OLDS — Town council members voted to approve hiring 19 summer students for 2022 but not before a lengthy discussion was held on the matter during their Dec. 13 meeting.
Finance director Sheena Linderman said the figure includes 17 in operations -- including those looking after parks -- one in municipal enforcement and one in administration.
She said two parks positions approved will bring the Town of Olds back to pre-COVID levels.
Coun. Heather Ryan urged council to not approve an increase in summer student positions but instead to hold the line, adding that would save the municipality $37,800.
She pointed out that Scott Grieco, the Town of Olds' newly-hired director of operations, plans to undertake a review of how operations could be made more efficient, and that would include a review of the number of summer students on staff.
Ryan said it would be prudent to hold the line on summer students until that review is completed and Greico reports to council on his findings.
Coun. Darren Wilson agreed with Ryan.
“I think it’s an opportunity for this council to show leadership in the area of cost control and cost containment as well,” he said, adding he too, wants to see the results of Greico's review.
Coun. Dan Daley echoed those thoughts.
“I think in these times that we do have to look at our efficiencies and look at our operations and our service agreements and take a look at what we can afford and be responsible to the taxpayers for that,” he said.
Chief administrative officer Michael Merritt said one reason more summer students were needed in parks/operations in recent years is that the municipality began keeping the Sportsplex open year-round, this adding to the workload of municipal employees.
He expressed concern that if those three extra summer positions weren’t added, that could impact the level of service the Town of Olds can provide to its citizens.
Greico warned that without the extra students the municipality may not have enough staff to properly look after trees and shrubs in the community.
Coucillors Wanda Blatz and James Cummings supported hiring the extra students, echoing Greico’s point.
“I have grave concern about cutting back on the maintenance of our shrubs and trees. That comes at a great cost to us if we don’t take care of them properly,” Blatz said.
“I will just remind councillor Ryan that we had several complaints last summer in regards to weeds and grass and mowing and all other types of things,” she said.
“And we talk all that time about attracting for tourism and beautifying our community.
“And to me, to have two extra staff members is really not a hard stretch, I don’t think, so I am fully in support of increasing summer staff.”
She too, looked forward to Greico’s efficiency report.
Mayor Judy Dahl agreed with Coun. Blatz.
“I’ve never once seen the summer staff out there where they weren't working," she added.
Cummings pointed out that in the last couple of years the Town of Olds added a “gigantic” park in the west end of the community – the Rotary Athletic Park, located just north of Walmart, along 70th Avenue.
“We add stuff to our parks every year and to think that we can maintain a steady staff to maintain those parks is to my mind a little foolish,” he said.
Cummings also noted that each time a developer wants to build a subdivision in the community, municipal officials require that that development include park space.
“We demand that, we don’t suggest it, we demand it,” he said, adding that each new park requires maintenance by town staff.
“If we're going to have a large park added to our portfolio, we’re going to need staff to maintain those parks. And that staff number’s going to increase as we increase our parks.”
He said it’s “fiscally responsible” to utilize summer staff rather than full-time, permanent staff for that work.
However, Ryan said this past summer, the municipality managed to maintain the new Rotary Athletic Park with existing staff “and it seemed to work out just fine.”
“It’s almost to me like a make-work program,” she said.
Coun. Harvey Walsh also supported hiring the extra summer students.
"I’m against just cutting indiscriminately without really delving into this and I trust administration, what they’ve put through this for summer staff,” he said.
“It’s not permanent positions, this is staff to help during the year, especially in the summer months.”
He added they help with the workload when permanent staff go on summer holidays.
