-foot by 24-foot addition to the Afton Hall is completed.
Council recently appointed Architecture 360 as project manager for assistance from the federal gas tax initiative.
Work on the municipal website (westriverpe.ca) continues with minutes, bylaws and meeting notices being added.
At its meeting on Oct. 8, council approved a multiparty agreement which will see the extension of threephase power to the Nine Mile Creek wharf.
In addition, council hired Resolve HR to lead the search for a permanent chief administrative officer, a position it anticipates filling by December.
At the same meeting, council unanimously approved moving the municipality to a mayor and six councillors for the November 2022 municipal elections.
Currently, Mayor Helen Smith-MacPhail leads a council of 11 appointed members.
A council-appointed independent electoral boundaries commission will recommend the makeup of wards to council by August 2021.
Council also recently voted to join the Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities, the long-established voice for municipal government on P.E.I.
Regular council meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Afton Hall.