• LISTENING TO CONSTITUENTS

I want to be known as a Mayor who responds to you. I have shared my cell number and e-mail, and anyone may call, text or e-mail at any time. I commit to timely responses to emails and will always communicate expected timelines.  I would be honoured to hear from each and every person in our community.

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I'd like for all council to listen to you as well, a change I'll advocate for is around council meeting agendas.  I would like members of the public to be given time to speak on issues at the regular council meetings, and more than the 3 minutes allowed in the past.

 

• TRANSPARENCY

I commit to being fully transparent. I will oppose things like closed sessions, and hiding reports or not providing public members with draft documents after they are discussed in committee or council meetings.

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Council spending will be monitored through a Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, which will present monthly reports including the complete ledger, receipts, invoices, and financial statements.  These reports will be made available on the website immediately after being adopted by council.

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• HONESTY

I respect and appreciate the abilities of the people of SYSRC, and that the people of SYSRC know what’s best for our community.  I will be upfront about what is happening in the community.  I will hold regular meetings every two to three months to listen to you and answer your questions directly.  For example, We have a piece of land that needs to be dealt with, I will present all the facts, like land value, payments, etc. so you can make an informed decision and tell me what you want council to do with the land.  I will consult the community openly on all major decisions, and provide ALL information honestly, accurately and freely, so you can make informed decisions and communicate your decision through me to council.

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• LOWER TAXES

My goal is to reduce spending to the lowest practical level through efficiency and accurate budgeting. By doing so, we can significantly lower property taxes without compromising essential services.

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• OFFICE SPACE & FACILITIES

At the first council meeting, I will ask council to strike a committee to;

- Explore relocation from the current office into a more suitable and cost-effective location.
- Hold community meetings to find the best option for our community, by providing all information and asking for your feedback.                         

- Using the Rec Center for council and Committee of the Whole meetings, eliminating the need for rented boardroom/council chamber space.

- Approach the historical School House about using their space for committee and other smaller meetings.

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• FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

I will ask council to:
- Eliminate the use of Town credit cards.
- Require dual authorization for online payments.
- Require staff and council to submit expense forms appropriately, and receive  reimbursement only with full receipts attached.
- Require expense forms to include an explanation of the purpose, and identification of any staff, council member or other individual in benefit on the expense.
- Ensure no individual(s) may self-approve expenses.
- Route all expenses through the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, which may deny expenses that are not necessary, fully in service of community business, or are of personal benefit in any way or in any way a gift.  Any personal benefits (e.g., points from rewards cards) will result in expense denial and reported to the CRA as taxable benefits.

 

Additional cost-saving measures include:
- Asking for volunteers where possible
- Implementing flexible hours to eliminate overtime

- Consult community members on the possibility of reducing office hours, so less staff hours are required to be paid. (Our only public facing service is providing community members documents, do we really need the expense of a 40 hour work week for that?)
- Eliminating unnecessary spending (A deep dive into the next budget, and spending oversight)
- Reviewing insurance policies (to make sure we’re paying only for what we need, yet are sufficiently insured)

We will also strengthen bylaws, policies, and procedures to improve financial control and operational viability.

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• WASTE COLLECTION

I will work to fix garbage collection by returning service to the prior lift-arm style collection system through an external provider.

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• ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Even though we don't control DTI or the provincial government, I will continue working with DTI and provincial partners to address and advocate for improvements with:
- Road safety concerns (e.g., intersection of Route 655 and Wilsey)

- Road Repair Projects (e.g., complete the one lane bridge on the 101  by Whittaker.)
- Speed issues on multiple roads
- Ditching and ditch cleaning
- Paving and, Potholes and sinkholes

- Community safety (e.g. fire escapes, speeding, etc.)

- Ask community members to send me ANY road requests or concerns so I can advocate for you with DTI and MLAs.

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• EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

I will develop work to develop our community EMO and partner with neighbouring communities to ensure proper EMO capacity and emergency preparedness.  While reducing costs by sharing resources where appropriate and asking for help from volunteers in our community.  

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• INTERNAL GOVERNANCE & STAFFING

During the first term, my primary goal will be organizational stability, so council and staff will:
- Develop policies and then ensure staff and council learn and adhere to policies
- Focus only on core responsibilities, like paying bills and providing transparent documentation to community members.
- Review EACH invoice or bill sent to the community to ensure we’re receiving the best value for our money.  Negotiate savings where invoiced services are lacking or not meeting contractual obligations.

-No new major projects

This approach will give council time to understand recurring costs, negotiate better service rates, and ensure operations are efficient.

 

If elected, immediately, I will work to complete:
- A full HR review 
- A scope-of-work review

This will allow council to understand what is required to run the office and reduce staffing costs to the minimum required to operate effectively.

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• WEBSITE & PUBLIC ACCESS

I will work to renew the municipal website so that it provides:
- Access to all documents and financials
- A clear calendar of meetings and events

- Clear links and access to view meetings online via YouTube and direct links to social media accounts
- Contact information for staff, council, and the Mayor (including my cell number)

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• SUBDIVISION BYLAW

I will pursue the creation of a subdivision bylaw in cooperation with the CRSC to provide council with some control over new subdivisions composition.

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• ATVs SHARING THE ROADS

I will work to strike a committee to review and suggest a by-law for ATV use on certain roadways through appropriate bylaws and enforcement, balancing recreation access with safety.