By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Municipal Inspection Report Calls Out Fort Macleod Council for “Dysfunctional” Leadership

Jul 26, 2016 | 12:51 PM

FORT MACLEOD – A Municipal Inspection Report has been released for the Town of Fort Macleod, and it paints a less than glowing picture of the community’s leadership.

The report – which includes recommendations to improve the highlighted issues – says the town experienced “dysfunctional municipal leadership”, describing it as “a town against itself”.

It also noted a lack of understanding of the roles and responsibilities, resulting in a division on council and the sanctioning of the mayor, which led to an unsuccessful lawsuit against his fellow councillors.

Alberta Municipal Affairs launched the inspection into management, administration and operations following a petition in March of 2015, in which community members asked the province to conduct an inquiry into the mayor’s actions.

Fort Macleod Chief Administrative Officer, Sue Keenan, noted that the town held a community meeting Monday night (July 25) to review the report, and that it was very well received with about 157 residents coming out.

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“We need some strong leadership from council,” stated Keenan. “They were made very aware of that last night, based on the directives that came from the minister with respect to what we need to see with our council, and having a more harmonious relationship and getting things done and achieving some good things for the residents of the town.”

Keenan explained that a new director of financial services was hired late last year, and he has already started working to improve financial reporting and accountability.

Included in the list of recommendations, the report says council must take roles and responsibility training with regular refreshers.

Strategic planning also came up several times in the list of recommendations, with a specific note that the town’s electrical utility needs to be addressed to ensure it’s dependable going forward. Keenan acknowledged that the electrical department and water treatment plant have been neglected for far too long, saying it will likely take several years to catch them up.

In the meantime, the sanctions against Mayor Rene Gendre have been extended for another six months, as Keenan noted, “ongoing issues at the council table”. She explained that the inspection report pointed out that Gendre ignored the sanctions for a large part of the last year.

That said, Keenan’s hopeful that with help from Alberta Community Development and Municipal Affairs, they will be able to keep council on track and get them to provide a direction and game plan for town staff.

The next election in Fort Macleod is scheduled for the fall of 2017.