Week One

My first day on the job at Camrose City Hall was quite intense as far as reading was concerned; the intensity was good, I should add. I was met by Brian, city manager, who introduced me to all the staff, and later, I met up with my supervisor, Charlotte. We went to the Mirror Lake center where I was introduced to the other staff members at this location. After that, she allocated my workstation, and provided me with some articles on Camrose city governance structure, articles on what ‘municipality’ in Alberta means, and some surveillance policies adopted by other municipalities to read. The read provided me with some introductory insight into what surveillance policy is all about as well as how policies are in place in other municipalities in Alberta. Moreover, I got a brief from my supervisor as to what municipalities was all about. Municipalities are confounding creatures as you get to know them. Brian took us, my supervisor and I, out for lunch - I am grateful.


What I learnt my first week
I met up with Charlotte later in the week to discuss my work plan. I got to learn how to prioritize the people I planned to consult in drafting the surveillance policy. In our discussion I became aware that there is the possibility that my work plan might change, as work plans are neither iterative nor linear process. We also discussed how I could be involved in other projects that might be of interest to me. Projects that came under consideration included the Camrose decision making protocols, economic development, emergency management, and perhaps municipal community planning.

Some articles that I examined included the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the 2011 operational budget for the various city departments. Through my read, I got to understand what MDP is about, and why it is necessary for guiding a municipality’s growth and development. A project in the Camrose MDP that stood out to me was the Airport Vicinity Protection Area to restrict unwanted development. I hope to learn more about this project.

The vacancy at the economic development position led to an ongoing recruitment process by the city for the vacancy to be filled up by fall. I am encouraged by the effort being put in by the economic development recruitment committee to recruit the best candidate or the job. My encouragement stems from the survey conducted by the team to engage and consider the views of key stakeholders. The survey is a positive step by the city to approach the recruitment process with such effort, as well as it reflects the city’s commitment towards community sustainability that is undergirded by building the right capacity and encouraging community participation in the decision making process. However, the survey also raised some concerns about the challenges the city faces. One challenge that the city is perceived to face is the branding of the city’s image and its identity as a “retirement community” or “university town”. Some notable comments included the following: the need to change the perception that the city is a retirement community; as well, how outsiders perceived Camrose. The survey may possibly reflect some genuine concerns about the perception of city; nonetheless, it is encouraging that city officials are engaging the community to learn about these concerns and factor it into the recruitment process.

I got to learn that the governance structure of Camrose is divided into 5 departments: corporate services, engineering, financial, economic development, and community or leisure services. These 5 departments reports to the city manager. The police service is run by a police chief who reports to a police commission.

As a result of the literature I read on surveillance during the week, I was able to gain some insight into the surveillance polices of other municipalities in Alberta. Moreover, I gained some insight into what these policies are about as it pertains to surveillance protocols, and how these protocols are developed in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act 2000, as amended 2009. It will provide a helpful roadmap for the policy I may draft later. I also found out some Camrose municipal bylaws that might relate to Camrose surveillance policy. They included the “Access to information bylaw” and “The Records Retention and Disposition Bylaw”.

A key to working in municipal governance is to understand the process. A theme reinforced by my supervisor. I would keep that in mind.

Some key guides to policy process is to understand the issue at stake, examine the issue, coming up with different alternatives, talking to relevant stakeholders and getting feedback.

The restructuring of municipalities is fascinating to say the least. One aspect of restructuring I found fascinating was my discussion with Charlotte on the dissolution of municipalities, and how the minister of Municipal Affairs impacts this process. It was fascinating because of the process involved. Communities that wanted to dissolve had to go through a plebiscite, petition for dissolution, inspection audit, and town hall meetings. I think it is a real time consuming process with no guarantees that it will be approved by the minister.

The municipal corporate reviews of the towns of Boyle and Vilna not only reflected a case of administrative ineptitude, but it also unfolded like a Hollywood soap opera. The Boyle case was intriguing at best. Furthermore, these two cases also reflect how small communities are most likely to be the victim of administrative ineptness because of the blurred lines that develop between council and administration responsibilities.

After examining the Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI), I do understand the difference between this initiative and the Municipal Sustainability Plan (MSP). The MSI is funded by the provincial government and puts a focus on municipal viability. It is fair to argue that municipalities will favour the MSI more because of the possibility of more funding in contrast to the MSP.


References
Alberta Municipal Affairs. Village of Vilna : Final Inspection Report. 2010
Camrose Community Stakeholders Interview Results Summary Report
CityofAirdrie Video Surveillance Policy
City of Camrose. Municipal Development Plan
City of Camrose. 2011 Operating Budget
City of Camrose. Access to Information Bylaw. Bylaw # 2189/99
City of Camrose. Acceptable Computer and Internet Use Policy
City of Fort Saskatchewan Video Surveillance Policy
City of Grand Prairie City Hall Video Surveillance
City of Camrose. Fee Reduction Program Policy Manual
FOIP Guidelines and Practice. Administration of the FOIP. 2009
Municipal Sustainability Strategy Working Group: A proposal for municipal sustainability for Alberta. 2010
Municipal Internship Program Guidebook. Municipal Government in Alberta. 2009/10
Office of the Auditor General, Manitoba. Guide to Policy Development
Privacy Impact Assessment, Instructions, and Annotated Questionnaire
Province of Alberta. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. RSA 2000.
Province of Alberta. Municipal Governmeent Act. RSA 2000