Clean up in the Crowsnest Pass-Service Plus

Service Plus Program Dates Announced

The Service Plus Program is a new initiative designed to allow residents to bring large items for disposal to locations throughout the community.  This program is a cost-effective solution that will allow residents to conduct “Spring Clean Ups” without incurring the costs and travel needed to take items to the landfill.  There will be a bin for metal and a bin for regular waste at the sites listed below.  Please bring electronics and paint to the Recycling Roundup at the Crowsnest Sports Complex in Coleman on Saturday, June 21, 2014 from 9:00 – 2:00 pm.   For more information please contact the Operations Department at (403) 563-2220.

Blairmore	Blairmore Shop 12525 21 Avenue	June 12-14th, 2014	9am – 4 pm
Hillcrest	Hillcrest Shop 22201 9 Avenue	June 16-18th, 2014	9 am - 4 pm
Coleman	Sports Complex 8702 22 Avenue	June 19-21st, 2014	9am – 4 pm

Tax Increase and Spring Cleanup

Here is the best answer to "Is the municipality going to be collecting more taxes than it did last year"

2010

General Municipal Taxation $6,432,821
ASFF------------------------$2,366,925
Seniors Housing------------$   184,542

Total-----------------------$8,984,288

2011

General Municipal Taxation $6,555,990
ASFF------------------------$2,542,134
Seniors Housing------------$   184,542

Total-----------------------$9,282,666

An Increase of  $298,378 or 3.3% that's not 0%     

Spring Cleanup

Will now be called "Large Item Residential Pickup"
Taxpayers that meet the following criteria will be provided with this service.
Sixty five (65) years or older and those with disabilities (This was not defined at this point)
Will have three items to be picked up.
You will be required to go into the Municipal Office between May 9 to May 20th, you will be required to specify the three items you are having picked up.
Items will be picked up between May 24 to June 3.

Council Meeting of April 5, 2011

Council Meeting of April 5, 2011


Adoption of Agenda:

Mayor Decoux requested that Item #3 under other business (Flooding Concern-Crowsnest River) be moved to In Camera
Motion to accept the Agenda as amended was passed unanimously

Adoption of previous minutes:
Minutes of the Council Meeting of March 15,2011, Motion to accept was passed unanimously
Minutes of the Special Council Meeting of March 29,2011, Motion to accept was passed unanimously

Delegations: None

Administrative and Agency Reports: None

Business arising from the Minutes:
1. Oldman Watershed Council Update, Motion was made to send a Councilor to the meeting in June passed unanimously.

Correspondence:
1. Letter from Hon. Hector Goudreau regarding 2011 MSI minimum Threshold, Motion to accept passed unanimously
2. Letter from Hon. Hector Goudreau regarding payment of $180,000 for the ski hill groomer. Motion to accept passed unanimously
3. Letter from Hon. Luke Ouellette regarding Transportation Grant programs Motion to accept passed unanimously
4. Letter from Hon Ron Liepert in response to Councils request to define critical transmission Infrastructure Projects, council felt their questions were not answered so a Motion was made to table until public hearing are held on this issue motion passed unanimously
5. Volunteer Recognition Dinner. Councilor Saje requested information on a Volunteer database; administration informed that Cam Mertz would be bringing this information forward shortly. Motion to accept this was passed unanimously.

Committee Reports:
1. Minutes of January 10, 2011 Protective Services Committee, Motion to accept passed unanimously.
2. Minutes of January 14, 2011 Municipal Heritage Board, Motion to accept passed unanimously.
3. Minutes of February 23, 2011 Subdivision and Development Authority, Motion to accept passed unanimously.

Bylaws:
1. Bylaw 819, Short term borrowing 2nd and 3rd reading. ($530,000 to purchase new equipment) second reading passed unanimously, third reading passed unanimously.
2. Bylaw 820, Millrate Bylaw 2nd and 3rd reading. At the 2nd reading Councilor Saindon brought forth a motion to have the $100,000 requisition for the Senior’s Housing Capital Upgrade and the $18,454 increase in the operating costs for the Seniors Housing to be absorbed by the 2011 municipal operating budget.
This reading was passed by a vote of 4-3 with Mayor Decoux, Councilors Londsbury and Mitchell opposed.
Third reading was passed by a vote of 5-2 with Councilors Gallant and Mitchell opposed.
3. Bylaw 822, Operating Line of Credit 2nd and 3rd reading. Second reading was passed unanimously, third reading also passed unanimously.

Notices of Motion:
1. Way-finding Signage, Motion to bring back to council on September 13,2011 passed unanimously
2. Visitor Welcome Kiosks, Motion to bring back to council on September 13,2011 passed unanimously

Other Business:
1. Chamber of Commerce Trade Show May 6-7, Councilors volunteered to attend the show, Motion to accept passed unanimously
2. Policy Committee Terms of Reference, Motion to accept with minimal changes passed unanimously
3. Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and the Crowsnest Pass Connection, Motion to send a letter of support to the City of Hokuto, to match up to $2500 the fundraising done by the high school, and to work on the sister city agreement, passed unanimously
4. Large Item Equipment Pickup (Spring Cleanup) Councilor Saindon brought forth a motion to rescind the previous spring cleanup and that the municipal not spend any funds to clean up resident’s properties. This motion was defeated 6-1 with only Councilor Saindon supporting it. A further motion was made to rescind the previous Spring Cleanup this was passed by a vote of 6-1 (Saindon opposed)
A further motion to accept administrations recommendation to proceed with a three-item cleanup for residents 65 and over and those with disabilities. In addition, to bring back a report with all the costs provided prior to the 2012 budget. Was passed by a vote of 6-1 (Saindon opposed).

Council Member reports: None

Public Input: None

Motion to go In Camera: Passed Unanimously

It's only garbage, Spring Cleanup in the Crowsnest Pass

Well here, we go again the old issue of Spring Cleanup.

This annual ritual (some years bi annual) where we take our municipal workforce away from jobs that they should be doing and turn them into garbage men (nothing derogatory towards garbage men) for anywhere from two to six months.

Over the last seven years this absolute waste of time as cost the taxpayers anywhere from $100,000 to $400,000 per year in total somewhere around $2 million.

Wow, we could have put in place three new graders, three new loaders and probably a couple of brand new trucks without incurring one dollar of debt in that timeframe.

So new council made up of mostly people that pledged to go after the inefficiencies within the municipality to keep the cost of taxes down takes another look at this issue.

Lo and behold, they have come up with a new plan they are going to remain being one of the few communities in the province that still does this silliness but they are going to do it differently.

We the taxpayers are going to be supplied with a list of items that are eligible to be removed by our public works employees, (temporary garbage men). For two weeks, the taxpayers will have the opportunity to call the municipality to notify them of the need to have their garbage picked up.
Then the municipal employees will come around and pick them up. The dollars allowed in the budget for this Myron Thompson stated $10,000 just for labour.
My response to that is “dream on” at our labour rates that works out to a little under 300 hours of labour over a one month period that “two” employees assigned to this.

Think about a few things:

How hard is it going to be to call the municipal office those two weeks?
We have over 3200 residences in the Crowsnest Pass imagine if only half of them call for a pick up, the logistic nightmare of coordinating that exercise?.

If house number one and four on a block calls to schedule a pick up, number three sees his neighbors putting out material so he just goes ahead and puts his out will the municipal employees just drive by because he did not schedule?

Councilor Saindon stated I believe correctly that this cleanup will cost just as much as the old one. He as also stated on his blog that he is clearly opposed to this, I hope he can convince his colleagues, it is time for the Crowsnest Pass to recognize as so many other communities have this is not a luxury we can afford.

Its time to end the debate on Spring Cleanup.

NOTE: Surprising results on my poll regarding the new cleanup only 2 voters (5%) felt the new idea was good, 11 voters (30%) felt the municipality should stick with the old cleanup. Lastly 23 voters (63%) felt that the municipality doing cleanups should just end.

Where does my tax dollars go in the Crowsnest Pass

A while back a number of local residents wanted to know what some of the costs were for different services that we provide in the Crowsnest Pass. All of these numbers were for 2009 unless otherwise stated.

1/Spring Clean up-$105,241.43
Which is made up of the following
Wages and Benefits $69,133.05
Postage and Copying $643.26
Tipping Fees $28,985.12
Fuel 216 trips @ $30 per trip $6,480

2/Toxic Roundup-$6,435.41
Advertising $499.60
Contract costs $5,935.81

3/Snow Removal-$202,584
Wages $179,518
Benefits $23,066
We do not track equipment costs and fuel

4/Fire Departments-$327,000
This was the average amount for the last three years

5/Rum Runner Days-$46,072
Police $10,000
Traffic $6,572
Events $22,500
Garbage $7,000

The total of the above comes to $748,436.84
If anybody has any comments about the above please either post them or send me an email, any other questions about costs of various programs or services let me know I would be glad to get the answers for you.

This does not include any municipal wage cost.

6/Summer Games-$61,104