Your Municipal Council would like to provide an update to the taxpayers of the Crowsnest Pass on the numerous challenges that we have encountered since being elected four months ago.
Between Oct. 21, 2013 through to the end of April 2014, our entire team of senior management (including CAO and all of the department heads) will be replaced. This has created numerous difficulties and challenges, but thanks to the tremendous efforts of all of our employees, we will move forward, it will just take longer than normal for some tasks to be completed, such as the budget.
Your present council has received a lot of criticism over a couple of issues including the entrance signs and the Crowsnest Centre site. During our short tenure on council we have inherited contractual agreements made by the previous administration that committed the community to these projects financially. Contractors were also permitted significant time delays and there will be an additional cost accrued of $55,000 that we have no option other than to pay.
You will have noticed that council has conducted a lot of business “In Camera”. This is a legal requirement in the Municipal Government Act of Alberta for issues that fall under the categories of “Land, Legal or Labour”.
Unfortunately, there were numerous issues left to this council that fall under these three categories that have required a lot of time, effort and energy on the part of both administration and council.
Land:
Crowsnest Mountain Resort
Crowsnest Centre Site
River Run
Sentinel property
Legal:
Chinook Pipeline
Blairmore Smoke Eaters
Labour:
CUPE 812-15-20 outstanding grievances
We are presently waiting for our 2013 financial year end to be completed and will be starting the budget process on Feb. 27. We are anticipating that the budget may create some additional challenges, which may require us to make some very difficult choices.
We, as your elected officials, do not wish to paint a negative picture of this community that has so much to offer, however, in the interest of transparency we wanted to fully inform the public of the issues that we have faced since the beginning of our term. We all understand that the issues listed above will take time to resolve, and would like to assure you that we are committed to resolving these issues and we continue to feel very optimistic about moving our community forward.
Thank you for your patience.
Crowsnest Pass Municipal Council
Showing posts with label Entrance signs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entrance signs. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Monday, December 23, 2013
Comments and legacies
Recent comment from a previous post:
"Judging from snow removal,(or lack there of) I don't think this council will be making all the changes they led people to believe. This is understandable though, because it is one thing to talk at a ratepayer's meeting and another to follow through when given the chance as a councillor. I understand this council voted on wheather or not to go ahead with the entrance signs and the outcome was for. I don't want to start rumours, so Dean, please let us know if that was the case."
Now my thoughts:
Comment-Snow removal as been a problem and I agree it does need to be improved.
Legacy-We as a council had no input into the budget we are presently operating with, or the hiring process over the last three years, while we have an ample force on the administrative side we are obviously lacking on the public works side.
Comment-Making all the changes we led people to believe, we have barely got our feet wet, give us chance we have gone through orientations, we have found a new CAO and as I stated already we have not even began the budget process.
Legacy-There are many we have horrible labor relations, a lot of bylaws and procedures that need to be reviewed the work as only just begun, changes will happen.
Comment-Council voted on weather or not to go ahead with the entrance signs, no this was not true this council voted only on the location of the signs. Previous council made those decisions a long time ago to proceed with the signs, personally I really dislike the logo and think it was an absolute waste of money and if commitments had not been made by the previous council/administration I would have cancelled them in an heart beat.
Legacy-We were put in a position where tenders had been let out (prior to the election) big dollars had been paid out, the signs were in the process of being built. For the last twelve months all I heard was the previous Mayor talk about the legacy issues his council was left to deal with, I guess we could do the same. Cancelling these signs at this point would have put us in the position of wasting the taxpayers dollars that had already been paid out. Plus leaving a contractor in a position that had accepted a tender to do the work with a couple of signs that I don't think anybody else would have took of their hands.
How do you cancel a tender (legal agreement with somebody to do work) that has been given out, a substantial part paid for and the work almost completed.
Stuff like that makes lawyers very wealthy.
Hopefully I answered the comment and look forward to further questions.
"Judging from snow removal,(or lack there of) I don't think this council will be making all the changes they led people to believe. This is understandable though, because it is one thing to talk at a ratepayer's meeting and another to follow through when given the chance as a councillor. I understand this council voted on wheather or not to go ahead with the entrance signs and the outcome was for. I don't want to start rumours, so Dean, please let us know if that was the case."
Now my thoughts:
Comment-Snow removal as been a problem and I agree it does need to be improved.
Legacy-We as a council had no input into the budget we are presently operating with, or the hiring process over the last three years, while we have an ample force on the administrative side we are obviously lacking on the public works side.
Comment-Making all the changes we led people to believe, we have barely got our feet wet, give us chance we have gone through orientations, we have found a new CAO and as I stated already we have not even began the budget process.
Legacy-There are many we have horrible labor relations, a lot of bylaws and procedures that need to be reviewed the work as only just begun, changes will happen.
Comment-Council voted on weather or not to go ahead with the entrance signs, no this was not true this council voted only on the location of the signs. Previous council made those decisions a long time ago to proceed with the signs, personally I really dislike the logo and think it was an absolute waste of money and if commitments had not been made by the previous council/administration I would have cancelled them in an heart beat.
Legacy-We were put in a position where tenders had been let out (prior to the election) big dollars had been paid out, the signs were in the process of being built. For the last twelve months all I heard was the previous Mayor talk about the legacy issues his council was left to deal with, I guess we could do the same. Cancelling these signs at this point would have put us in the position of wasting the taxpayers dollars that had already been paid out. Plus leaving a contractor in a position that had accepted a tender to do the work with a couple of signs that I don't think anybody else would have took of their hands.
How do you cancel a tender (legal agreement with somebody to do work) that has been given out, a substantial part paid for and the work almost completed.
Stuff like that makes lawyers very wealthy.
Hopefully I answered the comment and look forward to further questions.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
What's happening with your new council.
Again I would like to thank all those people that supported me through the election. Can't believe it as been three weeks since the election already.
Just an update on what as happened so far some issues we have talked about previously and some new one's. On Oct 29th we were sworn in to office and we divided up the committee's, not everybody got everything they wanted but I think council did a fairly good job of splitting up the work load and we all agreed that if somewhere down the road members of council wish to move around we would look at that.
At the meeting of the 29th I also made a motion for administration to bring back information for council on the following questions:
1. Provide Council with the complete MCNP budget. Including all GL accounts, and including Municipal Reserves.
Just an update on what as happened so far some issues we have talked about previously and some new one's. On Oct 29th we were sworn in to office and we divided up the committee's, not everybody got everything they wanted but I think council did a fairly good job of splitting up the work load and we all agreed that if somewhere down the road members of council wish to move around we would look at that.
At the meeting of the 29th I also made a motion for administration to bring back information for council on the following questions:
1. Provide Council with the complete MCNP budget. Including all GL accounts, and including Municipal Reserves.
2. 2. Provide Council with all Administration employment contracts along with their job descriptions for each and evaluations for the last two years.
3. Provide Council with all CUPE job descriptions.
4. Provide Council with an update on all outstanding CUPE grievances.
5. Provide Council with a list of all ongoing litigation and legal issues currently facing the Municipality and all legal advice, if any, which was provided to the municipality on these subjects.
6. 6. Provide Council with an update on the Wolfstone development and RV Park project, including any legal opinions and possible solutions.
7. 7. Provide Council with an update on the Provincial Flood Recovery Program and what monies have been received and how they have been dispersed.
At that point administration asked to have until the Nov 19 meeting to bring forth this information which council was fine with, recognizing this is a substantial amount of information. So I look forward to seeing the answers next week.
At that point administration asked to have until the Nov 19 meeting to bring forth this information which council was fine with, recognizing this is a substantial amount of information. So I look forward to seeing the answers next week.
Now to the meeting of November 5, some highlights for me: (you can access council packages and minutes at the following address)
Financial Update:
I was very surprised to see that almost $1.3 million is owed in back taxes, we were told that the high penalties on arrears would solve this problem.
We have a lot of money in the bank most of which is grant money that as not been spent because most of our capital budget have not been completed (Out of a projected $6.2 million, just under $1 million was completed as of Oct 30,2013.
Was surprised to see that our latest study (Recreation Feasibility) is costing us $90,000.
Also $96,000 as already been spent on the Entrance signs. I am looking forward to receiving a lot more financial information over the next few months.
Next big item on the agenda was the hiring of an HR Administrator: It is no secret that the labor relations at the municipality are the worse they have ever been, and I believe this council fully understands the importance of fixing this situation. For years the municipality had good relations with CUPE. So on Nov 5 we are asked to fix the legacy issue of poor labor relations by the CAO by approving the filling of this position. Council had a number of concerns first of all the size of our administration was an issue both prior and during the election. (Just as the meeting started we were introduced to our new Director of Protective and Community Services). We must keep in mind that the organization chart for the municipality was the previous council's chart based on their priorities and desires not this council's. Second council was concerned as to how we were going to pay for this position, administration told us there was money in the budget to cover the position until the end of the year. What happens in 2014? the response was we will find the money in the budget, who hires somebody in November and then figures out how you pay for them later? Last issue administrations position was that a big part of the reason this position was justified was due to the recent Workplace Assessment that was jointly conducted by management and CUPE, council was not supplied with the original copy of this report.
Update on the Disaster Recovery program we have received $1.8 million so far from the province our Public Works Dept and Engineering firm have determined that the cost of fixing all the eligible damage is around $4.3 million. They explained the process of bureaucratic red tape that the municipality as to go through, the Mayor explained that he as met other communities leaders where work as already begun and we are sitting in a position of not seeing anything done until the spring. We anticipate that administration will be updating us on a regular basis on this very important issue.
Council meeting schedules, it was agreed that council meeting will be held the first and third Tuesday of each month, with the G+P being held on the second Tuesday of each month all meeting starting at 7pm.
Very important issue of note the SSRP (South Saskatchewan Regional Plan) if you are interested there is an open house in Pincher Creek on Nov 26 from 4:30 to 7:30 at the community hall, plus you can access the plan and provide input right up to Jan 15 at the following address. https://landuse.alberta.ca/RegionalPlans/SouthSaskatchewanRegion/Pages/default.aspx
Finally we as council were informed by Mr Myron Thompson during the In Camera portion of our meeting that he would be retiring from his position as CAO with his last day of work being Dec 20th, with his vacation and time off owed he will paid by the municipality until Feb 5th.
This announcement though surprising will allow both parties to pursue other options moving forward.
Finally I appreciate the encouragement and the positive attitude being shown to me by the public almost every where I go. There are a lot of questions being asked by both the public and council, there is a lot of information gathering on the part of your new council. Let's keep in mind that six members of this new council have never sat on a council previously. Personally I am very hopeful I think the public made some very good choices, I think we have a group of people that are very intelligent, respectful of the community and will work very well together. Will we all be on the same page all the time? not a chance, on Nov 5 we did not finish the public part of the meeting until 10pm. It's been a long time since I have seen that, lot's of good healthy debate.
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