Thank You Division 1 Residents!
As I am writing this (thanks Lowell for slipping this in post-election) the results are official but I think I have a good margin of safety for the decisive direction Division 1 voters chose to take. I appreciate the confidence shown in not only my representation for Division 1 interests, but also in stewarding the County as whole in these times of great regional changes and challenges.
I also look forward to moving council towards a high-performance council built on a foundation of earned respect, and thoughtful listening – and am confident that with new members at the table will be able to approach more consensus policy solutions – as opposed to polarizing policies.
Listening to the Community
I promised to represent both “population bulges” at the opposite ends of Division 1 to the best of my abilities. Personally knocking on 90%+ of the doors in the greater Bragg Creek Area during campaigning has equipped me with the feedback I need to hit the ground running for residents new to me. I will continue to listen, and am exploring the best ways of communicating to help serve the Hamlet and greater Bragg Creek area.
Seniors Housing on Donated Land
As I discussed at the Community Centre town hall this is in the direct hands of the Rocky View Foundation. This non-profit organization’s vision statement is “To be the leading provider to seniors needing affordable, safe accommodations and services in the Rocky View region”, with a mission of “The Rocky View Foundation provides quality residential facilities for seniors in a supportive environment through innovative and progressive program service delivery.”
I had a chance this week to quickly delve further on the status of the Seniors Project in Bragg Creek. Rocky View County, along with Irricana, Beiseker, Crossfield, Airdrie, and Cochrane all support the Foundation as the best and most economical way to provide for affordable Seniors Housing in the County. All six municipalities have a seat on its Board, with Rocky View maintaining 2 seats due to our larger population. Board terms are 4-years and I intend to occupy one of those seats, if my Colleagues are agreeable at our Organizational Meeting.
The Foundation prepares its own annual operational and capital budgets, which are approved by its Board, and then each of the municipalities in the Foundation are assessed an annual contribution, based on those budget numbers, and the equalized assessment base of each municipality being the basis for the funding split. As such, Rocky View currently has the largest contribution, and you can see your share as a line item on your tax assessment. This is very transparent, mine is just under $50.00.
Prioritization of Seniors projects happens following board-set policy and processes, and final decisions are approved by the Board. Effective membership by Rocky View on the board is Bragg Creek’s best option for a timely solution in the Hamlet.
2nd Egress North of the River
Once sworn in, I will dig into moving this long standing issue forward. I know there is road construction underway on Tsuut’ina lands, and I will bring an update back to the community on this matter as soon as I have status information from administration reported back to Council on this matter.
Please e-mail me if you would like to be added to my contact list for e-mail and on-line communications – Kevin.Hanson@ RockyView.ca or call 403.463.1166.
