Role of official administrators
The appointment of an official administrator is an extraordinary measure that is used by the Minister of Municipal Affairs to support good governance within Alberta’s municipalities.
The use of an official administrator in a municipality is most used when:
- a municipality loses quorum on its governing council
- to support an orderly transition of governance in cases of municipal restructuring such as amalgamations or dissolutions
- to supervise a municipality and its council where significant governance concerns are apparent
Current official administrator appointments
Section 575 of the Municipal Government Act states that, so long as the appointment of the official administrator continues:
- no bylaw or resolution that authorizes the municipality to incur a liability (borrow money) or to dispose of its money or property has any effect until the bylaw or resolution has been approved in writing by the official administrator, and
- the official administrator may at any time within 30 days after the passing of any bylaw or resolution disallow it, and the bylaw or resolution so disallowed becomes and is deemed to have always been void.
City of Chestermere
An official administrator was appointed for the City of Chestermere on September 28, 2022, in response to governance concerns. The appointment was extended in March 2023 to December 31, 2023, by Ministerial Order No. MSD:022/23.
After every Council meeting, the official administrator submits a report to the Minister of Municipal Affairs which outlines which resolutions or bylaws were allowed or disallowed, along with the reasons any were disallowed. See letter to Chestermere mayor.