Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Clarity Obscured":
That was an interesting meeting. Never before have I heard a more bizarre list of reasons for doing nothing about a problem that all involved acknowledges to exist.
When the real elephant in the room was the fear for being the ones who actually do something to stop the stupidity in its tracks.
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The above reference is to a budget meeting held last night.
I've always known residents clearly comprehend the plot . That has not changed over the years.
Being able to share an ongoing dialogue is the great blessing of our time.
Last night's main issue was on-going and increased funding to the Historical Society an organisation that no longer has its original function.
They withdrew commitment to operate a museum. They have turned over the museum collection
to the Town.
They planned to change the name of the organization but the constitution requires 50% of membership present to accomplish the change.
Membership is 100.
Significantly fewer than fifty members were sufficiently involved in the Historical Society's affairs to show up to the meeting.
It's not unlike other voluntary organizations. It's always a handful of people with a shared passion, doing all the work and maintaining the illusion of a viable organization
I'm the last person to repudiate passion.
Except that on-going funding to a defunct organization from taxpayers pockets is not valid.
The initial grant to the Historical Society allowed a curator to be appointed, the museum organized. Summer history camps were provided. Classroom visits were welcome. Special events were organized, research services were cheerfully and generously provided to anyone who made a request.
Heritage research on town buildings was provided to the town planning department.
The collection was grown, inventoried and lovingly cared for .
That's all gone now.
The Town has had a heritage planner on the payroll for at least ten years.Cost not likely much less than $100 thousand a year. Umpteen consultant studies have been paid for.
We have wrested museum space back from the Culture Centre Board,
Still unused.
The entire collection is unaccounted for, not properly stored and fabrics are in sad state of disrepair having been chewed by carpet beetles.
No research, curatorial or stewardship services are being provided by the erstwhile Historical Society.
Nothing .Nada ...Nil...Zilch ....Zero.
Yet the Society continues to receive a payout from the town treasury. $70 thousand last year. Another $70 thousand this year. It was more three years back ,I just can't remember the exact figure.
The sum equals entire tax revenue from seventy/plus average homes.
How does it eel to know your entire tax payment to the town is being funneled to a non-existent entity.
To add insult to injury:
The town has called for expressions of interest for operating the upcoming museum.
Guess which organization ,no longer an organization, has put forward a bid for the contract..
Right,first time. The same outfit that didn't have enough members to manage the museum despite
accepting town funds to do that very thing.
The coveted job of curator /management of the Aurora Museum may well go to the ghostly association misrepresenting itself as the Aurora Historical Society.
For an additional price , they will do what they previously refused to do despite receiving a grant for the purpose.
The same organization ,by the way, being used as a cover for the shadowy proponents
of the Hillary/McIntyre Theme Park.
If the Aurora Historical Society no longer exists because it no longer has a function, how can a sub-committee of a non-existent organization be promoting a real estate scam on the backs of Aurora homeowners and businesses.
People have put the finger on a member of staff as architect of all the machinations to that end.
My intuition is the Eminence Gris is not behind the throne, it is the throne itself.
Our current Mayor is proving to be equally as adept as the previous , at moving the pieces about on the board without a finger in sight.
Nope. We see him. There is little separation anxiety left for losing what we hoped would be a new Council who would not only clean up past errors but avoid making new ones.
ReplyDeleteBring on the list of new candidates so we can spend our time trying to eliminate those with baggage.
Did I really hear Councillor Abel say, " $10,000 is neither here nor there " ?
ReplyDeleteI think the Mayor really believes he is in change. It doesn't much matter as the damage gets done regardless.
ReplyDeleteThat was a pretty rude hit at some of the ideas that Cllr Pirri offered to help with the AHS
Mayor Dawe:
" Anything else would be irresponsible "
Cllr Pirri is not one of your kids, Mayor Dawe
Unfortunately there is no video record of budget meetings for one to review to confirm or deny that Clr. Abel said that.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is unnecessary as actions speak louder than words.
How does council debate the merits of awarding any grant money, let alone $70,000 to the Aurora Historical Society in advance of receiving their annual report, which is being presented at their Annual General Meeting Thursday?
Blindly handing over any money in advance of reviewing their operations would be "irresponsible".