There were some very apt and yet poignant quotes to come out of one municipality’s recent discussion regarding a capital infrastructure upgrading project.
So impressive and piercing were they as it related to the subject, that the comments may well be useful to other municipalities in this province that continue to plod down the path of — if it’s old and still working, then we don’t need to upgrade it.
Git-R-Done
“We simply have to just bite the bullet and go ahead and do it.”
Now one may think this would have been a great quote to come from administration as a way of convincing the decision-makers that the situation desperately needs to be addressed.
Wrong….it came out of the mouth of a member of council and was directed at motivating the others sitting around the table.
Such shocking straight-forward talk is nearly unheard of from an elected official at any level of government.
However, it goes to show that if an individual is committed to doing what is in the “best interests of the community as a whole” then it becomes a debate about facts rather than each politician’s agenda or personal preferences.
What’s so refreshing about this quote is that it basically wrenched the rest of council around to the issue at hand — pay for everything now and reap the benefits in the long term; wait then ultimately pay more as prices increase; or, worse yet, something breaks then you’re left with not only an expensive emergency repair, but higher costs in the end because of the piecemeal jobs that become a constant for the community.
Do-it-right
“You don’t build a house and leave the windows out until you can afford it.”
Sounds like a comment from a home construction and renovation expert made famous by television. Again though, this came from a councillor that’s concerned about spending taxpayer funds properly — by getting it right the first time.
So, instead of missing a step in completing upgrades to infrastructure that are necessary, this individual is willing to put out the added expense now rather than hope and pray the money can be found in time for when the work needs to be done.
And just like that person said at the time, what happens when it comes time to finish the job and the money isn’t there?
As is often the case, the work is delayed for some time and the expense to the community grow larger because the job gets bigger the longer it’s left unfinished.
However, being able to go this route means the council must believe in a few factors:
1) Having faith and trust in administrative and other staff to do the jobs they were hired to perform;
2) That the advice these people provide is credible and accurate;
3) That the financial picture presented for the project is representative of what is best for the community and is done in a cost-effective and efficient manner;
and 4) Having the confidence that all parties involved in the project are knowledgeable, competent, honest, ethical and dependable.
Reservations?
“What is the rainy day we keep these reserves for?”
Municipalities, no matter the size, are supposed to plan for future expenses — especially for replacement of capital and infrastructure.
Unfortunately, there are some that seem to think the money that is set aside in reserves is council’s own personal slush fund to be used for whatever purpose that seems to be the ‘flavour of the month’ — be it a pet project or part of advancing someone’s political agenda or other aspirations.
It’s certainly a refreshing sight to see that savings meant to pay for improvements for the betterment of the everyday lives of residents are being used for that purpose, even if not every resident will benefit in the end from the spending.
Because eventually, given the nature of the aging infrastructure in a lot of communities around Alberta, there will come a time when that individual resident or business will profit from upgrades being made.
Whether it’s new underground utilities, pavement, street lights or something bigger like an improved arena or community centre, there will come a time when a specific project is done that will positively affect you.
Though, if you happen to live in a place that isn’t working to improve resident’s lives, maybe it’s time to raise those concerns and vocally fight for more than just little work here and a little work there.
But that is…just an observation.