Thank you Anmore

In 2011 I put my name forward to represent our community as a Councillor with the Village of Anmore.  It was an honour to be elected and it's been a privilege to represent the residents of Anmore for the past 3 years.  

As you know, I have decided to not put my name forward for re-election.  
My family commitments and focus have changed this year and while I have enjoyed working with residents and trying my best to represent their thoughts and views on council, I am no longer able to commit the time and energy I feel this position needs.  The Village has seen a lot of change in recent years and I've worked hard to contribute to discussions that have resulted in successful fiscal, environmental and community based decisions.  

Over this term I have pushed for earlier and more thorough financial planning.  We now hold finance meetings year-round and work to have our budget ready by January of each year so that residents, staff and council have more time to review.  I've also supported an increase of funds for capital asset replacement and a financial sustainability plan so residents and council are aware of the needs and challenges ahead.  Thank you to residents Mark Roberts and Nick Cheng for your valuable contributions as residents to our Finance Committee.

This term was a planning term for council and we've seen the creation of a new Official Community Plan, a Parks Plan, a better Strategic Planning process, and a Financial Sustainability Plan. The Village was lacking in long term planning when I arrived on council and am proud of our council as a whole for recognizing this and working hard to fill in some much needed gaps.  

I had made several commitments to residents around improved environmental protections.  Through public consultation and committee work, the new OCP has touched on several environmental enhancements, including an up to date watercourse map that has identified key areas for Riparian Area Protection (RAR).  These changes are meant retain Anmore's rural features and guide development in a responsible way.  Moving forward council will need to implement changes to the zoning and building bylaws that further enhance environmental efforts.   

The Advisory Planning Committee, which I was council liaison for, did a tremendous job balancing the thoughts and opinions of many and made solid recommendations towards the creation of our new Official Community Plan.  Thank you to Bob Devlin (Chair), Kim Morden, Garnet Berg, Karen Palmer, Denny Arsene, Mark Roberts and Patrick Hurley for working so hard as our appointed APC members.

As Chair of our Environment committee, I am proud of the work our committee members did to identify invasive plant management as an issue in the Village and address a "growing" knotweed problem.  The committee has tried for many years to push for better watercourse mapping and with the new OCP we have seen significant improvements.  Thank you to Coleen Hackinen, Grace Bergman, Ann Marie Oktaba, Alex Stein and Michael Barnes for your contributions to the Environment Committee, it's been a pleasure working with you all.

The past 3 years on council have been a tremendous learning experience and one that I have put my heart and energy into.  The Village of Anmore staff have been a tremendous support and my council colleagues have brought depth and variety to council discussions that has meant we've sometimes struggled to make decisions, but also made some solid progress forward for the Village of Anmore.  Mayor Anderson, Councillors' McEwen, Palmer-Isaak and Thiele, thank you for your hard work and dedication, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors as representatives of Anmore, School District 43 and in all your personal pursuits.

For those that are interested, I will continue to be involved in Mossom Creek Hatchery (Burrard  Inlet Marine Enhancement Society), my local schools, and other community endeavours. I encourage you to speak up about issues that are important to you, get activity in areas where you can share your passion and skills, and enjoy all that the Village of Anmore has to offer. 

 Thanks again for all of your support and for entrusting me with the important position of Councillor for the past 3 years.

Sincerely,
Tracy Green