Town of Manning Viability Report
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Municipal Affairs, Government of Alberta Town of Manning Viability Review Report September 2020 © Government of Alberta www.alberta.ca Digital Version ISBN No. 978-1-4601-4842-6 Printed in Canada Viability Review Report | Town of Manning ii Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 4 Viability Review Timeline ............................................................................................................. 6 Review & Findings .......................................................................................................................... 8 Municipal Background .................................................................................................................. 8 Viability Review Process .............................................................................................................. 9 Sustainable Governance ........................................................................................................ 11 Administration & Operations................................................................................................... 15 Finances, Assessment & Taxation ......................................................................................... 18 Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................... 25 Services .................................................................................................................................. 30 Regional Cooperation ............................................................................................................. 34 Community Well-Being ........................................................................................................... 37 Appendix A: Recommendations ................................................................................................. 40 Appendix B: Performance Indicators ......................................................................................... 42 Appendix C: 10-Year Capital Plan ............................................................................................... 46 Appendix D: Financial Position ................................................................................................... 48 Appendix E: Summary of Public Input ....................................................................................... 50 Appendix F: Municipal Association Summary .......................................................................... 55 Appendix G: Vote on a Question ................................................................................................ 56 Viability Review Report | Town of Manning iii Executive Summary The viability review for the Town of Manning was initiated by the Minister of Municipal Affairs in response to a request from the Town of Manning Council. The viability review report was prepared by the Government of Alberta, with input from the Town of Manning and County of Northern Lights (CNL). The report presents a summary of the findings about the viability of the Town of Manning, including how municipal services are delivered to town residents, and the potential changes that Manning residents may expect to address current challenges. Two options for the future of Manning are presented: 1) the Town of Manning remains an incorporated municipality and council implements the recommended actions in this report according to directives that would be given by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, or 2) dissolve the municipal corporation of Manning and become part of the County of Northern Lights, while maintaining a name and community spirit as a hamlet. The County of Northern Lights would be the governing body for the purpose of municipal operations and services. This viability review report highlights some of the major similarities and differences under these two options, based on the information available at the time of writing. Town of Manning electors will have the opportunity to vote on these two options. In addition to this report, residents are encouraged to visit the websites of the Town of Manning and County of Northern Lights for further information regarding the governance and operations within the municipalities. Remaining a Town The Town of Manning has passed a bylaw to reduce the number of council members from seven to five. If Manning remains a town, residents can expect this new council structure to govern the municipality, beginning at the general election in October 2021. Manning council would continue to be responsible for the employment of a chief administrative officer (CAO), who along with other town staff would implement the decisions of council and oversee the administration and operation of the town. Viability Report | Town of Manning 4 Manning has experienced significant financial challenges and indicates that to address limited reserve funds, grant funding, and operations cash, it must continue to limit expenses. The Town does not expect to have a lot of funding for capital projects within future municipal budgets. Residents should anticipate that current service levels will be reviewed, with continued focus on cost recovery. This means there is a likelihood that town property taxes and user fees will increase over time, due to inflation, required infrastructure maintenance and replacement, and to maintain service levels. Town council and administration will continue to plan for infrastructure upgrades and maintenance and will apply for applicable grants to fund these projects. Projects within the comprehensive infrastructure study will be evaluated and assessed in relation to council priorities and availability of funding. If Manning remains a town, ministerial directives would be issued to help achieve long-term viability. The 23 recommendations within this report would provide the basis for these directives. Becoming a Hamlet within the County of Northern Lights If Manning becomes a hamlet in the County of Northern Lights, residents of Manning would be represented by two councillors for an electoral ward that would be established for Manning. The two councillors would join the existing seven county councillors, who represent seven electoral wards, for a resulting restructured county council of nine councillors representing eight wards. Two existing members of Manning council would be appointed to county council on an interim basis until the October 2021 general municipal election. The electoral ward for Manning with two councillors would continue for the general municipal election, and the County would conduct an electoral ward boundary review prior to the 2025 general election. The town office in Manning would be closed and administrative functions would be provided by the CNL office, also located in Manning. All Manning employees would become employees of the county upon dissolution. An organizational review would be completed to determine if any changes to staffing and service levels would be needed. The declining property tax base in Manning would affect the availability of future funding for services and infrastructure. Despite the county having a lower tax (mill) rate, it is not likely that property taxes would change much for Manning if it were to become a hamlet. Possible reductions to service levels may have to be considered in the future to contain costs. The county currently imposes a minimum tax of $50.00. CNL would inherit the municipal debt and infrastructure deficit from the Town of Manning. The county would consider the use of local improvement taxes for infrastructure upgrades or projects Viability Report | Town of Manning 5 that benefit Manning properties. This municipal taxation tool has been used previously for other hamlets in the county. Future infrastructure projects may also require multi-year savings to complete. The county would support community groups within Manning as it does within the county. This includes the Manning Municipal Library; the county would explore how library operations could be continued should the town dissolve. Viability Review Timeline The following timeline shows the steps that have been taken so far in the viability review. The mandate of Municipal Affairs was to develop and distribute a viability review report. The report has been distributed to all residents, property owners, and business owners in Manning. Initiation Infrastructure Audit Research & Analysis JAN 2020 - MAR – AUG MAR 2019 OCT 2019 MAR 2020 OCT 2020 SEP 2020 2020 Viability Screening/ Initial Public Input Report Distributed Minister Approval Next Steps Sharing of Viability Report and Public Information Sessions Municipal Affairs will hold public information sessions to review the viability review report on October 15, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. and October 16, 2020 at 10:00 a.m., both at the Royal Canadian Legion #139. The sessions will provide residents, property owners, and community stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions about the viability review report and the vote of electors (the presentation provided will be the same at both meetings; community members are invited to choose which session to attend). Viability Report | Town of Manning 6 Vote of Electors of the Town of Manning With the conclusion of Manning’s viability review, the Minister of Minister Affairs has determined that a vote of the electors of Manning will occur on a question of either remaining as a municipality