Town of Olds administrative staff are applying for a provincial Minister's Award for Municipal Excellence.
Interim chief administrative officer Pat Vincent made that proposal - which council approved -- on behalf of town staff during the Feb. 27 town council meeting.
The award winners are expected to be announced this fall.
The proposal calls for the town to submit its public engagement processes - the ways in which town staff try to get residents' feedback on various town initiatives.
Vincent, who has served as interim CAO in a number of Alberta communities, says the public engagement efforts in Olds are "outstanding."
He describes those efforts as "well planned, organized, communicated, implemented and managed."
"We think that by submitting this application, even if we wouldn't win an award, there are a lot of good things there that could be shared with other municipalities in terms of best practices and would share our knowledge and experience with other municipalities in the province," Vincent says, adding that's a goal of the award program.
Vincent cites efforts to obtain public input into the planning of new recreational areas in the town's northwest as an example of great public engagement.
"The extent to which they've engaged the various community groups, the sporting groups and the community at large is something that many communities do not do," Vincent says.
"I think the end result is you get greater community support and buy-in and better ideas and in the end, a better design in terms of the development."
He says public feedback regarding plans for that area is still coming forth.
"That kind of feedback and that kind of public input results in a better design, a more usable facility," Vincent says. "That makes more sense."
"The extent to which they've engaged the various community groups, the sporting groups and the community at large is something that many communities do not do." PAT VINCENT INTERIM CAO TOWN OF OLDS
