Bylaws & Policies

Town of Strathmore Bylaws

Town of Strathmore Policies

Bylaws and policies play a crucial role in the governance and operation of municipalities. Bylaws are legally enforceable rules established by municipal councils to regulate various aspects of community life, such as safety, land use, and public behavior. They carry the same legal weight as laws and must be adhered to by residents and officials alike. Policies, on the other hand, provide guidelines for the administration and management of municipal services and operations. They help ensure consistency in decision-making and service delivery, while also managing risks and addressing community needs. Additionally, municipalities must comply with the Municipal Government Act, which governs the creation and enforcement of bylaws.

Source: Alberta Government

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"Governance" is a term used to describe the political organization of municipalities. It also concerns the on-going involvement of citizens and the accountability of council members.	Each municipality in the province consists of a mayor and a varying number of councillors. The number of councillors usually depends on the population of the municipality and varies from four to ten. However, Council has the ability to change the number of its council members. All members of Council are elected and serve a four-year term. Each member of Council, including the Mayor, is entitled to one vote on matters that come before them for discussion.
Municipal councils are empowered to address the existing and future needs of their community by making decisions that are recorded in bylaws or resolutions.	Council members embody the need for public welfare of their communities into decisions. This often means trying to balance their vision with the concerns expressed by the people and organizations affected by their decisions. Councils also have the ability to manage the finances of their municipality by setting levels of expenditures and taxation. Ultimately, they are also responsible for the management and delivery of services to their community.
These responsibilities are undertaken with very little intrusion by senior levels of government.	There are circumstances where certain decisions made by Council are not effective until they are approved by the province. For example, if a municipal council wants to change the boundary of their municipality, the province has the responsibility for deciding the matter.
In some cases, the Mayor or Council may decide to establish a committee or commission to undertake some work on behalf of council.	Council can delegate some of its authority to the committee or commission although this power has some restrictions. For example, it cannot delegate authority to make a bylaw or any power or duty exercisable only by bylaw.

Bylaws and Policies

Bylaws & Policies

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