I've been ploughing through paper for two days now. If it was all in one room it would be enough to bury me. It came from the town. It represents so much expense. The labour of writing, printing, collating, distributing - I can't help the feeling it should be of value. It shouldn't just be dumped into the blue box.
So I stack it. The pile gets so high it falls over. Then I start a new pile and it falls over as well. Eventually, when sufficient time has elapsed, I sort it. I keep the stuff I might need for reference and dump the rest.
It pains me. I think of nine duplications of everything that comes to my house. How much of our tax dollars are spent on it. How little use it was and frankly I want to shout.
The transcript from the West Hill Golf Course OMB Hearing illustrates my point perfectly. It was ordered by the Mayor's office.
Attendance fee for the court reporter was $300 for the day plus $75 overtime. First copy and board copy expedited of 214 pages cost $1391, delivery fee was $9.26 and G.S.T. @5% was $88.76. Total was $1,864.02
The transcript was duplicated umpteen times with each member of council receiving a copy. I read not a word of it. A transcript is tedious, boring and mind numbing. All I need to know is the result of a hearing. In this instance even that wasn't relevant because by council decree the town joined four residents opposing the golf course in a court challenge to the board's decision.
The cost of the transcript will be small potatoes in the eventual bill for this exercise. Many thousands of dollars, public and private had already been incurred in this matter. If it is not a million dollars by now it's not far off. The figure will be many times multiplied before it's done.
We get copies of site plan agreements regularly. They are the fine print legal documents that cover every detail of a subdivision or commercial development. In the last term Councillor Morris and Gaertner decided they needed to have oversight of these documents. They have been circulated ever since to every member of council. The purpose escapes me.
A few months ago Councillor Gaertner discovered a clause in a thirty year agreement with the South Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority. It covers the town's use of the property for sports fields. It called for restoration to wilderness if the agreement should come to an end.
Councillor Gaertner's concern resulted in meetings between legal staff of the town and the authority in an attempt to have the clause removed. It didn't happen. The agreement was signed. Many hours of expensive staff time gone up in smoke.
We do that kind of stuff all the time. I have to stop writing now. It is so depressing.
So I stack it. The pile gets so high it falls over. Then I start a new pile and it falls over as well. Eventually, when sufficient time has elapsed, I sort it. I keep the stuff I might need for reference and dump the rest.It pains me. I think of nine duplications of everything that comes to my house. How much of our tax dollars are spent on it. How little use it was and frankly I want to shout.
The transcript from the West Hill Golf Course OMB Hearing illustrates my point perfectly. It was ordered by the Mayor's office.
Attendance fee for the court reporter was $300 for the day plus $75 overtime. First copy and board copy expedited of 214 pages cost $1391, delivery fee was $9.26 and G.S.T. @5% was $88.76. Total was $1,864.02
The transcript was duplicated umpteen times with each member of council receiving a copy. I read not a word of it. A transcript is tedious, boring and mind numbing. All I need to know is the result of a hearing. In this instance even that wasn't relevant because by council decree the town joined four residents opposing the golf course in a court challenge to the board's decision.
The cost of the transcript will be small potatoes in the eventual bill for this exercise. Many thousands of dollars, public and private had already been incurred in this matter. If it is not a million dollars by now it's not far off. The figure will be many times multiplied before it's done.
We get copies of site plan agreements regularly. They are the fine print legal documents that cover every detail of a subdivision or commercial development. In the last term Councillor Morris and Gaertner decided they needed to have oversight of these documents. They have been circulated ever since to every member of council. The purpose escapes me.
A few months ago Councillor Gaertner discovered a clause in a thirty year agreement with the South Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority. It covers the town's use of the property for sports fields. It called for restoration to wilderness if the agreement should come to an end.
Councillor Gaertner's concern resulted in meetings between legal staff of the town and the authority in an attempt to have the clause removed. It didn't happen. The agreement was signed. Many hours of expensive staff time gone up in smoke.We do that kind of stuff all the time. I have to stop writing now. It is so depressing.
I will admit, the photo of the stacks of paper is a slight exaggeration. I know the agenda that councillor's receive includes all the details, reports, etc - what I don't understand is why the Town doesn't either issue the agenda to council on a CD, or via email, or through a secure website. Can the paper be delivered back to the Town Hall for recycling?
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