Notes from the Mayor's Desk: February 2014

Council and administration have been working behind the scenes meeting with local residents, Mountain View County and the Province to address the flood mitigation and erosion issues that arose after the 2013 flood event.  We have been working very closely with Mountain View County to determine viable solutions and propose solutions to the Government of Alberta.

The Federal and Provincial governments hold responsibility and regulatory authority over changes to any river.  The Provincial government has acted quickly to deal with devastating floods in many communities in Alberta through Disaster Relief Programs.  Sundre has been approved to receive $659,000 to fund 8 flood recovery projects.  Emergency operations costs were reimbursed $175,000, Greenwood Campground damage was $250,000, wastewater and water treatment plant repairs were $80,000, and repair of the rock spurs south of the bridge will cost $70,000.  Also, 10^th Street erosion repairs, recreation trail erosion and storm sewer cleaning amounted to $84,000.  We are grateful for the Disaster Recovery Program funds allocated to us for these flood recovery projects.  Efforts are ongoing to complete the listed projects.

Flood Recovery and Erosion Control (FREC) is another Provincial program that we have been seeking clarity about.  In November, 2013, Town Council and County Council representatives met with Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) administration to express concerns of residents and to be sure that we followed guidelines and procedures as set out by FREC.

Councillor Myron Thompson organized a meeting with residents of Sundre and District on January 9^th, 2014.  After that meeting, a letter was written to ESRD Minister Robin Campbell requesting that he meet with both local Councils to clarify procedures and plans.  Representatives from Town Council met with Minister Campbell on January 17^th to outline community concerns.  Minister Campbell also agreed to meet with Town and County Council before the middle of February.

Since the 2013 flood event, two engineering firms have been studying the river, the effects of the flood, changes in the river basin and potential predictable impacts in another high water event.  Town and County Councils had commissioned those firms separately.  Those research findings were shared with each other as Councils, with the Province at meetings on January 21^st and 23^rd, and with Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs, Kyle Fawcett, on January 30^th.

If this all seems complicated - it is.  To simplify, we have been approved to receive $659,000 from the Province for flood related damage and we are grateful for the support and quick action of our Provincial government. The Town of Sundre and Mountain View County Councils are working together to present solutions for longer term "river mitigation" strategies that will protect residents, property and water quality to local and downstream residents and river users.  Those suggestions are backed by science and research from engineering studies. Nobody wants to "rush to failure" as Minister Fawcett stated.  Not all projects will be completed by June 2014.  Of 40 flood-affected municipalities, 8 have applied for FREC funds of $2.5 billion.  Long-term river mitigation will require Federal as well as Provincial financial support.

We will keep you informed as new information becomes available.  If you would be interested in more detailed information please call me (403-638-3535 at home) and we can set up an open house to provide you with clarity on some of these issues.

Mayor Terry Leslie

Notes from the Mayor's Desk: January 2014

The New Year brings us the chance to look forward to the year ahead.  In the first few days of the New Year the biggest issue faced by all of us in the community is snow - more than we have seen in decades. The staff work to safely and efficiently move that snow and address the calls and concerns you have. Thank you for your help and patience as we all try to deal with Mother Nature and all the gifts she brings.

January will see Sundre’s Council, working together with Mountain View County Council, pressing the Provincial Government to outline plans for action on flood mitigation.  We will continue to support Mountain View County proposals and plans for upstream work.  We will work with our MLA, Joe Anglin, to advocate for work to be done in the river basin upstream of the bridge so it can be protected.  It is critical to our community that action is taken before the spring run off.

February will see us preparing a "Strategic Plan" which is just a fancy term for setting goals for the near and distant future.  "Continuous Improvement" is a goal we will be talking about.  Our residents expect us to seek methods of improvement in all areas of the organization.  It is easy to say we will try to continuously improve, but it is another thing to have an attitude and a mindset that everyone agrees to focus on.  We need to continuously look for more efficient ways to do business.  Our strategic planning process will look at specific methods and ideas that we will outline and work towards.

Taxes are always a concern to residents and businesses.  We have reduced the tax rate from last year by a percentage point, but we must continue to try and keep taxes down.  We would all agree that government can't continue to grow - and yet we all expect services to be reasonable.  We need community growth, efficiency in our business and innovation that allows us to enhance service levels with little impact to the residents and businesses.  These ideas will also be part of the strategic planning process in February.

We want to support and recognize volunteers, groups and organizations that give our community the character that is our reputation.  Council and staff want to recognize the fact that if we are all working together, our community morale, spirit and attitude will be filled with optimism and hope for our future and pride in our past.  It is not always easy to be an optimist.  What choice do we really have when we are modeling for our children and grandchildren - optimism or pessimism?  Council will encourage and support the work you do to help others in our community.

On behalf of Council and staff I thank you for all you do in our community.  I encourage you to talk with us about your thoughts.  Together we will make 2014 a great year :)

Terry Leslie,

Mayor, Town of Sundre

Notes from the Mayor's Desk: Seasons Greetings

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. 

The past year has been a busy and exciting one for all of us. We are proud of the many achievements of our volunteers, groups and organizations that are the heart and soul of our community.

We look forward to continuing to build a strong and efficient government that delivers quality services to our residents. In the New Year, we will continue to reach out to citizens, listening to your input. We will attend community events where we will share our plans for the coming year. Together, we will continue building the path to a healthier and more prosperous future for our community.

May the spirit of the season bring out the best selves in all of us.  Smile at everyone.  Let random acts of kindness be your goal every day.  Comfort those who struggle with the loss of loved ones, those who battle illness and failing health and invite the lonely into your heart with kind words of caring.  Reflect and remember those not with you this holiday season. 

Be grateful for the memories you cherish and celebrate them. Check up on your neighbors, donate to local charities, and hug each and every one in your family. Look deep into their eyes so they see your soul and tell them of your love for them.  Make a plan to make memories.  Vow to be your best self, not just for the season but every day always.

On behalf of Council, I wish you the Merriest of Christmases and the best New Year you have ever imagined

Terry Leslie,

Mayor, Town of Sundre

Council Notes from the Mayor's Desk: November 15, 2013

How does Council work? What do I do if I have questions and concerns? What are my expectations and responsibilities?

Those of us who have been newly elected have had a number of workshops since the election to have the first question answered.  The first workshop was with a lawyer who was very clear about what we can and can't do.  He pointed out that we each get one vote and that individually we can do nothing.  Individually we can't make promises to get you better snow removal or garbage pick up.  In fact, as councillors, we should only speak to one person, the Chief Administrative Officer or CAO.  Council directs the CAO and tells him what to do.  The CAO is the boss for all the employees who work for the Town of Sundre. He tells all of them what to do. If you call a Councillor or the Mayor, we will call the CAO to do follow up because that is all we can do.  I just can't call the grader operator and tell him to get snow off a street.

We have had an orientation from all departments so we have a better idea of the scope and parameters of those departments.  It is a steep learning curve for me filled with many "I had no idea" moments (and I had the job before). We are trying to learn about the implications and consequences of the upcoming budget decisions we have to make.  I would love to have no increase in taxes (wouldn't we all) but there are consequences.  We have to plan 10, 20 and 30 years out rather than make decisions that will have to be corrected next year - or by the next Council - or by the one after that. It is complicated - and very exciting. Your Council will work behind the scenes with staff to deal with all the details to continually improve programs services and facilities for our community.

As residents, you probably have better access to individual departments than Council because we cannot influence the work of staff members in different departments.  If you have a question or a concern, everyone on staff wants you to call the Town Office at 403-638-3551.  Every department of the Town has priorities as to how they operate.  The first priority in every department is customer service.  They rely on you to let them know if you have questions about service or if you have concerns about when something will be done.  If you don't call, nobody knows what to do to help you or answer your questions.

The Mayor and Councillors want to hear about your questions and concerns also.  We follow up with the CAO to see how things get handled and it helps us to know if there are common questions.  Council can change policy, change budgets, and direct the CAO to tell staff to do things differently - if the majority of Council wants that.  

In the lead up to the election, we heard from many residents.  I took notes and so did your Councillors.  What I found was that many of the questions or concerns just needed an explanation.  There is misinformation out there and we want to correct it.  The vast majority of programs, services and facilities operated by the Town sail smoothly along. There are very good people doing very good work in very complex circumstances.  People are generally OK with things.  Again, as your Council, we want what you want - to continually improve.

I want to close with a few thoughts.  If you are healthy, and you live in Canada, there are millions of people around the world that would give everything to trade places - for the opportunities that would be available for their children and grand children.  We live in Alberta - the best province in Canada.  We live in rural Alberta - so very closely connected to the outdoors.  Is there a better place to live?  Let us be sure we temper our expectations with the appreciation of all the blessings we take for granted each and every day.

Mayor Terry Leslie