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.