Mayor elect Shari Green spent Wednesday working with her sister and business partner, Tracey Green, to transition out of the day-to-day running of their downtown business.
Green officially takes over the mayor's office at City Hall on Dec. 5 at city council's inaugural meeting, but information work to bring the new council together as a team has already begun, she said.
"Job number one for me is team building to bond and form some relationships," Green said. "I think everybody saw the importance of having that relationship."
Green said the councillors elect met at her campaign office after the election results were announced. In addition, she plans to meet individually with each councillor to get a better idea of their passions, ideas and priorities going into the next three years.
For herself and the new councillors, there will be much to learn about their role and responsibilities, she said. The Union of B.C. Municipalities and North-Central Local Government Association both offer workshops for newly-elected councillors and mayors, Green said, which will be a good starting place.
Within two months of being elected, the new council will be in the middle of the 2012 budget process, Green said. Given the short timeline, the new council won't have the time to make significant alternations to the 2012 budget - which is already mostly complete.
The current council has requested city staff present budget options which would result in a two per cent, three per cent and four per cent tax increase in 2012.
"You are not going to see 10 per cent savings by the February budget," Green said. "I think it's going to take our full three year mandate to get where we'd like to be."
One of her first and top priorities - with council's support - will be to conduct a core service review of the city's operations, she said.
Green said she envisions the review as an analysis of the city's operations - from the organization of the city's departments to detailed operational efficiencies.
"We're going to get an evaluation ... with solid recommendations of what, if anything, we need to change," Green said. "I think that's probably going to take at least six months, maybe longer."
Council will set the corporate direction, based on that review, and it will then fall to city manager Derek Bates to enact.
Bates declined to comment on what a core review could look like and how long it would take until council sets out its direction for city staff.
