Public Resources

Capacity Building in Municipal Government Financial Management

The Nova Scotia Municipal Finance Corporation (NSMFC) and the Association of Municipal Administrators of Nova Scotia (AMA) have formed a joint committee with the goal of developing best practices for financial management practices for use by municipalities in Nova Scotia.

The committee strives to be representative of all municipalities in the Province. It is comprised of finance professionals working in towns, regional and rural municipalities as well as representation from Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. The committee uses recommended practices that have been developed by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and adapts them to fit to Nova Scotia legislation and practices.

The recommended practices are guidelines for municipalities that are interested in improving their financial management capacity. Municipalities can modify the implementation of the recommended practices in accordance with their size, population, staffing, economic resources etc.

Since 2003, the committee has developed 34 best practices.

MPA Research and Reports

Advocacy Strategies of Organized Local Government Groups: A Comparative Study

Salary Survey

The 2012 Salary Survey results are available to those municipalities who have completed the survey. To find out more about the AMANS Salary Survey call Kristy Hardie at (902) 423-2215.

Emergency Management Advisory Board

The mandate of this Committee is to review the operation of local, regional and provincial EMO responses, and identify improvements. This group has been working on a report outlining a series of recommendations for implementation. The Emergency Measures Organization Report (183 kB).

Municipal Internship Program

It has been made abundantly clear from the demographics, that similar to the Provincial and Federal governments, a labour crisis situation is on the horizon for Nova Scotian municipalities. Recruiting and retention of qualified employees is becoming a major challenge. Recruitment will become much more competitive in the future for all levels of government. At the same time municipalities will be looking for new administrators and advertising outside of Nova Scotia for people to fill those positions as our university graduates are leaving Nova Scotia to find fulfilling work in other provinces. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, in an effort to assist municipalities with this growing concern, developed the Nova Scotia Municipal Internship program with a number of goals in mind. The Municipal Internship Program is intended to compliment the Association of Municipal Administrator's Next Generation initiative to bring a greater awareness of municipal government as a career choice for today's youth. It also provides an opportunity for young, well educated Nova Scotians, to gain experience in local government administration and ultimately find rewarding careers in local government in Nova Scotia. A side benefit of the program is that it will, in time, help to build a pool of skilled, trained individuals for future leadership roles. In addition, the Internship Program provides an opportunity for knowledge transfer from current administrators to future administrators.

If your municipality is interested in hosting a municipal intern please complete the application form also available on the following link: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/muns/internships/

Applications should be received by February 29, 2012

Please forward applications to:
Mark A. Peck
1505 Barrington Street PO Box 216 Halifax, NS B3J 2M4