Week Six

The surveillance project is about 90% done. After examining other municipalities’ surveillance in relation to the FOIP Guide in using surveillance cameras, I noticed that most of the municipalities that adapted and followed the guide carefully developed policies that aligned closely with FOIP guidelines; however, the municipalities that tried to redraft their own policy with minimal FOIP guidelines produced some inept and weak policies. I used the guide as a blueprint to develop the draft.

I met with the police chief this week to discuss aspects of the surveillance policy. Through our discussions, I became aware of the intricacies involved in FOIP administration with law enforcement. FOIP administration with law enforcement entails lots of court authorizations, and every step of the way must follow a stringent procedure. There is little room for error in law enforcement situations. In addition, I had the opportunity to examine all the surveillance cameras installed at the Police station as well as the monitor. I noticed the cameras installed at the station were positioned in such as a way that they did not monitor activity outside the stations boundaries. The design and installations followed the same guidelines as the FOIP; however, the storage of records from the surveillance cameras was stored differently to maintain its authenticity and credibility to the courts. Records were stored with the RCMP records management department. The reason for consulting with the Camrose Police was to have a comprehensive view (similarities and differences) of how camera surveillance is administered by local bodies and law enforcement. As well, I learnt that the cop cruisers had surveillance cameras on them and the records were automatically dumped via a network onto a database and stored on the database after each shift work.

My meeting with Sean at Public works went well. I got to learn how to read manufacturer specifications and manual, and how to use it to develop maintenance procedures for maintaining equipments at the water treatment plant. It was good to know about what goes on at the plant. Moreover, I got to learn how expensive the equipments at the plant were, and how most of the equipments are purchased from a sole source in the United States since there are no Canadian manufacturers. Utilities do have some exemptions from TILMA as most of the equipment and supplies are sole sourced; therefore most of the purchases done by the water department does not have to go through a competitive bidding process. Working at the treatment plant requires different levels of certifications. The highest level is level 4 which requires at least 10years experience and man-hours to get that certification. The course is taken at NAIT.

I was energized when I was informed through email by Melanie that the engineering department had some projects available for me to work on. My eagerness stems, in part, from the downtimes I had experienced the last couple of weeks as well as my enthusiasm to work on other municipal related projects. The projects that were available for me to work on in order of priority include the following:
1. RFPs for Waste Management Plans/Strategies
2. Development Standards for highway corridors
3. Policy for local improvements
4. Policy for paving lanes in developments
5. Flowcharting procedures for purchasing/tendering policy
On Wednesday, June 22, 2011, we, Melanie and I, met with the head of Engineering to discuss the framework of these projects. I got to know the assignments were the baby projects of two departments within engineering: Municipal planning and Development, and Asset Management. The project will be mostly be researchimg and looking at what other municipalities have done on similar projects. In addition, I will be consulting with Mark and Brenda, both heads within the engineering department, on how to proceed with these projects. I will be relocating to the Mirror Lake Centre (MLC) on Monday, June 27, 2011, to work on these projects. Most of the resources that I need to do this research are available at the MLC; therefore, it is a smart move to relocate.

I am aware of the time constraints that I might face while working on the assignment, since I only have about seven weeks to complete my internship; nevertheless, I am hoping to learn and gain some useful understanding of municipal planning and development, as well as asset management within this short time. I am motivated to develop a working knowledge about this project because it aligns with my graduate curricular this fall. I feel it will help me make a better and well informed decision as to what courses I might take this academic year. With registration and enrolment in classes for my fall semester coming up in the first and second week of July, I feel this project comes at a right time. The timing of the project surely gives me an incentive to stay focussed, as it comes with the benefit of guiding me in knowing what areas of municipal engineering might interest me or not excite me in deciding which direction I should take.

My consultation with Donna this morning gave me a clearer understanding between general maintenance purchases vs. capital purchases. For day to day purchases such as maintenance equipment, printer cartridges, car parts, meters and other daily use items they are normally stocked at public works. The purchasing process is pretty simple because most of the items can be bought locally. However, it may happen sometimes that there may be a justification to buy out of the municipality. This justification may arise, if there is a possibility to get the same product at a cheaper price, free shipping, or supplier discount. There are no internal controls, if any, in place currently for general maintenance purchases.
I look forward to talk to Doug to provide answers to how capital expenditures are conducted. He is currently on holidays.