Photo: Hanna council tabled a proposed on-call bylaw enforcement agreement with the Village of Morrin following the resignation of the town’s enforcement officer. The proposal may be reconsidered after Hanna addresses its staffing needs. Screenshot

Hanna town council tabled a proposed agreement to provide on-call bylaw enforcement services to the Village of Morrin after learning that the town’s current enforcement officer had submitted a resignation.

Council considered the proposal during its Aug. 11 regular meeting. Administration recommended delaying a decision because the staffing change leaves Hanna without the immediate capacity to provide or manage additional enforcement services.

The agreement would have allowed Morrin to request assistance from Hanna’s bylaw enforcement officer as needed. It would not have required Hanna to provide continuous or guaranteed coverage and the town could have considered its own operational needs before accepting a request.

The officer would have remained a Town of Hanna employee under the municipality’s management and direction. Hanna would have continued to be responsible for supervision, training, payroll, benefits and Workers’ Compensation Board coverage.

Morrin would have been required to formally appoint Hanna’s officer under Alberta’s Municipal Government Act, providing the authority to enforce village bylaws while working in Morrin.

The proposed rate was $47 per hour, including travel, administrative time, vehicle use and standard operating costs. Each call-out would have carried a minimum charge of two hours.

Hanna would have invoiced Morrin quarterly, with payment required within 30 days.

According to the council report, the arrangement could have provided Morrin with access to an experienced bylaw officer while generating cost-recovery revenue for Hanna from available staff capacity.

Administration had also identified possible scheduling pressures. Calls from Morrin could reduce the officer’s availability for Hanna matters if requests were not carefully coordinated.

Both municipalities would have been required to maintain at least $5 million in commercial general liability insurance. The proposed agreement also included indemnification and WCB provisions covering each municipality’s responsibilities.

The agreement would have taken effect once signed by both municipalities. Either party could have ended it by providing 30 days’ written notice.

During the discussion, council also considered Hanna’s existing enforcement services agreement with the Town of Oyen, which is scheduled to expire in September. Council was told Oyen’s leadership is aware of the staffing situation and will remain in communication with Hanna.

Council intends to reconsider the proposed Morrin agreement after the town addresses its internal staffing needs and determines its capacity to provide regional enforcement services.