2011 was a busy year; for me personally, in the region and here at city hall. In fact I was so busy that my last post was back in October which is pretty sad. So like everyone else I guess I'd better have a New Year's Resolution - I'm going to set a goal of one post every week. Let's see how it goes.
Looking back at 2011 there were a number of projects started, completed and celebrated. I believe the most significant was the development of Council's new Strategic Plan. The plan sets out Council's values, priorities and goals for the balance of the term.
Some of the most important goals are aimed directly at reducing the need for future property tax increases by addressing the financial foundation and framework the city operates within. These goals are:
- Develop a fiscal sustainability model
- Prepare a post-annexation plan
- Prepare a strategy to encourage industrial land development
The exercise of working through the Strategic Plan ensured that each council member and administration had a chance to develop a shared understanding of what our collective priorities were. This collective focus is what enabled us to pass a 3 year budget that provides the lowest tax increases in a decade while still reinvesting in the infrastructure and services that our community needs.
In 2011 we did the big stuff. We set out our long term strategic goals and developed the budget that will provide the financial resources to work towards them over the next 3 years.
So what does that leave for 2012? That'll have to be next week's post...
