Coming Up: May 3
Council meets on Monday. We’ll be meeting over video conference. On the agenda:
Delegations including Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Veterans Memorial Gardens, and Nitehawk
2019 Financial Statements
COVID-19 and Provincial Advocacy
Additionally, Council Committee of the Whole meets on Monday morning to discuss Photo Radar.
Following is more information and my take on agenda items.
As always, any mistakes or opinions belong to me and me alone, not to Council or City staff.
While I express my current views below, I work hard to go into meetings ready to listen and with an open mind. I learn new information and participate in debate. This always informs, and sometimes changes, how I vote on issues.
If you would like to watch the meeting or read any of its supporting material for yourself, you can do so by clicking here. The City will post the highlights of Council’s decisions here.
DELEGATIONS
During Council meetings, members of the public are invited to address Council on any topic. On Monday, three delegations have told us they’ll be coming to Council:
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers to give an industry update
A delegation asking for support of vegetable gardens inside the Veterans Memorial Gardens and Interpretive Centre
Nitehawk requesting permission to spend $63,000 it has already received from the City for capital projects. It would like to re-allocate these funds to help cover some of the financial liabilities it is experiencing due to COVID-19.
POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
It is recommended that Council approve Terms of Reference (TOR) for a new entity: a Police Advisory Committee.
You can see the TOR here.
The TOR propose that this committee would be made up of 5 public members and 2 City Councillors. It would:
make recommendations to City Council and Administration on matters relating to law and order, the RCMP, and Enforcement Services
provide community feedback to the RCMP, Enforcement Services, and City Administration on policing, strategies and activities
provide input into the yearly plans, priorities, and strategies behind municipal policing
I hope that Council approves the formation of a Police Advisory Committee.
Policing and matters relating to crime are the most frequent concerns residents bring up with me, and the biggest concerns referenced in our recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey. Policing is also the biggest expense in the City’s budget. We should be creating more ability for the community to have input into our policing.
Additionally, municipal policing is likely to experience significant changes in the next few years. Right now:
The costs to municipalities for RCMP contracts are increasing dramatically- Grande Prairie saw a 20% increase in 2020, and is likely to see a similar increase again in the next few years.
Many municipalities are considering ending their RCMP contracts, which could force the RCMP to change its approach to community policing.
The province is currently considering forming an Alberta Provincial Police.
As these changes happen, Grande Prairie needs to be prepared to adapt. That means we need local civilians who understand policing and police governance. Forming a Police Advisory Committee will help us develop that competence in our community.
COVID-19 AND PROVINCIAL ADVOCACY
There is a recommendations before Council that it direct the Mayor to write a letter to Premier Kenney, highlighting two key items:
1. Identify the City of Grande Prairie's support in a region by region approach regarding a reopening and recovery plan; and
2. Highlighting the City of Grande Prairie as being in the best position to safely implement the provincial reopening and response plan.
I intend to support this motion.
If there are medical reasons recommended by our medical experts to treat Alberta as a single unit for the sake of re-opening: I can accept them.
However, I’ve also had a number of people suggest economic or political reasons to keep everywhere closed until all regions can start re-opening. For example, some have suggested “it would not be fair to let some areas get going early.” I reject any non-medical reasons to keep our region closed.
It is important to note that this motion is NOT advocating for a particular time or speed to re-open our region. That time needs to be determined based on testing and contract tracing capacity and a host of other medical information.
To see more about my take on this recommendation, please watch this short video:
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
It is recommended that Council approve the 2019 financial statements. I’ve got a couple of questions I need to ask about details in them. But I intend to vote in favour of approval.
City staff have prepared a report with highlights from the City’s 2019 finances. You can see that here.
Additionally, as it does every year, the City hired a 3rd party accounting firm to provide an audit of its finances. You can see the audited financial statements here.
To help me understand these statements, I made a couple of Sankey diagrams. I’m sharing them below.
On the left (in blue) is how much property tax we budgeted to collect from various sources. These numbers come from our Property Tax Bylaw. In the middle (in orange) is how much revenue the City actually generated from various sources according to the financial statements. And on the right is how the City spent its money in 2019.
This diagram shows how much money was spent in various service areas:
This diagram shows how much money was spent on various types of expenditures:
PHOTO RADAR
In Grande Prairie, Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) is carried out by a private contractor. The City’s contract with this company is up on May 31st. On Monday morning, Council Committee of the Whole will be debating a recommendation to renew the contract for 3 years.
To see the report being presented to Committee, click here.
I’m firmly against this recommendation.
ATE and accompanying programs have increased safety in our City. Since 2015, when ATE began, accidents have decreased by 44% while our roads have gotten busier. So I don’t support advocating for an end to this program. However, it does need substantial reform.
You can see more information about ATE 10 changes I’d like to see made at www.bressey.ca/photoradar.
The biggest thing I’m not comfortable with: our current arrangement where the contractor’s pay is based on how many fines they can successfully issue.
To see more about my thinking, checkout this video:
That’s what is on our agenda for Monday. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
You can comment below. Or, you can contact me at dbressey@cityofgp.com or 780-402-4166. I'm happy to talk online or over the phone. I'm also always willing to setup a time to meet for coffee.
We also always have great conversation in the GP Round Table group on Facebook.
After Council meeting, you will be able to find highlights posted by the City here.
Thanks for reading!
-Dylan