The Town of Sundre has adopted a new strategic plan.
“On May 25 and 26, council and staff participated in the facilitated strategic planning session with the intent to produce an overall outcome of common vision and priorities over the next four to five years,” said Linda Nelson, chief administrative officer, during the July 9 meeting.
Nelson then introduced Tracey Seitz Polowich, who is a registered organizational excellence specialist with a chartered professional accountant designation as well as a bachelor of commerce degree. Polowich is also the principal of Contigo Business Services Inc., the company commissioned to facilitate the planning process that resulted in the strategic plan presented to council.
“A successful community is not built on the opinions of seven people but with the contributions and input from all key stakeholders,” said Polowich.
“We followed the integrated strategic planning framework and through this continuous improvement process, we start with inputs that are the exploration of the environment within which the town operates.”
Such factors might include political, environmental and social aspects as well as the municipality’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, she said.
“We included citizen and staff input, stakeholder analysis, and we talked about desired outcomes.”
Through that process, council developed a vision statement and strategic priorities deemed crucial to reach the outlined vision, she said.
“These are all communicated to administration so that they have the guidance necessary to implement the activities which will address the strategic priorities.”
The municipal budget is the keystone of the process because the financial document is the mechanism by which council allocates the resources required to implement projects and initiatives that will help achieve the strategic plan, she said.
“The strategic plan and budget are also communicated to citizens, demonstrating council’s understanding of the citizens’ expectations, showing how the town intends to allocate resources. These documents will serve as a report card to the public.”
Sundre’s new vision — as decided upon by council — is, “Live, work, play and prosper — Sundre is your destination of choice,” she said.
“It was very important to council to capture all of the important aspects of Sundre — that people normally live and work here, but there’s a large contingent of residents and visitors who participate in recreation and leisure activities.”
The goal is to strike a balance among the invested parties so that all might prosper, she said.
Additionally, the municipality’s new mission statement is “to serve our community and future generations with transparent and respectful leadership through governance to promote prosperity, economic growth and tourism.”
The final component of the vision statement is Sundre’s core values, which are as follows: engagement, collaboration, integrity, sustainability, communication, accountability, innovation, transparency, continuous improvement and leadership.
Included among the strategic priorities set by council until the end of its term are as follows: improving communication and transparency with stakeholders; promoting water-smart conservation; continue promoting recreational opportunities; enabling access to high-speed Internet broadband service in the community; facilitating affordable housing options; diversifying the municipality’s tax base by supporting new developments; exploring options for a tri-services building; continue working with Alberta Transportation on plans for highways 22 and 27 through Sundre; as well as building upon and improving relationships with regional partners.
“The strategic plan that council has developed will not sit on a shelf,” said Polowich.
“Rather, council intends to use this plan as a guidebook for themselves and administration.”
To that end, she said the next steps include communicating the strategic plan, developing business plans, and linking the four-year budget as well as aligning council decisions with the vision. Moving forward, any request for decision that comes before council will involve administration identifying how the request ties in with the strategic plan, she said.
“This is a continuous process that requires dedication and discipline and I have every confidence that Sundre’s town council and administration will succeed.”
Coun. Paul Isaac asked Nelson whether council would in the near future be presented with any timelines on some of the objectives outlined.
“You absolutely will,” replied Nelson.
Isaac’s motion for council to approve the strategic plan as presented carried unopposed.
