Sunday, 23 November 2014

Moment with the Mayor: A Grab Bag of Stuff


Hi Neighbours:

It is hard to believe that 2014 is winding down; it has been an eventful year. Today’s column is a grab bag of stuff marking the year end and looking ahead a little.

Per the Council Policy Manual, Council is conducting a review of itself. The annual review is for three purposes:

1.       To ensure our neighbours in Kindersley have a Council that is providing effective leadership and oversight;

2.       Understanding how we are effective and what we are doing well; and

3.       Developing an awareness of the opportunities we have for improvement.

The tool has six tables that ask an assortment of questions addressing: Structure and Processes, Council Performance, Council Meetings, Council and Staff Relations, Council Member Competencies, and Feedback on the Mayor. Continuous improvement is key for any organization and we have to demonstrate it. There are three potential responses: OFI (opportunity for improvement), adequate, and good.

I highlighted the budget last week and I did an overview of the Action Plan for 2015 the week previous to that. Both the Action Plan for 2015 and the Budget will be on the agenda for the December 8th Council Meeting.

Housing is still a concern and I have arranged for representative(s) from the Saskatchewan Co-Op Association to attend the December 8th Council Meeting and deliver a presentation about co-operative housing. The purpose of the presentation is to build awareness for this housing concept so people can determine if this is a model they want to participate in. There are a variety of co-operative housing types and perhaps one works for both residents and businesses of Kindersley. This presentation is an exploration of the co-operative housing concept.

Another item coming up for discussion is an anti-bullying by-law. Defining any behaviour as criminal is the responsibility of the federal government, but the RCMP are asking for us to engage in this discussion. According to Article 4 of the Municipalities Act we are to develop and maintain a safe and viable community fostering economic, social and environmental well-being. How do we define this Article? A law-based response similar to the criminal code or a social investment response creating opportunities for fulfillment and healthy relationships? I am leaning toward social investment response such as Phase 2 and diversified youth programming.

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.

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