With the New Year upon us, Rocky Mountain House councillor Dave Auld reflected back on 2022 and shared his input on what’s to come in 2023.

Auld described 2022 as a year of growth, noting Town operations are up and running again after two years of interruptions and work is starting on the new wastewater treatment plant.

Looking back over the past year, Auld pointed out highlights that he and council were proud to achieve:

• Council joined Âsokêwin Friendship Centre to mark the second ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30. It was a cool day, but hundreds of people walked together up Main Street, and it was really moving to be part of that and to support Indigenous voices and experiences.

• Town staff continued to do great work with paving projects, financial reporting (the 2021 report earned another award for excellence), and passed an external safety audit with flying colours.

• Council is very proud to have brought curbside recycling to Rocky. Other municipalities have had this service for years and its something our residents had been asking for. There were absolutely some hiccups in the first few months – to be expected with any new program – but it is running smoothly now.

• A lot of people participated in the budget engagement survey, and we’ve already implemented one ask: blue bins for curbside recycling.

• Councillor Merrin Fraser first brought up the Kick it to the Curb idea. We ran two successful Kick-it weekends that were very well received.

• We were sorry to see Merrin resign from council, but glad to welcome Dale Shippelt to the table after the by-election.

While having great success in 2022, council still had to overcome certain obstacles, said Auld, “There will always be a steep learning curve for new council, even with returning councilors.” Auld added, “We had to develop a new collaborative strategic plan and learn to work together within the parameters of the Municipal Government Act.”

“If members of the public are tuning into council meetings, I think they’ll see we’ve navigated some conflicts while still governing for the best interests of the Town as a whole,” shared Auld.

Looking ahead in 2023, Auld said council is hoping to achieve:

• Review and update our Strategic Plan.

• Continue to work with Clearwater County and Village of Caroline on shared interests.

• Hold a public open-house about the 2023 budget that we just passed.

• Continue to set bylaws and policies in the best interest of our residents and businesses.

While achieving their goal, councillor Auld noted the challenges council will have to overcome in the next 12 months. He says they have a balanced operating budget and funded capital budget for 2023 with a great Town employee team. Auld is optimistic for 2023, but looking farther ahead, he anticipates they will likely see more provincial downloading of responsibility, and continued inflation and rising costs of supplies and contracts. Auld expects these will be factors in council’s long-term decision making for sure.