World of Wonder

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Where Angels Fear ToTread":

Doesn't everything about Aurora town's working operations screech to a halt for the summer? Is there time to slip a big idea through in the little time remaining?
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It isn't just Council that goes into recess. Once the kids get out of school, everybody scatters. Nothing much can be accomplished during  the summer months. That hasn't changed.
It's  odd though how things do change.
We close the town hall  down through Christmas and New Year's.
Sometimes it  almost seems there's  an  exodus of the Executive Leadership Team during the March Break.
A continual string of notices of not being  in the office for a week, after that, seems to be the norm.
Between vacation  time,statutory holidays, time off in lieu , charity golf games, Regional meetings  and staff conferences,I sometimes wonder how any work gets done at all.
I don't think of conferences, when everybody sits around and gabs about airy-fairy notions, as work. 
But that's just me, living in the past, I guess.
Our agenda carries  a regular  Regional Report from the Mayor written by Regional staff.
I learned once, town staff read  regional agendas for the regional members and provide the members with an overview.
Imagine how informative that is with four or five or three or two or one, regional council members having staff reports of one level of government read for them by another level. 
I have the impression counterparts at the two levels of government have regular strategy conferences. 
I keep meaning to ask for the total  figure of vacations , time off in lieu, statutory holidays and professional conferences,  for the Executive Leadership Team.
I'm afraid it might represent an entire person year, or  more, of non- productivity.
I'm also certain total costs for  consultant's, who do what existing staff  don't have time to do, probably represents in excess of  more than one person year  of executive salary.
I think, if a modern municipality was a private corporation,  not public, it would be bankrupt many times over in any given year.
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A question is asked about  the properties which have been the subject of private discussions between individual members of Councl and proponents of sales of  more than a couple of million dollars to the municipality.
The properties are  on either side of the Hilary House.Separately owned.
The President  and a member of the Historical Society member have initiated  the discussions but  the  Historical Society.takes no ownership of the idea that the town should buy both properties and create sort of a Heritage Disney Land in Aurora.