The Village of Delia is undergoing a Viability Review to map out its future and will be meeting with residents in the near future.
The Village of Delia Council made a motion at its October 2022 Council Meeting to apply to Municipal Affairs to have them conduct a Viability Review.
This came after a public meeting on September 8 of last year when the future of the Village was discussed. It was a fruitful discussion identifying many issues including the difficulty in hiring a CAO.
It was also discussed what it would look like if Delia were to dissolve and become part of Starland County. It was noted there are three ways for a Viability Review to be initiated. One through a petition, through the minister’s discretion, and it can be requested by the council, which is what happened in the case of Delia.
“The community asked the council to proceed with a viability study and they wanted us to do the instigation,” said mayor Dave Sisley.
Since making the motion, Municipal Affairs has begun its preliminary work on a Viability Review. It begins with a Ministry screening. If the minister decides a review is necessary they will then go into information collection. This will review the information supplied by the municipality being reviewed as well as the receiving municipality. They will also review the municipality’s finances and infrastructure. Stakeholder involvement can include written submissions, surveys, open houses and public meetings.
When this is complete they will present the report. It will show two options. One is a recommendation for the village to reach viability, and two, a description of the changes and impacts if the municipality were to be dissolved.
Residents will then have the public vote to determine the future. Depending on the results of the vote, the minister will either issue a ministerial directive or recommend municipal dissolution to the cabinets, which will make the final decision.