Synergy Group

[cowman]

Also Emerald: I think most people are generally pleased with the course Red Deer County has taken, not only with privatization, but the fact that council has been innovative and bold! Things are happening here, whether right or wrong, they aren't afraid to be out front and ahead of the pack?
The council is so far ahead of the likes of the city of Red Deer it isn't even funny!
I know every member of council personally and believe they are all good people doing what they think is right. I might not agree with everything they do but I applaud the effort and committment they put into running the county. They have done a good job. Just my opinion.

[cowman]

cowman, your council has no choice but to be forward thinking, with the phenomenal growth the county is experiencing.

I would certainly doubt that, given the huge assessment, there is much need to cut services such as grading local roads and snowplowing in a timely manner.

Those are core services to rural ratepayers, and the lack of those services is what makes councillors phone ring !! Mind you, some of the councillors may have mostly urbanites in their division with paved roads that naturally get attention first when it snows. In my county there is one division like that and the councillor hasn't had a complaint about snow removal, and of course none about grading !!! Funny thing though, he is the first one to support equal service to other divisions even it it means voting against something in his own division if he feels it is being unfair to others.

[cakadu]

My tax dollars are collected every single year and along with those tax dollars comes services that I am to be provided. If I cannot get down my road to get to my job, get to a doctor, get groceries or God forbid, deal with some sort of emergency then I am not getting what I am paying for. I have the right for clear access to roads just the same as you or anyone else does. Where I am located should not make one iota of difference.

[cakadu]

The Municipal Government Act charges municipalities with the maintenance of all public roadways. Now what level of service is provided is,in my view, what the public will tolerate.

In 2001 our council had one change and then the majority of council decided that they would get rid of one grader, and one plow truck and put all the spare change into paving roads, some in front of their own property, which coincidentally were not on the priority list !!!

For that entire term of council it took an average of 7-8 days to get roads open, and the public was up in arms.

The Reeve of that time ran as elected Reeve and got defeated 3 votes to 1 !!!

The new council reinstated the road maintenance priorities and since that time things have improved although they still could be better.

The road priorities for snow plowing are:
Paved local roads ( sanding is done on these first as well)
School bus routes
Hamlets
Country Residential Subdivisions then local roads.

Municipal priorities are a juggling act, but essential services should never be used as pawns in the process !!

[cowman]

Linda I find your reasoning kind of funny...not because you believe it but because what this one neighbor told me?
He was bitching about the roads one day after he hit a pot hole when he was going like a bat out of hell(He always drives like he's at the Indy 500) and lost a hubcap. He said he figured with the high taxes he was paying the darned road should be paved! I said well how much taxes are you paying and he gave me a figure. I said well that should take care of a couple of hundred feet, so who's going to pick up the rest! He said he thought pavement should be cheaper than that but I said well I don't think so? Anyway he phoned into Border paving and asked them what the cost of pavement was and got a rude education on true costs!
The snow plow gets around here whenever he can and you have to remember he has a lot of miles to plow? Actually if it is really bad usually the guy going around plowing out the oil leases puts the blade down and keeps the roads open! Just one more small benifit from your friendly local oil company?
A couple of years ago the spouse had to get out to the airport so I got the tractor out and plowed her out. I usually end up plowing a trail up to the other place anyway.

[cowman]

I wouldn't accept the excuse that the plow has so many miles to do, if thats the case and they can't provide adequate service then they need to add another beat !!

[cowman]

Well its all about dollars and cents? Got to try to keep the taxes down and all that? Besides we have a lot of added expenses. like covering up the blunders from the past? And keeping up with the neighbors like Mountain view and Lacombe county? Of course we could sink down to the level of our other two neighbors Kneehill and Stettler, but that isn't very popular with the nabobs? And finally we have the "palace" to pay for and stock with pencil pushers? Just have to get your priorities straight and not be too concerned with the "little unwashed peasants"? Just my opinion.

[cowman]

I don't understand what you mean by Stettler and Kneehill. I know that Stettler isn't a very well to do municipality but I thought Kneehill was fairly well off assessment wise.

[cakadu]

My comment has more to do with your statement about being the only person down a two mile stretch of road - you don't need it as often as someone closer to town.
That is not the case around here - thanks to multiple subdivisions that one councillor got, this is a fairly heavily populated road, on a school route.

Regardless the County needs to look after the entire county not just the more heavily populated corridor. If the County cannot keep up, then they need to do something about it.

Not everyone can plow themselves out cowman i.e. acreage owners etc. or people who own farm land who don't farm it.

By the way, if the councillor in question hadn't retired, the privatization one likey would not have gotten in.

[cowman]

Now I'm not sure about your area, but the young operator out here gets it cleaned up fairly fast...and I am not on a bus route and only two houses on a two mile road...both mine! I do realize he has priorities and gets his marching orders from the county contract co-ordinator. Sometimes that just how it is? I don't think many people would want to see their taxes increase dramatically just so they could get same day snow plowing service?
And I agree with your assessment of the fact the old councillor could have stayed just about as long as he wanted to.