TAMRMS#: B06
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Smart City Engagement
Notice given by: Councillor Hansen
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BUDGET POSTPONED MOTION:
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That Smart City Public Engagement be funded at $30,000 from $50,000
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POSTPONED MOTION ADMINISTRATIVE BACKGROUNDER:
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Administration’s Understanding of Intent Motion:
That the amount of funding approved for community engagement for the Smart City 4.0 Master Plan be reduced from $50,000 to $30,000 with the $20,000 difference being used to offset taxes.
Operational or Organizational Impacts if Motion is Approved:
Approximately $132,838 was spent on public engagement activities in the development of the first St. Albert Smart City Plan. This motion would result in less than half of that amount being available for development of the Smart City 4.0 Master Plan; $30,000 plus the remaining $37,000 from the first projects.
The strength of the first engagement plan was the number, variety and level of experience of the stakeholders that contributed and participated in engagement process. A reduction in the amount of funding for engagement would significantly restrict the type and variety of engagement. Engagement activities included in the first plan included:
• Council Task Force/Steering committee meetings
• Meetings with other Council committees
• Meetings with other municipalities
• Meetings with academic institutions and industry
• Creation and administration of the Alberta Smart City Alliance
• Hosting of visits from other municipalities and visitors
• City-hosted conferences (Mayor’s Innovation Conference)
• Smart City Alliance hosted conferences
• Business park Internet speed study and satisfaction survey
• Direct public engagement at events such as trade fairs and Farmers Market
• Speaking engagements at external events such as AUMA, Chamber of Commerce, service clubs, schools, industry conferences, etc.
• Liaison with other levels of government
Reduction in the budget would also significantly reduce our ability to engage experts in the field to provide direction and innovation to assist in the development of the 4.0 plan.
Financial Implications of Motions:
This motion would restrict the Smart City 4.0 project to be completed according to current expectations. If passed the operating budget would be reduced by $20,000 thereby reducing the tax requirement.
Stakeholder Consultations:
Expert and community stakeholder input would be restricted with the passing of this motion.
Background:
In October 2016, St. Albert City Council approved one of the first Smart City strategic plans (master plan) in Canada. The plan resulted from nearly two years of resident engagement. The Smart City master plan was comprehensive, covering a large number of opportunities and initiatives, carefully prioritized according to Council’s direction, which was to concentrate on opportunities for cost savings and service improvements.
Currently the City is completing the Smart City 2.0 Master Plan to align to the new strategic plan and to reflect technological advances since 2016. The 2.0 plan includes update to initiatives identified in the first plan, new initiatives, a proposed workplan to bridge between the first report and the proposed 4.0 plan, and a list of opportunities that the City may wish to consider. The report will be made available to Council upon completion in the next few weeks.
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Report Date: November 21, 2019
Author(s): Sharon Chapman
Department: Strategic Services & Information Technology
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble