Getting Into Gear

Preparing for a Council meeting with weighty  agenda items, is no  small matter.

Staff reports must be read, understood  and analysed for logic, consistency  and justification.

Staff give advice, Council makes decisions.

Council is accountable  for the decisions.  Staff are not.

Reading  reports, making notes, deciding whether or not to vote in support or argue against, is a task not be taken lightly. To arrive at the point and  Council doesn't even get around to doing the work as  scheduled is  detrimental to the process.  It's a bummer.

Last Tuesday was a classic example of complete  non-productivity.

It was the single meeting held in  August. More than thirty items of town business were to be dealt with.

The Mayor and Clerk are responsible for creating the agenda. Time to deal with it is finite. For a reason.
The intent is to deal with the town's business efficiently, in a timely fashion . That's what we are there for. That's why we get paid. It's  why a municipal corporation is not a volunteer organisation.

Last week, we dealt with a minimal number of  items.

A third delegation was granted on  request  from  two people  determined to have  piece of playground apparatus removed from a playground.  It did not happen. But it took time from the business agenda  and accomplished nothing. Nil,nada zilch and zero. .

There was a third delegation for something called a Park's Ambassador Program. I am not sure what that is. No evidence  of necessity ,or useful purpose was presented by staff,  Nor was it asked for. It took time from town business that needed Council attention.

The entire staff of the aquatic program were introduced to Council. A crisis  had been  averted and a life saved. The story was told.  Staff  deserved to be recognised. Families were present. Photos were taken .It took time from town business agenda  that needed Council attention.

The Skylight Gallery is a fine facility in the town hall. Lends itself well to receptions honoring those who have earned it.  Such a reception provides an opportunity for refreshments to be served and interaction between those being recognised and those providing  recognition.It makes the appreciation real.

A Council meeting is the time  required under the Municipal Act to get the town's business done.

We must by law pass a procedure bylaw. We must inform the public of  the hours within which, on a regular basis, town  business will be conducted and decisions will be made.

Last Tuesday we spent 2 hours of the 3.5 hours required for town business doing everything except attend to the business items on the agenda.It's the ue rather than the exception.

Most of the agenda had to be deferred to the next meeting of Council. Almost a month hence.

I left the town hall after the hour of midnight. We had come nowhere near completion of the agenda. Published  beforehand as having to be dealt with on that day and date, during the hours advertised in the procedure bylaw.

If anybody thinks Council accomplished what  we were paid to accomplish at the August meeting of Council, they would be sadly disappointed.