e-Brief August 14, 2020
CAMA Presents Long Service Recognition Awards for 2020
Municipal administrators from across Canada have been recognized by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrator’s (CAMA) with the association’s 2020 Long Service Recognition Awards.

Letters of congratulations and recognition pins were mailed to a total of 74 municipal administrators having completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of municipal service in July 2020.

“On behalf of the CAMA Board of Directors, congratulations to each recipient for their years of service to local government,” said Jake Rudolph, President of CAMA and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Nanaimo, BC. “Thank you for your dedication to the field of municipal administration and the politicians and residents you serve.”

The breakdown of 2020 Long Services Awards is as follows: Ten Years of Service – 17 awards; Fifteen Years of Service – 19 awards; Twenty Years of Service – 17 awards; Twenty-Five Years of Service – 10 awards; Thirty Years of Service – 8 awards; Thirty Five Years of Service – two awards; and, Forty Years of Service – one award.   For a complete list of the recipients, visit the CAMA website.

CAMA’s Long Service Recognition Awards program, which was implemented in January 2011, is based on the number of years of full-time, paid employment in a local government in a management capacity, either as a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) or reporting directly to a CAO.

The Long Service Recognition Awards are granted after ten years of service and are then given in five year increments.
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L’ACAM décerne ses récompenses 2020 pour longs états de service

Les administrateurs municipaux des quatre coins du Canada ont été mis à l’honneur par l’Association canadienne des administrateurs municipaux (ACAM) dans le cadre de sa remise de récompenses pour longs états de service.

Au total, ce sont 74 administrateurs municipaux avec 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 et 40 années de service à leur actif en juillet 2020 qui ont reçu des lettres de félicitations et des épinglettes de reconnaissance.

« Au nom du conseil d’administration de l’ACAM, félicitations à toutes et tous les récipiendaires pour leurs années de service au sein de l’administration locale », a déclaré Jake Rudolph, président de l’ACAM et directeur général de la Ville de Nanaimo (C.-B.). « Merci pour votre dévouement au service de l’administration municipale, des décideurs politiques et des résidents. »

Les récompenses pour longs états de service remises en 2020 se répartissent comme suit : 17 pour dix années de service; 19 pour quinze années de service; 17 pour vingt années de service; dix pour vingt-cinq années de service; huit pour trente années de service; deux pour trente-cinq années de service et un pour quarante années de service. La liste complète se trouve sur le site de l’ACAM.

Instauré en janvier 2011, le Programme de récompenses pour longs états de service de l’ACAM s’appuie sur le nombre d’années passées dans une fonction administrative rémunérée à temps plein au sein d’une administration municipale, à titre de directeur général ou directrice générale (DG) ou dans un poste relevant directement d’un(e) DG.

Les récompenses pour longs états de service sont accordées après 10 années de service, puis par tranches de 5 années supplémentaires.
TAX RECOVERY
 Recognizing the importance of political understanding in the role of senior municipal administrators, also referred to as political acumen, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) launched a Political Acumen Toolkit.   This resource can be found at politicalacumen.camacam.ca  Today’s featured category is about tax recovery.

One of the many challenging aspects of being a municipal administrator is finding yourself at odds with citizens who are unable to pay their property taxes or pay for essential municipal services such as water, sewer, or power. This is particularly true in small municipalities where you are likely to know those who are unable to pay, personally.

Most provincial or territorial legislation will have content in their municipal acts that provide procedures on what to do when landowners have fallen behind on the payment of their property taxes. Everything from describing different ways to recover taxes in arrears, to the seizure of goods, up to and including the sale of the property and what to do with the proceeds are prescribed. Once a property falls within the tax recovery provisions, the municipality is obligated to follow the procedures contained in the legislation regardless of the reason for the situation.

In many cases, individuals have fallen upon hard times and can no longer afford to cover all of their debts. Unfortunately, paying property taxes is not something any of us can avoid. Individuals can declare bankruptcy and absolve themselves from certain obligations; however, property taxes do not fit into this category. Hence the often-heard expression, “the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes.”

Does the CAO or municipality have any discretion in this regard? In many jurisdictions, the answer is “yes.” If a ratepayer is able to provide the municipality with a plan on how they will pay any outstanding amounts in full, Administration can exercise some discretion before the delinquent ratepayer is put on the tax recovery list and subject to the tax recovery process. However, this needs to be closely monitored to ensure the payment plan does not also fall into arrears. Administrations who are seen as doing as much as possible to help the ratepayer are likely to be perceived positively by Council and, more importantly, by the community. Tax recovery should be viewed as a last resort, and all ratepayers should be treated fairly, equitably, and with compassion when it comes to being in arrears on their property taxes.
 
Best Practice: Putting ratepayers into a tax recovery process is a serious decision. Not only can it make them feel embarrassed or ashamed, it also has significant consequences and can result in them losing their property. When possible, give them the benefit of the doubt and always treat them with dignity, respect and compassion. If you do exercise discretion, be certain the ratepayer understands the consequences if they do not fulfill their obligation.

Also, don’t forget to share some of your political acumen with your colleagues and sign up for CAMA’s Mentorship Forum which is available to all members at mentorship.camacam.ca. Sign up as a mentor, a mentee or just to network.

The Role of a Mentor
The role of a mentor is to provide information, guidance, and encouragement to an individual, specifically concerning how they might approach various situations, advance their career, or build their skill set. Inherent in the mentor-mentee relationship is the assumption that the mentor will help the mentee develop their career in some way, whether it be through their work performance or professional development. However, the benefits of this relationship flow to the mentor as much as the mentee.

In 2006, a presidential task force was organized by the President of the American Psychological Association (APA) to examine mentorship relationships. While the value to mentees is apparent, research by the APA has found that mentors can also benefit from these relationships through the gratification felt from shaping the next generation of leaders. Not only that, mentoring acts as a way to continue your own career development and learn more about new issues and perspectives that are important to the field you work in.

Do you have questions? Want more information?  Contact Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director, CAMA National Office, 1-866-771-2262, [email protected].
Member Feature: DISTRICT OF GUYSBOROUGH, NOVA SCOTIA

INVESTING IN HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURE: DISTRICT OF GUYSBOROUGH, NOVA SCOTIA’S FOUR-DAY WORK WEEK PILOT PROGRAM

Like all communities across Canada dealing with the stipulations surrounding COVID-19, the District of Guysborough, NS had the responsibility of ensuring that essential services continued. The District instituted a “two-day on, two-day off” system for staff that enabled all facilities to be staffed, ensuring that there was little disruption in service to residents. Barry Carroll, CAO, began considering a more permanent implementation of this new normal, creating the pilot program, “An Investment in Human Infrastructure,” which includes a four-day work week for employees, expanded hours for service delivery, and re-positioning of the workforce to better deal with future emergency management.  Read the full article.

Action Plan Identifies Ways to Provide Equitable Access for All Persons with a Disability
The Premier's Council on Disabilities has released New Brunswick's Disability Action Plan for Persons with a Disability: Accountable Path Forward to an Equal Opportunity!   The action plan identifies a number of priority areas of concern for persons with a disability.  It is a multi-year strategy that includes recommendations with a focus on employment, education, poverty, housing, disability supports, accessibility, transportation, recreation and wellness.   The action plan demonstrates an effort to provide a pathway forward. It is intended to be flexible, innovative and responsive to the needs of New Brunswickers.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
 
  • Joanne Hyde, Director of Corporate Services/Clerk, Township of Cramahe, ON
  • Robert Bartlett, Chief Administrative Officer, District of West Vancouver, BC
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