Good morning, Speaker, Mayor, Councillors, MM, Colleagues and Guests,
It is with pride and great appreciation to provide feedback on a truly remarkable achievement within our municipality.
On Tuesday, 25 March 2025, we gathered to honour and celebrate the hard work and dedication of our colleagues who received their Municipal Minimum Competency Certificates.
This ceremony was a testament to the efforts of those who earned this significant milestone, which goes far beyond just a piece of paper.
These certificates embody the skills, knowledge, and dedication required to fulfil the essential functions of municipal governance.
Receiving these certificates was no small feat. It required discipline, commitment, and the ability to navigate the complex responsibilities that come with serving the public.
On Tuesday, we recognized 14 outstanding colleagues who demonstrated not only their individual capabilities but also a profound commitment to professionalism, excellence, and service to our community.
However, beyond the certificates themselves, we must reflect on the deeper significance of these achievements.
These individuals represent the cornerstone of our municipality’s human resource capital.
They form the core of the skilled professionals who keep our administration functioning and by extension, ensure that the services we provide to our community are efficient, effective, and aligned with our values of integrity and accountability.
As we celebrated their accomplishments on Tuesday, we also acknowledged that these achievements are not only personal milestones, but a vital part of the continued growth and success of our entire municipality.
As we look to the future, it is important to do so with a focus on the development of our human capital.
The recognition of these MMC Certificate recipients brings us to an essential point in the evolution of our administration’s succession planning.
The talent we have within our ranks is not just for today – it is the future of TWK.
As we review and amend our organizational structure, we must ensure that we are creating pathways for internal growth, cultivating a pipeline of skilled professionals who can step into leadership roles and contribute to our municipality’s success for years to come.
It is critical that we continue to invest in our people.
Our officials, like those we honoured on Tuesday, are living proof that with the right support, training, and mentorship, we can create a strong, sustainable workforce.
Skills audits will play an important role in identifying areas of need and ensuring that we are not only recognizing the talents within our existing team, but also proactively developing these skills to meet the future needs of our municipality.
While we, as a Council, must make the final decisions on any restructuring proposals, we cannot ignore the importance of appreciating and leveraging the incredible resource we already have within our ranks.
By promoting from within, we create an environment where our employees are encouraged to grow, knowing that their hard work and dedication will be recognized and rewarded.
As we celebrated the achievements of the 14 colleagues who received their MMC Certificates on Tuesday, we also expressed our gratitude for the leadership, training programs, and mentorship that made this achievement possible.
This collective effort has played a crucial role in fostering a culture of excellence within our municipality.
Together, we have created an environment where our people have the opportunity to develop and make meaningful contributions to our community.
On behalf of the entire Council and Municipality, I extend my heartfelt congratulations once again to each of our MMC Certificate recipients.
Your hard work, dedication, and passion for your roles have not gone unnoticed. We celebrate you today and the significant role you play in the future success of TWK.
As we move forward, let us continue to prioritize the development of our human capital.
Let us build an administration that nurtures talent, rewards commitment, and ensures that we are always ready to meet the challenges of the future.
Together, we will continue to serve our community with integrity, skill, and unwavering dedication.
Congratulations once again to all the recipients.
We are incredibly proud of you and look forward to the continued leadership and success you will bring to TWK Municipality.
“Speaker, in conclusion, you will hear me using the word ‘colleagues’ because that is what they are to me and to all of us, as we are paid out of the same payroll system.”
Thank you.
