Pratt the new president of municipal administrators’ group

Kyle Pratt. (Contributed Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Tillsonburg CAO Kyle Pratt has taken on another leadership role in addition to serving as the town’s head administrator.

A long-time member of the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, Pratt became its president at the annual meeting in June. The association represents municipal professionals across the province, providing professional education and accreditation, leadership development, advocacy and networking opportunities.

For Pratt, the position is significant as his first municipal job in July 2007 was through an AMCTO municipal intern program in the County of Hastings.

“It’s full circle as I started as an intern in Hastings, and now I’m the president,” he said.

Pratt served as a board member for one term in 2010-2011, and didn’t seek renewal. He returned to the board in 2021 after starting as CAO in Tillsonburg in 2020. Last year, he was elected as vice-president, and became president this year.

“Serving as AMCTO president is a great privilege, and it is an honour,” he said of the new role.

Pratt has attended the annual conference most years since starting his first position.

“It’s something I strive to go to every year since I’m in municipal government,” he said. “I don’t make it every year.”

The AMCTO conference is different from other municipal leadership conventions like AMO and ROMA, where not only municipal leaders attend but also provincial cabinet ministers and often the premier. Instead, the AMCTO gathering focuses on education and networking. There are often municipal legal updates at the conference, as well as sessions on strategic planning.

As president, Pratt will:

• Chair the board and help set the association's strategic direction.

• Represent AMCTO with municipal, provincial, and sector partners.

• Serve as an ambassador for municipal excellence and professional development.

• Serve as the primary spokesperson for the association during interviews with media, ministry delegations, meetings with provincial representatives, and standing committee hearings.

• Support initiatives that strengthen governance, leadership, and service delivery across Ontario municipalities.

• Help ensure the association responds to the evolving needs of local governments.

Pratt explains that the new role won’t take away from his position with the town, and that AMCTO has staff to handle much of the heavy lifting.

“This will be a volunteer position, over and above my position as CAO with the town,” he said.

In fact, he believes his involvement with the association will benefit the town. He learned through AMCTO about the municipality of Grey Highlands being the first to develop a municipal app.

“We talked about that with council, and we were one of the first municipalities in Ontario to have a municipal service app,” he said.

Expanding on that, he said being president helps raise Tillsonburg’s profile and gives him broader experience. He will be one of the first to learn about grant opportunities and legislative changes, and will have delegations with cabinet ministers at AMO (in addition to those the town arranges).

“The role helps facilitate stronger relationships with municipal leaders, provincial representatives, and sector experts, which can lead to partnerships, knowledge sharing, and access to resources that may not otherwise be available,” Pratt said.

Asked about the big issues in the coming year as president, Pratt answered, “We’re bringing on a new strategic plan, so we’ll get to carry that forward and look forward to meetings with ministry officials on key legislation like the Municipal Act and Municipal Election Act.”