July / 23 Council Update

COUNCIL CODE OF CONDUCT REVIEW

In 2016, the Province mandated municipalities to have a Council Code of Conduct in place by 2018. The Municipal Government Act mandates that a Council's Code of Conduct be reviewed with each new term of Council.  Earlier this year, Council directed Administration to conduct that review.

In preparation of their July report, Administration examined other municipalities' Codes of Conduct, decisions from recent Queen’s Bench court decisions and overall best practices. The County also employed the services of Ellen-Anne O’Donnell, Calgary’s Integrity Commissioner, to provide insight into the complaints review process and the addition of an assigned Complaints Adjudicator.

Under the revised bylaw, members of Council, employees, and the public will be able to file complaints with Administration preparing both the internal and external communications on the process for submitting complaints and how investigations are to be handled by the Complaints Adjudicator. 

The Complaints Adjudicator will also make an annual report, delivered publicly, that provides a summary of complaints and any suggested amendments for Council’s consideration. Additionally, investigation reports on matters the Complaints Adjudicator finds contravene the Code of Conduct will be published on the County’s website, while dismissed reports would simply become part of the Adjudicator’s annual report.

Administration recommended that Ms. O’Donnell be assigned as interim-Complaints Investigator until October’s Council Organizational Meeting.

After lengthy debate, it was clear that Council had additional concerns with the document, As such, Council directed Administration to come back with a review of those concerns by the end of September.

COUNCIL NARROWLY APPROVES UPDATED STRATEGIC PLAN

While the County has had a strategic plan since 2018, there was a gap in how the strategy was being implemented.  To address these deficiencies, Council approved a Strategy Refresh as one of nine priority projects.

Earlier this year, Council directed Administration to develop a process to better reflect the current Council’s vision for the County. Ascent Strategy was hired to facilitate the work with Council participating in two strategic sessions. The project provided greater focus to the Strategic Plan by identifying nine strategic objectives and nineteen measurable key performance indicators (KPIs).

The new County Strategy provides updated language (and titles) for the three original strategic focus areas - Effective Service Delivery, Financial Prosperity and Thoughtful Growth. I also adds a new strategic focus – The Rocky View Lifestyle. The KPIs will come back in September so that timelines and how to best implement them can be better understood.

The motion to approve the refreshed strategic plan passed 4-3 with all but Reeve and Councillors Kissel, Boehlke and Schule in support.  Schule stated that he liked where we were going but questioned how we would get there.  In my opinion, combining the new clearly stated direction with the upcoming KPIs, provides a clear path forward with both tangible and measurable inputs and outcomes.

BUDGET ADJUSTMENT TO INCREASE STAFFING PASSES 4-3

As demand for services increases, Administration proposed a mid-year budget adjustment of $804, 000 for full-time and temporary positions. The proposed positions include Council’s much requested Municipal Clerk, as well as increased staff in planning, engineering services and GIS. The on-going annual cost of this increase will be $1.1 million.

These staff increases came in direct response to the results of the Customer Satisfaction survey and Employee Engagement survey. Administration believes the new positions will help improve identified deficiencies in customer service, decrease processing times, and help with employee retention.

Boehlke’s motion to realign Council’s key objectives and KPIs to align with current operational capabilities failed 3-4, with support coming only from Kochan and Kissel. Boehlke believed that service levels had dropped since COVID and working from home was a problem.  He also wanted to investigate contracting services out.  Kochan felt it was piecemeal and that we needed to see the big picture not just pieces of it. 

My motion to approve Administration's request was approved 5-2, with all but Kochan and Boehlke in support. From my perspective, these staff additions were in response to Council’s new direction and were filling gaps identified through both public and employee engagement surveys.