Fiscal Responsibility

Long-Term Financial Planning
Many households plan out their long-term spending so that money can be set aside and used when necessary rather than borrowing every time. Governments should
be doing the same if they are serious about fiscal re-sponsibility. Elected representatives have a duty to provide the essential services such as police and fire coverage, snow removal, public transit, road maintenance, etc. Another of our responsibilities in our desire to improve
our city is to provide services that, although they may not be considered priorities, do affect an individual’s quality
of life. The issue is that the non-essential items should be planned in advance with adequate money in place so we minimize our short-term borrowing. The city currently has a contingency fund for unexpected costs in the current year’s budget but we should also have a short-term savings fund that can be used for low to medium-cost non-essential expenditures.

I propose a renewed focus on saving money for future needs instead of using every available dollar each year and I intend to encourage other Councillors to recognize the benefit of saving for the future.

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If elected, I will put forward a motion in the 2011 City Budget discussions to have a special independent audit every 10 years starting with the 2011 budget.

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Community-Focused and Smart Growth Policies for a Better CitY

Increased Density Will Save Us Money
The City of Edmonton is one of the least dense cities in North America and has experienced significant tax increases to cover the cost of new infrastructure needed to create new communities. The trend of primarily building new neighbourhoods is not financially sustainable and I believe the right way to address this situation is to focus on increasing our density which will minimize the need for large yearly tax increases, allow our tax dollars to go much further in providing the essential services and it will give us the ability to save for future expenses. The Municipal Development Plan was passed on May 26th, 2010 which will direct Edmonton’s growth and development for the next ten years. This plan made great strides in addressing some core issues that have been affecting our city but one crucial section, while improved, is not ideal. In the past, our ratio of new developments to infill has been about 95% to 5% respectively. Within the new Municipal Development Plan, part of the bylaw states, “Encourage a minimum of 25 percent of city-wide housing unit growth to locate in the Downtown and mature neighbourhoods.”

I believe, however, that we have to be committed as a Council to approving an equal mix of new developments on the outskirts and infill within our mature neighbourhoods while respecting the Residential Infill Guidelines. The city has never provided a balanced choice to people currently living in, or planning to move to Edmonton which is why the cost to live on the outskirts of our city is much less than elsewhere. If there is a more balanced selection of homes to purchase, Edmontonians will be able to choose where they want to live as an equal supply will provide more affordable homes in and around Edmonton.

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Increase Involvement with Community Leagues to Create a Better City
I have enjoyed my time as the Vice-President of the Meadowlark Community League and have seen the need to increase the in-clusion of the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) when discussing major city policy. The Meadowlark Community League has hosted Town Hall meetings so that we can have a common voice when speaking to City Council. Encouraging more communities to come together to discuss important issues will provide Council with an even greater understanding of their con-stituents' views and will increase the quality of discourse as community residents would be given greater opportunity to have a constructive dialogue with others.

If elected, I will organize a monthly meeting in Ward 1 where residents can attend and bring forward any issues or concerns they may have. I will also ask the EFCL to increase their involvement through Town Hall meetings and community newsletters. This will allow Council to hear from as many Edmontonians as possible prior to making a decision.

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Work Together with Edmonton School Boards and Alberta Government
School closures in our mature neighbourhoods directly contradict the city's goal of increasing density. If new families do not have
a nearby school for the children to attend, what motivation will they have to live in an existing neighbourhood? Although we have elected school trustees who represent the same people as City Councillors, there needs to be increased communication and planning with the Edmonton School Boards, Edmonton City Council and Alberta Education. When a school is slated to close, lack
of enrolment should never be the reason because it means that all levels of government have not succeeded at executing their long-term planning. Working together will not only save our city money in the long-term, but will also strengthen our communities and create a more sustainable city.

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Transportation for All

Transit that Benefits People and Business
The West LRT route was selected by City Council in December 2009 (Lewis Estates to Downtown via Stony Plain Road) and it will be the new Council's responsibility to approve the specifics of this route in December 2010. It is important to recognize that although this route is meant to benefit our city in the long-term, we cannot forget about those who have spent years working to make our city better such as the Jasper Place Revitalization team. One way to accomplish this is to split the East and West lines between 149th Street and 156th Street. By having the East-running portion of the line travel along 100th Avenue and the West-running portion proceed along Stony Plain Road, residents and businesses will receive the greatest benefit in both the short and long-term by enjoying the best mix of vehicles, transit, cycling and pedestrian traffic. New development opportunities would arise between 100th Avenue and Stony Plain Road. These new developments will strengthen the communities near Stony Plain Road by decreasing crime and creating new businesses that will be community driven.

Therefore if elected, I would put forward a motion to create a couplet from 156th Street to 149th Street in order to encourage more redevelopment and minimize the impact on those who will still need to drive.

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Provide Citizens with Multiple Options for their Commute
Public Transportation should not be viewed as the only alternative to driving. Cycling is a realistic option, assuming that we provide safe routes to where people travel most. This means that we need to create dedicated bike lanes on all major roadways and properly maintain these lanes. The only way people will consider cycling as a viable alternative is if the option actually exists and it
is easy to make the switch. With a focus on increasing density, the city can showcase the benefits of living close to where you work.

If elected, I will work with the transportation department to implement a plan that would see dedicated bike lanes created on major commuter roads.

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Along with efficient spending, city departments should try to create new opportunities to make their money go further. For example, the library currently removes media from their rotation when it reaches a point where it can no longer be used or if it has not been borrowed in over two years and receives very little money from the product. If the library were to change their policy and reduce the quantity of a title as interest begins to fade, they would be able to recover a far greater amount of the original cost which would allow them to bring in additional media or save the money to fund the renovations that they would like to begin on different branches. Although making money is not going to be the primary reason for the city departments to operate, it should be their objective to find as many ways possible to provide funding in order to improve the level of service which in turn will reduce the need to utilize tax dollars to fund projects.

As part of the independent audit that I have suggested, policies will be reviewed to ensure that all departments are maximizing their potential.

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