Public Meeting
Amalgamation
November 7, 2013

• Amalgamation is the dissolution of one or more business entities and the transfer of business of the dissolved entity to another entity.
• In this situation, it means the end of the RM of
Glenella and the beginning of a newly amalgamated municipality.

• In November 2012, during the presentation of the throne speech, it was announced that all
Municipalities with a population of under
1000 must submit an amalgamation plan with a neighboring municipality to the Province by
December 1, 2013.
• In September 2013, Bill 33, The Municipal
Modernization Act was passed.

• No. The Province is using the census of 2011 as their base mark and 1000 population as the only determining factor in what makes a viable municipality.
• Municipalities were created by the Province and are therefore subject to their wishes.
• Bill 33 gives the Province the authority to force amalgamations on all municipalities under 1000 population.

• Yes. We have always fulfilled our municipal obligations. We have our audits completed in a timely fashion, we are fully PSAB compliant, we report to the Province on time, have not had any problems finding and maintaining qualified staff and have never had a problem filling Council positions during an election.
• We are not close to our borrowing capacity and do not carry unreasonable debt.
• The fact that we are under 1000 in population makes no difference to our operations, we have the same square miles to maintain that we have always had.
• It is extremely disappointing that the Province only uses the 1000 population as their base mark, there are many other issues that could be considered.

• The Province has stated that our amalgamation partner must share a municipal boundary with us. The municipalities that we share boundaries with are RM of McCreary, RM of Alonsa, RM of
Lakeview, RM of Westbourne, RM of Lansdowne and RM of Rosedale.
• The Province has also stated that the amalgamated municipality must have a population of at least 1000.

• The RM of McCreary advised us that they were preparing an amalgamation plan with the Village of
McCreary.
• The RM of Alonsa, RM of Rosedale and RM of
Westbourne are all over the 1000 threshold and are therefore not required to submit an amalgamation plan.
• A letter was sent to The RM of Lakeview requesting a meeting, however they were not interested in meeting with us, and their municipality was too small to satisfy the combined 1000 population.

• A letter was sent to the RM of Lansdowne to discuss amalgamation, and an initial joint meeting of both Councils was held June 20, 2013.
• A second joint meeting of both Councils was held
November 1, 2013.
• Their municipality is very similar to the RM of
Glenella. We are both farming communities and each have one Village.
• Both Councils felt an amalgamation plan could be done with minimal impact to their ratepayers.

• No. A letter was received on Tuesday, November 5,
2013 from the Province stating the RM of Glenella and the RM of Lansdowne will be amalgamation partners.
Included in their letter was a draft amalgamation plan that stated if we did not provide an alternative plan the name of the newly amalgamated municipality would be “Municipality of Number Ten”
• Prior to receiving this letter, we were already in discussions with the RM of Lansdowne and have drafted an alternative plan to the one proposed by the
Province.

• RM of Glenella
• RM of Lansdowne
• Combined population
POP 522
POP 723
1245
• The newly amalgamated municipality will be a rural municipality. The proposed name is
Municipality of Glenella-Lansdowne.

• The Municipal Office for the newly amalgamated municipality will be in Glenella.
A satellite office will be maintained in Arden.
• The Glenella Branch of the BPCU will have the bank account of the newly amalgamated municipality. Deposits made from the Arden office will be done in Neepawa and deposited into the Glenella Branch.

• The newly amalgamated municipality will have one Reeve (Head of Council) who will be elected at large.
• The newly amalgamated municipality will have six wards with one Councillor elected in each ward.
• Currently the RM of Glenella has 4 wards and the
RM of Lansdowne has 5 wards so this will be an combined reduction of 3 councillors and 1 Reeve
(4 members of Council)

• The LUD of Glenella will be dissolved. Section
56 of the Municipal Act states that a local urban district may be formed if it has at least
250 residents and a population density of at least 400 residents per square kilometer. The
LUD of Glenella does not meet these requirements as the current population is well below 250 residents.

• Our Assessment Officer, Glen Bell, confirmed that the assessment of your property is based on the market value and sale prices of similar properties in your area. He does not expect that amalgamation with the RM of Lansdowne will have an effect on the assessment of your property.

• It means the operating budget that was prepared for the Village will be included in the overall budget of the municipality and all expenses and income will be at large instead of some urban and some rural.
• The Councillor of the Ward that the Village is in will be the representative of the Village on the newly amalgamated municipal Council.
• The newly amalgamated municipality will continue to grade/snowplow and gravel the streets, snowblow the sidewalks, mow the ditches and parks as is done now.
• Any additional drainage works including sidewalk repairs , culverts and ditching will be part of the overall operating budget and overseen by the newly amalgamated municipality.

• Transitional measures will be used for municipal taxation and differential mill rates will be used for at least the first term of
Council of the newly amalgamated municipality.
• This means that services that were provided and taxed in the municipality of Glenella will still be provided and taxed in the municipality of Glenella and vice versa.

Amalgamated RM RM
At Large Glenella Lansdowne
Assessments 46,714,950 15,318,480 31,396,470
Mill rates Projected Current Difference
At Large 7.977
Glenella Service Area 26.863
Lansdowne Service Area 22.325
Total Mill Rate – Glenella 34.840 38.650 -3.810
Total Mill Rate – Lansdowne 30.752 30.301 - .469
*Figures based on 2013 budget and assessments

• Neither municipality is carrying much debt.
Both municipalities have a debenture which relates to the building of the personal care home in Neepawa which was taken out at the same time and have the same years remaining. It was calculated on a per capita basis and does not change now that the two have amalgamated.

• Both municipalities also have a debenture relating to an equipment purchase, the RM of
Glenella purchased a backhoe, the RM of
Lansdowne purchased a grader. These debts remain with the initial municipality.
• The RM of Lansdowne also has a debenture related to the water & sewer lines installed in the
Village of Arden. This debenture is charged solely to the property owners who are in the Village of
Arden as a local improvement tax, this will not change in amalgamation.

• Reserve funds will be carried forward for the purpose that they were originally intended for.
• Equipment reserve funds will continue to be used for future equipment purchases.
• Fire dept reserve funds will continue to be used for future fire dept purchases.
• Building reserve fund will continue to be used for future building expenditures.
• The LUD reserve fund will remain and be used for future expenditures within the Village of Glenella

• Each municipality currently has a municipal shop and equipment. Both existing shops will continue to be maintained in each municipality along with the current equipment.
• Amalgamation does not change the number of roads we have to maintain, or the equipment and staff required to do it.

• Existing Fire departments will continue to be maintained in both municipalities along with both Firehalls and Fire Equipment.
• Amalgamation does not change the importance of maintaining this department, the number of firefighters or the fire equipment.

• The next general municipal election will be held on October 22, 2014. On that date, the
Council of the newly amalgamated municipality will be elected. However, they do not take office until January 1, 2015.
• The term of office for the existing Councils of the RM of Glenella and RM of Lansdowne will be extended to December 31, 2014

• Between the date of the election and December
31, 2014, the existing Councils have administrative authority only and may not make any decisions that bind the new amalgamated
Council.
• On January 1, 2015, the newly amalgamated municipality is in effect and begin to operate at the start of the municipality’s fiscal year.
• The elected Council of the newly amalgamated municipality will take office on January 1, 2015.

• A copy of this presentation will be added to the municipal website www.glenella.ca
tomorrow.
• A copy of the final amalgamation plan will be added to the website when it is submitted to the Province.
• Additional questions may be emailed to the municipal office at rmofglen@inetlink.ca