A group of Northwest region communities are going to be honored a second time next week for their efforts towards a shared services agreement.
Several RMs, towns and villages from the region have received the Saskatchewan Municipal Award for Regional Cooperation for their Planning for Growth Services Agreement.
Recognized were the RMs of Mervin, Frenchman Butte, Parkdale and Turtle River, Town of Turtleford, Villages of Paradise Hill, Glaslyn, Mervin and Edam.
According to the news release from the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards, their winning practice was “a shared-services agreement giving 19 RMs, towns and villages in the area access to the services of a growth professional planner, enabling better planning for the future for subdivisions and servicing requirements for increased infrastructure needs.”
The announcement was made last November but was re-announced this week, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Convention taking place in Regina beginning Sunday.
That means Turtleford, Paradise Hill, Glaslyn, Mervin and Edam will all share in the recognition next week. The winning RMs received the award last November at their SARM convention, while the winning urban municipalities receive their award at the SUMA convention Tuesday at 1 p.m.
In an interview with the Regional Optimistlast fall, RM of Mervin administrator Ryan Domotor said it started from a Planning for Growth grant from the province about five years ago.
“I took it to council, and because our RM has gotten to the point where we have so much development I thought it would be really worthwhile to have a planner,” Domotor said last November.
But under the Planning for Growth Program a minimum population or size was needed. A number of neighbouring communities and RMs agreed to join to have the required population. Together, they applied and got the funding for the pilot project, which ultimately turned into a permanent, full-time position.
The program has since expanded from the nine original municipalities to a total of 19 RMs, towns and villages who are now part of the service agreement and have access to the planner, who is employed with the RM of Mervin.
“It’s been a real benefit to the region as a whole,” said Domotor. “The smaller urbans and rurals can use it.”
