Clearwater County and the Village of Caroline have set amalgamation meetings for later this month.

The amalgamation meetings will take place on Jan. 25 and Jan. 26. at 9:00 a.m. at Clearwater County’s main administration building.

County officials say it is important to note 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 will be sent to the Province of Alberta.

At the last amalgamation 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, which 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 previously an amended stakeholder participation letter to be mailed out at the end of December with a response timeframe of 30 days. Officials say news releases and fact sheets will continue to be made available following each Committee meeting.

The negotiation discussions will continue at the next meeting on January 25-26, 2024. The Committee says it is dedicated to transparently informing the public about each negotiation item, endeavoring to exemplify the importance of open communication with the public. These amalgamation Committee meetings are live-streamed and recorded on Clearwater County’s YouTube Channel.