2010: A Year of Change?

Change has been the rule rather than the exception from 2007 on. We are already on our second round of replacement staff.

In November 2008, a new clerk was appointed.

On January 5, 2009, the Chief Adminstrative Officer assumed his post.

The same day, the Treasurer submitted his resignation

In April 2009, an interim treasurer was appointed.

In August 2009, the new clerk resigned.

In December 2009, a new clerk assumed the position.

Also in December, the interim treasurer was announced to be assuming the permanent treasurer's post. Later corrected to be appointed to the new additional role and not the treasurer's That appointment is to be made in January by Council, by Bylaw.

In the 2009 budget, $95Ks was budgeted for re-organisation study of the administration.

In the 2010 , $341Ks is budgeted for additional personnel to accomplish the re-organisation recommended by consultants.

The purpose it seems was NOT economy. Come to think of it, the purpose was never clear

Also in 2010, $295Ks is budgeted for re-organisation of town hall space to accommodate re- organisation of administration.

Titles changed. None more puffed up and pretentious than "The Executive Leadership Team" previously known simply as senior management team. Early signs are team aspect may be more apparent than real.

Public Works now known as "The Infrastructure and Environmental Services Department'
already referred to as I & E.S .

Leisure Services and Clerk's department have been gutted and others beefed up and re-titled but hardly for clarity .

Officials appointed with credentials for a statutory function now preside over areas for which they have no credentials. Compensation has been commensurately increased.

Four new managers have been created.

Works Department trucks already sport nomenclature to signify the brave new age proclaimed in the Mayor's New Year's Message.

Cultural services are being "purchased" from a board operating the Church Street School. We paid $231Ks in 2009 for staffing. Saw nothing for it. In 2010, the contract will cost about $350Ks. Consultant theory was revenues would grow by $100ks a year to cover costs. No estimate for revenue is made in the second year of operation.

The building was designed as a one- of- a- kind museum .We assumed plans from the Historical Society. However, according to the Historical Society, no curatorial staff are on the payroll

An additional grant of $50Ks therefore is budgeted for the fifty-nine member Historical Society to provide curatorial service for the town's artifact collection, among other things.

The facility was supposed to open in 2009.

It didn't.

In 2010 $7,800 is budgeted for a gala event.

Council has not met the people who will provide these "cultural" services at our expense. We have not had the courtesy of a formal introduction nor heard anything of progress.

$105Ks is still in the budget for the pesky Petch House project. Last figure provided for restoration was $400Ks. Still no decision was made and the item persists.

A new ball field is under construction. Well not exactly. It was halted in December. Grading is a problem on account of refusal to provide sufficient funds to allow the entire site to be graded in order to contrive to award a contract under a million dollars and we would look like careful custodians of the public dollar. Without a contingency fund, further council approval will be needed to resolve problems caused by soil conditions.

$120Ks is a cost to contract landscaping maintenance in modern subdivisions. Developers dress up entrances with fal-de-rols and the town parks department had to expand the budget to maintain the same. Such new workloads are created all the time without thought for financial consequences.

Residents in old subdivisions maintain public property fronting their own.

Volunteer groups are encouraged to "Adopt a park" to save on maintenance.

New neighbourhoods have floral beds and grassed medians to be maintained forever and a day starting at an estimated cost of $120Ks a year .