Kings County and Towns Examine New Ways to Plan

Yesterday afternoon councillors and planning staff from all Kings County municipal units were provided with an opportunity to discuss how planning could be improved in Kings County as a whole. This was part of the Kings 2050 collaboration, jointly funded by the county and towns, and professionally facilitated by Stantec. This blog shares my own perspective on this meeting. In attendance from Kings County were: Atwater, Bishop, Ennis, Hirtle, MacQuarrie, VanRooyen, Winsor and Raven. I'd encourage you to contact your own municipal representative for their perspective. I welcome your feedback.

 

The most effective part of the meeting for me was when we worked with two excellent case studies aimed at a practical examination of the challenges current boundaries and structures create for developers and businesses who might wish to create opportunities and employment in Kings County. I think these studies made the need for substantive change glaringly obvious.



Blomidon welcomes us as we travel home on the 101.
But home becomes only a place to visit if you must move away.

The "A" word (amalgamation) was a bit of an elephant in the room. When it did rear its ugly head, or not so ugly head, depending on your point of view, one attendee offered that amalgamation couldn't happen because “the towns” don’t want that.

 

I drew attention to Wolfville's recent notice of motion to other municipal units and the need to keep an open mind to all possible solutions.

Within the months immediately ahead, whether through 2050 or the push from the Kings Citizens Coalition, it is very likely that the current mismatch of Municipal Planning Strategies, agreements, sanctions, etc., across and between units will be thoroughly scrutinized with a view to change in the years immediately ahead. There appears to be broad agreement that the "status quo" must go.

 

At the last Kings Partnership Steering Committee Wolfville’s new CAO and new Mayor tabled a notice of motion that if accepted at our next meeting could lead to an independent study of governance in Kings County. The province has indicated that funds would be available for an independent study, if a commitment to action regarding its recommendations was agreed upon. In other words the results of the study would have to be used---not shelved. I’ve attached Wolfville’s notice of motion to the end of this post.

 

My sense based on yesterday is that staff from various planning departments might like one MPS and one planning department. The need for oversight (management) from a senior manager who wasn't on the payroll of any particular council was also raised.

 

I think it would be a positive step forward to have staff formally explore this further. I also sense that it is hard for staff to be truly forthcoming with ideas with their political masters in the room. Perhaps this would even impact recommendations if we weren’t present… The fear of colouring outside prescribed or perceived lines during volatile times takes massive courage or independent wealth!

 

The more I listen the more I see amalgamation as the most effective and efficient way of addressing the challenges ahead.  Does Kings County as a whole have time to go through several stages of this, that and the other change over several years? Are young families likely to wait while we get our house in order or will they continue to seek greener employment pastures and our economy weakens? 

 

The potential Michelin expansion and the strength of some sectors, like the continued growth of wineries will surely help Kings County despite the barriers to economic and community development inherent in our current municipal government structures.  

 

In the end municipal leaders will need to decide if they will let things slide or not. We can:

1.      Cross our fingers and hope the private sector will help us survive while we pay little more than lip service to the substantive changes required to our governance structures, or…

2.      Find the courage to roll up our sleeves and create the kind of functional structures and local government that will allow Kings County to become a better place to live and do business---and eventually---the best place to live and do business.

 

Wolfville’s Notice of Motion
 

That the Kings Regional Partnership Steering Committee undertake the following actions to lead to an eventual Regional Service Delivery and Governance Study:            

1. Create and recommend to the member councils a shared Vision, Mission and Goals.
2. Task the CAO support group with identifying existing shared services and potential shared services.
3. Recommend, based on the CAO Shared Services Report, to the member councils shared services to be looked at for implementation by the CAO support group.
4. Based on the new model of regional cooperation and the Vision of the group undertake a study on Regional Service Delivery and Governance in partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia, subject to available funding.