What you hear,is not what you get ....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Clock Keeps Ticking":


Could someone please explain to me how the Hillary-McIntyre Park Founding Committee and the accompanying Consultants' Study that apparently was authorized by Council at a cost of $25,000 has morphed into something that the CAO is recommending by way of a Negotiation Strategy for the Purchase of properties associated with the said Park.

Has the town passed the necessary By-Law to create a new park?

In light of the fact that a total cost figure of some $22 million has come to light and that the town is supposed to finance half of this, the remainder by fund-raising (presumably from senior levels of government), my question is what is the basis for all of this.

The Cost-Benefit Study is simply many pages of thousands of words, pictures and schematic plans, but from the standpoint of practicality it provides very little.

Unless and until the residents and taxpayers of Aurora have pledged their unqualified support for this project, including paying the bills, Council should receive the material and file it and forget it.

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From the standpoint of substance, there  is none of that either 

Neither is there an explanation I can offer at this time.

I have  forwarded a  query to our new Director of  Legislative and Corporate Services, who is also the town solicitor. to explain how  Item 9 has appeared on  the Agenda for  Council on February 11th 2014.

We are  currently without a Statutary Office of Clerk of the Municipality required by provincial
legislation.

He was responsible to ensure town affairs were conducted within provincial legislative requirements and also in keeping with the town's own legislative Bylaws.

Council recently decided  the position of Director was no  longer required.  We could save money by doing without.

No Bylaw to rescind the appointment  has yet been  presented.

During this term we have seen similar scenarios to the one raised above.

Council deliberates ,opposing arguments dominate, then a resolution is presented and passed in
 the opposite direction.

One hesitates to call it trickery, yet one can hardly call it clear and succinct.

Be that as it may:

Council in  General Committee  does not make decisions.

Decisions are recommended  to Council to be formally and legally enacted.

At Council, motions are subject to further debate, or what passes for same in Aurora ,
and also to a recorded vote if  requested.

There is no confusion  left about who voted how.

No doubt  about the decision or direction to staff.

No unexpected surprises to catch an unwary Councillor unaware.

No precipitate staff report to force forward  an objective  not yet decided.

Former Mayor Timpson used to refer to his time in the Mayor's Office as the
 "Timpson Administration"

George used to carry the Chain of Office in its case wherever he went. There was speculation he wore it in pyjamas.

Perhaps we now know the tenor of the "Dawe Administration"

Now you see it.
Now you don't.