Resolution No. 38-01M

WHEREAS, some 30% of the SARM membership is regularly represented at the SAMA Annual Meeting, many of whom do not have a voting delegate as their representative; and

WHEREAS, only rural voting delegates can vote on rural issues; and

WHEREAS, many Rural Municipalities are not always able to have an elected official attend on their behalf; and WHEREAS, a bylaw amendment would allow a municipality to appoint some other official, (i.e. the administrator), to represent it at the meeting as their voting delegate;

THEREFORE IT BE RESOLVED, that Section 1.3(f) of the SAMA Annual Meeting Bylaw be amended by removing in line six "of which he is an elected member".

Response from Chief Executive Officer, Murray Cooney:

At the SAMA annual meeting voting delegates representing the interests of municipalities and school divisions may vote to elect their representative on the SAMA Board of Directors and may vote on resolutions pertaining to assessment policy and practices, assessment administration or assessment legislation. SAMA's practices are similar to other local government bodies and associations. I

n matters of electing representatives and providing policy direction, only elected members of a municipal council or board of education can be appointed to represent the interests of that council or board of education. While an organization's administrators generally understand and know the organization's views on specific matters, it is not common practice for an organization's board to delegate its decision making authority to its administrators.

The SAMA annual meeting has been structured to facilitate open discussions of resolutions. All attendees may participate in the debate of a resolution, including municipal and school division administration, and groups or organizations affected by or interested in property assessment matters. With respect to the election of Board members, only elected municipal and school division officials are eligible to sit on the SAMA Board of Directors, therefore, voting is restricted to the same constituency.