Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

Kindersley town councillors have approved a new strategic plan and governance policy near the end of the first year of their term.

Council members passed resolutions to approve the strategic plan and governance policy at a meeting on Sept. 25. Council adopted the strategic plan first after a brief presentation by Bernie Morton, the town’s chief administrative officer (CAO).

“The council strategic plan is your strategic plan,” Morton told the officials. Meetings were held with council to discuss elements of the plan and the administration worked to draft the plan to reflect the direction by council.

He said the plans are often meant to set the strategy for three to four years, and are designed to help guide the administration with respect to the direction set by council. The plan was developed around three pillars indicated by discussions with council, he said. The three pillars are Build Bridges, Smart Spending and Make it Happen.

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Morton said there is a symbiotic working relationship between the three pillars in the plan. He said the direction from council resonated with the administration, and the plan was then drafted with the pillars in mind.

The CAO noted that council didn’t want a large, complex document, so the administration developed a simple plan that’s easy to follow and understand. He spoke about the goals in each area and told council the administration tried to capture everything its members wanted in the plan.

Mayor Rod Perkins said the town is not only a mayor and council, but also an administration, and the council and administration have to work together. He said he believes council has been accomplishing its goals.

“I think we’re making some pretty good strides,” Perkins said, recognizing that the current council is only 11 months into its mandate and he believes members are well on their way to doing the things they set out to do during their term.

Councillor Randy Ervine said in his opinion, the plan covers the themes and ideas council had discussed. Councillor Elyse Moss agreed and said the ideas expressed by council have been captured in the plan, and it’s a living document that will continue to evolve.

Moss also took a lead role in preparing the new governance policy. She said council passed a resolution in November 2016 to rescind council’s previous policy manual, and to remove any reference of Carver Governance from the policy. The new policy is clearer with respect to the role of council and the community.

“We put the community first,” she added, noting the policy starts with community because council serves the community and the document that sets the policy for moving forward has been shortened to simplify the policy.

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