There are three opportunities this week to learn more about the amalgamation project between the Village of Caroline and Clearwater County.
Clearwater County Reeve Michelle Swanson says the negotiation committee has recommended the new municipality’s name will be ‘Clearwater County’, and the Village of Caroline will become the Hamlet of Caroline. She was asked if Caroline will still have a Council representation? Swanson says there will be an Interim Council following the proposed date of amalgamation (January 1st, 2025) until the next general municipal election on October 20th, 2025. She adds, following the election, the new municipality will be represented by seven Council members, one per each division. According to Swanson, the future Hamlet of Caroline will reside in Division 4 (north of Highway 54) and Division 6 (south of Highway 54).
Caroline Mayor John Rimmer was asked why amalgamation is being considered? Rimmer says both Councils believe that a newly amalgamated municipality could provide many benefits for the community as whole including long-term cost savings, larger residential/commercial tax base, increased staff capacity/expertise, and streamlined regulations for predictable operations and services. Rimmer adds, it is important to note that no final decision has been made about amalgamation by either the Village of Caroline Council or Clearwater County Council yet. He states that the decision must be made by both the County and the Village, which they hope to do with the final report by the end of June of 2024 and then a request will be sent to the Province through Municipal Affairs, who will make the final decision.
Three Amalgamation Public Meeting Sessions are planned for this week to give people the opportunity to drop-in during the session times to provide feedback and ask questions about the amalgamation progress made to date, and to explore different topics at information stations – each offering insights and resources.
The first one is coming up on Wednesday, April 17th from 4 until 7pm at the Caroline Community Hub. The second one is on Thursday from 4 until 7pm at the Leslieville Community Hall. The third is a virtual one available online via Zoom on Friday from 11am until 1pm. Visit the Clearwater County website for more details or to register for the virtual public meeting.