WESTLOCK – Mayor Jon Kramer shared his thoughts on the 2024 events and accomplishments as well as his focus for the future in a year-end interview Dec. 11.
“I love living in Westlock. The quality of life you get in a small town is incredible. We've got it all here,” Kramer said.
“I will be working hard this next year to tell the story of Westlock and encouraging young professionals and commuters into putting down roots in our community.”
How do you feel your first year as mayor has gone?
“The reason why you put your name forward to do the job is because you love your community. You really want to commit your time and energy in trying to make a difference.
“There's a lot of gratitude that the community put that trust in me and I don't take that trust for granted.”
The mayor is proud of the work that the Council have accomplished this year.
He has been busy talking with residents and businesses and learning as much as he can about their concerns, sharing that information with council.
The Town Council has worked hard all year in addressing bylaw changes, plebiscite actions, the housing action plan and numerous reviews of policies.
The Town has been finding funding through grants rather than spending tax dollars and addressing key concerns.
Where do you think yourself and council has made the most progress in 2024?
Kramer identified that housing has been the big issue this year.
The Town received $11 million from the housing accelerator fund for assistance in the housing shortage and the Town built a new subdivision complete with all the infrastructure and a new road.
Westlock can have a construction plan approved in 12 days where elsewhere in Alberta it can take three to four months.
“Our country has welcomed so many new people over the last years, but infrastructure wise things haven't been built in scale. We can't get stuff build fast enough to give people a home and to keep things affordable,” said Kramer.
Do you have a plan for affordable rental housing?
The mayor referenced the Housing Action Plan that includes a $10,000 cash incentive for homeowners to add a basement suite or complete renovations to legalize their basement suite.
The incentive can also be applied to backyard suites.
Pre-approved plans can be provided through the Town of Westlock office, and they will support you through the process.
“We've got a good number of dwellings in town that are occupied by one individual. We can incentivize development in your house,” said Kramer.
Adding a basement suite would result in passive income for the homeowner for years to come.
There are areas in town that are zoned for high density buildings, but no developers have initiated plans.
Is there any area that you feel that there hasn't been as much progress as you'd like to see?
Kramer talked about carrying forward the economic development plan.
Administration had worked on the plan over the previous two years, putting together an attractive package to entice the right businesses to develop in Westlock.
The mayor talked about the competitive nature of all municipalities bidding on economic development and strategies being developed to get Westlock’s information at the forefront of proposals to businesses.
The partnership created with Westlock County and the Village of Clyde creates a larger footprint to sell as part of the economic development plan.
This partnership can offer unique solutions and reel in the type of businesses that will complement the region and add to the success of the community at large.
Kramer stated that the regional spending on economic development cannot compete with more populated municipalities, but the partnership offers other incentives that few municipalities can offer.
In what area do you think that you'll see the most progress in 2025?
The mayor explained that municipal government is about looking after the boring stuff by making sure everything works.
The Town council must follow requirements of the Municipal Government Act which requires bylaws to be reviewed and updated, fees to be reviewed and updated, and several administration requirements that takes hours of work.
Kramer said that the government moves slow for a reason.
The work requires multiple reviews to ensure things are done right the first time.
“It's recognizing the volume of work that gets done in this office every year and the team that works diligently to push all of that through every year,” commented Kramer.
The ultimate goal of the office is to avoid large tax hikes and negative impacts to residents.
“I like doing a good job, day in day out, so people can live their lives and be at peace with their neighbors. That's the main goal,” Kramer said.
What are your thoughts and wishes for residents at this time of year?
The mayor shared that affordability is top of mind for himself and for council as they work through budget deliberations.
“We just hope that our community can continue to be a loving supportive community for one another,” said Kramer.
“I hope that people know they've got a council that really has the community's best interest at heart.”
