The Village of Carbon and Kneehill County have reached an agreement that will mutually benefit both municipalities.
The pair have agreed to a pilot program which will see the Village contract Kneehill County for the services of a CAO on a part-time basis.
Carbon Mayor Travis Cormier explains currently they have an interim CAO. In this agreement, they would have a part-time CAO who would spend approximately three days working for the village.
“They (Kneehill) need a new position filled. But they are not ready for a person full-time yet. So we made an agreement with them, they are going to hire the person, and we will have them three days a week as our CAO,” he said, adding they hope to have a person in place by March to succeed their current interim CAO Jeanette Austin.
Kneehill County Council approved the agreement at their January 28 meeting.
With the agreement, the person will be employed by Kneehill, but the county is not in charge of the village, and it remains an independent entity. While serving in the capacity of CAO, the employee is to act in the best interest of the village, even if it is in opposition to the position of the county.
The village would also be responsible for costs directly related to village activities such as attending conferences. The contract is for two years, and Mayor Cormier sees it as a positive.
“It's good for us because we can piggyback on the knowledge from Kneehill County and CAO Mike Haugen,” said Cormier.
He adds this helps them fill a need that right now proves difficult.
“With the Viability Study potential, it’s hard to advertise for a full-time CAO and then tell them in the interview if the viability study goes wrong, you going to be out of a job,” he said. “With viability study coming we thought it was our best option.”