City staff are now off enjoying the holiday season with family and friends. As always, there are staff who provide essential services that are stand-by throughout the Christmas season. These staff include Fire Fighters, Road Maintenance, Water and Sewer and Airport operations. In the event of severe weather or infrastructure malfunction, these staff will respond 24/7.
As December comes to an end, I have looked back over the past year and appreciate just how much we have accomplished, in spite of tough economic times and a lean budget. Creative approaches by staff, partnerships with other organizations and external funding programs have all contributed to our achievements.
One of my key goals for the coming year is to complete my first budget cycle as CAO and fulfill Council's desire for a more inclusive budget process. I also plan to initiate a Quality Improvement Program for the corporation, providing opportunities to improve processes and services and reduce costs of our operations.
The City has a great team of Council, Managers and staff and in spite of the financial challenges we are likely to encounter, I have no doubt we will have another exceptional year of progress and results.
Best of the holidays to everyone!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
New Fire Hall Nears Completion
Construction of the City's new Fire Hall is nearing completion and the Fire Department members are anxiously awaiting their move from the old Fire Hall beginning December 14th. Thanks to the dedicated work of Fire Chief Randy Isfeld, Deputy Fire Chief Des Webster, General Manager of Planning and Operations Geoff Goodall and Project Manager Malcolm Fraser, the $6.5M project has progressed on budget and on schedule.
The new Fire Hall has been the subject of some criticism with suggestions that it is too expensive, too large, poorly located and not necessary. I would like to take this opportunity to explain some of the challenges the Fire Department was facing in the old facility and how the new Fire Hall will better serve the Fire Department and the community.
The existing Fire Hall does not have enough room to accommodate all the apparatus (trucks), requiring some of the trucks and equipment to be parked at the Public Works Yard or the Airport. The apparatus bays are so constrained that two truck doors cannot be opened at the same time and Fire Fighters do not have room to safely put on their gear when trucks are moving. There is also insufficient space to store, repair and service tools and equipment.
There are currently no facilities for Fire Fighters to store their personal gear or have showers following a fire, requiring them to return home and shower and change prior to retuning to work from call-outs. This is a health and safety concern. There are also no facilities to dry their wet turn-out gear which can result in Fire Fighters wearing wet gear in the event of back to back fires. The existing hall has limited opportunities for training, particularly simulations of various types of fire suppression and rescue scenarios. The City also does not have a proper Emergency Operations Centre with back-up power supply in the event of a major emergency. These are just a small sample of the inadequacies of the existing Fire Hall.
The new Fire Hall has been the subject of some criticism with suggestions that it is too expensive, too large, poorly located and not necessary. I would like to take this opportunity to explain some of the challenges the Fire Department was facing in the old facility and how the new Fire Hall will better serve the Fire Department and the community.
The existing Fire Hall does not have enough room to accommodate all the apparatus (trucks), requiring some of the trucks and equipment to be parked at the Public Works Yard or the Airport. The apparatus bays are so constrained that two truck doors cannot be opened at the same time and Fire Fighters do not have room to safely put on their gear when trucks are moving. There is also insufficient space to store, repair and service tools and equipment.
There are currently no facilities for Fire Fighters to store their personal gear or have showers following a fire, requiring them to return home and shower and change prior to retuning to work from call-outs. This is a health and safety concern. There are also no facilities to dry their wet turn-out gear which can result in Fire Fighters wearing wet gear in the event of back to back fires. The existing hall has limited opportunities for training, particularly simulations of various types of fire suppression and rescue scenarios. The City also does not have a proper Emergency Operations Centre with back-up power supply in the event of a major emergency. These are just a small sample of the inadequacies of the existing Fire Hall.
The new Fire Hall has been designed to address all of the above noted shortcomings of the existing Fire Hall and will adequately serve the Department for 40 to 50 years. It provides proper facilities for our 42 Fire Fighters to train and do their jobs efficiently and safely with capacity to accomodate growth in the years to come. Ironically, there are senior Fire Fighters that recall a time many years ago when the department moved from the old Fire Hall on Second Avenue (near Ken's Restaurant) to the existing Hall. At that time, people felt this new hall was too big, too expensive and unnecessary - sound familiar? Our new Fire Hall is well designed, pracitical and state of the art and should be something the community can be proud of for many years to come.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
2010 Budget Process
Staff and Council are in the preliminary stages of developing the 2010 budget and 5 year financial plan. The Community Charter requires that Council provide an opportunity to the public to review and offer input to the budget, which traditionally happens just prior to adoption of the budget bylaw each spring.
Shortly after taking office, the current Council committed to providing enhanced opportunities for public input to the annual budget at earlier stages in the budget process. Council will be fulfilling that commitment on December 8th by hosting a public meeting to review and receive input on Council's 2010 strategic budget direction and targets. In addition, Council will review the 2008 - 2011 Corporate Priorities, report on accomplishments and introduce additional priorities for 2010. Additional public review and input sessions will take place in the new year.
Having the benefit of public feedback at such an early stage in the budget process will ensure Council's 2010 budget and five year financial plan reflect the needs and desires of the community. As such, it is important the citizens take the time to attend and offer their opinions.
Shortly after taking office, the current Council committed to providing enhanced opportunities for public input to the annual budget at earlier stages in the budget process. Council will be fulfilling that commitment on December 8th by hosting a public meeting to review and receive input on Council's 2010 strategic budget direction and targets. In addition, Council will review the 2008 - 2011 Corporate Priorities, report on accomplishments and introduce additional priorities for 2010. Additional public review and input sessions will take place in the new year.
Having the benefit of public feedback at such an early stage in the budget process will ensure Council's 2010 budget and five year financial plan reflect the needs and desires of the community. As such, it is important the citizens take the time to attend and offer their opinions.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Role of Municipal Regulatory Bylaws
The establishment and enforcement of regulatory Bylaws has recently been in the news with respect to parking on City boulevards. I don't intend to get into the specifics of this particular bylaw, but rather discuss the important role of bylaws in a municipality.
We live in an orderly society where there is an expectation that citizens will conduct themselves in a peaceful and responsible manner so as not to infringe on the rights of others. These standards (laws) are provided for in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Criminal Code of Canada, Provincial statutes and more locally, municipal bylaws. Where individuals choose not to comply with society's accepted standards of conduct, there are a variety of remedies ranging from warnings to fines to imprisonment.
Municipal regulatory bylaws are intended to define the standards by which citizens and businesses conduct themselves within the scope of a community. They generally regulate use and development of lands and property but also address activities such as keeping of pets, noise, business, traffic, lawn sprinkling, etc.
The enforcement of municipal bylaws is normally 'complaint driven'. However, the City will initiate enforcement where a violation affects the community at large or in the event of a condition that poses a threat to health or safety or causes a condition that impedes City operations. Enforcement of municipal bylaws generally begin with a warning to the offender as the primary goal of enforcing municipal bylaws is obtaining compliance. In the event of non-compliance, the City does have the ability to impose fines through issuance of a Municipal Ticket Information, taking court action or imitating remedial action.
Recent concerns with the City restricting parking on City boulevards has highlighted the importance of keeping the public informed when new or revised bylaws are enacted, and providing a sufficient transition/compliance period for citizens or businesses affected by new bylaws.
Many of the City's bylaws are available for review on the City's website at williamslake.ca.
We live in an orderly society where there is an expectation that citizens will conduct themselves in a peaceful and responsible manner so as not to infringe on the rights of others. These standards (laws) are provided for in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Criminal Code of Canada, Provincial statutes and more locally, municipal bylaws. Where individuals choose not to comply with society's accepted standards of conduct, there are a variety of remedies ranging from warnings to fines to imprisonment.
Municipal regulatory bylaws are intended to define the standards by which citizens and businesses conduct themselves within the scope of a community. They generally regulate use and development of lands and property but also address activities such as keeping of pets, noise, business, traffic, lawn sprinkling, etc.
The enforcement of municipal bylaws is normally 'complaint driven'. However, the City will initiate enforcement where a violation affects the community at large or in the event of a condition that poses a threat to health or safety or causes a condition that impedes City operations. Enforcement of municipal bylaws generally begin with a warning to the offender as the primary goal of enforcing municipal bylaws is obtaining compliance. In the event of non-compliance, the City does have the ability to impose fines through issuance of a Municipal Ticket Information, taking court action or imitating remedial action.
Recent concerns with the City restricting parking on City boulevards has highlighted the importance of keeping the public informed when new or revised bylaws are enacted, and providing a sufficient transition/compliance period for citizens or businesses affected by new bylaws.
Many of the City's bylaws are available for review on the City's website at williamslake.ca.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Purchasing/Personal Use of City Vehicles
The following items aren’t necessarily newsworthy but may be of interest to our residents.
City Purchasing Procedures – We often get inquiries from local businesses with respect to the City having a ‘shop local’ policy when we acquire goods and services. The City has a Purchasing Policy that requires that we utilize a range of competitive purchasing procedures, depending on the value of the goods or services being purchased. These generally involve obtaining a minimum of three quotes/bids but may involve issuing a tender or Request for Proposals (RFP) for larger value purchases. The City strives to obtain quotes from local businesses where the goods or services are available locally but we may go out of town for more specialized items. When projects or services are tendered or go to RFP, there are no provisions to exclude out of town bidders. The primary objective when the City makes purchases is to receive the best product at the most competitive price.
Personal Use of City Vehicles – The City receives the occasional complaint that a City staff member was observed driving a City vehicle on the weekend or evening with family members in the vehicle or doing personal errands. There are designated employees within the City that are required to be on ‘after hours standby’ to respond to incidents, emergencies or infrastructure malfunctions. These employees are from the Public Works Division and Fire Department and in order to be able to respond to a call on a moment’s notice with the appropriate equipment, they must have their City vehicles with them at all times. With the exception of these designated employees, City vehicles are not permitted to be used for personal use or transporting the general public.
City Purchasing Procedures – We often get inquiries from local businesses with respect to the City having a ‘shop local’ policy when we acquire goods and services. The City has a Purchasing Policy that requires that we utilize a range of competitive purchasing procedures, depending on the value of the goods or services being purchased. These generally involve obtaining a minimum of three quotes/bids but may involve issuing a tender or Request for Proposals (RFP) for larger value purchases. The City strives to obtain quotes from local businesses where the goods or services are available locally but we may go out of town for more specialized items. When projects or services are tendered or go to RFP, there are no provisions to exclude out of town bidders. The primary objective when the City makes purchases is to receive the best product at the most competitive price.
Personal Use of City Vehicles – The City receives the occasional complaint that a City staff member was observed driving a City vehicle on the weekend or evening with family members in the vehicle or doing personal errands. There are designated employees within the City that are required to be on ‘after hours standby’ to respond to incidents, emergencies or infrastructure malfunctions. These employees are from the Public Works Division and Fire Department and in order to be able to respond to a call on a moment’s notice with the appropriate equipment, they must have their City vehicles with them at all times. With the exception of these designated employees, City vehicles are not permitted to be used for personal use or transporting the general public.
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