Notes From The Mayor's Desk: July 2014

It is Canada Day as I write this and I am both grateful and proud today to be able to live where I do, surrounded by so many opportunities, blessings and great people.  We have just "weathered" another June with a typical spring run off.  We had rain for the 35th Anniversary of the Sundre Pro Rodeo Parade but the spirit of everyone in attendance was not dampened.  

The community came together to celebrate Grad 2014 at Sundre High School.  The graduates received unconditional support and encouragement to go do their part to make the world a better place for their future and that of generations to come.  June is such a great month as we get out from under the long winter - finally - and spend time in the outdoors.  It is why we live here.

In June, the teacher in me feels there should be a report card for Council - but I think it would be better if the report card came in the fall - as the election was last fall. Council wants to know how we have been doing. What has changed in the year since last fall?  What needs to change in the next year?

There were some recurring themes and concerns of residents that I heard in the lead up to the election.  There were concerns about taxes, communication, fear of flood in coming years and what could be done to avert it, resolution of cost sharing for water and waste water on the east side, the relationship between Town Council and Mountain View County Council, annexation possibilities on our Town boundaries, the attitude of Council and staff toward "service" to our customers (taxpayers), and how we deal with concerns from the public.  There were some suggestions as to what we might do to improve as well.

To get information for our report card, Council members will be out "where people are" this fall. Watch for us at community and school events.  Stop and let us know your thoughts and ask questions.  We will be asking you to tell us one thing you like, and one thing we need to do better - and we will ask for your grade (an old school grade of A,B,C,D,F).  We will compile a list and report to you about what we find.  We will use your suggestions and your thoughts about what we need to fix to develop our plans for the next year in our Strategic Planning process.

We hope you will take some time to let us know how we are doing and give us some ideas.  Please call me at home at 403-638-3535 if you want to chat about any of the above.

If you are able to take a holiday break in July, on behalf of your Council, I wish you a safe and relaxing holiday.  You deserve it.

Mayor Terry Leslie

Notes From The Mayor's Desk: June 2014

Spring is finally here and we are all so glad that winter is a memory.  May Queen is over, the grass has had its first cut and the trees are finally green.  We are all looking forward to enjoying the beauty of spring and being outside.  We have had a rain and watched the river come up - as it does every year, and that has led some of us to wonder if this June will be like last June.  A year ago we saw devastating floods in Alberta.  Locally, we saw some flood damage and it caused us to wonder about years to come.  We all learned a lot about Mother Nature and this beautiful river we live so close to.

We have learned that it is large amounts of rain that causes flooding conditions.  Last year we saw saturating rain one week, followed by a rain event, which was not typical.  This year we haven't received as much precipitation in April and May as we did last year.  Can we predict another high water event year this year?  Statistically, we probably won't see another flood event similar to that of 2013.  Statistically, we have had two 1/100-year flood events (2005 and 2013) so we should be statistically good for almost 200 years.  However, we cannot always rely on statistics.  Since 2013, the Government of Alberta has improved their weather forecasting, river monitoring and communication protocols with municipalities.  We can expect better information - sooner - than ever before.

What we learned from last year is to prepare for emergencies - and we have prepared.  The serious concerns from the community were taken to the Provincial Government.  Town Council and County Council worked together to bring the same messages forward.  Engineering firms studied the river history, mapped possible breakouts of the riverbank as the volume of water increases, and the Government of Alberta approved a recommended berm, which is to be constructed to prevent overland flooding through the County and the Town.  That berm won't be constructed by this June, but it should be finished by June 2015.  

Alberta Government officials have told us that the Highway 27 Bridge across the Red Deer River is good for another 35 years - and that they will undertake a study to further review the safety of that critical transportation link.  Officials have said there is no need for dredging upstream of the bridge to protect it.  Engineers and government officials are also examining the riverbank breakout points on the Bearberry Creek that caused overland flooding in 2005.  Decisions made to spend millions of taxpayer’s dollars must be made with facts, science, and viable creative options.  What we have learned is that solutions to managing the river take longer to figure out than one year.  Be assured that work continues behind the scenes to push for a long-term strategy to manage the entire Red Deer River watershed.  

My Mother told me to live my life - every day.  She didn't say live your life in fear of something that may never come to pass.  We all chose to live where we do.  There are risks.  Prepare for them.  We need to get the message out to people who come to our community to visit - that things are great - like they have always been.  Our businesses depend on the optimism of all of us, encouraging visitors to come to Sundre to stop, shop, play and explore.  There is a misperception out there that the river is contaminated from an oil spill - and it is not.  There is still a fear that people shouldn't take a chance and come here because of the floods of last year.  The economic impact of 2013 flood event saw a 30% drop in sales in many businesses.  We need to counter that fear and negativity with optimism and resiliency - because that is who we are.  

So let's get ready for June with all the excitement it deserves - and that we deserve.  Let's get out to the parade and celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Sundre Rodeo.  Let's celebrate all of the grads going out into the big wide world.   They will do us all proud.  Get out on the trails for a walk, ride a bike, say "hi" to a stranger and welcome them to our community.  Let's live our lives - without fear - as a model to our kids.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss any of these items, please call me at home at 403-638-3535, or chat with any of us on Council. 

Be prepared in an emergency; go to www.getprepared.gc.ca to see what you can do to help keep your family safe.  In the event of an emergency, the Town will post critical information on sundre.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Mayor Terry Leslie

Notes From The Mayor's Desk: May 2014

Taxes - How do we compare?

In the lead up to the last election, and in many conversations I have heard around town, the subject of taxes is a hot topic.  As Council was preparing to set the tax rate for this year we were presented with the following community comparisons from 2013:

Town	Population	Assessed Value (residential)	Taxes
Sundre	2,695	$250,000	$2,498.25
Athabasca	2,990	$250,000	$2,590.08
Carstairs	3,442	$250,000	$2,438.95
Didsbury	4,957	$250,000	$2,787.00
Hanna	2,673	$250,000	$3,367.83
Redwater	2,116	$250,000	$2,482.68
Rimbey	2,378	$250,000	$2,404.40
Three Hills	3,230	$250,000	$3,006.63
Average Tax (Sundre Excluded) $2,735.36 .
Average Tax (Sundre included) $2,696.98 .

As you can see, we aren't the highest or the lowest in these comparisons.  If we took other comparisons we would find differences.  Each community has different circumstances, facilities, expectations of residents, growth rates, economic climate, support industries, and other factors that have to be considered when setting the tax rate.

We have so much to be grateful for in our community.  We have an outstanding volunteer fire department that can quickly respond to emergencies.  We have an RCMP Detachment and our own Bylaw Enforcement Officer to help keep us safe.  We have a hospital and medical clinics to attend to our health needs and we have great schools.  These are the building blocks of every community - emergency services, safety, health care and education - most of which are paid for by income tax, not property tax (except fire protection).

We love our parks, playgrounds, trail system, recreation facilities and library.  We expect grass to be cut, garbage to be removed, compost and recycling, and snow to be cleared.  We expect water to be clean, toilets to work, pavement to be maintained, sidewalks to be free from breaks and heaves, and we expect that laws and regulations for our safety will be followed in our municipality.  We don't really know about the underground pipes and pumps and all the details that have to be attended to so that everything works but we trust that things are being looked after.  We are OK with growth & development and a local Council making decisions, as long as we have a say and are kept informed.  We expect plans for the future and don't want big unanticipated jumps in our taxes because of poor planning or not attending to detail.  All those things have a price tag and those are some of the things your taxes pay for.

For those of you that like numbers, Council passed a budget calling for a 2.94% increase to residential property, a 1.59% increase to commercial property and a 3.23 % decrease to vacant commercial property.  The goal is always to keep taxes as low as possible and still provide for services expected.  The operating budget for the year is $2,816,901.  A 1% increase in taxes generates about $26,000.  Residential taxes account for about 70% of revenue with commercial paying about 30%.  A year ago that split was 80%/20%.  We need more commercial development to help keep residential tax rates down.  Council wants to be sure we have attractive tax rates for both residential and businesses so we can have a more balanced residential/commercial split to pay for services.

Taxation is a little complicated.  To simplify, we want to be sure we offer the best services for the taxes you pay.  We also have to continually look for more efficient ways to provide those services - just like any business.  Please give me a call at home (403-638-3535) if you would like to talk more about taxes and services.

Mayor Terry Leslie

Notes From The Mayor's Desk: April, 2014

What is a Strategic Priorities Chart?

It is a planning document and a business plan that turns into a report card.  In the attached photo, you will see the 2014 Strategic Priorities Chart that was developed by Town Council and Staff in February.  When we speak of wanting government to be more like business, this is the Town business plan for this year.  The goal is to have this document act as a report card to you at the end of the year where we report to you about what has been accomplished with your tax dollars.

There are three sections to this chart.  The "Corporate Priorities" section is the direction Council sets.  There are target dates to accomplish those priorities.  The "Advocacy" section indicates items where Council will work with others who have the responsibility to deal with issues in our community.  The "Operational Strategies" section is where the real work gets done.  Each Town department sets goals, timelines, and individual staff members who take the lead - and responsibility, for accomplishing each listed task. Council has set priorities and administration carries out those priorities with the operational strategies.

There will be emerging issues throughout the year that we haven't planned for.  The report card part of this document will be the quarterly review of what has been accomplished and what new, unplanned "stuff" had to be taken care of.  We expect to monitor these goals and keep an ongoing list of accomplishments so we can report to you on our progress.  We want to have everything checked off by January 2015 - and then we will make another plan.

It is important to note that these goals fit within the framework of all our long term plans like the 20 year Municipal Development Plan and the 10 year Recreation Master Plan.  Even though it seems like we are making plans from year to year, we must always be setting yearly goals to meet our long-term plan - just like in business.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss any of these items, please call me at home at 403-638-3535, or chat with any of us on Council.

Mayor Terry Leslie

Town of Sundre:  2014 Strategic Priorities Chart