Belt Tightening!

The reporter from the Rocky View Weekly phoned me, yesterday.  She had attended our council meeting last Monday.  She noted that in my report to council, I proposed some cutbacks in the budgets of three village departments; The Volunteer Fire Department, Public Works Department, and the Recycling Department.  She wondered why.

I explained that Beiseker faced some tough economic roads in 2014 and we need to get strong again!  Snow removal was a biggy last year.  The winter of 2013-2014 dumped huge amounts of snow on the village.  Our snow removal bill skyrocketed!  We also had a large amount in overdue municipal taxes not paid. 

These factors, plus a couple of large expenses put us in a "hand to mouth" financial situation.  That is not a situation that council is comfortable with!

Our Chief Administrative Officer has made enormous strides in collecting unpaid property taxes.  We've found that folks find in easier to pay their property taxes in monthly installments, instead of one big bill in the summertime.  Many have arranged to do this and our unpaid tax file has shrunk down to a very small amount!  But I still believe we must trim our expenses, too.

Premier Prentice has been telling us that Alberta's dependence on oil revenue puts the province's finances in jeopardy when oil prices drop to less than half of what they were a few months ago.  He has discussed different ways the province will manage their finances under the current circumstances. I think it is the responsibility of municipalities to also sharpen their pencils and trim their budgets accordingly.  I don't believe a huge property tax hike is the way to go!

Staff from each of the three departments I've named will determine if a cutback is possible without compromising the services the village provides.  They will report back to council. Our budgeting process will go on for the next few weeks.  By the way;  In future council meetings, I will be asking other village departments and service areas to consider cutbacks, too.   Stay tuned!

What do you think?  Get in touch with a village councilor and tell them what you think should be done.

Some Confusion over Snow Removal!

It appears there is some confusion as to who is responsible for snow removal, and in what areas of the village.  Every year this is debated in Council meetings.  Here is what I understand to be the law regarding snow removal here in Beiseker.

• Residents are responsible for removing snow build-up on the public sidewalk that is on the Public Reserve strip, which borders the front of their property.
• If ice builds up, the resident is responsible for placing sand or some traction aid down (sand will be made available down at the Public Works Yard, as it was last year.)
• Residents have 72 hours after the snowfall to remove the snow.
• Residents who do not comply with this bylaw may be given a warning, fined, and/or charged a fee for the removal of the snow.

All other pathways and roadways (including laneways) are the responsibility of the village Public Works Department.

We have discussed the snow removal at those areas where laneways meet the streets, but no changes have been made to the policy.  Right now, those areas are also the responsibility of Public Works.  No other decision has been made at this time.

If you have any questions regarding your responsibility for snow removal, please contact the Village Office at 403-947-3774. 

If you have any comments regarding our snow removal bylaw and policies, please write to your council at P.O. Box 349, or you can write your comments to me on the Write Ray blog.  And pray for lots of Chinooks!

Main Street a Snow Route?

At last night's council meeting, we considered a bylaw to have cars parked on Main Street on "Snow Event" mornings towed away at their owners' risk and expense.  The bylaw would give the Village the right to have those vehicles hampering snow removal on Main Street and First Avenue to be towed away, possibly to an impound lot in Airdrie or Crossfield.  Council refused to pass it!

Right now, we have only a policy which states that Main Street be free of vehicles so that Public Works can plow the snow.  All residents and businesses on Main Street and First Avenue have been asked to keep vehicles off the street until the snow has been removed.  Still we have a problem with a couple of vehicles interfering with the snow removal almost every time it snows.

Council has held off on creating  a tow-away bylaw, hoping that we can get the cooperation of everyone without that heavy-handed approach.

We are expecting a pretty sizeable dump of snow later this week.  Let's see if we can keep Main Street and First Avenue 'vehicle free' until the snow has been removed.

Great Town Hall Meeting

We held our usual fall Town Hall Meeting at the Beiseker Community Centre.  It gives a chance for ratepayers to sit through an abbreviated council meeting then participate in a question and answer session with members of Village Council.

The main topics:

• The Bassano Station issue was the first up.  Although village council has very little control over the Centennial Railway Museum's project, residents were most concerned the building would soon become abandoned.   With part of the roof missing and it not being closed in around the foundation,  residents were wondering of its future.  We on council could give them few answers.
• One resident was concerned that issues brought to the attention of council were not being followed up.   Was the village office writing a note to the person who brought the issue to council's attention, outlining actions taken?  We were able to indicate that, in most cases, the follow-up was done by either phone call or letter.
• We were asked why we lengthened the time residents have to clear their sidewalks of snow from 48 hours to 72 hours.  We explained that it gives the residents a bit longer to remove the snow in case they can't get on the shovel right away.
• Another resident was wondering if there was a bylaw preventing parked vehicles from blocking laneways.  We indicated to them that this was a part of the province's Traffic Safety Act.  I've taken a  couple of quick tours around the area mentioned, but found no vehicles blocking laneways.  Vehicles can be parked between the garage and the lane if there is room.  The laneways should remain clear at all times.
• Residents wondered why we weren't collecting tie-down fees at the Beiseker Airport.  I was able to tell them it was a clerical error, which would be corrected in the next few days.
• Also discussed during or right after the meeting were the removal of some of the village's aging poplar trees, water drainage flows, potholes, and recycling fees.

Overall, I was pleased with the meeting.  I like to have residents attend our regular council meetings, but I know that for many that just isn't possible.  Town Hall Meetings make it a little easier. I think it is important that all village residents to stay in touch with their village council throughout the year. 

Politics and the Weather!

I was saddened by Premier Alison Redford's resignation, the other evening. 

Our province is indeed the best in Canada when measured on many different scales.  We do not need all this drama of political wheeling, dealing and backbiting by the governing party!

Collectively, they're acting like a bunch of kids in a school playground, pushing and shoving each other in order to accomplish some sort of lofty goal!  If  this was a school, their principal would be organizing an anti-bullying program for them!

The Premier made some critical errors with her spending of tax dollars in travel expenses.  Other Alberta premiers have faced much worse!  But it is obvious that Redford did not think she had the support of her cabinet and caucus to correct the mistakes, and fight back against the pressures from the media and Opposition. 

She had little choice than to resign.  Her party basically threw her under the bus.

I believe that Premier Redford did give her heart and soul to this province over the past two and a half years, and for that I dearly thank her.

To the governing Alberta Progressive Conservatives;  Get back to running this province!  Throw the poll results into the trash, and start carrying out what you and your now-former Premier set out to do, when you were given a mandate in 2012!

And to the Wildrose Party; Throw the poll results into the trash and let's get back to your job - of being Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition!

______

We got another winter blast Thursday which halted our melt in its tracks.  It also froze a lot of that meltwater!  Highways and streets may not get better for a day or two so be careful out there! 

The melt has been going very well.  Water is leaving town in an orderly manner!  I see a couple of issues around town, which I've mentioned to the Village Office.  I hope you are doing the same. 

Public Works is also searching for a water leak this next couple of days.  I wish them success in their search and thank them for their dedication and hard work.

Slippery, Icy Sidewalks!

I'm getting numerous calls from Beiseker residents concerned about the letters they are receiving, regarding removal of ice from their sidewalks.  The Village is threatening them with a $250 fine if they ignore the ice and snow buildup on their front sidewalk.

I once again assure you that we just want compliance.  If you get a letter, please phone our Municipal Enforcement Officer Donna (her number is on the letter) and explain the situation to her.  As long as people are trying to deal with the ice with some chipping, sand, kitty litter, or ice-melt, fines will not be issued - but you must talk it over with Donna.

Also remember that sand is available free of charge at the Public Works compound, over by the Recycle Bins.

No Help from the Province

We had an inter-municipal meeting in Acme the other evening.  We talked blizzards and snow removal for quite a while.

It appears that most communities in this area, including Beiseker, have spent between $8,000 and $20,000 moving snow so far, this winter!  This is a big hit on the budgets of small municipalities like ours. 

I've had our Village Administrator check out to see if we could apply for emergency or disaster funding from the province.  I realize that our expenditures for snow removal pale by comparison to the flood damage in many Alberta municipalities, last spring.  However, these expenses come at us totally unexpected, and have stretched our snow budgets to the breaking point.

But the answer from the province was a flat "no."

I see no choice for all the small municipalities to either cut other services or raise taxes (or maybe both) to accommodate these huge increases in snow removal budgets.

I believe that the province should be helping its municipalities cope with these "snow emergencies," as much as possible.  The premier's travel expenses and the bureaucrats' salaries show me that they have (or maybe had) the money!

Clearing Ice from Main Street

Today there were lots of smiles from the folks who have been driving down Beiseker's Main Street this past few weeks. 

The lumps, bumps and ruts in the snow and ice are history!  First Avenue received the same treatment.  Second Avenue is next.  Those huge piles of ice will be removed this next few days. 

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.  Hopefully Public Works will be able to keep up with Mother Nature and Old Man Winter, so we'll avoid this happening again.  Don't ya just love winter?

Icy Sidewalks and Roads

The warm Chinook weather just hasn't managed to make its way out to Beiseker, yet.  While places like Airdrie and Calgary have enjoyed daily temperatures well above freezing, the temperature here hasn't gone very far above 0 degrees C.

As a result, our streets and sidewalks have become ice covered.  Public Works continues to do its best to move the snow and sand the ice, but there's only so much they can do.  We have a very limited snow removal and sanding budget.  To increase that amount would run the risk of increasing property taxes!

Council has to balance those two concerns; snow & ice removal and increased taxation to pay for it.  We will be sanding the intersections along Main Street, where the ice makes the going very difficult, and other places where it is particularly bad.

As I've mentioned before, if you notice a location that may require a little attention please contact the Village Office at 403-947-3774.

We have also made some road sanding mix available outside the Public Works Yard, over next to the recycling drop off bins.  If you need some to sand an icy spot, take a shovel and a pail down there and help yourself.  There's a limited amount, so please don't be greedy!

Remember, spring is just two months away!

Clearing Ice and Snow

Mother Nature has been giving us a hand with our snow accumulation problems here in Beiseker, these past few days!  The warmer weather has given our Public Works staff a chance to catch up a bit. 

If you know of a section of public property around town which still has a snow or ice problem, please report it now!  You have a few easy ways to let us know;

• Phone into the Village office at 403-947-3774, with the address of the nearest houses.
• Phone me, at 403-947-3759 with the address of the nearest houses.
• Report it on the Village's Facebook page with that same information.
• Send me a message using the Contact Form on the right-hand side of this blog, with the information needed.

Remember, this applies only to public property (streets, etc.)!  Thank you!

Christmas Passes For Another Year

As the Twelfth Night, signalling the end of the Christmas Season fast approaches, I look back on some of the many acts of kindness which really define our village. Here are just a few;

• The Snow Angels who voluntarily shovel snow from the walks of seniors and shut-ins.
• The Beiseker Fire Department who volunteer to do their annual Candy Cane Run each Christmas Eve.
• The Emergency Response Team and the Beiseker Fire Department, who have had to open up our Community Centre to stranded motorists at least twice in the past month!
• The volunteer drivers who drive our seniors to medical appointments in Airdrie or Calgary.
• The anonymous good Samaritans who have helped several motorists who were stuck in the snow storm, a couple of weeks ago.
• The Beiseker Volunteer Medical First Response Team who have saved so many already in their short existence!
• Those who volunteer to help seniors fill in their income tax forms each year.
• The volunteer coaches and managers who give up so much of their time to supporting our young people in team sports.
• Those who support our Food Bank here in Beiseker.
• Those who volunteer to help in village clean-up and recycling projects.
• Those who volunteer to make community events such as our Country Fair a huge success.
• Those who volunteer to mow the acres of grass out at the airport.

These are but a few generous acts of kindness found in our village.  Merry Christmas!

Snow Removal article in the Rocky View Weekly

I was disappointed - and a little hurt - on reading an article by Sara Wilson in the Rocky View Weekly this week, Beiseker residents upset over "slow snow removal".  It told a tale of Beiseker's residents desparately trying to get help digging themselves out from last week's blizzard, while the village government apparently did little or nothing to assist them.

The article was full of misinformation and inaccurate reporting, which left me disappointed for the reporter and hurt that some folks thought that way about the village, and the Public Works people who have worked very hard to keep Beiseker moving this past week.

Here are the facts as I understand them;

• All the priority areas were tackled as early as Monday afternoon.  These included the Fire Hall, the Community Centre which operates as an emergency centre during storms, essential service personnel (we want Public Works, RCMP, etc. to be able to get out to their duties as quickly as possible), the water and wastewater pumphouses, and main routes into the village.  Public works continued to work on these areas even as the wind drifted them in over and over.
• Public Works Foreman Bill tried to open every single street in Beiseker with our skid steer (bobcat).  Every street had a trail opened through it.  These weren't very wide and often blew in again but they helped many folks walk to their homes.
• Beiseker recorded one of the highest windspeeds and snow dumps in the province during the storm!
• All telephone inquiries to the Village Office regarding snow removal were answered or responded to.  There were no multiple calls or messages registered on our answering equipment.  
• The Village of Beiseker has never spent any municipal funds moving or funding the Bassano Station!  None!  That whole project is a private venture by a railway museum society based in Calgary.  They did receive a federal grant, but at no cost or resposibility to the Village of Beiseker.
• It is likely that we will go over budget on our 2013 snow removal amount.  We had to hire contractors to help move more than 1000 metric tonnes of snow from the village.  We do try to keep a small contingency for this kind of thing but an event of this size is very hard to plan or budget for!
• All of our Public Works and Village Office staff worked very long hours under some very grueling conditions to get Beiseker back to normal as soon as possible.

I felt badly for our Public Works and Village Office staff having to read Ms. Wilson's article in the paper!  I have complete admiration for all those who helped Beiseker dig out.  My compliments to you all!

It should be noted that only one concerned citizen came to Monday night's council meeting.  I was impressed by her demeanor and logic.  She asked some excellent questions about snow removal, and I hope she received the answers she needed!  I thanked her for attending, and invited her back any time.

Battling Old Man Winter



photo via Global TV

While Beiseker was fighting through the horrible blizzard, I was attending an air show convention in Las Vegas.

I was getting hourly reports by voice or text on the fight this village was having with Old Man Winter.  From the reports I was getting,  I came to realise that I had left the village in strong and capable hands. 

I came home Friday afternoon.  I was shocked at the amount of snow we had piled up all over town.  I saw the Public Works employees working in sub-zero weather to move all that snow off the streets.  That task will take at least another week, maybe longer!
 
I have huge respect for all those in Public Works who have been working long hours in frigid temperatures to get the village moving and back to normal.  Well done, guys! 

And a huge thank you you to all those volunteers who grabbed shovels and got out there to help move snow. You folks have been awesome, too!  Great community spirit!

I'm hoping we can give a bit of time-off this weekend to those in Public Works, but come Monday we've got a heck of a pile of snow to get out of town!  We're running out of places to put all this snow, too!
 
I have heard, though, that some folks have been critical of the priorities for snow removal.  I hope those people will write down their concerns and present them to our emergency measures team.  We need your input to make the process better!  I'll let you know when they meet next.

Let It Snow!

Snow has been the subject of more debates and arguments this year than ever before!  Who shovels it?  Where do we put it? When do we shovel it? Where do we shovel it?

On and on it goes!  I've already gone over the Village's policy of snow removal on here, a few weeks ago. 

First off, though, I thought the Public Works Department did an absolutely stellar job removing that dump of snow from Main Street, last weekend.  They started around 5 a.m. Sunday morning and had Main Street looking pretty ship shape by Monday afternoon!  Well done group!

This week, we're discussing the removal of snow from the sidewalk in front of homes.  Our newly updated bylaw gives residents 72 hours to clear the snow from their walks along in front of their homes.  After that period of time, the Village can remove the snow and charge the homeowner $1.00 per foot (30 cm.) of sidewalk!   Last Monday night, we discussed levying a fine along with the removal charge. 

Now, most Beisekerites are really good at removing the snow from the public sidewalk, but there are a few properties where the snow sits on the sidewalk all winter and waits for the spring thaw.   We have a fairly large population of seniors here in the village, and I think it's unfair to make them walk through knee deep snow or over slippery ice, just to get down the the block!

Village council is addressing the issue of ice covered intersections and road crossings, but we still have a few property owners who leave the snow piling up.

I'm asking for everyone's help here.  If you have noticed a sidewalk that has yet to be cleared this fall please phone the village office with the address (403 947 3774). Let's get some of these chronic problems cleared up, before we get too much more snow!

UPDATE:  One of the worst offenders in town is the Telus building at the corner of Seventh Street and Second Avenue.  I am determined to solve that one before Spring is sprung! Any ideas?

Village Updates: Fire Protection, Snow, Water & the Bassano Station

We had a great council meeting Tuesday night (November 12).  A number of issues and concerns were discussed.  Here's a few of the things we talked about.

• We reaffirmed our policy that all the village's fire hydrants will be systematically checked by our fire department, with consultation with Public Works. 
• We discussed our very icy streets and sidewalks, and suggested ways that we can make it easier for everyone to get around during the winter months.  We may have to look into how Public Works removes ice and snow from streets and sidewalks, especially at intersections.
• We talked about the placement (or not) of the Bassano Station on its foundation.  It appears work has halted again on the project and it sits there looking forlorn once more.  There doesn't appear to be much the Village can do about this project but we will endeavor to find out its status.
• We talked about a letter from the Town of Irricana to the Aqua7 Regional Water Services Commission, noting that the town refuses to pay the 10% increase in water prices levied by the Town of Drumheller.  I do not understand what they expect to accomplish with this move!  Aqua7, which includes Irricana, will have to pay the shortfall on Irricana's behalf.
• We decided to prepare a mutual aid agreement for fire protection, which we will present to our neighbour municipalities. 

Overall, a great meeting.  I think we addressed some very crucial issues in Beiseker.  Now we need to keep an eye on the solutions to see that they do what we hope they do!

Snow Removal!

With the first snowfall of the year, there's been comments about street snow removal in Beiseker, as well as some confusion about what the Village does about it - and doesn't do.  So here is my understanding of our snow removal policies;

• After each snowfall, our Public Works Department gets to work with three main pieces of equipment; the large plow-sanding truck, the skid-steer, and the tractor.  We do not own a grader.  In our opinion, a grader is a very expensive piece of machinery to own and maintain.
• Main Street (including the central business district) and the main arteries are plowed first.  The business sidewalks are also cleared.
• As in most municipalities, residential streets are not usually cleared unless they are impassable.
• Lanes are checked over on the Thursday to make sure the garbage truck and recycling van can get around.
• Public parking lots are cleared.
• The airport runway is always the last to be cleared.
• Residents are given 72 hours to clear the snow from the public sidewalk in front of their homes.
• The village maintains a snow removal budget which is not huge.  Moving snow is expensive!

Snow removal policies always generate much discussion in council.  Council must balance the need to keep the people of Beiseker moving and the cost of plowing and hauling snow.  The larger our snow removal budget and costs, the more risk that another program might have to be trimmed or that taxes may have to be increased!

If you think this needs to be changed, please contact a council member so that they can take your concerns to the rest of council.

(And let's pray for a lot of chinooks!)

Happy New Year, 2011!

I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! The First real weekend of the new year really blew in a storm for Beiseker! Public Works is busy moving snow out of the way so that traffic can move. I think they've been going almost continuously since the storm let up. Well done Bill and crew!

A hearty thank-you goes to those Beiseker residents who helped stranded motorists over the weekend at the Beiseker Community Centre. We had over 40 "special guests" in town thanks to the blizzard. Most managed to resume their journeys by Sunday afternoon. Again we showed Beiseker to be the "Friendly Village"!

A reminder to all that we have a snow removal bylaw here in Beiseker. The public sidewalk in front of your home must be cleared after a snowfall.

Council is still working on our water problems. We still have yet to figure out why Beiseker is buying twice as much water from the Kneehill system than Irricana! Is it a metering error or a major leakage, or maybe a combination. We've got to find out! We're starting our investigation at the #2 Pumphouse (on the south side of ninth street where it meets the CNR tracks) and moving out from there. Stay tuned!

A Christmas Message

Here we are at Christmas once again. The shopping is all done and most of us are looking forward to eating too much turkey! Beiseker has outdone itself this year with many homes and businesses decked out in the best of holiday fashion! Take time to tour around town and enjoy these festive lights!

The local Food Bank has distributed many packages to those who need a little extra boost this year. Thanks to all of you who have donated to that worthy cause. Please remember that the needs of these folks continue on into the new year.

Chistmas Talk: Every year around this time we all hear the Christmas talk of peace and goodwill to all. All the politicians' carefully prepared speeches and the music on the radio refer to this time of peace and joy. But soon after Christmas that's all forgotten and we're back to the same old same old! This year I'm going to try to live up to those platitudes into the new year, please join me!

Merry Christmas!

SNOW!; Hats off to Beiseker's Public Works for moving as much snow as they've had to over the past few weeks! I personally think we have a pretty darn good snow management program for such a small municipality!