One of the questions I have been asked lately goes something like this. So, now that you have been a councilor for one term what have you learnt?

Here are some of the things I have learnt during my first term on council;

1. The authority of power of a councilor is different than those of a manager, which is my current role at Loewen. In my workplace I understand the authority or power when it came to making decisions the form of guidelines within policy and budget. As a member of council, I have come to understand what the power represents in terms of decisions that move this community forward. The power is at a very different level and requires a visionary approach, not hands on but forward thinking and in putting policy in place that will be an effective tool to be used by council & staff for many years.

2. A better understanding as to the difference between the words governance and management. It isn’t about the day to day details about what is going on, but our job to provide policy that will move our community forward.

3. How to make a decision with information presented in the form of council material. Then do my own homework on the issues for next council meeting. I have appreciated the information presented by staff and it has been a great benefit. But there is always a public information piece that needs to be heard, understood and appreciated.

4. Have learnt to appreciate the difference of opinion between members of council, community and staff on what ever the issue. Each of us has a different point of view and it is my understanding that we are representing the majority of residence but need to listen and represent all residence of our community. At times we need to do what is best for the community as a whole, and not listen to the loudest voice.

5. Each member of council has different life skills and experiences that they bring to each meeting and each issue. I have learnt to appreciate the differences in opinion, not make issues personal, stick to the topic at hand and make a decision on what is best for Steinbach.

6. An understanding of what my role is within council. We deal with issues as our agenda states. Each of us completes our reading and background work in some way so as to come to council prepared to debate different issues. Then we get to agenda items that have a lot of debate, require me to think my way through all the details presented, make a decision. Then change focus entirely to the next issue and get passionate about that issue. I have gone home from meetings mentally fatigued.

7. The knowing that each word is recorded, need to be careful with words so as to be clear on the message I want to present. How I would like to be heard and understood becomes part of how I prepare for each meeting.

8. Interviews with the press. I have gained confidence in what to say and how to say, but at times it still comes out wrong. The radio and paper have both worked at understanding the intent and not only the words used. I appreciate the wordsmith-ing that has happened after I have provided an interview. That trust between the press and us a council is important.

9. I do have a better understanding of how my vision, together with council’s, ratepayers and the communities’ vision are all different and that I need to accept those differences. Because somewhere in between those opinions is the right decision.

10. I was asked if there where any decisions that I would have voted on differently if we could go back. Yes there are a few that I would like back, some because I could have done more homework others because I absolutely think they where counter productive to my community vision. But having said that once a decision of council has been made it is the right decision and one that I support.

11. I have come to appreciate my community as I start to see it in a different light. Understanding what issues move our community, what the different passions of our citizens are and how they feel about different issues. The feedback, positive or negative, is a result of people being passionate about what they want as part of their community. And in the end it is the passion for our community that will continue to make us successful and keep us moving forward.

It is time to decide if I will take another run at City of Steinbach council or not. Actually the decision has already been made and I have handed in my nomination papers. I will run again.
The last 4 years have been a lot of fun and time of learning, getting to know our community and a taste of politics.
I have had much support from our citizens and have appreciated the comments and concerns raised. I have had to make some tough decisions and would like some back.
In the end many good things have happened and I look forward to 4 more years….if elected.

Jake Epp Library expansion

The plan is to expand the Jake Epp Library originally built in 1996 with 8,000 sq ft. The plan is to add approx 10,200 sq ft to the building bringing total sq footage to just over 18,000 sq ft

Work is to be started in 2010 with completion in mid 2011. Expansion will take place to the west side of the library moving into the park. Expansion plans include building and additional parking space requirements.

The Jake Epp library has long been the busiest library in Manitoba. Review of the last 7 years indicates that the last 5 years we have the highest circulation at 22.5 books taken out per capita versus the provincial average of 7.7.

Approximately 76% of Steinbach residences hold a library card plus we serve a large surrounding population that pays $75 per household to belong to our library. As heard earlier that number stands at close to 13,000 members.

For the last number of years we have not been able to add books as our shelves are full to overflowing restricting our on shelf books to max out at 65,000.

As an example from June 29 to August 31, 2009 a total of 92,872 books handled by staff in 55 days. That works out to 1,688 books per day handled.

Cost of the expansion is approx $2,850,000. This plan is to provide the funding of this construction through debentures issued to fund the majority of the construction costs. Of these debentures $900,000 has already been approved. Today we are requesting a further $1,900,000 so we can move forward with construction.

This would be the first time in many years that the City of Steinbach is moving away from its policy of borrowing for no more than 5 year time frames. As we all know borrowing costs are at an all time low and will likely not be going down.

It is time to move on this project that has been needed in our community for many years.  The library program is a City program that has been effective in promoting learning and providing an opportunity to explore worlds, theories and concepts in a non threatening environment. The library offers services that enrich our lives, expand our vision and increase our ability to have a positive influence on the world around us. We all agree on the concept of a library and what it does for our community. It is time to move forward and expand the facilities so that we can continue to provide an improved service to our community. If we don’t start this project this year we will not put it back on the table for the next 4 years. With our borrowing costs at an all time low and with a combination 5 and 10 year borrowing plan it is appropriate to move forward with the library expansion project.

It was articulated thru the information from our Board Chair, Jon Sawatzky, all areas that are hampered by lack of space. Our library is and can be more to our community. It is more than books and periodicals. It is a gathering space for our community that is open to everyone. All programs offered by our library staff are full and overflowing with waiting lists for all the programs.

For me this is an investment in our community. Hard infrastructure funding is easy to approve. Hard infrastructure costs are high, like our council our provincial and federal governments see those as important to growth. But it is our responsibility as a council to deal with the softer infrastructure needs within our community like recreation, parks, pathways and the library. These come with a high cost as well, usually in the bricks and mortar of getting the building constructed. Then they go on to provide our residence with an improved quality of life issues that make our community a great place to live.

We have played the waiting game waiting for additional grants to get the library expanded. This addition would have cost less than half the cost if built in 2006. But we waited because of the chance of getting other tax dollars thru our provincial or federal grant programs. Construction costs continue to rise and will continue to do so.   If we wait another year or two until grant monies are available the cost to our community will be the same or higher as those grants, at best, will off set the higher cost of construction.  Libraries have not been high on the political agenda for the Provincial or Federal granting programs.

As a community and as a council we have many priorities. Each of us sees them in a different set of importance. The different opinions and vision for our community is what makes us function as a council and drives the decision making as to what is best for Steinbach. For me, the library is one of our top priorities. Through its services we are a better community; it is still a place that does not have an entry fee at the door. It is a service provided thru the City of Steinbach funded by its taxpayers.

If approved, the cost of construction will not affect the 2010 tax bill that will be coming out in the next couple of months. Currently our mill rate of 14.66, that is a tax increase for projects that will be spent in 2010, including the landfill and lagoon projects. By moving forward with the library expansion doesn’t mean an automatic tax increase, it means shifting priorities within the 2011 – 2021 budgets to accommodate this construction. The mill rate for 2011 will be set in our budget discussions in early summer and later in fall study session.

Again, we need to continue to invest in our community. As with many wants it comes with a price tag. We want to have continued growth of our community facilities like the library are important, as stated earlier I believe that this is a good investment for our community.

This plan represents work completed by administration with direction given by this council. This is the last time this council will work through the budget process from start to completion within it’s current mandate.

When we set to work on this budget during our summer study session, we looked at a variety of issues that faced us as a community
     Issues like increased need for
       -sidewalks & bike paths
       -recreation facilities
       -library
       -multi purpose facility
       -infrastructure like lagoon, landfill, water and sewer lines and street upgrades
 

As a council we discussed the need for the so called soft side or quality of life stuff that has a large cost to our community, but the payback comes in understanding the difficult to measure “quality of life” for our residence.

What I find difficult is the hard growth costs come in the form of infrastructure replacement and expansion like the lagoon, library and landfill requirememts.  These are essential to our community but are under appreciated by our ratepayers because they are unseen, and not a focus, until they have an issue with backup water lines or garbage that isn’t picked up or just can’t get that book that everyone else is reading because of limited shelf space or we need to stop building homes because our lagoon is at it’s limit.

Additionally our cost of doing business increases thru our operations
       -labour, we are now negotiating final settlement on our first union contract, full financial ramifications are not fully known at this time
       -our operating costs continue to climb as we need more staff, more leadership and fuel to run equipment
       -policing costs as we add one more officer in 2010

As a council we do our best to look forward, what will our community look like in the next 5 & 10 years and what will that vision cost our community. 
All the while knowing that limited provincial or federal support in the form of grants will be available to our community that has had one of the fastest and growth rates in Canada.

The price of housing in Steinbach has remained at a high level, but the escalation of pricing seems to have slowed down

Currently we have a fairly positive business climate in the southeast region, but there is still the unknown signs.  All indications are that our economy is starting to recover, by all indications it will be a slow.  

As we heard this plan was started last summer.   Putting all the information together I agree that we need to raise our mil rate. We can’t wait for all federal or provincial grants to pay into all community investments at some point we need to make a decision to manage our community with what resources we have available.
Because we need dollars to
o expand our lagoon
o expand our landfill
o expand our library
o increase our police force
o service our increasing debt load
o we need to manage our long term debt
o need to balance our user fees, making sure that our facilities are available to all
o like each of us puts away for retirement we need to continue to put money into reserves to be used for future projects like recreation facilities
o we need to continue to invest in our active transportation routes
o most of all we need to continue to invest in our community

and more than anything this is a budget that invests in our Community!

I was just thinking…. January 2010
Here we are a new year started and trying to come to terms with getting the correct year number whenever we write it down. Even though this is a new year I am finding that, as I age, more time is spent in reflecting on where I have come from than what is ahead of me. The thought of aging isn’t any concern for me it’s just that through many different areas of my life I find it enjoyable to think through the process of “what was”.
We are now empty nesters. A term that has been coined by couples who need to learn how to live with each other, again. So Brett has now bought a house and his family is settling in nicely here in Steinbach. Our Britta has moved from Edmonton to Calgary and is finding the move challenging but doing well. That leaves Audrey and myself to spend time by ourselves, no people to shuttle, no extra food to prepare, no waiting for the last one to come home so that we can get a good nights sleep.
We have been looking forward to this phase of our lives and have talked about it often. Audrey has done a good job of preparing me to what her expectations are and at times I even thought about it. So last fall we made some decisions. We registered with the Steinbach Arts Council for ballroom dancing lessons. This is an effort to spend time together that is just for the two of us.
For those of you who want an interesting experience I would suggest taking ballroom dance lessons. Course the first step would be for you to come to terms with the words dancing and Mennonite in the same thought process. Just so that we are clear it hasn’t lead to an increase in alcohol use or staying out till all hours. Matter of fact is that we are too tired to dance all night and water is just fine as we do work up a good sweat during the hour long lesson and two hour practice. It has led to more quality time spent together doing things that complement just Audrey and myself.
Like in many things we do, dance lessons have opened my eyes to another area I need to work on. Ballroom dancing with your partner is to understand that you both need to be thinking the same thing at the same time so that you move together to make it happen. Few things in our marriage would prepare one for dancing together. For example when I move forward with my left foot, Audrey would need to move backwards with her right foot, pretty straight forward until you add a turn or spin. I found out that only one lesson per week was important, it gave Audrey’s toes a chance to heal. They got stomped regularly the first couple of lessons. The information we got when we registered was that we needed to commit to practicing for 15 min a day at home. We haven’t been too bad at practicing but not nearly enough to be good at the one piece we learnt so that we could move on. Each lesson builds on the last lesson, so if you don’t practice one falls behind.
It was the third lesson of frustration that Audrey walked off the floor and left me standing there all by myself. I found out that it is hard to complete ballroom dancing by yourself. It had been explained to me earlier that the toughest lesson to learn was that the man leads, the woman follows, but the only job the man has is to make his partner look good. All hard to do when you are standing by yourself. On the way home it was clearly explained to me that this wasn’t about me or getting it perfect or worth getting all upset about. Then I found out that it was about spending time together doing something that we should both enjoy.
The next lesson went much better and my attitude had been properly adjusted and I worried less about what we looked like and more about why we where spending time together. What I have learnt in life is that things like ballroom dancing, riding bike, working through problems and struggling with issues takes one thing. That one thing is a determination to see it through along with a view to the end result. Focusing on the little things so that we move in the right direction towards the ultimate goal makes the journey enjoyable and rewarding.
We have completed our first set of lessons and registered for our second set in early 2010. I wonder at times how strange it is that my feet don’t hear the music like my ears do. Somehow I need to improve that connection. What I have found is a night out each week with Audrey along other couples who enjoy spending time with each other doing something that is alittle different and practicing at home has become fun way to spend time together.
During my last 53 years on earth one life lesson I have learnt it that persistence with the little things do get rewarded. Daily bible study using the devotional “Daily Bread” has helped me in my relationship with God and a much better understanding of finding God in all things. That time I spend each morning concentrating on a brief passage of scripture then reading someone’s thoughts have helped me through some rough days. The writing often lend themselves to the events of the day and we are reminded, again, how great our God is.

We just concluded our City of Steinbach Council Study Session in which we discussed our 2010 budget.
The agenda was spent reviewing our capital and operational projects that we feel the City needs.  What I found interesting was the different opinions that were shared by the Mayor and councilors against how staff viewed the priorities. In each of our situations we have our own views regarding the different priorities. In each case our life experiences mixed with our perceptions along with our peer group, then add in our own expectations of why we were elected. All this makes for interesting dynamics as the discussions take place.

We do have big expenditures coming to our community. With our growth continuing at a big pace it is reaching the point where dollars need to be spent to upgrade our infrastructure along with needed amenities. How does one do this in an economic down-turn in attempting to hold the line on taxes, receiving fewer grants and more Provincial and Federal requirements.

Over the next couple of months the recommendations we set out will be brought to the public through our council meetings.  Each item will be discussed again in a public form so councilors can publicly speak to each issue.

Interesting times indeed!

Fall is that time of year when we get busy with meeting of many kinds. Not only does council get busier with 2010 budget meetings, attending fundraisers and just the business of council. But all around us activity levels just pick up again after a summer of relaxed meeting times. Minor sports, group functions, lessons, for everyone all take on new life. All that means it is busier than ever and at times almost overloading ones week.
This year Audrey and myself have embarked on a new adventure. Ballroom dancing! Yep we joined the local 10 week instruction classes put on by the Steinbach Arts Council and taught by Lorna & Harry Warkentin. It has been interesting to say the least. There are few things in our lives that we do with our partners that requires the doing part to be exact. In dancing what one does the other does backwards and so the dance begins.
I did figure out why lessons only take place once per week as it is an oppourtuntiy for toes to heal, especially Audrey’s. But once we understood our limitations it has gotten much better than those first three lessons in frustration.
We have learnt the Swing, Foxtrot, Rumba and lately the English Waltz. I have enjoyed the last number of weeks as we are starting to work together while dancing and learnt how to laugh at and with each other.
It has been a great night out for us and look to join future classes.

Check out the new “Share The Road” signs on Loewen Blvd, McKenzie and Hespeler that have gone up recently.
As a community I think it is important to provide places for our cyclists to ride along our roadways. The signage should be a start. At some point logos painted on the roadways will indicate where bikes should travel and what direction. This will provide the cyclists with a visual of where to ride. But better it will serve to show the general public where bikes should be on our roadways.
As we become a greener city and more people get around by walking or cycling we need to improve and extend our bikepaths, walking paths and green spaces.
Oh yea, remember to wear a helmet, your head is just as important as your childs.

Steinbach is a growing vibrant community this is demonstrated in our building permits taken out, our summer in the city festival that had a great first year and our census figures that grow at each count making us the third largest community in Manitoba.

Southeastern Manitoba has not been affected by the economic turndown to the same level as other parts of North America, but the effects are still being felt within our community. Our social net is catching some of those affected by layoffs and work slowdowns within our diverse community.

It is hard to define how many within our community requiring assistance a number would be approximately 7 percent. We do have support within our community for those in need. Some of them are Southeast Helping Hands food bank, meals that our soup kitchen serves at Soups On and help to our homeless has grown in our community as well. Others include Anna’s House, Agape House and Four Winds program started by the Southland Community Church.

Helping Hands
o Serve 190 families every 2 weeks
o Feeding 900 people thru the foodbank
o Have a deal with hog producers to supply pork, are working to have same deal with beef and poultry products
o Work with local foodbanks on regional issues along with supporting the Soup’s On, Anna’s House, Agape House and others

Soup’s On
o Serves 60 – 100 people every Tues and Fri
o All food needs of the soup kitchen are currently being met thru donations
o Volunteers are showing up regularly
o Currently working on a School Lunch program for all schools about 100 lunch’s/week delivered to 4 schools

Homeless Office
o The SMC has started a manned office to help the homeless needed
o 3 – 5 homeless people in Steinbach
o That number hasn’t changed in last 5 years but the people have
o The number grows in summer as it is easier to leave in summer
o Our parks support the homeless most summer nights

Other growth issues facing Steinbach will be transportation needs as people need to have access to some forms of affordable transportation, affordable housing where purchasing becomes an option for everyone and mental health support by providing access to health workers so the disadvantaged can be diagnosed.

While it isn’t councils mandate to support all these groups or lead efforts to manage them they are part of our community, council’s role is to understand the issues then partner in solving the larger issues. Many of our citizens are the volunteers of these organizations as they give of their time and abilities meet the needs of those around us.

As a community and as council we need to continue to support these organizations as they play a vital and often forgotten role within our community.

This year I have been fortunate to attend the FCM conference in Whistler BC. FCM stand for Federation of Canadian Municipalities. This conference is attended by most of the major centers of Canada. Each day we hear from different party leaders and meet to discuss issues that effect us at the national level.
On Friday we heard Stockwell Day who represented our Prime Minister who was in France at the 65th D-Day events. An interesting speaker who shared what was happening in Ottawa and what we could do as an association that has been mandated to be an advocacy group to issues that effect our communities.
Part of the conference that I enjoy is the exposition where we meet the different businesses that provide our community with everything from lighting to garbage trucks to infacstructure programs. It is good get ideas regarding many different programs and products that might be useful to Steinbach.
Part of the conference is about networking with those around us. Speaking with and sharing concerns of same sized communities and how they have addressed issues.
What I have found is that most communities have the same issues, but what is different is the solution to those issues.
At some of our sessions I have heard amazing success stories of how communities turned negative situations into positive ones by putting uniquie solutions into place.
We have two days to go and the weather has been very warm (+30 C ) each but all meetings are in the air conditioned comfort.
More when I get home.