The City of Wetaskiwin and County of Wetaskiwin have been working together to create an Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) between the two municipalities as required by the provincial government.
The ICF was adopted by the City of Wetaskiwin Council at their Sept. 28, 2020 meeting when they approved Bylaw 1697-20 and by the County of Wetaskiwin Council at their Oct. 13, 2020 meeting when they approved Bylaw 2020/48.
“Continuing to build a strong relationship with the County included reaching agreements through the ICF,” said Tyler Gandam, Mayor of the City of Wetaskiwin. “Although it was a long process, I want to thank both the County and City Administration as well as the County Councillors who took part in the groundwork to develop a strong agreement. It will be important to build from the ICF’s as we continue to work together in the future.”
Services that these ICFS highlight include recreation, mutual aid agreements, road use, and various other areas of mutual agreement and cooperation.
An ICF is a tool entered into between two or more municipalities that share borders and is intended to meet the following objectives:
• Provide for integrated and strategic planning, delivery, and funding of intermunicipal services.
• Ensure limited available resources are used efficiently to provide services to residents.
• Ensure that municipalities contribute reasonable funding to those services that are beneficial to their residents.
The County and City’s Councils have also approved Bylaws establishing an Intermunicipal Committee to help strengthen relations between County Council and City Council. This part of the ICF allows for both municipalities to have a formal channel for on-going discussions and agreements.
“County Council would like to thank the work of the Intermunicipal Committee in developing this ICF,” said Terry Van de Kraats, County of Wetaskiwin Councillor Division 2. “We look forward to continuing to build our relationship with the City and engage in more formal meetings to further enhance our region.”