Monday, December 8, 2014

My Message in the Town of Killam Newsletter - December 2014.

For those who do not receive the Killam newsletter, following is my message to our residents.  

There is much happening in & around Killam, and my family & I feel very blessed to be part of this great community.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all, 


Tammy & Bud James & family.




As we near the end of another year, I want to take this opportunity to give you a bit of an update on activities of your Council.

As you know, the municipal general election in October 2013 saw a change in faces around our Council Table.  Brenda Grove & Carol Kinzer were elected as new Councillors and joined returning Councillors for a new four year term of office.  Job number one was to review & approve the municipal budget for 2014; an important & challenging task, especially for someone new to the position. 

Once that was complete our group moved on the Job number two – a comprehensive review & rewrite of our strategic planning document.  This was completed over a two day period in early 2014.

Killam’s Strategic Plan (Municipal Sustainability Plan) is a document that identifies our long term vision for the community and outlines strategies and actions in the areas of economic priorities, governance priorities, social priorities, and recreation & cultural priorities.

Council was able to check off many of the previously identified actions as complete, which meant substantial discussion on where we go from here.  I am pleased to report that we have updated our document, and continue to consult it from time to time to make sure we are following the right path.

A few of the items identified as strategic priorities, and what we have been doing to achieve them, include –

Continued Participation in Economic Development for the Region.  Killam is a member of the Veterans Memorial Highway Association (VMHA), and continues to be actively involved in the Battle River Alliance for Economic Development (BRAED) and the Eastern Alberta Trade Corridor (EATC).

Support the Business Community and Create the Supports to Thrive.  Council recently participated in a BRAED pilot project – The Business Walk – where Council members & volunteers visited most of our businesses to engage the owner or manager & ask 3 simple questions that were designed to get a snapshot of the health of each business in our business community.  Response was overwhelmingly positive, with the issue of labour attraction being identified as the most challenging.  As well Council continues to support the Chamber of Commerce in other ways, including a radio advertising campaign happening this Christmas season.

Enhance Regional Partnerships Within & Outside of Flagstaff County.  Council continues to seek meaningful conversations with our municipal neighbors, with the intent of exploring opportunities for cooperation & sharing of services.

Invest in & Maintain Infrastructure.  Council, Administration & our engineers are working to identify priorities for infrastructure renewal using historical information & physical examination of our assets.  It is critical that we stay on top of this.  Thanks to an infrastructure renewal fee attached to your utility bills, we have been able to accomplish much of this with cash savings and not have to rely solely on grant funding or borrowing.

Recognize & Enhance the Volunteer Sector in the Region.  I firmly believe that volunteers are the lifeblood of any small community, and the Killam Community is no exception.  Our volunteers continually step up to make our community better and we are blessed because of this.  Of course we all know that people don’t volunteer for the accolades, but it’s nice to receive a pat on the back once in awhile.  With this in mind, Council has planned a small thank you event for our volunteers on January 22, 2015.  However we don’t want to miss anyone.  We have contacted all of our service groups & boards to request a list of their volunteers; make sure your group has responded, and we hope you can join us.

Attract & Retain Engaged Residents to the Region.  This is a big task, and we have asked a few members of the community to help us move this forward.  We will have more to report in the future.

If you would like to learn more about Killam’s Strategic Plan, the document is viewable on our website or stop by the Town Office for a copy.

Regarding Budget 2015, Council has committed to a 3% increase in revenue from taxation.  Our goal in the last several years has been to keep the increase close to the Consumer Price Index, and this year is no exception.  The capital portion of our budget commits to projects valued at approximately $1,000,000, including some water & sewer works projects. Your tax dollars are spent wisely and this is due to a fiscally prudent Council and an Administration that works hard every day to ensure our municipality lives within its means.  

Thank you to my colleagues on Council for their hard work this past year.  As well thank you to CAO Kim Borgel and her team for their continued good service to our citizens.

I hope you are able to take time in the next few weeks to enjoy the company of family & friends, and reflect on the many blessings we enjoy as a community.  We truly are living “Life Without Compromise”.

On behalf of my Council colleagues & our families, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Bud James
Mayor