ARCHERWILL, RIDGEDALE — The RM of Connaught was approved for $21,656 for developing their official community plan and zoning bylaw while the RM of Barrier Valley was approved for $34,725 for a shared emergency response plan with the Village of Archerwill.
Government Relations Minister Don McMorris announced 15 new municipal projects that will receive a combined provincial investment of more than $500,000 under the Targeted Sector Support (TSS) Initiative.
“Together, we will help communities better serve their citizens by strengthening local governments across this great province,” McMorris said.
Wayne Black, Reeve for the RM of Barrier Valley, said that this funding will mostly go towards the RM hiring a consultant to develop an emergency measures plan. He said that this plan will help better prepare the RM to respond quickly and effectively. It will greatly improve our communications. Major emergencies are infrequent but having this plan in place will ensure our RM will be better prepared.
Administrator Jaime Orr for the RM of Connaught said there funding will go towards the development of an updated official community plan and updating zoning bylaws. Orr said the RM is the lead on the application, with the Village of Ridgedale as the partnering municipality.
It is a requirement of the TSS grant to partner with another community. The grant encourages inter-community collaboration. She said the majority will be to the consulting firm, with advertising, public consultations and printing as secondary expenses. Orr said without this funding, we wouldn’t be able to do the entire building, OCP and zoning bylaw updates, so we are grateful to receive approval.
The TSS Initiative provides cost-shared grants to support municipalities partnering to enhance their core responsibilities through projects focused on good governance, capacity building and regional co-operation. Funding covers up to 75 per cent of eligible project costs.
"By investing in projects that foster good governance and encourage inter-community collaboration, the Targeted Sector Support Initiative is helping to strengthen Saskatchewan's hometowns and improve the lives of our residents," SUMA President Randy Goulden said. "SUMA is proud to be a partner of this important initiative and we look forward to the benefits these new projects will have in our communities now and in the future."
"SARM couldn't be more pleased with the impact the TSS initiative is having in our communities," SARM President Ray Orb said. "We have experienced RMs using their grant to provide municipal governance training to not only their own elected officials, but officials from surrounding municipalities as well."
TSS projects are funded under one of the following streams: dispute resolution and relationship building, capacity building, regional co-operation, and municipal transition.
All Saskatchewan municipalities are encouraged to apply for TSS funding in the next intake for applications, which is expected to open in early March.
