Alberta’s counties not interested in AUMA
Alberta’s rural politicians are saying “thanks but no thanks” to joining up with their town and city cousins, though the urbanites say they’ll still try to win them over eventually.
Delegates to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association’s annual convention last week passed a resolution calling for exploratory discussions with the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties on merging to form a single body to represent local governments in the province.
However, AAMDC members had already ruled out any merger talks with the AUMA at their own convention a week earlier.
AAMDC president Al Kemmere said in an interview Monday that the organization wants to keep collaborating with urban municipalities but its members believe they might get swamped in a merger.
“There is a fear of loss of the rural voice,” said Kemmere.
Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita, who was acclaimed as the AUMA’s new president last week, said the AAMDC’s pre-emptive rejection of unity talks was disappointing but he doesn’t think the idea of unifying the groups is dead.
AUMA delegates voted strongly in favour of the resolution, despite knowing AAMDC’s position, because they see the merit in the idea, he said.
The resolution gives the AUMA a mandate for three years to pursue the issue and the organization will use that time to make the case for a merger.
“We have a lot more work to do with regards to making their members understand what it is the AUMA is trying to achieve by having these discussions,” said Morishita.