Municipal Service Standards

Council should establish written minimum standards, so residents know what level of service their taxes are purchasing, followed by enforcing the standards. A new council should make a very visible change in how residents are able to interact with their municipality. The RM currently has a service-request mechanism; that needs to be modified to allow a measurable and trackable system residents can access and follow easily.               

                                                    Examples include but are not limited to:     

                                                                                         Gravel roads: grading frequency based on traffic and condition.           Snow clearing: priority routes and target completion times.                                                              Potholes: response standards based on severity.                                                                              Drainage: emergency versus routine response standards.                                                              Culverts: inspection cycle.                                                                                                                        Dust control: published policy.                                                                                                           Waste: service standards.                                                                                                                      Resident inquiries: response deadlines.                 

                                                                                     This changes the discussion from: “Why hasn’t council fixed my road?” to: “Is the municipality meeting its published service standard?” This would be a much healthier accountability system. ‍ ‍