"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Monday 21 January 2013

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "MUM'S THE WORD":

Aren't there hundreds and perhaps more examples of this at all three levels of government, some provincial owned parks are operated non government agencies, the fed are looking for private operations of the experimental lakes, cultural operations in Toronto run by boards , what about LHN's , The Rouge Park has been run by a board for the last 15 years and the list is exhaustive -- it's a common model , the gov't owns and funds the facility, land or whatever and has contract with a un paid board of directors to provide governance of the operations. The old model of the government owning and operating everything is decades old and not as efficient . Maybe the town should run the music festival, the rib fest, the street sale the santa clause parade and the 150 anniversary -- you would probably only have to hire another 20 or so more staff

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The writer is correct. There are umpteen  examples of boards governing  the provision of various service. 
With  good reason for the process.
Financial self-sufficiency is deemed to be a worthwhile goal. 
Removing decisions necessary for financial self-sufficiency from the political arena is deemed sensible. 
Politicians are notorious for putting political expediency first. 
The original recommendation  was for  creation of a board to meet those objectives.  
To  prevent  the facility from becoming a sink hole for public funds. 
But that was  not the contract  signed. 
The contract calls for operating funds with built-in annual  increases. No consideration as provided for eventual self-sufficiency.
The new contract makes no change in that respect. 
The new contract creates an institution along the financial model of a library board.
Culture  has become an entitlement. Taxpayers carry the burden without as much as a BY-YOUR-LEAVE. 
The town does run the Santa Clause Parade and the Rib Festival.
The Chamber of Commerce runs the Street Sale.
The Sesqui-Centennial  Celebration has been  planned by an Ad Hoc Committee appointed by the town and funded from the treasury.
According to the new agreement., the town will be financially responsible for the Museum operation.
Funds provided to the Culture Centre Board  are paying staff salaries.
You are not correct about increased cost to the taxpayer for operating the facility ourselves. 
We are already paying all the costs.
And making none of the decisions .
We don't even know who is.  
         
   

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"We are already paying all the costs.
And making none of the decisions ."

What exactly are the decisions you want to make? Is it not the role of a Board to make decisions in running the place?

All this talk about the Centre and how it's out of control, I still don't know what The Town wants to do with it. If The Town knew what it wanted, why did it not put that into the agreement?

Anonymous said...

"You are not correct about increased cost to the taxpayer for operating the facility ourselves."

Ask the Parks & Rec Director for his thoughts on this.