THE COUNTDOWN

Monday Jan 5, 2009. Second month of the Third year of this term of office. We are not exactly at the start of an Epic Arctic Expedition but events continue to unfold.

Neil Garbe joined the town administration as Chief Administrative Officer today. He left the Region of York. We wish him well.

John Gutteridge Chief Financial Officer of the Town of Aurora submitted his resignation to Neil Garbe today. We wish him well. The resignation would come as no surprise at the Town Hall. John will leave April 15. a reasonable time for the budget to be completed. It has not been the pattern of the past two years.

On another note, I received a phone call from a resident. He had heard of the removal of all traffic calming devices in the Town of Vaughan because of legal liability. He was excited by the prospect and wondered had he heard right.

I called Vaughan. Municipal staff are always cordial and willing to share. There is a moratorium on traffic calming on emergency routes. Transit routes do not have the devices. York Region has indicated the service will be withdrawn from streets with obstacles to safe and efficient driving and transportation of the teeming masses. I am assuming the Region's logic.

A speed hump has recently been removed from a street in Vaughan. A new home and driveway were located where there was a hump. The driveway had a downward slope causing the property to flood in the rain. The hump created a funnel. Neighbours were asked if they wished to have it re-located. They refused .

We chatted about "windrow'' clearing. All Vaughan residents receive the service. The cost represents one and a half per cent on the tax bill. They have run through all the options already. Provided it for seniors and disabled in need, had two contracts, one for the roads and one for driveways. Now they do it for everyone with a single contract but there are still problems. For a limited service needed for such a short season, the comparative percentage of the tax bite is humongous.

I called our work's department to see how our program has evolved. Turns out only thirty residents opted to use the service. No contract was let. Public Works is doing the job..

The answers create more questions . When Mayor Morris in tandem with Councillor Granger went to the Seniors' Centre to offer the service , no information was available about practical or financial feasibility. Subsequent reports have presented a confusing mix of info.

The snow plough contractor could handle the extra task but there needed to be a minimum of 200 driveways to make it viable. Those numbers turned out subsequently not to be an issue. Fifty seniors indicated interest.It was thought there might be more. Then council decided to charge a fee to recover the cost. When the contractor was involved and a viable number was 200, the fee was calculated at $7 a shot with an estimate of ten clearings a season.

Now, with only thirty residents participating , no outside contractor involved , town resources being used. no indication of a re-calculated fee, or any communication with council,even allowing for a two week holiday shutdown of the town hall, the situation is problematic.

I cant help thinking the sight of a town truck clearing a private driveway here and there might be raising a few eyebrows. I have received no calls but if I did,I would not have answers. As an elected representative, I believe I should be able to offer a straightforward explanation of a public decision made by council.