Town council held a special meeting Thursday. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Town council special meeting

Town appoints Hoffart as interim CAO

Apr 28, 2023 | 8:58 AM

The Town of Battleford council had a special meeting Thursday to appoint an interim CAO.

The current CAO Ash Alam is out of the country temporarily, dealing with a family matter. It is not known exactly when he will return.

Mayor Ames Leslie said Alam will be away for an extended period of time.

“At the time, when Ash left he did not appoint an interim CAO or an assistant CAO in lieu of his absence,” Leslie said. “So, we are here tonight asking council’s permission to appoint the interim CAO. I am recommending Noreen Hoffart.”

Council agreed to appoint Hoffart, the town’s current executive assistant, as the interim CAO for the next 30 days.

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The interim CAO can be appointed for up to 90 days, per municipal policy.

Council felt Hoffart was the right person for the interim CAO position.

Leslie noted she has obtained her municipal management certificate, so she does have the first level for the position. However, certification is not required at this point. The town, according to law, is allowed to have an interim CAO in place for 90 days, before that person would be named permanent.

Leslie said Hoffart agreed to act as the town’s interim CAO for the next 30 days, with the period set at her request. After that time, Hoffart will decide if she wants to continue in the role.

Hoffart has worked for the Town of Battleford for many years.

“Noreen in my mind would be a good choice because she has worked at the Town Hall for a long time,” Coun. Shelley Boutin-Gervais said. “She has worked under quite a few different CAOs. I think she knows the ropes as well to fill in.”

Leslie said a special meeting of council had to called on this matter since there is a council meeting coming up on Monday, and to conduct a meeting there needs to be a CAO present.

If Hoffart takes any holidays in the next 30 days, she has the ability to appoint someone else as the interim CAO in her absence.

Following the meeting, Leslie estimated Hoffart has worked for the town for well over 20 years.

“This situation is unique. It’s not often you have an employee who needs to take a long-term leave,” he said of Alam’s situation.

Leslie noted Alam didn’t appoint an interim CAO when he left because he was initially anticipating to be back by now.

The mayor said Alam has been away for about a month. He has been participating at council’s meetings remotely.

Leslie explained Alam was expecting to be able to continue with his CAO work fulltime while he was away. However, in the last couple of weeks it became more difficult for him to do that, so the town required an interim CAO be appointed in the meantime.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow