KIPLING — After a special meeting of Kipling Town Council last week, the town officially has a new chief administrative officer. A total of seven applications for the position were received, but one rose to the top with the approval of all council members.
“I would accept a motion to appoint Brenna Ackerman as the CAO for the Town of Kipling,” said Mayor Pat Jackson during the 12-minute meeting held March 4.
“By getting the contract approved last night, it means that on Monday when she starts, we can take the time to do the signings, have it witnessed, and make it all quite official,” said Jackson after the meeting.
Ackerman is no stranger to the municipal world, bringing a combined 12 years' worth of experience from previous roles with the Town of Qu’Appelle, the Town of Grenfell, and the District of Ketepwa.
“I’ve been in a couple different towns to see how different municipalities govern their work, how they make their bylaws and their policies, and strategic plans and budgets,” Ackerman explained. “I think that is something else I can bring to the table because each place is different. Each place has its own individual nuances, and you have to figure out how everything works.”
With March 10 being Ackerman’s first day, she will be hitting the ground running. Not only does the date coincide with a regular council meeting, but municipalities everywhere are busy preparing for their annual budgets—not to mention a new strategic plan that needs to be finalized. That was one project not able to be completed with the previous Acting Administrator Andrew Rygh’s resignation back in November.
“Prior to budget, we have not yet done our strat plan because the resignation happened the night before the election,” Mayor Jackson explained. “We are a little behind the eight ball right now, but that said, we’ve already started some of the prep work for our strat plan.”
Granted, there will be much for Ackerman to learn in the finer details of how the Town of Kipling operates.
“Even though she has experience, there’s going to be a learning curve because this office, I’m sure, is very different from the office she had before,” Mayor Jackson said. “It’s going to take a certain amount of time. She has met the two ladies who work in the office, so I think that’s going to help bridge things. Both of the ladies are looking forward to her coming.”
But Ackerman knows what she’s getting into and was quite pleased with what she’s seen of the town.
“Kipling has a very welcoming attitude,” Ackerman said, sharing her initial thoughts on those she met in the Town Office. “They seem like great people, and they’ve done a lot of extra work having to cover the role as a CAO, so I feel like they’ve had a glimpse of it. I think we’ll all work well together.”
