City to explore potential transition to Ward system, while Finance Committee approves adjustment of council salaries for 2019
LETHBRIDGE – The city’s Finance Committee has voted to refer recommendations for funding to potentially transition to a Ward system like those in Calgary and Edmonton, to the Open and Effective Government Committee (OEG), while also voting unanimously to top up salaries in anticipation of Canada Revenue fully taxing their take-home pay beginning January 1, 2019.
During day four of the week-long four-year Operating Budget deliberations, two initiatives, called the Citizen Assembly on a Ward System, and Transition to a Ward System were introduced that would give one-time funding of $75,000 from the MRSR (Municipal Revenue Stabilization Reserve) to determine the feasibility of a new electoral ward system, while the second initiative would also give one-time funding of $125,000 from the MRSR only if there was a recommendation from the first initiative to move forward.
Councillor Jeff Coffrey Coffman explained that a Citizen Assembly was an educational process made up of a few dozen selected individuals in the community that would look at all options and report back to Lethbridge citizens with a complete picture of how councillors could be selected. Residents would then choose what kind of system they wanted.
“Why wouldn’t we go the referendum route rather than assembly?” Asked Mayor Chris Spearman.