Moment with the Mayor: New Budget Cycle

Hi Everyone:

During the last budget, I spoke about the budget process and how we would like to revise it. In working out a new budget cycle, we were looking for a few things:

·         Enhanced openness and transparency: With a pre-planned, publicized budget cycle, everyone knows when and how we are doing the budget.

·         Public Participation: The budget cycle will be publicized, and we are asking for earlier budget input from the community. For example, perhaps the Downtown Merchants Association comes to Council suggesting that there be tax incentives for downtown improvement.

·         Savings: We anticipate that the Town will realize savings with an earlier adopted budget because we can tender infrastructure projects earlier. This year, all of our infrastructure projects are coming in on budget due to what we learned at SUMA in February: tender early.

·         Certainty: With an earlier tendering process, we will be on companies’ lists.

Here is the tentative budget cycle for 2013 – 2014:

1.       2014 Departmental Projects with Rationales: June – July 2013

·         Internal reviews and data collection to identify departmental Capital and Operating Projects.

2.       Council/Staff Budget Committee Meetings: October – November 2013

                                 i.            Budget Priorities/Goals/Scope Setting – Friday October 4, 2013

                                ii.            Pre-Budget Early Public Consultation – Wednesday October 9, 2013

                               iii.            Budget Committee Public Comments Review – Friday October 25, 2013

                              iv.            Budget Committee Final Meeting – Friday November 15, 2013

3.       Council Consultation – 2^nd week of January 2014

4.       Pre-Budget Public Consultations – 4^th week of January 2014

5.       Council Working Session and Public Comments Reviews – 2^nd week of February 2014

6.       Public Meeting of Council to Adopt Budget 2014 – 4^th week of February 2014

The net result is an intentional budget aligned with Council that includes public participation. If you have a suggestion of how we can better serve you through this process, please let me know. At the end of the process, please let us know how this can be tweaked or changed to better serve Kindersley.

The New Normal

This is what the new normal is shaping up to mean to Saskatchewan. Our job is to the seize the opportunity.

Agriculture

·         The UN says that the world will need 70% more food in the next 40 years

·         More meat requires more grain

·         Beef is 7:1 (7 units of grain for 1 unit of meat)

·         Pork is 4:1 (4 units of grain for 1 unit of meat)

·         Chicken is 2:1 (2 units of grain for 1 unit of meat)

·         Saskatchewan agriculture is becoming more important

·         Potash is becoming more important to the world food supply chain

·         We need strong transportation infrastructure to ensure our local products are delivered to international markets other than the USA

Energy

·         15% of Saskatchewan’s oil is extracted by conventional methods

·         We still have room to grow economically

·         Our challenge is to ensure some of the money stays in our area

·         Other areas of the world require more energy and we must work to expand international markets for our local products

·         This includes transportation networks to get our product to international markets other than the USA

Saskatchewan Investment

·         Potash Corporation and BHP Billiton have spent more than $6 billion in Saskatchewan, Population around 1 million

·         The net effect is that Saskatchewan has had twice the economic stimulus of the USA and three times the stimulation in Canada over the past few years

·         Over the last few years Saskatchewan has seen a more than $21 billion invested in resources.

These notes are from Eric Anderson’s presentation at the Humboldt Infrastructure Conference April 2013

The Assets We Have Also Have Us.

Since coming to power Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Government have spent $114 billion in infrastructure.

Premier Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party have increased revenue sharing with municipalities 114% since 2007 and up 11% from 2012.

Did you know:

·         Costs can be reduced 30% - 60% by doing the right maintenance at the right time
·         Adopting a proactive life cycle asset management strategy is doing the right thing at the right time consistently



Notes taken from the Humboldt Municipal Infrastructure Conference April 2013.

Some Interesting Stats

According to Angus Reid:

·         70% of residents are happy with their municipal government
·         16% are angry activists receiving 70% of publicity
·         23% are young and ambivalent who want to connect with local government through social media
·         35% are retiring skeptics and are hard to reach
·         26% are happy campers

A Couple of Notes

·         Most people now self-identify according to their community.
·         People are more likely to move to a community for perceived quality of life rather than economic opportunity.

Town of Kindersley Command Vehicle, Kindersley Chamber of Commerce Trade Show June 7, 2013

Hmmm….

Notes taken from Angus Reid’s presentation at FCM in Vancouver June 2013

Potential: Constructive and Destructive



The Myth of Sisyphus

One of the things we are doing as we grow and change is compete against our own potential. We do this both constructively and destructively.

As we challenge our potential we have to become champions against inertia and complacency.



This has been expanded from notes taken from Jeff Mulligan, Mayor of Lloydminster at the Humboldt Infrastructure Conference April 2013.

Ducks Unlimited at the Motherwell Reservoir

Ducks Unlimited recognized this past Monday, June 10, the importance of Motherwell Reservoir with signs indicating the various functions of the reservoir. Some of the signs included the Buffalo Rubbing Stone and the different bird flight paths flying through.

Ducks Unlimited Unveiling their Sign at Motherwell Reservoir, June 10, 2013

Learning about the importance of Motherwell was a grade 4 class from Elizabeth School. They were an enthusiastic group. Support for the initiative was funded with a private partner.

Celebrating with Ducks Unlimited, June 10, 2013

The first motto adopted by Kindersley a century ago was: “The land shall provide.” The land can provide but what we have learned over the last 100 years is that we need to steward the land responsibly to ensure that it thrives. The land does provide but we can’t take wantonly.

One of the initiatives the Town has undertaken at Motherwell is to allow the prairie grass to reassert itself as the dominant grass specie. Part of the process is allowing the grass to go uncut allowing the natural grass to mature and grow. As a result the only grass cutting is next to the walking trail.

 

The Motherwell Reservoir Walking Trail Committee have done a wonderful job developing this little bit of wilderness in Kindersley. Thank you Ron and crew!

Moment with the Mayor: Kindersley's Tapestry - Civic Groups

Hi Everyone:

One of the components of the Strategic Plan we are developing relates to growth. Everyone wants growth. Growth is important. Without growth, it will be challenging for the Town to provide its services and facilities on a sustainable basis. We need to grow our retail base, our commercial base, and our industrial base. Most importantly, we need to grow our residential areas. These are important components. However, as important as business and homes are to growth, there are other parts of the community just as important that are often unrecognized - our civic groups.

Civic groups contribute to the quality of life of our Town and include:

·         Arts and Culture such as Kindersley and District Arts Council and the Music Festival;

·         Community groups such as the Rotary Club and the Masons;

·         Churches like Kindersley Christian Fellowship and Clearview Brethren in Christ;

·         Social agencies that provide critical support as does West Central  Crisis and Family Support Centre, Spokes Family Resource Centre and the Salvation Army;

·         Recreation organizations that provide opportunities for leisure, such as Minor Sports, Minor Ball, Minor Soccer, and more.

These are some of the threads of our community that make Kindersley a rich tapestry. Each thread has a role and its supporters to enrich our lives. As we grow as a community, each of our community organizations grows and must enhance their capacity to be more effective. Civic groups, regardless of their purpose, must be sustainable.

People move to a community because of the economic opportunities and the quality of life that is available. We have the economic opportunities. What we are still building is the quality of life. This is, to a large degree, what Phase 2 is about - enhancing our quality of life. Building our quality of life is also what the arts and culture groups do, as well as the community groups, churches, social agencies, and recreation organizations. The Kindersley Klippers are also a part of this if they are supported by their fans and corporate sponsors.

Recently, I attended the Klippers AGM to learn more about their current state of affairs and their plans to build their future. I was encouraged by what they presented. The Klippers say they have corporate and fundraising support. I am looking forward to seeing them build up their fan base to the numbers they are aiming for: 440 – 600 season ticket holders. The Klippers are a part of our community and I would like to see them succeed.

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.

Have a good week!

365 Lloyd "Sparky" Ament Squadron Annual Ceremonial Review and Change of Command 2013

The 365 Lloyd “Sparky” Ament Air Cadet Squadron held their Annual Ceremonial Review and Change of Command this past Saturday. It was a good Review and well attended.

365 Squadron Annual Ceremonial Review and Change of Command, June 8, 2013

The Review saw a number of promotions among both the cadets and the Officer Staff supporting the Cadets. Some highlights include:

·         WO Bird assuming command from WO Hilts;

      ·         The most improved Cadet was Cpl Steier;
      ·         The Cadet for whom the other Cadets regarded as a model was Sgt Klassen;
      ·         The best marksmen award went to FCpl Berg

This past year was a year of growth for the Squadron as they almost doubled the number of Cadets to 32. The Squadron is hoping for continued growth this coming year. Lt Hahn expressed the Squadron’s ambition to continue to grow as they celebrate their tenth and host a much larger review next year.

Kindersley is fortunate to have a number of quality programs for our youth. Our youth can participate in the Air Cadets, SLC, Youth Initiative Program, Youth Council, church groups, sports teams, music and culture programs, plus volunteer opportunities. It is good to see tomorrow’s leaders learning the required attributes and skills to become the best of what our community is about. As I watch my sons participate and learn from community leaders, I am encouraged about our future.

If you want to learn more about Air Cadets click here.

Clinic and Hospital Parking

Have you noticed the parking around the Clinic and the Hospital?

New Driveway to the Clinic, June 8, 2013

Recently the Clinic approached the Town asking for help to develop some parking. We have agreed to help the Clinic and Heartland Health Region develop their parking lot but only after they have developed a parking plan.

The Clinic and Heartland Health are still developing their plan and the Town will act once a signed agreement is in place.

Kindersley Chamber of Commerce Trade Show Conversations

I had a good time visiting with everyone who stopped by the booth or talked with me around the trade show.

Thank you for all of the positive comments you made about our work on your behalf. It has been a learning experience for almost all of us; your goodwill means a lot.

The main topics that were mentioned were bugs, weeds, and the Klippers. I have touched on these topics in other blogs.

One more thing: Councillor Vaughn Biberdorf is a 'Ticket Master.' I am sure Vaughn could sell air conditioning in the arctic.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions please email me and I will do my best to answer your email here.