The results of a detailed public survey on the Town of Cochrane’s service levels and funding sources were brought to council on July 4.
Packed with information, the survey will be just one tool at council’s disposal to gauge public opinion on how budgets are created. The survey was conducted to gather feedback as part of the 2023-2025 budget process. The results will be used to help guide that process.
The discussion that ensued on the value of the survey was mixed, earning equal parts praise and caution from council.
Coun. Marni Fedeyko echoed other comments when she pointed to the need for a broad range of tools to gauge public opinion. She said the public in general is not very fond of politicians.
“Right now we’re in a society where there’s a lot of mistrust of government,” she said.
“People just hate government – period.”
She went on to say listening is the key.
Executive Director of Corporate Service Katherine Van Keimpema said the survey could have real value as part of the budget decision-making process, though it was not intended to form marching orders.
“But we shouldn’t just throw the baby out with the bathwater and say people are just mad about taxes, because there are nuggets of good information in here that while they don’t totally direct the budget process, they can actually help inform it,” Van Keimpema said.
This is the first time council has engaged the public in budgetary discussions so early in the process. As a group, they agreed they need to continue to do more to both educate and involve residents.
Some of the comments in the survey revealed the fact that not all residents are fully aware of what areas fall under municipal responsibility. Ambulance service, for example, is not funded by the Town, but was brought up in more than a few comments.
Questions were asked about departmental service levels, where one would choose to allocate additional funds, and funding options. Respondents were also asked if they had anything else they thought council should be aware of, which garnered some interesting comments.
The majority of the 312 responses received came from people who own their homes in Cochrane. Respondents heard about the survey through social media and newspaper advertisements.
Participants were asked, “If you had an additional $100 to contribute towards a Town service, where would you allocate it?” Top responses were parks and open spaces, community safety, roads, community services, and infrastructure projects.
There will be further public feedback in the fall, after the draft budget has been provided to council.
Despite some of the more colourful comments in the survey (“I wouldn’t let this council run a lemonade stand.”) both Mayor Jeff Genung and Deputy Mayor Tara McFadden alluded to recent positive exchanges with residents. Another important engagement mechanism, according to some on council, will be the pancake breakfasts that are being held this summer.
McFadden said she had three people approach her at the pancake breakfast on Canada Day with a pat on the back.
Genung added with a chuckle, “When you’re giving people a cupcake, they’re generally positive.”
In the future, the Town is going to look at ways to improve what was called “civil literacy,” so taxpayers can become educated and improve their understanding of the challenges involved in setting budgets in a rapidly-growing community.
In the meantime, there are always pancakes.
