Amalgamation disccussion takes place at public meeting in Gladstone
- Details
- Published on Monday, April 8, 2013
By: Lanny Stewart
myWestman.ca
The Town of Gladstone held a public meeting last Thursday night and the topic of amalgamation was a major talking point among those in attendance.
Gladstone mayor Eileen Clarke says approximately 60 people took part in what was the town's first public meeting in about three years.
The Town introduced some of its new staff to the public, presented the 2013 budget and also had an amalgamation discussion, which included a 15-20 minute presentation by Clarke.
She says in her presentation, it included reasoning as to why the decision was made to not amalgamate at the present time.
"We touched on input from community members that seemed fine with it," she said. "I think they were aware that it was the decision we had made but we wanted to make sure if there was any additional questions or concerns in regards to our decision.
"We wanted some feedback, so we felt this was the best opportunity to have a forum whereby they could express their concerns or agree that it was the best thing," she continued.
Clarke says the response from the community was positive after her presentation had concluded.
"A member from the audience got up and indicated that all his questions had been answered and said that our council had done a very good job of assessing our needs and giving out a kind of a report card on where Gladstone was at," she said.
"There was a resounding applause after that and it indicated to me that everyone was pretty much in agreement," she continued.
The amalgamation discussion stems from the province wanting all municipalities with less than 1,000 people to amalgamate with a nearby area.
The meeting also included a presentation from the public works assistant supervisor regarding the town's new assets management program and the technology that is currently in place. There were also pdates on some of the committees, including the citizens on patrol program, which is looking for new members.
