The big issue facing voters in Clearwater County is whether they want to stick with council’s current format or elect a reeve at large.
Following debates in county council earlier this year, officials have decided to include a plebiscite during the Oct. 18 municipal election. It will concern the county’s council format, in which the reeve is chosen during annual organizational meetings from among the seven councillors, one from each division.
Councillors had been divided during debate on the issue, which came up after a number of other rural municipalities either made the change or set the process in motion, chief administrative officer Ron Leaf said on Monday.
Electing a reeve or mayor at large is an emerging trend among rural municipalities that had traditionally selected their reeve from within council, said Leaf.
Voters in Red Deer County will elect a mayor for the second time while Mountain View and Knee Hill have been talking about making the change, he said.
Clearwater voters will be asked whether they want councillors to continue selecting the reeve or if they would prefer to vote for a reeve during municipal elections. No discussion has been held so far on which term — reeve or mayor — would be appropriate for the new office, should it come to fruition said Leaf.
A second question will ask, if the change is made, whether the county should cut back to six divisions or expand to eight. The change in numbers would be necessary to ensure that there is an uneven number of votes on council motions and resolutions, said Leaf.
It means voters will be called to the polls even in those two divisions in which the candidates were acclaimed, he said. Depending on the results of the plebiscite, Clearwater County’s new council will have until the next election, set for October 2013, to decide which direction it will take.
Choices are going to be much simpler for citizens in the Town of Rocky Mountain House and there will be no choices at all for voters in the Village of Caroline.
While Rocky Mayor Jim Bague faces a challenge from candidate Fred Nash, nominations for council seats remain open. Only five candidates, all incumbents, had stepped forward for the six positions available when nominations closed on Monday.
The Village of Caroline has acclaimed its entire council of five, including three incumbents. Caroline’s mayor will be chosen from among the councillors.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com