The Agenda

It's Saturday afternoon. I've just taken a second look at Tuesday's Agenda. Business matters for Council's attention become more sparse as the weeks go by.

September's Public Plannng meeting had one item on the agenda. It was appearing, for no known reason except council recommendation, for a second time. October's Public Planning Meeting has been cancelled. No applications have been forthcoming.

In-camera agenda items become less legitimate, to my mind. Items being discussed behind closed doors do not all merit confidentiality.

In a normal Council, the issue might be discussed but with the inner circle of power in power, there is little hope of rational discussion and less of a reasonable outcome.

On Tuesday, two officials from Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority are making a presentation re: Item 2. Sheppard's Bush Conservation Management Plan.

According to the agenda , the plan is not being presented by said officials .

The plan and agreement are being recommended in a memorandum on corporate stationery from the "Desk of Councillor MacEachern". No explanation provided. No desk identified.

The Memorandum introduces a 67 page report providing an inaccurate history of the property since it came under the ownership of Ontario Heritage Trust .

It lists names of those involved in the work of preparing the management plan and agreement.

The list does not include the Councillor 's name.

Not does it include Jim Tree,Manager of the town's parks department which has actually maintained the property since it came into public ownership.

Neither Heritage Trust nor the Conservation Authority has ever had the personnel resources to do the job.

The Town's Director of Leisure Services Al Downey did serve on the committee.There is no reference in the report to council direction for the work to be undertaken and reported. Without that, the presentation would not be within the scope of his authority.

The memorandum is not submitted under his name.

No indeed. It's Councillor MacEachern's name.

The Town is paying a consultant to review our current administrative organisation. Terms of reference would not likely have included anything to obscure the line of jurisdiction between the political body and the administration.

Yet there it is. A 67 page professional report presented "From The Desk Of Councillor MacEachern"

Things just keep getting weirder and weirder.
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