Glossary: Common Words Used in Municipal Government

Resources for Learning about Municipal Government Glossary Common words used in municipal government

Acclamation: A candidate is elected by Authority: The power and permission to speak, acclamation when there are no opponents make decisions, give orders, and enforce rules. running against him or her in an election. Boundary: An imaginary line or border that Accountability: People are expected to be indicates the limits or extent of an area. responsible for their actions and may be Budget: An estimate of income (also called required to explain them to others. revenue or money coming in) and expenditures Representatives are accountable to the (money that is spent) for a set period of time. residents of the municipality in which they are elected. Built environment: the buildings and spaces in a municipality, such as homes, schools, parks, Administration: The people in the municipal commercial, and industrial areas, as well as the organization who are responsible for making infrastructure that supports and connects sure policies and decisions of council are them, such as roads and sidewalks. carried out for the day-to-day operations. The head of administration is the Chief By-election: an election held to fill a vacant Administrative Officer. position at a date other than the general election date if an elected municipal official Advisory council: a group of people who are must step down or resign part way through appointed to help with the implementation of his/her four-year term of office. the policies and decisions of an area. For example, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is Bylaw: a law passed and enforced by a local responsible for improvement districts (ID), and authority in accordance with the powers given to an elected advisory council guides the activities that authority. In Alberta, the authority to make of the ID. bylaws is given to municipal governments through the Municipal Government Act. Appointed: being hired into, designated, or chosen for a role. In some municipalities, the Bylaw enforcement officers: municipal mayor or reeve is chosen by and from the employees who enforce the bylaws of the group of councillors who have been elected by municipality. the citizens. The Chief Administrative Officer is hired by council and appointed to the position.

www.alberta.ca/municipal-government-education-and-training ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: January 2020 | ISBN Electronic: Candidate: a person nominated to run for Council: refers to people who are elected election for a position on council. officials responsible for representing the interests of their residents. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO): The main appointed official of a municipality who is Councillor / Elected Official / Council Member: responsible for the day-to-day operations of Councillors are elected representatives of the the municipality. The CAO hired is hired by the municipality. municipal council to lead and manage the Council meeting: meetings of the elected municipality’s employees. members of council, where community Chief Elected Official: the person who leads concerns, issues, policies, projects, and actions and is the public spokesperson for the council are debated, discussed and vote upon. and the municipality. The title of the Chief County / Municipal District: a rural area that Elected Official in a municipality is generally can include many different landscapes such as Mayor or Reeve. farmland, forested areas, mountains and Citizen: a person who lives in a municipality. parkland. Counties can include smaller communities such as hamlets or country City: a large urban municipality with a residential subdivisions. population of at least 10 000 people. Country residential subdivisions: areas that are Community: a group of people who have usually in a municipal district or county, but something in common, such as a geographic near an urban community, on which housing is location, a common identity, or shared goals. built. Community Scan: a description of ways of life, Democracy: a system of government in which questions, decisions, interests and issues that people choose their rulers by voting for them in influence and affect the community. A elections. community scan collects information and examples about the community, and identifies Development: can refer to an area of houses or issues and challenges that municipal buildings which have been built by property governments can deal with. developers, or changes in a municipality, such as new projects, neighbourhoods, buildings, Consensus: a general agreement between facilities and services. individuals or groups of people. Electors / Electorate: those people who can Constituents: The residents, property owners, elect, or vote for, representatives who are and business owners in a municipality, responsible for making decisions and generally considered to be those who are able representing the people who live and work in a to vote in an election. particular area. In Alberta, a person can vote in

www.alberta.ca/municipal-government-education-and-training ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: January 2020 | ISBN Electronic: municipal elections if the person is at least 18 municipality) or organization (e.g. non-profit years old, is a Canadian citizen, has lived in society). Alberta for six months before the election day Governance: the rules and processes that guide and resides in the municipality on election day. the way decisions are made in and between Elected at-large: Councillors are elected by all formal institutions, such as governments, eligible voters in the municipality. schools, or businesses.

Election: An election is a process in which Hamlet: a community of five or more dwellings, people vote to choose a person or group of boundaries that help identify the community, a people to hold an official position, such as name, and contains land that is used for non- residents voting for municipal councillors. residential purposes.

Electoral Division/District/Ward: a geographic Improvement District (ID): The provincial area that a municipality can use to divide areas government is responsible for all of the for election purposes, based on the number of functions of municipal government in people who live there. A municipality may have improvement districts, including the levy and one or more councillors for every electoral collection of taxes. The residents of an division. improvement district may elect representatives, who are subsequently Electoral process: the manner in which voters appointed by the Minister, to an advisory elect representatives from those nominated as council that assists in its administration and candidates in an election. governance. Five of the eight IDs in Alberta are Expenses / Expenditures: money that used to located in national parks. purchase goods and services. Legislation: laws that are put into place and Family and community support services enforced by a government. (FCSS): a service area in a municipality that Levy: an amount of money charged and provides programs such as Meals-on-Wheels, collected. seniors transportation, youth recreation programs, and mental health supports. Lobby: to try to influence and put pressure on representatives from different levels of First Nations reserve: a legal entity that is not government to make their opinions known part of any municipality. The federal through strategies such as media campaigns government is responsible for First Nations and petitions. reserves. Lobby group is a group that tries to change or Govern: to make decisions for or have control influence policy or legislation towards its over a specific geographic area (e.g. a interests.

Local authorities: are areas in Alberta that parkland. Municipal districts can include provide governance to a geographic area. smaller communities such as hamlets or Examples of local authorities are municipalities, country residential subdivisions. improvement districts, regional health Municipal Employees: people who are hired to authorities, and school districts. work for the municipality and are responsible Local / General Elections: residents of the for following its policies as well as providing community vote for individuals who will services to the community. represent their interests on the municipality’s Municipal Government Act (MGA): The council. Local elections are held every four Municipal Government Act is the legislative years in Alberta. framework in which all municipalities and municipal Local / Municipal Government: the level of entities across the Province of Alberta operate. government given the power to make decisions Under the Municipal Government Act (MGA), municipalities are responsible for providing good that relate to local issues and services. Local government; services, facilities or other things that, governments work within communities to in the opinion of council, are necessary or desirable represent the interests and goals of community for all or a part of the municipality; and to develop members, and make decisions on what services and maintain safe and viable communities. will be provided in the community. Municipality: Municipalities have clearly Mandatory: something that is required. defined boundaries and are formed to provide Mayor / Reeve: the title of a Chief Elected government to the population within those Official. The Chief Elected Official is the person boundaries. who chairs council meetings and is the public Neighbourhood: an area within a community. spokesperson for the council and municipality. Neighbourhoods usually have boundaries that Métis settlements: There are eight in Alberta define their area and a population. that were established by the Métis Settlements Nominated: when a person has been chosen or Act of Alberta. Métis settlements are not is supported to run for an elected position. considered to be municipalities, but are treated like a form of local government. Non-profit organizations: groups or organizations that are usually formed to Municipal Council: the group of people who support public or private interests without are elected to make decisions on behalf of expecting to make a profit by doing so. Non- people who live in the municipality. profit organizations can support activities Municipal District / County: a rural areas that related to protecting the environment, can include many different landscapes such as protecting animal interests, providing support farmland, forested areas, mountains and programs for seniors and children or providing recreation or sports to a community.

Non-residential land: land without residents or dividing the number of people living in an area dwellings in which people live. Examples by the square kilometres of land in that area. include land where stores, office buildings or Press Release: informs the local media about car lots are located. an event, a report or an issue. A press release Peace Officers: trained professionals who are gives reporters information they need to write appointed by the provincial government and a news story. hired by municipalities. They have very specific Priorities: choices that are considered to be the and limited law enforcement authority in such most important. areas as liquor, traffic and noxious weeds. Private spaces: areas that are used by an Penalty: a punishment that is applied if rules individual, such as a locker or desk. In a are not followed. municipality, private spaces may include Petition: a document that presents a point of privately-owned businesses that set hours view on an issue and is signed by people who when people can come in, private homes, or support that view. Petitions are sometimes land. used as a tool to communicate a point of view Property: land, buildings and businesses in a to government. municipality. Police service: In Alberta, most municipalities Property assessment: the process of placing a receive their police service from the Royal dollar value on land and property Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). A number of developments. This value is used when municipalities provide police service using their calculating the amount of property taxes that own municipal police forces. In addition, there will be charged to the owner of this land or are First Nation police departments such as the property. Blood Tribe Police and the Tsuu T’ina Nation Police that provide policing services to their Property Taxes: an amount of money charged individual communities on reserves. to property owners in the municipality based on the value of the land and any developments Policies: guidelines that determine how (e.g. buildings on the land). services and programs will be provided by a municipality. Provincial government is the level of government that is responsible for looking after Population: the people who inhabit, or live in, the needs and interests of the province as a an area. Also the number of people in a group. whole. Population density: a measurement of Public lands: Lands owned by the provincial population in an area which is calculated by government, which are generally used for grazing, cultivation or irrigation.

Public spaces: shared spaces in a municipality, Revenue: money that comes into a municipality such as roads, streets and sidewalks, parks, through various methods, such as taxes, levies, recreational facilities, and libraries. and sale of land.

Public works: services and facilities such as Rural: areas with farming and agricultural roads and streets, sidewalks and lighting, storm activities, generally with a relatively low water management, equipment management, population density. engineering and public transit. Solid waste management: methods of dealing Regional health authorities: local authorities with household, commercial, industrial, and that have representatives appointed to provide agricultural waste. public services for health care. Special Areas: an area of local authority in east- Regional school divisions: local authorities that central Alberta. The purpose of a special area is elect representatives to provide public services to provide administration of Crown land and for education. came about when the province took ownership of large areas of land resulting from unpaid Representative democracy: provides residents taxes during the Depression. with the ability to elect a representative to govern and make decisions on their behalf. Special interest group: a group with an interest in a specific area that works to promote its Representatives: people who are elected or beliefs, values and views. appointed to represent the residents of a municipality or local authority, discuss issues Specialized municipality: a type of municipality and ideas in council meetings or board that is formed when other types do not suitably meetings and let people know about their meet the needs of its residents. Specialized decisions. municipalities may include both urban and rural characteristics in one municipality. Alberta Resident: people who live, or reside, within a examples include Strathcona County and the municipality. Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Resolution: A record of a municipal council’s Strategic plan: used to set the direction for the decision on an issue and the action it wishes to future of the municipality. It is a statement of take relating to that issue. beliefs, principles or guidelines that guide the Resources: the useful or valuable possessions work of an organization, and considers the or qualities of a country, organization or roles and responsibilities of the people person. Resources can come from the involved. environment as well as from the products and Summer village: are a form of government that services that people in a municipality or was designed to meet the needs of part-time community make and provide.

www.alberta.ca/municipal-government-education-and-training ©2020 Government of Alberta | Published: January 2020 | ISBN Electronic: residents in specific areas, often next to lakes. Village: an urban municipality that can be Summer villages required at least 60 per cent of formed if there is a population of at least 300 the land to have buildings used as dwellings. A people. summer village may no longer be created. Volunteer: a person who provides time and Sustainable: maintaining at a certain level. At services to support activities and people, the municipal level, this can involve ensuring without expecting any financial fee or reward. there are enough resources for the future of Voter: a person who has the legal right to vote the community when making decisions for the in an election. present. Ward / Electoral Division: a specific area used Taxes: an amount of money that is charged and to divide a municipality for the purposes of collected on such things as property, income elections, based on the number of people who and business profits, or added to the cost of live there. The council of a municipality may some goods, services, and transactions. have one or more councillors for every ward. Term of office: the length of time that a Wastewater management: providing a system representative holds an elected position. In to dispose of water that has been used by Alberta, the term of office for a municipal residents of a municipality. councillor is four years. Water services: involve using a water resource Town: an urban municipality that can be and, in some municipalities, the storage of formed when an area has at least 1 000 people. treated and untreated water. Water service Urban: areas in which there are cities, towns also includes the movement of untreated water and villages. Urban areas often have a higher to a treatment facility, the storage of treated population density than rural areas. water in a reservoir, and a pipe or distribution system to homes, businesses and industry. User fees: fees for using services and are commonly used to pay for utilities such as water services, sewer and garbage pick-up.

Utilities: services such as water services, wastewater management, and solid waste Illustration or management. photo, use Viable: Something that has the ability to work successfully, to grow, and develop. “In Line with Text”