Consultation Planned For Bridgewater Council Size

A community discussion is planned for later this month to talk about the size of Bridgewater council. The town held its first opportunity for people to speak during their meeting earlier this week, but there was no public input. All Nova Scotia municipalities must complete the study every eight years. Bridgewater last completed the study in 2006 and kept its council size at six councillors and a mayor. Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, Amy Wamboldt, says they want to hear from residents. She says, “Bridgewater has six councillors plus the mayor. The mayor’s position is excluded from the review, so very much interested in how many councillors participate and we are also interested in whether the community is interested in having a dialogue around how we perform our elections.” Bridgewater councillors are currently elected at large. That could change if people wanted to elect by different districts in the town. The choices are part of a mandatory study completed every eight years by Nova Scotia municipalities. The province’s Utility and Review Board requires a decision by the end of the year. A public consultation will be held on June 26 at 6:30pm at the Bridgewater Fire Hall.