Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Alberta. Municipal Affairs
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Dates of Founding and/or Dissolution:;The Special Areas Board was established in 1939. Functional Responsibility:;The Special Areas Board was created to administer the Special Areas Act (S.A. Chapter, 1939). A special area is order by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and can be any part of Alberta that is not already contained in a city, town, village, county, municipal district, improvement district or special area. The Board administered an area where municipal services could not be provided due to financial hardships resulting from the Depression and drought of the 1930's. The mandate of the Special Areas Board is to manage the over worked, damaged land so residents may be able to support municipal services in the area. The Board provides municipal services and long-term land resource management in the Special Areas. The Board provides complete local government services for Special Areas including taxation, licenses, permits, leases, local works and improvement. Approximately 5.2 million acres in the province have been designated as Special Areas. Predecessor and Successor Bodies:;In 1926 Federal and Provincial Governments agreed to the transfer of large tracts of land held federally. The first special area was Tilly East Area and a board was established to govern this area. Later, in 1932 Berry Creek Area was established with its own governing board. The two boards were combined in 1935 and the Board became known as the Special Municipal Areas Board, a predecessor to the Special Areas Board. Administrative Relationships:;The Board performs duties as assigned by the Minister of Municipal Affairs, concerning the administration of Special Areas in Alberta. The Lieutenant Governor of Council appointed the Board. The Lieutenant Governor in Council would also designate the Chairman of the Board. Administrative Structure:;The Special Areas Board consists of no more than three members. The Board's administrative structure has three divisions, Property Administration, Municipal Services and Finance and Administer. Each division has a director that reports to the chairman of the board. Name of the Corporate Bodies:;In its early history the Board was referred to as both Special Areas Administration and the Special Areas Board.