From the latest Municipal Info Note

The CCRC is happy to announce that the pilot phase of the Municipal Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit is drawing to a close. We would like to thank the following towns for participating in the pilot phase: St. Anthony, Change Islands, Come By Chance, Leading Tickles and Flowers Cove. With comments collected from these towns the CCRC will now evaluate the Self-Assessment process and make changes as required before moving toward a province wide roll out. This Self-Assessment process is an excellent first step in developing the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete by 2010 to have continued access to gas tax funding. The CCRC will remain involved in the development of the ICSP process and continue to keep municipalities up to date on the roll out of the Self-Assessment around the province.

On January 14th the CCRC facilitated a meeting that involved the towns of Musgrave Harbour, Lumsden, New-Wes-Valley, Greenspond and Centervill-Wareham-Trinity on the topic of regional cooperation in the form of a new joint council. Joint councils are becoming a popular form of cooperation around the province as towns discover that a larger regional voice is more effective and that joint councils provide an excellent opportunity to share concerns with limited commitment. These five towns and two Local Service Districts will now have the opportunity to become part of a regional cooperative effort to improve relationships and increase their lobbying efforts to the benefit of residents in the region. The CCRC is proud to continue our commitment to communities involved in cooperative efforts around the province.

Another Successful Meeting

This past Monday evening, January 14th, 25 municipal leaders met to discuss the possibility of froming a new Joint Council. The towns represented at the meeting were Musgrave Harbour, Lumsdon, New Wes Valley, Indian Bay and Centerville Wareham Trinity. Currently there are approximately 14 Joint Councils in most every region of the province. Petty Harbour Maddox Cove Deputy Mayor Sam Stack is the Chair of the North East Avalon Joint Council and he was also in attendance to describe to those present the activities and operations of his Joint Council. Also in attendance was Kelly Vodden who has researched Joint Councils around the Province and is also a resident of the area. Both Sam and Kelly are also members of the CCRC advisory Committee and their involvement and expertise was welcomed by the group.

Joint Councils are becoming very popular around the Province as they provide an excellent opportunity for neighbouring municipalities to communicate and advocate on issues of common concern. Another advantage that some see is that the level of commitment is entirely up the the towns involved as these Joint Councils have no legal standing and operate on a volunteer basis. There are other options available to towns interested in higher levels of cooperation but joint councils can provide considerable gain while still allowing towns to maintain complete control over their own affairs.

These towns now have the information necessary to make an educated decision as to their involvement in a joint council. Check back as the CCRC remains involved in the process and updates will appear here as they happen. For more information on Joint Councils or other forms of municipal cooperation please contact the CCRC.

2008 The year of Cooperation

Well it is for the CCRC anyway. This year we have many ongoing and planed projects to help municipalities work together to improve their sustainability. One ongoing project is our Municipal Self Assessment and I'm glad to report that another of the pilots has been completed. On January 7th the Town of Come By Chance went through the Self Assessment process and they seemed quite pleased with the process. I'm still trying to arrange the remaining pilot assessments but they have to be completed soon as the CCRC Advisory Committee has to review the entire pilot process before the project can be released across the province. As usual there are many projects the CCRC is involved with and that currently includes the possibility of a new Joint Council and continued work on Fogo Island assisting with their ongoing analysis of their existing municipal structure.

Cheers