Hello Chestermere,
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Mid Sized Cities Mayors Caucus (MCMC) Conference in St. Albert. This was a great opportunity for me to network with mayors from other mid sized communities, hear from several presenters, and work with other municipalities to lobby the provincial government for further support. During the conference we had a round table with several ministers and the premier. This was an opportunity for all our communities to express our ongoing needs for things like schools, infrastructure and funding for social programs. Participating in conferences like this is another opportunity for myself, on behalf of council, to contend for the City of Chestermere.
This week I had to opportunity to attend the Economic Development Alberta Dinner in Edmonton. This was a round table discussion where ministers, deputy ministers and other representatives from several ministries, from both the federal and provincial government, presented us with resources for communities and then they listened to concerns we have in our own communities. I walked away with multiple different resources and ideas for economic development for Chestermere and will be bringing this information back to council and administration.
Friday was a busy day. Councillor Sandboe, Councillor Wawrzynowski, members of our administration and I attended a session held by the Calgary Metropolitan Regional Board (CMRB) about how to effectively work in regional relationships. The session was led by a gentleman from Denver. The Denver area is seeing huge success with their version of CMRB which is called DRCOG. In the afternoon, Councillor Wawrzynowski and I attended the CMRB Board Meeting and the Strategic Planning Session. Last night I then attended the Chestermere Catholic Church Fundraiser.
Our council meeting on Tuesday saw council demonstrate it’s commitment to the Chestermere Fire Department by re-approving items that had been previously approved in the 2024 budget. The Official Administrator had put some items on hold until a new council was elected to give the new council an opportunity to approve these items. After researching each of the items in question, council approved the items that were presented by the fire department. It should be noted that these items are not “added” to the budget but rather were re-approved. This means that there is no further tax burden to residents.
At our council meeting on Tuesday, we released the final numbers from the Mayor and Council Charity Golf Tournament. The City of Chestermere raised $63,581.72 for the Chestermere Public Library and $21,193.91 for the Municipality of Jasper. Thank you again to everyone involved.
City Hall is in the midst of budget season right now and so it is very busy time. Budget proposals will start to come to council in the next few weeks and all of this will be done in public meetings. The public will have the opportunity to attend these meetings, either in person or online, and observe the debate council will have of what to approve.
Council continues to work hard for our community. We know that not everyone will agree with decisions we make. I encourage you to reach out to council either via email, phone, coming to a council meeting and presenting during the Public Input time on our agendas or by booking a meeting with me. Meetings with me can be booked either using this link – Meet With the Mayor | City of Chestermere (thecityofchestermere.ca) or email me at sdean@chestermere.ca. Council will be announcing Coffee with Council times soon. While you may still disagree with a decision that is made, Council is committed to ensuring you have factual information which is why we encourage you to reach out with any questions you may have. Further, communication from you helps us to ensure we are making informed decisions.
Thanks everyone and I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. Please watch out the kids when they are out trick-or-treating next week.
– Mayor Shannon Dean