Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 08/99) - It's going to be a busy annual general meeting for the NWT Association of Municipalities this year.

Slated for March 4-7 in Cambridge Bay, the meeting will be the last of its kind for the NWTAM. Eastern members will be forming their own association, the Nunavut Association of Municipalities.

Forty-eight NWT municipalities are members of the association, which serves as a voice for municipal government in territorial and federal arenas.

The agenda for the upcoming meeting was ratified by the board of directors at a meeting in Yellowknife over the weekend.

One thing that will consume a big chunk of the AGM is division.

Chief executive officer Yvette Gonzalez said that during most of the meeting, eastern and western representatives will be holding separate meetings.

Each new association will have to develop its own set of bylaws. Director Bob Brooks said the new rules will likely provide for an expansion of the executive, at least for the new western association.

In past years the association's board was composed of six directors -- three from the west and three from the east -- plus a president and vice-president.

By dividing the organization into the NWTAM and the Nunavut Association of Municipalities, Brooks said the new associations will consider adding a new position, such as secretary-treasurer to help share out the workload.

Along with paving the way for the split, the association will put in place new rules for its board elections.

Separate votes will be held for president, vice-president and directors. Previously delegates voted once, marking their selections for each position.