The Town of Cochrane will be contributing up to $1,500 for Councillor Tara McFadden's campaign to be elected to the board of directors for the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA).

After obtaining the necessary two-thirds majority to vote on the notice of motion immediately, council provided its unanimous endorsement of McFadden at its Aug. 13 meeting and the funds she requested. The money will come from town council's 2018 budget and McFadden says she has been assured by the administration there is room in the current budget.

Councillor Alex Reed questioned why she didn't simply use funds from the budget provided for each councillor. McFadden said there are not adequate funds available there. 

McFadden is seeking the towns south board position and it comes after three years of serving on AUMA committees and being on Cochrane town council for a decade. She believes having a voice om the board will benefit Cochrane.

"I just really think it's really important. The more representation Cochrane has at different levels, the more influential we can be," says McFadden.

But she also wants to have her finger on the pulse of what other municipalities in the town south zone are seeking and will now be ramping up her campaign and reaching out to other municipalities. Growing up and working in the region she believes she's able to represent their needs from both the AUMA and the provincial government,

AUMA  is the collective voice of cities, towns, villages, summer villages and specialty municipalities in Alberta in advocation to both the provincial and federal governments and other stakeholders. It also offers resources and education to municipalities and operates the Alberta Municipalities Service Corporation.

"The true value in AUMA is not only how it serves its members but also how it lobbies the provincial government," says McFadden. "I know the provincial government takes the AUMA"s voice very seriously so I certainly want to do what I can do make sure Cochrane's voice is heard at that level."

The AUMA convention is being held in Red Deer, Sept. 26-28.