SUNDRE – Previously hosting scantly attended open houses in the evening at the community centre, the municipality opted to change up the format for the latest public engagement that brought out more people than usual.
Although still lightly attended with more than a dozen people dropping by council chambers during the afternoon of March 23, the open house nevertheless had an increased number over past similar sessions held on evenings at the Sundre Community Centre.
The open houses are intended to “provide electors with an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process for budget and levels of service,” said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, adding the sessions are held twice annually.
“We have tried many, many different formats, many different times to facilitate the best possible attendance over the years as has been recommended by past and current members of council,” Nelson told council during the March 27 meeting.
Turnouts have typically ranged between five to 10 people, sometimes a few more, she said.
As the municipality embraces a continuous improvement model, the administrator said the decision was made to host a daytime open house instead of in the evening.
“The results were better than expected with 16 people attending,” she said, adding two more people who were unable to attend sent comments by email.
“We received 11 elector feedback comment sheets and had some great conversations and suggestions from the people in attendance,” she said.
Additionally, she said there was no need to factor in either facility rental costs or overtime pay for town employees tasked with being present for the open house.
“Overall, the venue and the time for the March 23 open house has been more effective than past open house events that were held during the evening at a larger facility,” she said.
Nelson outlined some highlights from the suggestions people submitted, including but not limited to: placing kiosks along Main Avenue to promote events; a town clock in the centre of the municipality; a request to add snow sculptures to Winterfest; concerns about the lack of adequate rental options; a greater emphasis on enhancing trail connectivity; and creating a new community standards bylaw to include prohibiting off-leash dogs and littering.
Among the positive feedback received was: praise for the municipality’s waste, recycling and compost collection bin program; an expression of appreciation for all of the hours invested by members of council; as well as the early preparation of the community outdoor rink that was ready in time for the holidays.
“It was well attended compared to the norm,” said mayor Richard Warnock. “So, I think that this could be considered a success.”
Council carried a motion accepting the report for information.
