Something Else at Tuesday's Meeting

After Gordon Barnes mentioned about meetings scheduled for two hours that lasted  five and there were thirty- eight in total. It occurred to me to wonder how the consultant contract was let. If it was fixed, the consultants must have lost their shirts.. If it was an hourly rate, we  must have paid a bundle for  talk that went on until the wee small hours of the morning. 

Before Tuesday's meeting I asked Mr. Elliott if he had any idea. He didn't but explained the two ways of doing it as mentioned above.

During the discussion of the Official Plan, Councillor Wilson noted the cost of the exercise was $700Ks. When I had the floor, I asked if that figure was accurate. The Fol De Rol Promenade Study was the stage we  were at.

Mr.Ramunno, Director of Planning explained the Promenade contract had been let at $180.Ks. But an adjustment had to be made and another $50Ks. added.Well that wasn't  a surprise.

But  it was one  of three.  The 2C Land Use Official Plan Amendment and the Five Year Official Plan Revision  were the other two. I reckon Councillor Wilson's figure for the whole package is  just about right.

For thirty-eight, five hour meetings.  which often lasted until one in the morning, we spent $700Ks. and ended up with proposals opposed by most  property-owners. The  decision made on Tuesday will undoubtedly be over-ridden by the Ontario Municipal Board .

Council was still chewing parts of it, even while we had a motion to approve it on the table.

Chief Administrative Officer Neil Garbe, stated we still had to negotiate land dedication so there would still be time for changes.

Yet the Mayor declared how satisfying  it was to have completed the task.

The room was full of people opposed  who clearly had  every intention of challenging the Plan while the Mayor  cheerfully congratulated  Councillors, volunteers, citizens, consultants and staff  who had participated in the exercise to its successful completion.

Following the approval, staff were directed to retain external legal services to defend the Plan at the Ontario Municipal Board in February.

That's February 2011. Three months into the next term of office. Four months after the voters have had their once-in- four- year opportunity on October 25th 2010,  to pass judgement of the performance of  Council and decide if they will be allowed to continue the direction they have followed for  the last four years.

A mite presumptuous I think, to be committing  to spend hundreds of thousands of public  dollars  on lawyers,  to defend the indefensible, when you don't even know if the public are going to give you back the  opportunity.