City Council is a team sport - each Councillor brings unique strengths to council chambers with the Mayor as captain. My strength lies in the fundamentals that keep our city operating: infrastructure planning, clear, responsible budgeting, and efficient operations. Four years fly by, so here's my planned approach:
The short version:
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👉 Get to know City operations, and make sure our staff are set up to succeed
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👉 Dig into the capital plan, and find efficiencies in procurement and grants
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👉 Diversify our tax base so homeowners aren't carrying the whole load
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👉 Plan for the long term through the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw update
🚚 Get to know City operations and ensure we're a great place to work
Our City is privileged to be staffed by the best team around, and it's important to keep it that way! They're also a wealth of knowledge, each with deep institutional knowledge to share. In my first year as a Councillor, I will meet with each staff department to learn the ins and outs of their operations. I'll also partner with the Chief Administrative Officer to ensure all 44 staff members are well supported in their growth and learning, and have the right tools to do their jobs.
Dig into the capital plan and look for ways to iterate on procurement and grants
Capital projects account for about half of our city expenses each year, and many spending decisions are made years in advance. As a Councillor, I'd work with city staff to look for efficiencies in our capital program. Specifically, I'd work to ensure that our tender requirements are based more on outcomes than technicalities, and I'd meet directly with industry vendors to encourage bid participation. Too often, our projects are bid by just a single vendor, which limits competitiveness and raises costs. I plan to focus on the implementation of the Utilities Master Plan, and our deficient retaining walls as priorities - these combined represent a potential capital expense of ~$80 million - costs that will only increase rapidly over time.
I know this year's tax increase hit hard, an 8% jump on top of double-digit increases to water, sewer, and parcel taxes isn't small change for anyone's household budget. Public engagement on budgets is challenging in many small communities - too often, public hearings and information sessions are full of important information but with few attendees. In collaboration with city staff, I'll explore new communication and engagement methods and tools to ensure you are informed and have a voice in determining the City's spending each year. You may have heard that our current long-term plan calls for meaningful tax increases each year - you deserve to have a clear understanding of why and have a clear view of what to expect in the coming years.
📈 Diversify our tax base by supporting local businesses and by investigating Amenity Cost Charges
Did you know that 88% of our property tax revenue comes from residential property, and just 9.4% comes from business and industry? That means that, unlike other nearby communities, the majority of our City's costs are borne directly by homeowners and renters. As a Councillor, I'd reach out to local businesses to ensure their voices are heard in council chambers, to foster growth and diversify the tax base. I would work with city staff to investigate the feasibility of introducing Amenity Cost Charges (ACCs) to help fund community recreation assets through new development. I will also ensure Development Cost Charges (DCCs) are considered, but these are less likely to be useful in Rossland. I would also ensure that water system upgrades in the Black Bear area are completed to support more commercial activity in our Industrial area, in line with our Community Plan.
🗺️ Plan for the long term with community-informed updates to the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw
Our Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw will be updated during the next council term. The Official Community Plan is particularly important as it defines how (and if) we grow as a community. During the 2nd half of my council term, I will work to ensure that the Community Plan is an up-to-date reflection of our community's needs. I will also investigate whether we can include consideration of future raw water capacity in our capacity planning, in addition to water treatment and storage, which are already considered.
Like many communities in Canada, housing availability is an ongoing concern in Rossland. As part of our long-term planning, I'd look to build upon our successful partnership with the Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society (LCAS) to build the excellent Rossland Yards project. I'm particularly interested in exploring opportunities to promote projects that support aging in place. I would also engage directly with Red Resort management to ensure seasonal employees are adequately housed, particularly in the longer term as the resort grows.