Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SUMMARY

The Corporation of the City of Cranbrook continues to build on the strategic direction embarked upon starting in 2016. The collaboration across departments has proven productive and has led to better decision-making and superior end products. Staff continues to bring a great amount of energy, commitment, and expertise to their work on behalf of the community. The greatest success in 2018 was the strategic purchase of the former Tembec site, which provided the community with 99 acres of serviceable industrial land to enhance our economic growth over the coming years. Three leases have already been put in place creating approximately 40 good paying jobs and increased tax revenue. Improved asset management processes and delivery structures implemented have saved the city millions of dollars by understanding the exact conditions of tangible assets, through sound asset management principles, innovation, and due diligence. In January of 2018, the City of Cranbrook and CUPE Local 2090 ratifi ed a 4-year collective agreement. This was accomplished through both parties working collaboratively, negotiating mutually benefi cial terms to ensure quality services to residents and businesses. Cranbrook achieved unprecedented growth in building permits in 2018 for a total of $44.2 million. This is a growth of 29% over our 2017 fi gures and 65% over the last two years combined. A Master Development Agreement Framework has been created with the development community to provide a standard communication protocol through policies and best practices to help the City and developers negotiate mutually agreed upon expectations. The City completed an unprecedented amount of core infrastructure renewal and upgrades over the past few years and 2018 was no exception. These investments have signifi cantly improved the level of service, especially on arterial and collector roadways that are the backbone of our transportation network. Priority water and sewer infrastructure has been replaced and upgraded which improved our fl ow network and reduced maintenance, repairs and disruptions signifi cantly. Going forward your Council remains committed to:  Financial responsibility.  Infrastructure replacement and maintenance.  Economic growth for the City. Council has a long-term vision for the city and will continue to work closely with staff to bring that vision to fruition over the coming years. This vision will encompass many benefi ts for the citizens of Cranbrook for many years. The focus remains on being a workplace culture of innovation, generating bold ideas, service excellence, and a collaborative approach to solving challenges, capitalizing on opportunities, creating morale and self-motivation of the staff is making a diff erence. Strategic investments provide a solid foundation on which to proceed with City initiatives in 2019 and beyond. It’s expected 2019 will be another year of positive and transformative change to grow the economy and enhance citizens quality of life, to achieve community goals.

Offi ce of the CAO

Building upon a strong foundation of continuous improvement of services and infrastructure and strengthening teams and shifting to a learning culture was the focus of the department in 2018. The purchase of the former Tembec lands and the alignment of goals of individuals with those of the team goals were key accomplishments.

Canadian Rockies International Airport

The focus of the airport continues with the expansion of air service to and from the region. WestJet began its regular service between Cranbrook and Calgary in June 2018. Overall, the airport realized signifi cant growth in passenger numbers, totaling 173,997 passengers up 29% over 2017.

Community Services

Continuing to upgrade facilities, host great community events and continue to grow community vibrancy were the focus of Community Services in 2018. Playing co-host to the 2018 55+ BC Senior Games, in partnership with the City of Kimberley was a key accomplishment, along with the replacement of the Memorial Arena chiller unit.

Cranbrook Public Library

Providing exceptional library services to residents continues to be an important focus for the Public Library. Acquiring additional special collections material and increasing programs for all ages of library patrons were key accomplishments for the Library in 2018.

Finance

Delivering exceptional service in the area of fi nancial management was an important focus for the Finance department in 2018. Rolling out the operating module for the new budget software and reducing the frequency of utility billing were key accomplishments.

Fire & Emergency Services

Effi cient and eff ective emergency response delivery was the signifi cant focus of Fire & Emergency Services in 2018. Staff was trained and is now delivering emergency medical response (EMR) to the community, along with improved collaboration to address ammonia concerns among departments and outside provincial agencies.

Offi ce of Innovation & Collaboration (OIC)

Promoting economic development and improving the quality of life for all residents continues to be a signifi cant focus of the OIC department. Completion of the Master Development Agreement and the Intermodal Feasibility Study were two key accomplishments for the offi ce in 2018.

Public Works, Infrastructure Planning & Delivery

Safe and reliable infrastructure and asset management were the focus of Public Works and Infrastructure Planning and Delivery – two departments which amalgamated in 2018. Upgrades to Idlewild Park and a robust capital works and maintenance program were key accomplishments for the department.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Traffi c safety, community relations and overall crime reduction were the focus of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in 2018. Continued success with the mental health liaison program and crime reduction around drug traffi cking were key accomplishments for the detachment.

Overall Corporate Goals For 2019

 Expand seat capacity of existing air service at Canadian Rockies

International Airport.  Expand the reach and eff ectiveness of fi re safety related public education programs.  Implement a radio-frequency identifi cation (RFID) system to accelerate the process of returning items faster improving customer service.  Enhancing water and stormwater monitoring and analysis.  Continued RCMP public visibility, community relations and mental health liaison support.  Continually striving to improve customer service.  Complete budget software roll out with implementation of the capital module.  Replace and/or repair the roof of

Western Financial Place.  Attract new hockey team tenants for Western Financial Place.  Provide economic growth and strategic investments for industry needs.