Change is hard.
Change often requires us to take that step into the unknown; to go
somewhere that we don’t know. It requires us to step away from the status quo
without knowing what consequences we may face.
Change can be uncomfortable, and sometimes a bit scary.
Change is also necessary.
The world around us is in constant change, and we can’t ignore these
external forces; we must adapt to be able to move forward.
This may all seem obvious to many of us, but I think we
are very uneasy with the concept of changing the way the communities of
Flagstaff interact with each other and with the outside world.
The fact is that we are all struggling with our long-term
sustainability. Alberta’s economy has (until
the last 18 months or so) been smoking hot in recent years; however Flagstaff
has seen little benefit. Our regional population
is declining. Upward pressure on property
taxes is not sustainable. Provincial municipal
funding from here on will be largely dependent on regional collaboration.
The communities of Flagstaff, through the Flagstaff Inter-municipal
Partnership (FIP) committee, have launched a project to determine the best way
to move forward together. This project
will include a snapshot of where we are today, a look (both nationally and
internationally) at what other municipalities are doing, plus some options that
may work in our situation.
You will start to see more about this project in The
Community Press and on social media. This
is a conversation that you need to be paying attention to; that you need to be
involved in.
We want to create a ‘made in Flagstaff’ solution that
takes advantage of our collective strengths while staying true to each community’s
identity. This conversation is for all
of us, and everyone’s input is important.
Change is hard.
However change, after careful analysis, need not be uncomfortable. Being in charge of our own destiny is a good
thing!
I welcome your comments on this topic, as do all my
municipal Council colleagues around Flagstaff.
Let’s get the conversation started.
Sincerely,
Bud James
“A ship in harbour is safe, but that’s not what ships are
for” – William Shepp
For more on this topic visit www.flagstaffunited.ca
