Fewer than a dozen people attended the municipality’s recent public open house held to get feedback on taxpayers’ expectations of the town’s levels of services.
Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, said the forum held earlier this month in council's chamber “was sparsely attended, which was unfortunate. This was an opportunity for people to come in and have a say on where their tax dollars are spent.”
Those who did attend were largely just seeking information, said Nelson.
“We didn’t get any feedback,” she said during a phone interview while in Red Deer.
“Nobody commented on any services they’d like to see increased” or otherwise, she said.
Another session to further discuss ideas for the levels of service document is planned for either September or October, with a firm date yet to be determined.
The original intent was to modify the existing document based on input received during the first open house and to then bring back the changes for the next session for further discussion, she said.
“But we didn’t really get any feedback, so we won’t have the opportunity to do that.”
Instead, the municipality will simply again present the levels of service document to provide people with one final chance to have a look, ask questions and recommend ideas, she said.
“Hopefully we’ll get a better turnout so that we get some community input,” she said.
“Otherwise, we will just set the budget as is.”
However, the open houses, she added, are not the only opportunity for people to ask questions, recommend suggestions, or express concerns.
“If they can’t make it to the open house, they can still come in and see us,” she said.
“If you think it’s important, still drop by the office. My door is always open,” she said, adding the document will become available on the town’s website as well.
Mayor Terry Leslie attended the open house, and said the few people he spoke with had questions. The rationale behind why and how certain aspects of running a municipality are handled are not always clear. In some instances, he said, provincial or federal regulations — ranging from environmental to occupational health and safety — dictate how things must be done.
But otherwise, those he chatted with did not recommend or request specific changes in the municipality’s direction.
“We know that we have that obligation to offer all of our ratepayers an opportunity to come in and look at what it is we’re doing,” said Leslie last week during a phone interview.
“It was an opportunity for the staff to put together a package of what it is you’re paying for when you’re paying your taxes.”
He said that unfortunately, scheduling a day that works for everyone can be challenging. Some people are on vacation during the summer, but plenty of others seek refuge in the south during the winter, he said.
That being said, the mayor expressed a similar sentiment to Nelson, encouraging anyone who is unable to attend the open houses to either call a member of council or drop by the town office.
“Our job is to listen to folks,” he said.
“We try to keep a pulse on what’s going.”
Leslie added he is quite receptive to hearing suggestions regarding where people feel there should be more — or perhaps less — services. The document is a way to engage with taxpayers to discuss expectations and by extension develop a budget that strives to meet those expectations, he said.
“We just want those open lines of communication with folks.”
Recognizing that certain reductions are not always possible due to provincial or federal regulations, the mayor said he wants to hear from taxpayers who feel too much is being spent on a particular service — or perhaps not enough.
He said taxpayers who, for example, expect roads to be cleared more frequently during the winters, or alleys graded more often in the summer, should understand there is a potential cost increase associated with that.
Feedback from the public helps to provide direction for council, and the more opportunities there are to engage, the better sense the municipality has in terms of what people want, he said.
“No news is good news — if we don’t get a number of comments about a particular topic, then we think we have a balance.”
However, since concerns about taxes commonly resurface, the mayor said administrative staff investigated the local cost of living, utilities and taxation rates to compare with other communities.
“It was interesting to find out we’re not the most expensive. We’re not the least, but we’re in the lower quarter of the pack.”
