Drawing back the curtain at City Hall

To understand how Chestermere or any Alberta municipality is governed for that matter, the best place to start is with the Provincial Municipal Government Act.
The act, a massive piece of legislation that could easily double as a doorstop, clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of elected councils and city administration and staff.
With 2017 being an election year, City of Chestermere Director of Corporate Services Tracy Buteau believes it is important for residents to understand how the city works as they consider whether to run for office or who to vote for this fall.
“I encourage everyone to get involved, whether its running for council or a committee or voting,” said Buteau.
Within the act, the sections that are most relevant to understanding staff and council are sections one, three and seven.
The reason that municipalities exist is to provide good government at the local level which ideally is achieved through the smooth functioning and interactions between staff and council.
“So in high level terms its basically to…provide services and facilities that are necessary or desirable for the municipality and develop safe viable communities,” said Buteau.
This is achieved through council setting the strategic goals and directions during meetings through the passage of bylaws and resolutions.
These are represented by the budget, Municipal Development Plan and other bylaws and policies.
In Chestermere, council is made up of six councilors and the mayor.
All members have an equal vote although the mayor has additional responsibilities which include; chairing council meetings, signing cheques, representing the city at events and meetings as well as being the spokesperson for the city.
Once decisions are made in a council meeting, the responsibility shifts away from council to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and city staff.
“Councilors are not then involved in the day to day operations,” she said.
The CAO takes the decisions made by council and directs city administration to implement them.
“It’s important to note that council has one staff and that is the Chief Administrative Officer,” said Buteau.
Buteau describe this relationship between council, the CAO and staff as being like an hourglass where council is one end, staff is the other and the CAO is the narrow point connecting both side allowing the passage of sand, or in the city’s case information and strategic direction.
“So information from administration goes up to the CAO and then out to council,” she said.
As the connection between staff and council, council hires the CAO which is the top administrator for the city.
While council hires the CAO standard human resources rules apply to the position which means that the CAO contract is automatically replaced or renewed upon the election of a new city council.
After an election, Buteau said that “the CAO continues to do his or her job.”
Anyone with questions about the upcoming election and the role of council can contact legislative services at the city.
The Municipal Government Act can be found online at www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/m26.pdf