Warman City Councillor Richard Beck is stepping into a new role with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA).
Beck has been appointed to the full-time SUMA staff position of Targeted Sector Support (TSS) Coordinator, effective November 15.
In an interview October 25, Beck said his role is to help encourage and facilitate collaborative partnerships between municipalities.
“Many local governments face challenges that really stretch their resources,” said Beck. “And often those challenges are also the same ones that neighbouring municipalities face. By working together and combining their resources, they may be better able to come up with solutions.”
Beck said many Saskatchewan municipalities have smaller populations and limited financial resources. By entering into regional partnerships, they can achieve economies of scale that make larger projects practical.
He said the Partnership for Growth (P4G) experience involving the cities of Saskatoon, Warman and Martensville, the town of Osler and the RM of Corman Park offers a good working model of how collaboration benefits the region as a whole.
“It’s taken many years, but P4G has reached a point now where we’re seeing very positive results,” said Beck. “The benefits outweigh the short-term sacrifices each municipality makes.”
Beck said P4G has demonstrated a responsible approach to regional development that meets the service expectations of all partners involved.
Beck will continue to serve as a city councillor in Warman. He was first elected to Warman Town Council in 2009, was re-elected to Warman City Council in 2012, 2016 and 2020. He was elected by SUMA delegates in 2016, and again in 2020, to serve as SUMA Northwest Regional Director.
Beck has resigned from the elected position of SUMA Northwest Regional Director. An election for a new Northwest Regional Director will be held by SUMA in January.
Beck is also stepping down from his duties as municipal administrator for the Village of Clavet, a post he’s held since October, 2021, to accept the position of SUMA TSS Coordinator.
The provincial government’s TSS Initiative uses a portion of Municipal Revenue Sharing ($1.5 million per fiscal year) to encourage inter-community collaboration, help build capacity and promote good governance in Saskatchewan municipalities. The funds are used to kick-start projects that help municipalities strengthen their core governance and administration responsibilities. The maximum grant for a project under the TSS is $100,000.
The TSS is funded by the provincial government and managed by SUMA, with project priorities set by the TSS Steering Committee, made up of senior administrative representatives of SUMA, the Saskatchewan Rural Municipalities Association (SARM), the Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities (New North), and the Ministry of Government Relations.
SUMA Chief Executive Officer Jean-Marc Nadeau said for the past several years, the duties involved in reviewing grant applications from municipalities for the TSS program was handled on a part-time basis by other SUMA staff.
“The position has been expanded from half-time to full time,” said Nadeau. “SUMA manages the program on behalf of the provincial Ministry of Government Relations.”
Nadeau said Beck’s role, as coordinator of the program, is to manage the application intake, educate municipal leaders about the program, and make recommendations to the TSS Steering Committee.
The TSS Steering Committee makes decisions on which applications receive funding. Nadeau noted that while Beck is also a municipal councillor in Warman, a municipality which may be involved in a TSS grant application, there is no conflict of interest because while Beck makes recommendations, he does not make the final decision.
Beck said the TSS grants cannot be used for capital projects, but instead are designed to overcome financial barriers to inter-municipal collaboration.
“For example, an engineering study may be needed to determine if a project is economically feasible,” said Beck. “A municipality may not be able to fund a study on its own. Even two or three small municipalities would be hard-pressed to come up with funds to pay for it.
“But, a successful TSS grant would pay for a substantial portion of such a study. The Regional Node study currently underway in this area is a good example. It is 75% funded by a TSS grant, with the municipalities of Corman Park, Warman and Martensville covering the balance.”
The latest intake for TSS applications is now open, with the deadline at the end of November.