THE SURVEY - DISMANTLING PUBLIC COMMITTEES
OVERVIEW
Because this issue was part of a 5-topic survey which we conducted in November 2012, a few of the paragraphs on this page may seem familiar, since they also appear on the corresponding pages associated with each of the other four topics. However, the majority of what appears on this page is specific to the topic of Public Committees. So please take the time to look through all of the material.
In the summer of 2012, we started to become unsettled by some of the things we saw Council doing. It became apparent to us that they had become disconnected from the very people who elected them to their positions. They were deliberating in isolation - assuming that they knew what residents really wanted. Once we realized what was going on, we got ourselves organized and undertook the considerable effort to conduct a 5-topic survey/petition, which we subsequently presented to Council (on November 26th, 2012).
The issue of keeping public committees was the first topic of our 5-part survey. In the interest of full disclosure - the survey actually focused on just one committee (the Waste Management Committee). However, we heard loud-and-clear from nearly all of the people we spoke with, that their expressed opinions were actually applicable to all public committees, in general.
Below is what we provided as background information about the Waste Management Committee when we went door-to-door, seeking residents' opinions. We've also included Council's official written response.
If you're interested in all of the technical and logistical aspects of the the survey, look in the section entitled Resources and Supporting Materials at the bottom of this page, for links to pertinent details. It was a relatively sophisticated approach and the results are very defensible.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
In the summer of 2012, we started to become unsettled by some of the things we saw Council doing. It became apparent to us that they had become disconnected from the very people who elected them to their positions. They were deliberating in isolation - assuming that they knew what residents really wanted. Once we realized what was going on, we got ourselves organized and undertook the considerable effort to conduct a 5-topic survey/petition, which we subsequently presented to Council (on November 26th, 2012).
The issue of keeping public committees was the first topic of our 5-part survey. In the interest of full disclosure - the survey actually focused on just one committee (the Waste Management Committee). However, we heard loud-and-clear from nearly all of the people we spoke with, that their expressed opinions were actually applicable to all public committees, in general.
Below is what we provided as background information about the Waste Management Committee when we went door-to-door, seeking residents' opinions. We've also included Council's official written response.
If you're interested in all of the technical and logistical aspects of the the survey, look in the section entitled Resources and Supporting Materials at the bottom of this page, for links to pertinent details. It was a relatively sophisticated approach and the results are very defensible.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
BACKGROUND INFO
Topic #1 from our November 2012 Survey
Recently, the Council decided to take a look at dismantling many of the Township’s existing and long-standing Committees (eg. Waste Management Committee, Recreation Committee, Heritage Committee, Environmental Conservation and Advisory Committee, and the Fire Service Liaison Committee – to name just a few), with the idea that most of them could be replaced with a “Committee of the Whole” approach. The official justification for this restructuring is that it will (supposedly) save money.
Not only is it a “penny wise, pound foolish” approach, but it also contains a subtle caveat. In case you don’t know what a “Committee of the Whole” is, it is essentially the same group of people who form the Council (i.e. the Mayor and Councillors) meeting in a less formal environment, where the meeting is governed by (more relaxed) Committee procedures rather than (more formal) Council procedures. Typically, no members of the public sit on a “Committee of the Whole” – whereas the normal/traditional Committees typically do have members of the public.
See the difference? The “Committee of the Whole” approach removes a significant check-and-balance in the whole process, by dramatically reducing (actually, all but eliminating) public input and impact on the proceedings. Sure, you should still be allowed to attend the meetings to observe the proceedings, and you might even be allowed to ask some questions – but, there is no public component to any votes which may take place. On the other hand, with the existing/traditional Committee structure, the public members who sit on the various Committees do get a vote. Furthermore, it is typically a member of the public who sits as Chair of a traditional Committee – but not so, with a “Committee of the Whole”.
In terms of potential cost savings, let’s look at an example – the Waste Management Committee. The total annual honourarium budget for this Committee (which consists of 7 people - 2 members of the public and 3 Councillors, all 5 of whom get a vote; a recording secretary and staff resource, and the Director of Public Works; these latter 2 do not vote) amounts to $2,480. Across the (roughly) 3,900 homes in the Township, that amounts to a cost of less than 65 cents per household, per year.
Unlike the proposed “Committee of the Whole” (which could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of topics it will have to deal with), the Waste Management Committee focuses on one area – making sure that the Township’s waste and recycling programs are running efficiently, and coming up with new proposals and initiatives to save money and/or to access Provincial funding. The Waste Management Committee has an established history of outperforming its budget. In January of this year, the Waste Management Committee presented Council with a proposal which had the potential to impact the Township budget (positively) by tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, Council has only acted upon a small portion of the proposal.
Considering the work the Waste Management Committee does, 65 cents a year represents tremendous value. In fact, if Council had acted on more of the Committee’s proposal, the savings from that proposal alone would have more than paid for the Committee, for several years to come.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
Recently, the Council decided to take a look at dismantling many of the Township’s existing and long-standing Committees (eg. Waste Management Committee, Recreation Committee, Heritage Committee, Environmental Conservation and Advisory Committee, and the Fire Service Liaison Committee – to name just a few), with the idea that most of them could be replaced with a “Committee of the Whole” approach. The official justification for this restructuring is that it will (supposedly) save money.
Not only is it a “penny wise, pound foolish” approach, but it also contains a subtle caveat. In case you don’t know what a “Committee of the Whole” is, it is essentially the same group of people who form the Council (i.e. the Mayor and Councillors) meeting in a less formal environment, where the meeting is governed by (more relaxed) Committee procedures rather than (more formal) Council procedures. Typically, no members of the public sit on a “Committee of the Whole” – whereas the normal/traditional Committees typically do have members of the public.
See the difference? The “Committee of the Whole” approach removes a significant check-and-balance in the whole process, by dramatically reducing (actually, all but eliminating) public input and impact on the proceedings. Sure, you should still be allowed to attend the meetings to observe the proceedings, and you might even be allowed to ask some questions – but, there is no public component to any votes which may take place. On the other hand, with the existing/traditional Committee structure, the public members who sit on the various Committees do get a vote. Furthermore, it is typically a member of the public who sits as Chair of a traditional Committee – but not so, with a “Committee of the Whole”.
In terms of potential cost savings, let’s look at an example – the Waste Management Committee. The total annual honourarium budget for this Committee (which consists of 7 people - 2 members of the public and 3 Councillors, all 5 of whom get a vote; a recording secretary and staff resource, and the Director of Public Works; these latter 2 do not vote) amounts to $2,480. Across the (roughly) 3,900 homes in the Township, that amounts to a cost of less than 65 cents per household, per year.
Unlike the proposed “Committee of the Whole” (which could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of topics it will have to deal with), the Waste Management Committee focuses on one area – making sure that the Township’s waste and recycling programs are running efficiently, and coming up with new proposals and initiatives to save money and/or to access Provincial funding. The Waste Management Committee has an established history of outperforming its budget. In January of this year, the Waste Management Committee presented Council with a proposal which had the potential to impact the Township budget (positively) by tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, Council has only acted upon a small portion of the proposal.
Considering the work the Waste Management Committee does, 65 cents a year represents tremendous value. In fact, if Council had acted on more of the Committee’s proposal, the savings from that proposal alone would have more than paid for the Committee, for several years to come.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
COUNCIL'S OFFICIAL RESPONSE
Mailed out February 2013 to the 300+ participants
In the spring of 2012, Council established the Finance Committee with the mandate to:
The first order of business at the inaugural meeting of June 7 was to establish a schedule for review of all budgets. It was noted in the minutes that committees had been notified of the establishment of the committee and the tentative review schedule. All operations were to be reviewed.
During discussions by the Committee, the current committee structure was reviewed. At the October 23 Committee meeting, a suggestion was put forward to consider recommending a committee of the whole system. Following this meeting, all current committee members were advised that the Finance Committee was reviewing the committee structure. As a result, Council heard a presentation from a number of committee representatives (Heritage, Recreation, Waste) requesting that Council not proceed with a committee of the whole structure.
Council has agreed that when or if it decides to give this suggestion further consideration, a public meeting will be held, with appropriate public notice. No decision has been made to date and Council has not held more than a preliminary discussion on this suggestion. Therefore, all current standing committees, including the Waste Management Committee, remain active
With regard to the background material, Council members are elected by the voters of the Township to represent their issues during the four year term. At the end of the term, the voters are able to exercise their option of either voting for the candidate that represented them well in the previous four years or to vote for another who they feel would do a better job at representation. This is the check and balance built into the municipal system, similar to the provincial and federal governments.
Different from the upper levels of government, municipal representatives are more connected with their area. As members of the community, council members are frequently approached by residents who voice their concerns/comments on various topics throughout the term. Also, all meetings of Council and its committees are open to the public for those interested in keeping up to date on municipal matters. Therefore, feedback is provided to council members on a regular basis to ensure their focus remains on the electorate.
Laypersons appointed to various committees do provide Council with another outlook when considering recommendations. They are not elected and are therefore not answerable to the public. They can represent their own interests in an area, and are not held to account by the public at any time.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
In the spring of 2012, Council established the Finance Committee with the mandate to:
- a review of services provided by the municipality, how the service is funded and whether the service is desirable in relation to its cost;
- research potential avenues for increased revenues;
- review alternative procurement opportunities; and
- make recommendations to Council on potential cost savings and increased revenue options.
The first order of business at the inaugural meeting of June 7 was to establish a schedule for review of all budgets. It was noted in the minutes that committees had been notified of the establishment of the committee and the tentative review schedule. All operations were to be reviewed.
During discussions by the Committee, the current committee structure was reviewed. At the October 23 Committee meeting, a suggestion was put forward to consider recommending a committee of the whole system. Following this meeting, all current committee members were advised that the Finance Committee was reviewing the committee structure. As a result, Council heard a presentation from a number of committee representatives (Heritage, Recreation, Waste) requesting that Council not proceed with a committee of the whole structure.
Council has agreed that when or if it decides to give this suggestion further consideration, a public meeting will be held, with appropriate public notice. No decision has been made to date and Council has not held more than a preliminary discussion on this suggestion. Therefore, all current standing committees, including the Waste Management Committee, remain active
With regard to the background material, Council members are elected by the voters of the Township to represent their issues during the four year term. At the end of the term, the voters are able to exercise their option of either voting for the candidate that represented them well in the previous four years or to vote for another who they feel would do a better job at representation. This is the check and balance built into the municipal system, similar to the provincial and federal governments.
Different from the upper levels of government, municipal representatives are more connected with their area. As members of the community, council members are frequently approached by residents who voice their concerns/comments on various topics throughout the term. Also, all meetings of Council and its committees are open to the public for those interested in keeping up to date on municipal matters. Therefore, feedback is provided to council members on a regular basis to ensure their focus remains on the electorate.
Laypersons appointed to various committees do provide Council with another outlook when considering recommendations. They are not elected and are therefore not answerable to the public. They can represent their own interests in an area, and are not held to account by the public at any time.
[Click] to go (back) to our primary page on this topic.
RESOURCES and SUPPORTING MATERIALS
Under construction. We are busy preparing
the substantiating resources (documents, newspaper articles, etc.) to
publish in this section. Please check back in a little while, or link
up with our Facebook page to be notified of updates.
PLEASE ATTEND COUNCIL MEETINGS
The clearest, most effective message you can send to Council, is to attend their meetings. So long as the public gallery is empty, they will get the impression that no one cares.
It would be hypocritical to hold Council responsible for the outcome of all things if we are perpetually absent from the process, ourselves.
Typically, Council meetings are held on Mondays. [Click] to open the Township's official calendar in a new window.
It would be hypocritical to hold Council responsible for the outcome of all things if we are perpetually absent from the process, ourselves.
Typically, Council meetings are held on Mondays. [Click] to open the Township's official calendar in a new window.