WESTLOCK – Westlock County has committed to polling residents on how they want their tax dollars spent in 2023 and will incorporate other municipal surveys, as well as feedback from councillors, to craft one later this summer.
At their July 12 regular meeting, councillors voted unanimously to hold a special session following the Aug. 9 regular meeting to discuss the questions they’ll ask the public regarding budget 2023. Interim CAO Pat Vincent told councillors he’ll use their feedback, as well as questions and formatting from similar surveys from “leaders in the municipal field” like Parkland, Sturgeon and Strathcona counties as well as the County of Barrhead “to have a working document that I can circulate well before Aug. 9.”
During 2023 budget preparation discussions at the June 21 governance and priorities and June 28 regular council meetings, councillors gave “clear indication” that they want to engage residents through a public engagement survey. Councillors also spent more than an hour at both those meetings getting an overview on the process from administration and talking about initial priorities for 2023.
“(It’ll be a) quasi-finalized document that you can quickly review, comment on, dissect, edit and add anything further to it so we’re ready to go for Aug. 9,” said Vincent.
While Vincent noted in his request for decision that “several municipalities have indicated they have discontinued their efforts of a public engagement survey due to the lack of engagement and response”, councillors remain committed with Coun. Stuart Fox-Robinson stating, “This is a really important tool for us.” The County of Barrhead survey from 2022 notes only 142 responses, which adds up to two per cent of the population — overall, survey participation in Barrhead dropped by 14 per cent between 2021 and 2022.
Vincent said once they’ve nailed down the questions and formatting, the survey will appear in the local newspaper, as well as on the county’s website and social media channels.
“I’d like to have a survey that will help our decision-making as council and help us justify some of the decisions we’re going to have to make in the budget. We have tough decisions to make, at least every budget cycle since I’ve been here, and so I think having some residents’ input on those tough decisions that council has to make is the purpose of it,” added Coun. Isaac Skuban.
Coun. Sherri Provencal said the survey will need to be short and concise which should hopefully encourage more participation from the public.
“If it goes too long people aren’t going to do it. I think we need to stick to one that isn’t going to take tons of time,” she said.
“We want to keep it quick and easy and user friendly for cellphone devices, as well as for online and then maybe something that people can pick up at the office if they aren’t tech-savvy,” added reeve Christine Wiese.
