Municipality Climate Adaptation Case Study Report

2.6 Municipality
Council
West Hants Municipal Council consists of nine councillors, including a Warden and Deputy
Warden chosen by councillors following each general election. Councillors are elected to
represent the following polling districts:
District 1: Summerville-Kempt
District 2: Avondale-Burlingtons
District 3: Brooklyn-Scotch Village
District 4: Ste. Croix-Ellershouse
District 5: Wentworth-Newport Corner-Newport Station
District 6: Three Mile Plains
District 7: Three Mile Plains-Martock
District 8: Falmouth-Mount Denson
District 9: Falmouth
The municipality operates under a Council-Chief Administrative Officer system. Municipal
Council and Committee of the Whole meet on a monthly basis. Planning Advisory Committee,
which includes two citizen appointees as well as all nine councillors, meets as needed, usually
six to eight times a year, to deal with land use planning and development matters.
Employees
West Hants has 25 employees based at three main work sites: Municipal Complex at 76
Morison Drive, Windsor-West Hants Industrial Park; Falmouth Water Treatment Plant on
Eldridge Road, Upper Falmouth; and Falmouth Wastewater Treatment Plant, located near Exit 8
on Highway 101, Falmouth. There are no employees in climate and adaptation-related
positions.
Financial
For the 2011-2012 fiscal year, the municipality’s
general operating budget totalled $10 million.
Protective services such as fire, police, law
enforcement and building inspection accounted for
the greatest proportion of expenditures (35
percent), budgeted at $3.5 million) (see Figure 5).
Approximately $2.4 million, or 24 percent of the
budget, was allocated to education. General
government services of $1.7 million represented 17
percent, while environmental health services
(sewage collection, refuse, recycling) of $1 million
made up 11 percent of the operating budget.
Environmental development services, recreation
Figure 5 – Breakdown of General Operating Budget
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