The Decision Can Not Be Undone

When Council approves an award of tender,the decision is promptly executed.Only Council can reverse it.   Since Council meets on a schedule, there is no opportunity for second thought.It means decisions are not dragged out needlessly. It also means no opportunity for community reaction and input.

That can be exploited and not a good thing. It can also mean the opposite.

It's four years since the province imposed  legislation to require  municipalities to inventory all assets, set up a tracking system  and produce an annual report.

 I can think of a number of reasons. the government  might consider the information relevant.

They are  under continual pressure to share  costs with municipal programs. Which they should.

But  they do need a clear  picture of municipal  resources  to determine the need.

 Assessment  may not tell the whole story. Different municipalities may present a different record of  physical assets.

About  the same time  we learned being a landlord was not  an accepted  role for a municipality. Obviously rental  revenue would not  reflect in  assessment wealth. It would skew the figures if much of that was going on.

Giving  away a multi million dollar asset like  Church Street School  along with  half  million dollars  of tax resources  every year to an independent board  without accountability would not pass the smell test either.

The   expenditure  increases the tax burden without offsetting benefit. From an accounting perspective.  how can that be explained. While pleading hardship  requiring  assistance from either senior level of government

Whatever the reason for the legislation, inventory of assets is complete in Aurora. The next task is to provide  the  system for annual reporting.

It does  not require services of a consultant.  It requires an add-on to our current computer system.

Estimated  cost is $50 thousand. It  was reflected in  figures presented to Council on Tuesday. It was not part of  the  $414 thousand approved .

The system  approved on Tuesday  to  bring us into compliance with the legislation, does not.

The Municipal Act spells out the role of Mayor  as providing guidance and leadership to Council.

The Mayor's job is full-timr. It provides  opportunity, even without experience, to obtain all  information  council might need to make a sound  decision on behalf of the taxpayers.

The administration's interest is not  the same. They are not accountable to   taxpayers. They have a clear and apparent interest.  Council answers for  money spent.

 I asked on Tuesday  for members  to give themselves more time. Despite individually stated confidence, I knew, they did not know, everything they needed to know, before they made the decision

It is possible the Mayor, despite the  advantage of being full-time,was not fully informed.either.Nor did more  information appear to be welcome.

Municipalities  throughout Ontario  are arriving at the same point. Some ahead of others. I have been informed  some are in complete chaos because of  new systems adopted.

Councillor John Able asked that I  speak further to that point..

The Mayor  apparently had other ideas. He directed  the question  to the  Chief Administrator Officer  and  Director of Infrastructure and Environment. .

Both  responded  but not to the point  that Councillor Able wanted to hear more about.

So, the vote was cast. The decision  made. There is no going back.

We still have to purchase the program that will satisfy the legislation. It will not  require  a consultant/.  It will require $50,000. It will not require tenders or contracts.

Sufficiently simple as to be too much so. 
.