Around 30 people crowded into the Halkirk Community Hall for a special meeting on Oct. 11.
The meeting had been called at the request of the Mayor, Thomas Schmidt, to put to rest rumours and misinformation circulating around the community regarding the viability review and the process the council is now obligated to undergo.
“We have to follow the steps,” said Schmidt.
“We have to follow them in order.”
Schmidt noted that Municipal Affairs wants the village council to significantly increase taxes, something which they have so far refused to do. However, budgets have had to be trimmed, with the overall budget taking a cut of $4 million over the next few years.
Something Schmidt told the assembly was about the Municipal Affairs requirement to develop and enact bylaws for the community. According to Schmidt, since some of the bylaws had to be created anyways council took it as an opportunity to raise some money without raising taxes.
“(The bylaws weren’t) to be malicious,” said Schmidt.
“We must have bylaws.”
One resident noted that during the viability review, everything noted in the Municipal Affairs package stated that the village “should” do things found in the report, not “must,” and questioned how the village reconciled that fact.
“In the viability review, it was should,” stated Schmidt.
“Now, it is musts. Municipal Affairs says you do these things. You must drop assets.”
According to Schmidt, had the viability vote undertaken in the spring gone the other way, and the village and become a hamlet within the County of Paintearth, the county would have had to do the same things as the village is.
The contentious animal bylaw did get brought up by residents, and Schmidt informed those assembled that after hearing back from legal counsel, the bylaw would be changing.
“We cannot legally make people spay and neuter their pets,” said Schmidt.
“Spayed and neutered animals are going to be cheaper. The licensing bylaw has to be amended.”
Another issue brought forward at the meeting was the negativity in the village being shared on the internet, which is not encouraging people to come to the area.
“We need to cut back what is posted on there,” agreed Schmidt.
“You don’t want to air everyone’s dirty laundry.”
One resident brought up the issue that GST is being charged on water and sewer in the village now, when it had never been done so before and despite Canadian Revenue Agency documents which say that it is not allowed.
Schmidt acknowledged that he was unaware of the document being referred to.
“We have a real problem here,” said the resident.
“The chief administrative officer is making decisions without involving (council).”
Schmidt said that he would have the matter brought forward at the next council meeting.
Another resident asked about what is happening with breeders in the village, to which Schmidt confirmed there will be a municipality-wide vote, with one ballot per household, to decide the issue.
“Three people can’t decide that,” said Schmidt.
The meeting ran from 6 p.m. until a little after 7 p.m.