ARRAN — An informational meeting regarding the possible restructuring of the Village of Arran to be included within the RM of Livingston was held Aug. 24 at the Sunshine Centre in Arran.
No decisions were made, said Kelly Rea, who works as the administrator of both, the Village of Arran and the RM of Livingston. The meeting was held to explain to the public what it would look like if the Village became part of the rural municipality.
Small municipalities like Arran, which currently has a population of 20, have difficulty finding councillors to oversee the community because representatives must reside within the municipality, Rea said, adding that regulations regarding rural municipalities differ in that one may seek office if one owns property in the RM but one needs not reside in it.
If restructured to be a part of the RM, Arran’s costs for such things as auditing and administration would disappear, and services would be provided by the RM.
Currently the Village has no maintenance staff and if work needs to be done, it must be hired on a per job basis, she said.
If restructured, Arran could be a special service area within the RM, she said. The community could have its own mill rate, would still be known as Arran and residents would still be responsible for their own bills.
Unfortunately, only three Arran residents, and one from the RM attended the information meeting, she said.
Currently there is a grant available, Communities in Transition funding that could be used for water treatment and landfill decommissioning, which are needed by Arran, she said.
Both councils said they will talk about the restructuring, hash out plans, and call a further meeting in October or November when the plan would be discussed.
Once accepted locally, the plan would be sent to the government and the minister for approval.
There does not seem to be a downside to restructuring, Rea said, adding that most members of the RM council have roots in Arran and would be interested in reaching an agreement that would be the best for the people.
“Maybe it’s time,” said a person attending the meeting.
In the past, villages such as Wroxton were incorporated into the surrounding RM and still Wroxton remains an entity on the map, it just lost its status as a “village,” Rea said.
