Humboldt City Councillor Rob Muench is throwing his hat back in the ring as a mayoral candidate.
Four years ago, Muench stepped away from the chair, retaining a seat as a councillor. After some assessment, he says it’s time to seek the mayor’s position again at a critical time of growth for Humboldt.
The encouragement of a number of Humboldt residents prompted Muench to declare his intention in a social media post.
“I did take some time off and stepped back into the position of councillor,” Muench stated in a morning visit to Bolt FM studios. “With the Bronco crash and covid, the mayor's position turned into a full-time job. It was too difficult with my current full-time job to keep that going. But with encouragement from a lot of other people and looking at the future and what’s coming down the pike for development, I think they wanted to see somebody at the helm that can bring some experience.”
As councillor, Muench has steered current major projects such as storm detention development on the city’s northwest side and the $30 million plus wastewater project happening to the southeast. Muench’s involvement extends to his previous term as mayor and completion of the water treatment plant. It was all part of the intent to accommodate a population of up to 10,000 residents. Muench says the wastewater project is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history.
That level of growth may come to pass for the city sooner than anyone had expected, in part due to the advent of the BHP Jansen mine project.
“It’s expected that our population, by the end of 2030, is at about 8,000 people, which is probably 30 per cent of our population added. To accommodate that, we’re looking at probably 1,000 houses including apartments and condos. It’s going to be a major push, and the city has been doing a number of things to get ready for that.”
Efforts to speed up processes for developers are in place or are forthcoming, explains Muench. He says if he returns to the mayor’s chair, he’ll focus on working to streamline bureaucracy and connect with developers in a way that will expedite development.
At the same time, Muench acknowledges that the City must take every important step to ensure that all dwellings and developments meet all codes to maintain homeowner satisfaction and long-term sustainable neighbourhoods. One such area is in the city’s northwest.
“We’ve been working hard to make sure we get things right – you only get one crack at it. Sometimes that does slow the process down. We have a certain list of standards that developers have to follow. At the end of the day, the City is taking over developments as they’re turned over, and we want to make sure everything is done to our standards.”
He says that includes everything from road bases to access and drainage.
Work continues on providing the appropriate zoning for development, including recent decisions about city owned land next to Caleb Village and along Saskatchewan Drive in the southeast corner. Developers are eyeing up those properties for speedy deployment.
The city is also seeing expansion in the business sector, and Muench says he plans to see that the bureaucratic streamline applies to businesses as well.
“Whenever we can eliminate some of the red tape involved and make it easier for somebody to come in, it’s always a good thing. Right now, we have a number of developments going on, and we have some kicking the tires to see what we have here in the community. They’re all under the impression that we’re going to be growing and I’m hoping there will be others in the queue that want to come here and open something up.
On the more distant horizon, Muench sees a larger tax base leading to the potential for more development, particularly when it comes to recreation and culture. Muench has a couple of things in mind.
“That’s why it’s so key to get development going. With a bigger tax base, you can afford some of those opportunities that we haven’t had the financial resources to complete. The growth could fund a second ice surface. We’ve talked about replacing the Sutherland Theatre with some sort of a performing arts space.”
Muench says that council and administration has talked about what that would look like either in one space or in multiple venues.
Ventures like these are sometimes dependent on additional community fundraising, and he looks forward to continuing to work in concert with non-profit agencies in the community. Such an example is the Humboldt and District SPCA.
“Originally, the City was looking at some sort of off leash dog park in the community. As the SPCA expands in their new facility, we will be working in cooperation with them to try to get that facility built. This will be a win-win situation.”
Muench says his focus will be on development, the most pressing issue for the city. He explains that City Council and Administration has been working with consulting firm Crosby Hannah and engineers Catterall & Wright on the Northwest Sector Structure Report.
“It sets the groundwork for where the feeder roads are going to be, where water and sewer infrastructure is placed. Once that report is in place, we’re going to be headed out to the public quickly for some feedback.”
The target is to have the design and plan in place for the next stage of residential development, keeping in mind the potential for new structures, like a replacement for the existing St. Mary’s Villa.
“I’ve got 18 years' experience on Council, four of those as mayor,” Muench concludes, “I’m hoping that experience, if I’m elected, will help us move forward. With that experience, I’m hoping to hit the ground running the day after the election. I’m not going to have to learn the ropes around being mayor, and hopefully we can keep chugging along and getting things done.