Clearwater County will be meeting with the Village of Caroline for more amalgamation negotiations this week.

The meetings will take place from Jan. 25-26, at the County’s Main Administration Building, beginning at 9:00 a.m..

On Nov. 2, 2023, the first meeting of Clearwater County and Village of Caroline amalgamation committee of the whole was held in Clearwater Chamber. According to the County, these meetings mark the beginning of formal negotiations with a focus on transparency through live-streaming and recording.

County officials say the establishments of the amalgamation committee comes from recently passed bylaws that enable the two municipalities to formally enter negotiations prior to making a decision on whether or not to pursue amalgamation.

County officials say it is important to note that no final decision has been made yet about amalgamation by either Village Council or Clearwater County Council. Officials add, the decision must be made by both the County and the Village, and then a request be sent to the provincial government.

Following a two-day meeting on December 4-5, 2023, the Amalgamation Committee made up of all Clearwater County and Village of Caroline Councils negotiated seven of 24 mandatory items as required for the final report to Municipal Affairs.

The item outcomes are listed below.

Municipal Boundary

The new municipality’s boundaries will be the same as the current boundaries of Clearwater County and, that Caroline, as a hamlet in the newly amalgamated municipality, will have the same boundaries as the current boundaries of the Village of Caroline.

Municipal Status

The new municipality’s municipal status will be a ‘municipal district’.

Municipal Name

The new municipality’s name will be ‘Clearwater County’, and the Village of Caroline will become a hamlet and remain “Caroline”.

Council Representation

The new municipality will be represented by seven (7) council members, one per each ward/division, and that the Chief Elected Official is appointed by council from among councillors.

Electoral Ward

The new municipality will be divided into seven (7) electoral wards/divisions.

Chief Administrative Officer

Rick Emmons will be the Chief Administrative Officer for the new amalgamated municipality.

Location of Municipal Office

The new municipality’s main municipal office will be located at 4340-47 Avenue, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, with a mailing and email address as follows: Box 550, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta T4T 1A4, admin@clearwatercounty.ca.

The Committee also approved an amended stakeholder participation letter to be mailed out at the end of December with a response timeframe of 30 days. News releases and fact sheets will continue to be made available following each Committee meeting, say County officials.