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City Council provides direction to Administration through a variety of forward-looking policies and governance. Council’s strategy, comprising the mission statement, values, vision, goals and priorities, is the predominant governance direction for Administration. City Council updated the goals and priorities for their term at their annual strategic planning session in January 2012.
Brochure of Council Priorities 2012 and Highlights from 2011
Goals
Council's goals and associated priorities. Council's goals and associated priorities:
Goal – Economic Development
Build and diversify St. Albert’s economy in partnership with the community and key stakeholders.
Economic Development
- Develop, communicate and implement a 20 point economic development action plan. Review and finalize a detailed economic development plan that will promote significant and faster growth in the commercial and light industrial sectors.
- Enhance economic development opportunities along St. Albert Trail by developing a vision for, and improving the attractiveness and functionality of, the city’s main commercial corridor.
- Further revitalize the city’s downtown area by exploring opportunities with developers and examining options to improve parking and the Farmers’ Market Park and Ride.
- Examine opportunities to create a more attractive commercial and industrial investment environment by reducing risk to developers and considering incentives.
- Promote the city and attract businesses, investment, residents and visitors by developing a community marketing plan.
Tourism
- Continue to promote current and future tourist attractions and events.
- Strengthen St. Albert’s economy and regional leadership by considering a bid for the 2019 Canada Winter games in 2013.
Land Use and Infrastructure
- Improve commuting and St. Albert’s transportation connection within the capital region by:
- Securing funding and completing the South Park and Ride in 2013-14.
- Completing Ray Gibbon Drive Phase 3 in 2012.
- Explore future options to enhance commuting and St. Albert’s transportation connection within the capital region by building support for an extension of Ray Gibbon Drive to Highway 2.
- Ensure sufficient amounts of land in a variety of lot sizes in the appropriate location are available for non-residential growth.
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Goal – Community Development
Strengthen St. Albert’s social fabric and enhance the safety and health of St. Albert’s families.
Build Our Community
- To meet the growing needs of our community, plan for a community gathering place that will provide a venue for residents to gather and access social programming.
- Proactively address the changing demographics of St. Albert through the development of a Social Master Plan.
- Continue to enhance neighbourhood development by supporting the efforts of the Spirit of St. Albert Society.
- Recognize and support the legacy of the 2012 Winter Special Olympics by funding legacy projects that provide a lasting commemoration on the Games, additional athlete programming, and a community inclusiveness program.
Safety and Health
- Promote long-term safety in the community by completing the Long-Term Department Plan for Policing Services and identifying the policing model, levels of service and resources.
- Support the attraction of additional physicians and complementary medical services to St. Albert by facilitating the establishment of another medical office facility.
Arts, Culture and Heritage
- Establish the long-term direction for St. Albert’s culture, arts and heritage by reviewing and approving the Culture Master Plan.
- Improve arts, culture and heritage facilities within the city by examining options for use of the Hemingway Centre by community groups.
Community Services, Amenities and Infrastructure
- Support the development of a range of affordable housing options appropriate for the community by completing current initiatives and developing a longer term plan and funding options that consider:
- entry level housing for families
- affordable seniors’ housing
- the future of the rent subsidy program
- the existing basement suite program
- Establish the long term direction for St. Albert’s recreational services, programs and amenities by reviewing and approving the Recreational Master Plan.
- Complete implementation of two dog parks and determine the location of a third.
- Review infill guidelines to ensure they allow for integration with existing neighbourhoods for multifamily and single family development.
- Consider options for accessible transportation to Edmonton by completing a needs and cost assessment of the Handi-bus service.
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Goal – Environment
Preserve and promote the enjoyment and responsible development of natural areas.
Environmental Stewardship
- Following approval of the Sturgeon River Report, create a vision for the Sturgeon River Valley that addresses environmental health and economic development, along with a supporting action plan.
- Develop a stewardship plan for Grey Nuns White Spruce Park.
- Obtain certification for an environmental management system that adheres to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 14001 standards) for Public Works.
- Develop a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Action Plan for the community and the City corporation, to reduce non-renewable energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Clean-up, Stabilization, Monitoring and Reporting
- Assess mitigation strategies for the old public works yard.
- Continue to clean up and stabilize the Sturgeon River by completing two river outfalls in 2012.
- Continue remediation work in Riel Park (Phases 3 and 4) including environmental remediation work on the soccer and rugby fields.
Promote Environmentally Sustainable Practices
- Develop a policy to ensure water and energy efficiency in new developments including the toilet rebate program.
- Implement a waste plan for civic buildings.
- Conduct a review of the waste management program to ensure it meets service requirements and program goals, seeking continuous improvement.
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Goal – Governance
Improve efficiency, plan strategically, enhance accountability and build effective partnerships and relationships to ensure the right choices for St. Albert in both the immediate and longer term.
Planning and Reporting
- Enhance strategic focus by refining the vision for the city and outlining a series of supporting strategies.
- Enhance evidence based decision making through the development of a corporate level scorecard and municipal analytics.
Governance Capacity and Policy Direction
- Fulfill Council responsibilities and workloads by exploring opportunities to efficiently and effectively manage workload.
- Ensure the most effective and efficient model of governance is in place for St. Albert through the review of policies.
- Review and modernize selected bylaws.
Partnerships and Relationships
- Advocate for and actively engage in dialogue with other orders of government regarding areas of high priority to St. Albert.
- Continue to build positive and productive working arrangements with community groups and other external organizations.
Fiscal Responsibility
- Enhance the City’s fiscal responsibility by reviewing the City’s taxation policy and its utility fiscal model.
- Develop Outside Agency Budget Guiding Principles for community groups receiving city funding.
- Practice fiscal restraint and report on the benefits and costs of continuous improvements that are made to the City’s governance and operations.
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