EDITORS NOTE: An earlier version of the story misidentified the date of the upcoming organizational meeting. The meeting will take place on Oct. 31.
ATHABASCA – Brian Hall won’t be returning as Athabasca County’s reeve for the final year of his term as a councillor.
At the end of an Oct. 22 special county meeting to discuss the budget process, Hall announced he would be stepping back from the role, which he said he had had the privilege of serving in since he was elected in 2021.
"As members of council we're here to make change and to leave our organization better than it was before — to work with conviction to make this region better, not just for some, but for all," said Hall, reading from a prepared speech. "We should not be settling for mediocrity and instead striving for excellence. Our time is too short and there's too much to be done to squander our time on trivial matters."
Unlike the Town of Athabasca, where the mayor is an elected position, Athabasca County’s reeve is appointed by the nine councillors — at Thursday’s organizational meeting, councillors will nominate their peers to fill the seat.
"Our time remaining here is short — we're in the last 12 months — and the choice each of us has to make is how to spend it or what positive outcomes we can achieve before the end of the term."
During Hall’s time as reeve, council implemented its strategic plan, focused on inter-municipal collaboration, and building reserves for future projects.
Over the last year, councillors fell into a rut, re-legislating a variety of topics, including remuneration, snow removal, and the code of conduct and procedural bylaws, and dealing with an ongoing complaint from Aspen View Public Schools regarding a phone call made by Hall in January.
"While it has been a privilege for me to serve as reeve, this will be the last meeting I will be chairing as reeve. You'll need to elect someone different on Oct. 31," finished Hall before adjourning the meeting.
Check back next Thursday to see who the new reeve will be; the organizational meeting starts at 9:30 a.m., and will be followed by a regular council meeting.
