By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Petition prompts province to launch municipal inspection for Village of Warner

Apr 13, 2017 | 2:17 PM

WARNER – The Village of Warner is dealing with some controversy, as they prepare to work with inspectors that will be brought in by the province.

In September of 2016, the minister of Municipal Affairs received a petition from a group of Warner residents, asking for an inquiry into the affairs of the municipality. After determining that the petition was enough to warrant a closer look, the department informed the community and launched a preliminary review. The inspection was then ordered on Mar. 2, after the review was completed.

When contacted by Lethbridge News Now, Warner Mayor, Tyler Lindsay, said he’s not concerned about what the inspection will find — stating that they follow strict rules for running the municipality — but rather the process that got them to this point.

“It just was concerning that the citizens of Warner wouldn’t have come to a council meeting or a public meeting first, rather than go straight to the [Municipal Affairs minister] to start out,” explained Lindsay.

“It was never brought to us directly, so we actually don’t know what their true concerns are, because they have never came and contacted us, talked to us directly.”

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Lindsay added that he doesn’t believe the petition represents community wide concerns, and that it comes from one specific group.

“It’s not the community, it’s a group of people that aren’t willing to come forward,” stated Lindsay. “I mean, we have people who come to our council meetings and public meetings, but none of which are part of this group that’s brought forth the petition.”

Municipal Affairs will now begin the process of sending out a request for proposals to find an independent consultant, who will then conduct the investigation. After an inspector has been selected, it should take about six months to complete the inspection, at which point the results will be shared with the residents and council.

The province noted that the inspection can examine any matter connected with the management, administration, or operation of the municipality or any assessment prepared under Part 9 (Property Assessment) of the Municipal Government Act.

When asked by LNN for a copy of the petition, Municipal Affairs representatives stated that it should be obtained from the Village of Warner. Village staff then informed our newsroom that Chief Administrative Officer, Jon Hood, had to be the person to release the document, however, he has yet to respond to our inquiry. Attempts to reach those who launched the petition have also been unsuccessful.

Hood himself is facing additional controversy, as Milk River RCMP confirm he has been charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, in relation to an incident that occurred on Mar. 19. Alberta Justice noted that he is set to make a first court appearance on the matter on Apr. 24.

According to Global News Lethbridge, the charges stem from an alleged incident involving a Warner resident, after the inspection was ordered.