Even those communities that have municipal heritage advisory committees providing guidance on heritage issues will have other municipal officials who should be considered for their role in heritage planning. And communities without MHACs should certainly consider the experience that municipal officials can bring to a heritage planning exercise.
Municipal Councils
Reeves, mayors and councillors occasionally will be personally interested in heritage issues, and given their political responsibility and ability to communicate at a wide level, it is always a good idea to connect with these individuals, and keep them engaged and up to date on local community heritage work.
At the same time, nearly every mayor, reeve or councillor in Manitoba will be interested in the local benefits that can come with good heritage activities: tourism, community identity and pride, volunteer activity, historical value.
Given their busy lives and municipal responsibility, it is always good to keep in mind the most effective ways to engage and maintain the interest of this group. The section of this website Tell the Story/Writing about Heritage includes a section on communicating with elected officials.
Municipal Administration
All municipalities are co-ordinated at an administrative level by a chief administrative officer (CAO) (and perhaps other support staff). Some larger municipalities will also include on their staff an economic development official (EDO), tourism official, building inspectors and planners.
Like mayors, reeves and councillors, some administrative staff may have a personal interest in local heritage. And where this is known, heritage groups should avail themselves of the opportunity to connect with these individuals, so that the kinds of technical questions that often come up in plan development might be addressed to these more knowledgeable people.
Municipal administration can include some responsibilities that affect and improve heritage planning: experience with administrative processes, budgets, computer programs, knowledge of grant programs, etc.
