Work cut out for county
Pojidaeff says council and its administration are not functioning efficiently or effectively. Issues are not being resolved and council is antagonistic and dysfunctional.
“There are any number of issues that this report could deal with,” he said. “We have chosen to... cast a focus on the systemic issues which affect all others.”
Council bears the ultimate responsibility, he said. It’s not the role of council to manage the day-to-day operations of the municipality but to govern, set overall direction and hold administration accountable. Council has micromanaged the organization, resulting in less cooperation, worse communication and poorer service.
“(Staff) know the organization has a poor reputation and that there is a lack of respect, trust and civility,” Pojidaeff said.
“They also know that their council is viewed as dysfunctional and portrayed as such in the local papers.”
• Pojidaeff said there should be no need to have the county’s lawyer present at council meetings to simply determine rules of order.
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“Quite frankly, we’ve never seen this before throughout our careers and find it to be an extremely sad reflection on the inability of council to control themselves and follow what are established rules,” Pojidaeff said. “It’s a ridiculous waste of time - including the lawyer’s time, by the way, and the taxpayers’ money.”
• He said council should adopt a code of conduct, found in most council chambers across the country. Mandatory orientation should be provided to all new councillors, and to council as a whole after every election.
• The executive committee has already been abolished, as Pojidaeff saw it as a complete waste of time and money.
• The finance and budget committee has also been abolished for the same reason, and the fact involvement of council in the tender process, through the committee, creates potential liability. All committees should be reviewed and assessed for relevance.
• The practice of “reconsideration” has been abolished, as recommended. (There are two such motions on the next council agenda, made before this decision.)
• Council should consider a mayor instead of a warden, as allowed under the Municipal Government Act.
• The position of municipal clerk should be abolished in favour of an executive assistant. A full-time administrative assistant should provide research and assistance to the CAO, cross-trained with the executive assistant.
• A one-stop customer service centre at the main entrance, a phone system taxpayers can use to reach a human (meeting with applause from those in the public gallery), technology that ensures effective and cost-efficient services and on-going customer service evaluation are a must.
• The human resources function needs to be provided with a comprehensive mandate and specific objectives.
• The county needs to tell taxpayers what is being done on their behalf, what new staff have been hired and other general news. The consultants suggest, as well as the county’s website, it consider a full or half-page notice on a regular basis in the local newspaper. Personal communication and easier access to all departments would go a long way in improving collaboration in municipal operations.
• Council and the new management team should formulate a draft comprehensive strategic plan, complete with vision and mission, goals and objectives, and a detailed action plan. The role of Parks and Recreation should be evaluated.
• Continuing issues with planning applications and backlogs must be relieved. There is nothing inherently wrong with the process, but this may be an opportune time to review the Municipal Planning Strategy.
