It has been five months since eight new councillors were elected to Rocky View County Council. From what I’ve seen so far, it is a change for the positive. While we do not always agree on issues, there is a high level of respect and acceptance of differing opinions.
One thing is for sure - this Council wants to see change. From improving customer service to becoming more financially transparent to creating effective policy, this Council is committed to making positive changes.
One illustration of this is that my motion to create a voters’ list was approved. Administration had asked that Council hold off and wait to see if the province’s review of the Local Authorities Election Act would provide direction for a list. As such, Council provided Administration with the direction to wait until October 2019 to see what, if anything, the province does. Regardless, a voters’ list will be in effect for the 2021 election.
Along with Councillors Kevin Hanson, Daniel Henn and Kim McKylor, I will be sitting on the policy review committee. The committee’s goal is to streamline existing policy so that it is relevant, follows a logical and consistent format and is easy to understand – something that, in my opinion, is long overdue.
Council is also in the process of working on the strategic plan that will direct the county for the next four years. This next month will see Administration work with identified local community leaders and have them provide input to help Council create their vision and determine their goals.
Council would also like to see an organizational review take place to make sure the County is operating at maximum efficiency. There's lots to do and we are working diligently to make sure it gets done in a timely fashion. Understanding what timely means in government has been the biggest hurdle for me to overcome. There is a lot of red tape and that’s understandable as much of what we do involves creating enforceable bylaws. However, I do believe there is always room for improvement and will do my best to see that this happens.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 403-478-1041.