Often I have people ask me questions about the political situation in the Crowsnest Pass. So I will take the time to address the most common questions being asked over the last couple of months.
What is your opinion of this new schedule for council meetings?
Since Mayor Decoux and his group of councilors took over there as been 55 meeting of council (Including Council, G+P, Special meeting, Organizational etc up to December 6th 2011)
The average duration of those meeting has been 2 hours and 28 minutes of which 58 minutes on average have been in camera. That means the average resident has had the opportunity to see their council at work making the decisions that impact every one of us for a grand total of six hours a month.
Now I know that most people don't go to council meeting, lets face it the majority of people don't vote.
Why not lessen the number of elections?
But that's not the point, the public must have the opportunity if they so choose to see their council at work, in a community that has a lot of people that work 12 hour shifts and out of town the opportunity must be provided.
Previous council met every Tuesday (as recommended by the Cuff report) this gave every person four opportunities a month to drop by the municipal office and see their council at work if they wished.
During December, January and now February council has been testing a schedule where they meet on only two days a month one day for just a council meeting. A second day for a G+P meeting in the afternoon and then a council meeting at night. Depending on shift schedules a person may never have the opportunity to attend a meeting.
Is their a lot of debate at the council meeting?
I don't think so, I keep telling people to come to a meeting and check it out for themselves. Some more interesting numbers, most of us know that you can't make motions In Camera at the average meeting there are 14 motions made, council is only in the public realm for 90 minutes a meeting that means on average a motion is being made every six minutes. Would anybody consider there to be a lot of debate?
Do you feel the strategic plan as been successful?
I respond with what do you think? outside of the Bellevue Library closing, name me one other change. Believe it or not I still get people saying well they consolidated the Blairmore/Coleman shop.
How much are we spending on consultants?
That comes up again and again I am going to request those numbers soon from the municipality, will I be provided them who knows.
Are my taxes going up this year?
My answer is I believe so, but I always caution don't just watch your taxes. Follow franchise fees, user fees, etc.
Do you think the back tax rate increase had a significant effect on the amount of outstanding back taxes?
Financial statements will be out near the end of April I will compare this years numbers with last.
Just some things to think about and hopefully create some debate
Showing posts with label Debate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debate. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Crowsnest Pass, Budget will spur debate? Maybe
Well so far local politics have been fairly mellow and laid back since the election. I don't say that in a critical way because that's normal, new councilors getting familiar with the job, what administration does, the various programs and services the municipality provides it all takes time.
Ultimately unless you are going to have seven people sit in a room for three years and just play follow the leader, debate will come its bound to. Take any group of seven people you are going to have different goals, objectives, agendas etc. If you are not going to have debate over various issues then you may as well leave six people at home and let one person make all the decisions.
So anyway to the point of my post, I feel that debate is coming especially after reading Councilor Saindon's blog. Then refreshing my memory with what the various councilors had to say during the election campaign, this leads me to believe that their are indeed some issues that are going to create quite a lot of debate over the next month or so, in both council chambers, and out in the public.
Three issues I would like to discuss at this point that I feel are very pressing and relevant based on the various positions taken during the election.
1. Duplication of services.
Previous council had to deal with this issue regarding the duplication of Community centres and arenas. Maybe this council will take a different position than we did and restart the Crowsnest Centre, or put ice back in the Albert Stella? We shall see.
But if they are going to deal with this issue, they will at some point have to look at Town Shops, Fire Departments, Equipment Fleets, even arms lengths groups. Everyone of them very political contentious issues.
2. Water Meters, tough issue 560 meters a year for the next five years. Is the municipality going to charge two rates for water based on having a meter or not? Would that be fair, somebody that wastes water with a meter pays extra, somebody without a meter could waste water for free for up to the next five years. What about commercial users, will they be metered? tough on a business like a car wash? etc.
Cost $500 a meter paid by the owner of the residence over one year, half our taxpayers are seniors, administration as already proposed to increase utility bills. Now seniors are going to have to pay an additional $80 on every utility bill that's tough on a fixed income.
There is no question that we use a lot of water in the Pass, three times the provincial average.
Something as to be done from a conservation point of view, but I believe that by the time this issue makes it through the local coffee shops it will become too hot of a political potato and probably put aside for future review.
3. Spring cleanup, I read with much interest Councilor Saindon's comments on this issue, from what I have seen over the last six years, he is right this is the kind of luxury service this community can not afford. What will be interesting is to see where the rest of council stands on this issue, especially Councilor Mitchell every time this debate came up in the last three years he supported our former Mayor in maintaining this service, in fact if my memory is serving me well he even supported maintaining two cleanups. (Spring and Fall).
Three things that I hope are considered during the debate on the cleanup, Public Works are requesting an additional 1.5 positions in the workforce. If you took the man hours that are used on cleanup it would come to more than those 1.5 positions even in the most efficient years.
Second in the last six years on I was on council I would estimate that well in excess of a million dollars as been spent on cleanups, money that should have been used to buy new equipment that administration is now recommending that the municipality go $550,000 in debt for.
Third how many other jobs were put aside while our public works crew was busy on cleanup, and how much overtime was incurred to get those jobs completed in a timely fashion.
Anyway I think budget will spur some lively debate, lets keep in mind these are only the tip of the iceberg.
Ultimately unless you are going to have seven people sit in a room for three years and just play follow the leader, debate will come its bound to. Take any group of seven people you are going to have different goals, objectives, agendas etc. If you are not going to have debate over various issues then you may as well leave six people at home and let one person make all the decisions.
So anyway to the point of my post, I feel that debate is coming especially after reading Councilor Saindon's blog. Then refreshing my memory with what the various councilors had to say during the election campaign, this leads me to believe that their are indeed some issues that are going to create quite a lot of debate over the next month or so, in both council chambers, and out in the public.
Three issues I would like to discuss at this point that I feel are very pressing and relevant based on the various positions taken during the election.
1. Duplication of services.
Previous council had to deal with this issue regarding the duplication of Community centres and arenas. Maybe this council will take a different position than we did and restart the Crowsnest Centre, or put ice back in the Albert Stella? We shall see.
But if they are going to deal with this issue, they will at some point have to look at Town Shops, Fire Departments, Equipment Fleets, even arms lengths groups. Everyone of them very political contentious issues.
2. Water Meters, tough issue 560 meters a year for the next five years. Is the municipality going to charge two rates for water based on having a meter or not? Would that be fair, somebody that wastes water with a meter pays extra, somebody without a meter could waste water for free for up to the next five years. What about commercial users, will they be metered? tough on a business like a car wash? etc.
Cost $500 a meter paid by the owner of the residence over one year, half our taxpayers are seniors, administration as already proposed to increase utility bills. Now seniors are going to have to pay an additional $80 on every utility bill that's tough on a fixed income.
There is no question that we use a lot of water in the Pass, three times the provincial average.
Something as to be done from a conservation point of view, but I believe that by the time this issue makes it through the local coffee shops it will become too hot of a political potato and probably put aside for future review.
3. Spring cleanup, I read with much interest Councilor Saindon's comments on this issue, from what I have seen over the last six years, he is right this is the kind of luxury service this community can not afford. What will be interesting is to see where the rest of council stands on this issue, especially Councilor Mitchell every time this debate came up in the last three years he supported our former Mayor in maintaining this service, in fact if my memory is serving me well he even supported maintaining two cleanups. (Spring and Fall).
Three things that I hope are considered during the debate on the cleanup, Public Works are requesting an additional 1.5 positions in the workforce. If you took the man hours that are used on cleanup it would come to more than those 1.5 positions even in the most efficient years.
Second in the last six years on I was on council I would estimate that well in excess of a million dollars as been spent on cleanups, money that should have been used to buy new equipment that administration is now recommending that the municipality go $550,000 in debt for.
Third how many other jobs were put aside while our public works crew was busy on cleanup, and how much overtime was incurred to get those jobs completed in a timely fashion.
Anyway I think budget will spur some lively debate, lets keep in mind these are only the tip of the iceberg.
Friday, February 19, 2010
The end of times, Crowsnest Pass style
I almost hate to draw attention to the silliness that has broken out in the Crowsnest Pass. All of the community knows about the Crowsnest Centre, and yes its an issue that as spilt the community some what. Personally I do not have a problem with anybody having a different opinion than me on this issue. (Its called democracy)
Yes we have attempted to have a debate based on silly things like facts, figures, and that kind of nonsense.
Then we have had other people who have the golden opportunity to debate this issue (by use of the local media) based on non factual arguments, fear, stupidity and ????? (I am stuck for the right word use your imagination).
In the last five years I have heard arguments such as the place will make money, its a sound business. Look at our business plan its make sense (the moment you point out errors, "its only a draft"), we don't compete with the local hospitality business, yet under that same business plan its states competition then lists local hospitality businesses. We heard Dec 16, 2008 we don't need municipal dollars the place will pay for itself. By June of 2009 we are debating paying the Nexen bill because our Mayor states that it was sent to the wrong address for months ???.
Then comes the fear approach:
The cadets will be thrown out on the street, the food bank will be thrown out on the street, its the death of education in the Crowsnest Pass. Where will people stay during an emergency?
The cadets are in the Elks Hall, the food bank is now down town Blairmore, and we are in discussions with the education consortium regarding relocation. Where do people stay in other communities during an emergency? Inconvenice yes, but problems that had solutions.
Then comes the stupidity, it was only three weeks ago the local paper had an update on politics in the Crowsnest Pass, followed by "my mother always said if you have nothing good to say about somebody don't" and then the rest of the editorial was blank.
Last week we get an attempt to compare the closing of the centre to Great Britain's darkest hours during WW II, and they went as far as quoting Winston Churchill.
Then this week we get the icing on the cake an obituary for the centre, maybe I'm wrong maybe this really does make sense and I'm the crazy one.
Anyway we are now only months away from the election, and I'm sure somewhere out there in the back rooms of our local businesses, over coffee at the Tim Hortons. The ultimate dream team of seven is being built for the coming election, they will come forth and correct all the mistakes of by gone years.
The centre will be refurbished and reopened and become truly our "Banff Centre"
The old Bellevue arena will be rebuilt and re opened and prime time hours at our arenas will become from 6pm to 6:45pm so that five years from now we can claim that our arenas are being used 97% of the time. (prime time hours of course)
Then the $300,000 to upgrade the Maple View hall will be found, and the old Hillcrest hall will be rebuilt and reopened. Everybody will live happily ever after, and George Cuffs statement about the municipality having too much duplication of services and facilities will be exposed for the huge lie it is.
Maybe this dream team can campaign under the slogan, of lower taxes, no reduction of services, and money in reserves every year.
Some pessimists say it can not be done, but two thousand years ago they said the same thing about parting the Red Sea.
Any way thanks for taking a moment to read my comments and please if you can spare a few more seconds vote on the poll on the left hand side.
Yes we have attempted to have a debate based on silly things like facts, figures, and that kind of nonsense.
Then we have had other people who have the golden opportunity to debate this issue (by use of the local media) based on non factual arguments, fear, stupidity and ????? (I am stuck for the right word use your imagination).
In the last five years I have heard arguments such as the place will make money, its a sound business. Look at our business plan its make sense (the moment you point out errors, "its only a draft"), we don't compete with the local hospitality business, yet under that same business plan its states competition then lists local hospitality businesses. We heard Dec 16, 2008 we don't need municipal dollars the place will pay for itself. By June of 2009 we are debating paying the Nexen bill because our Mayor states that it was sent to the wrong address for months ???.
Then comes the fear approach:
The cadets will be thrown out on the street, the food bank will be thrown out on the street, its the death of education in the Crowsnest Pass. Where will people stay during an emergency?
The cadets are in the Elks Hall, the food bank is now down town Blairmore, and we are in discussions with the education consortium regarding relocation. Where do people stay in other communities during an emergency? Inconvenice yes, but problems that had solutions.
Then comes the stupidity, it was only three weeks ago the local paper had an update on politics in the Crowsnest Pass, followed by "my mother always said if you have nothing good to say about somebody don't" and then the rest of the editorial was blank.
Last week we get an attempt to compare the closing of the centre to Great Britain's darkest hours during WW II, and they went as far as quoting Winston Churchill.
Then this week we get the icing on the cake an obituary for the centre, maybe I'm wrong maybe this really does make sense and I'm the crazy one.
Anyway we are now only months away from the election, and I'm sure somewhere out there in the back rooms of our local businesses, over coffee at the Tim Hortons. The ultimate dream team of seven is being built for the coming election, they will come forth and correct all the mistakes of by gone years.
The centre will be refurbished and reopened and become truly our "Banff Centre"
The old Bellevue arena will be rebuilt and re opened and prime time hours at our arenas will become from 6pm to 6:45pm so that five years from now we can claim that our arenas are being used 97% of the time. (prime time hours of course)
Then the $300,000 to upgrade the Maple View hall will be found, and the old Hillcrest hall will be rebuilt and reopened. Everybody will live happily ever after, and George Cuffs statement about the municipality having too much duplication of services and facilities will be exposed for the huge lie it is.
Maybe this dream team can campaign under the slogan, of lower taxes, no reduction of services, and money in reserves every year.
Some pessimists say it can not be done, but two thousand years ago they said the same thing about parting the Red Sea.
Any way thanks for taking a moment to read my comments and please if you can spare a few more seconds vote on the poll on the left hand side.
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