Residents of the Village of Gadsby are heading to the polls again, this time to vote on whether their municipality should be dissolved.
Alberta Municipal Affairs decided to expedite a viability study of the village, following the resignations of its chief administrative officer and three-member council in May.
The County of Settler’s chief administrative officer, Yvette Cassidy, was appointed to conduct monthly council meetings in the village, located 20 minutes east of Stettler.
She says if residents choose to become a part of the county, they would become the Hamlet of Gadsby.
“Nothing changes,” Cassidy said this week
“Residents would still have their same mailing addresses, their identity, but they would just be underneath the County of Stettler,” she said.
Cassidy said the county would work with the village just as it has with the other six hamlets in the area.
“We have been trying to run the village as efficiently as possible, but how residents decide to vote is totally up to them,” Cassidy said.
A letter from Alberta Municipal Affairs, sent to village residents on Oct. 18, details results of the viability report.
The report provides an analysis on the state of the village, details of an infrastructure audit, as well as a description of what could be expected if the village dissolves.
Cassidy says if residents decide to disband the village, she would recommend residents be taxed at the same rate as the rest of the county’s ratepayers.
“But we respect their decision, whatever it is,” Cassidy said.
A public meeting, hosted by Municipal Affairs, will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Gadsby Community Hall for residents to gain more information.
A vote on dissolutiion will take place Nov. 13 and 14.