It’s been more than a year since Maryse Carmichael took over as city manager, and in that time, she has come to understand better what makes Moose Jaw tick.
“I love seeing the real city because before, (it was) limited to what I was doing mainly with the base (at 15 Wing), but now to understand the entire city and to see everyone is what I love,” she said.
“What I love about and what I understand about the city is how vibrant it is and how active people are in the city. And so many people talk about … Main Street and the tourism and all that,” she continued. “(So) absolutely, that’s something that now I understand more.”
Conversely, Carmichael has also learned how the decisions that city councils made 20 to 30 years ago affect the city today, particularly the no-tax increases in the 1990s and early 2000s. She compared that time to failing to upgrade a home over 30 years and letting lightbulbs burn out and sinks plug up.
The city may have performed the minimum amount of maintenance during those 15 years, but that wasn’t enough because the infrastructure — from roads to pipes — required preventative maintenance to ensure it worked properly.
Carmichael says addressing roads and underground infrastructure is equally challenging.
“I would say the issue is that residents don’t see what’s underneath (the ground). So they’ll push to fix potholes or fix something (visible) … when they don’t know the full story of what’s underneath and what’s more pressing,” she added. “And that’s why the administration sees the entire story.”
Enjoying the new role
Overall, Carmichael says she has greatly enjoyed being city manager — she started on May 16, 2023 — and being part of a team. Moreover, she believes Moose Jaw is the “perfect size” entry-level city for her as a new city manager.
What Carmichael has enjoyed the most is discovering different parts of the city, what employees do daily and how the community interacts with each other.
She acknowledged that there have been some challenges that she never thought she would experience, such as working on a new solid waste management venue.
“Those are the great projects that you do once every 80 to 90 years. And … it’s a great challenge for me to lead the team and to work with the team on that … ,” she said. “I’ve learned lots about something I didn’t know too much about.”
Garbage is a fact of life, so the city must decide how to handle it while determining who may be affected by the new landfill’s location, the city manager continued. Also, the current landfill is 100 years old, while the city has exhausted all possible options to expand it.
Teambuilding
Coming from the private sector has been relatively easy for Carmichael, who said she is now responsible for a corporation and managing what happens to it and its employees. Moreover, she must also manage customer support and interactions with residents.
“The one aspect that’s different is politics and the relationship with council. I’ve worked with a board before, so I understand that relationship … ,” she said. “So that has some specifics that are different, but not overall unmanageable.”
Carmichael has appreciated the support that council has given her, especially since councillors wanted a leader to work with them and guide the city’s operations, employees and projects.
With a laugh, she acknowledged that she is technically council’s only employee — all city staff work for her — which is something most people don’t know. Yet, she doesn’t feel any pressure being council’s sole employee.
Challenges
Finances are the No. 1 challenge Carmichael faces, whether it’s the cost-of-living expenses everyone faces or finding the money to build a new Crescent View Lift Station. She pointed out that that project is the most challenging to pursue because its cost has doubled.
Moreover, with the available funds, she must balance other projects with the city’s day-to-day operations.
Safety is another focus for Carmichael, whether it’s protecting employees, residents or visitors to Moose Jaw. She pointed to the conditions at the Stadacona Street West apartment building, where community stakeholders realized it was unsafe and acted to protect tenants.
“That is not something you plan; it (just) happens. And we reacted, and I’m happy to see that it was successful,” she said.
City hall is applying to the province to take ownership of the apartment building and will likely sell it as it does with other properties acquired through tax enforcement because it has no use for the structure.
“I think it’s a beautiful building. I think it should be used commercially or for another apartment building,” Carmichael added.
Internal changes
Adjusting city hall’s organizational structure has been one big change Carmichael has made during the past year, while she expects to make several more changes to other departments soon. She made these changes because she thought some departments — such as engineering and public works — worked better together.
She also created a department focusing on strategic growth and stakeholder relations, which she believes is important for the city’s future.
Perhaps the biggest change Carmichael is leading is with the culture among city employees. She believes that if she cares for staff properly, they can better address residents’ needs.
“We talked about those 15 years of nearly zero (per cent) tax increases … (and) I see the impact of that (because) the departments have had to almost survive for some of those years where there were some real budget constraints,” she said.
“I don’t want people to just have to survive; I want them to thrive and to work together and to serve the residents of Moose Jaw … ,” the city manager continued.
One internal cultural change Carmichael has made is hosting employee town halls twice a year. The most recent one attracted 100 staff, where senior leadership discussed ongoing projects, passed on updates from human resources and answered staff questions.
Short-term goals
Carmichael’s short-term goals include preparing city administration for the municipal election in November and readying staff for the 2025 budget discussions immediately afterward. Moreover, she will speak with the new council about where it wants to take the city over the next four years.
She acknowledged that holding budget discussions immediately after a municipal election may be difficult for the new council, but she pointed out that city administration needs to line up contractors for a busy construction season in 2025. Therefore, it’s important to complete the budget by Christmas.
