Meaford council has voted in favour of permitting the Mayor and CAO to sign the library services agreement between Meaford and the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library thus ensuring that residents in the former Sydenham Township will not experience any interruption in their library services come the new year.
Meaford's library board had been refusing to sign the agreement as presented, and they had been attempting to negotiate a new contract. At the November 28 meeting of council, a resolution was passed requesting that the library board sign the agreement as is.
After that decision, Mayor Francis Richardson was reluctant to tell reporters what would happen if the library board refused to sign, saying only that one option would be for council to sign the agreement themselves.
“One of the options is (for council) to sign it and carry on. What might happen? The question would be what would the province do?” asked Richardson.
When the latest resolution directing the Mayor and CAO to sign the contract was put forward at the December 12 meeting, Richardson said that he and the municipal Clerk had consulted with provincial ministry representatives before moving forward.
“Just so we're clear that this is not something that we are doing in isolation,” said Richardson as he asked municipal Clerk Pam Fettes to provide details about a conference call that had taken place on the morning of December 12.
“We had a very positive conversation with the ministry this morning,” explained Fettes, “And they indicated that the library board could delegate in writing to council to sign the agreement on their behalf.”
Councillor Mike Poetker who is the council representative on the library board said that the board would be voting on a motion to support handing off the signing of the agreement at their December 13 meeting.
“The library board will be meeting tomorrow with the intent to agree with the council,” offered Poetker, “In that meeting tomorrow, there will be a motion presented.”
In a separate resolution, council also voted in favour of appointing Councillor Deborah Young to the Meaford Library Board. Young who is a resident and former Reeve of Sydenham has been vocal with her frustration with the library board's handling of the library services contract with the OSNGUPL calling their tactics “underhanded and secretive.”
“Whereas there is a vacant position on the Municipality of Meaford Public Library Board after the resignation of Michael Richardson, and whereas council deems it necessary to have a representative from the former township of Sydenham on the Municipality of Meaford Public Library Board, and whereas the Public Library Act allows for more than one member of council to sit on the library board with the provision that council representation not surpass majority less one, and whereas council deemed it expedient to appoint Councillor Deborah Young to the Municipality of Meaford Public Library Board,” read councillor Lynda Stephens as she introduced the resolution.
Contacted by phone Tuesday morning, Meaford Library Board Chair Peter Bantock said that he and his board would discuss and vote upon delegating the responsibility for signing the agreement. When asked why the board would not sign the agreement, Bantock maintained his position that there is nothing to sign.
“First off, there is no agreement right now. We have not seen a physical document. Nothing has crossed our desk,” offered Bantock adding that as far as he is aware the only document that exists is the former agreement with new dates.
“Everything is being based on hearsay. It's like being asked to sign something that doesn't exist,” said Bantock.
Mayor Richardson disagrees. At the November 28 meeting of council, Richardson told reporters that the OSNGUPL has put forward a contract renewal agreement and there is nothing to negotiate.
“They are going to charge us exactly the same as they do for all of the Union members. And to my mind, you can't get a fairer agreement than that,” Richardson told reporters.
As for the addition of Councillor Young to the Meaford Library Board, Bantock told The Independent that he was unaware that council was planning the appointment, but said he had no opinion about the move.
“We have a vacancy, and that fills the need,” offered Bantock.
The Meaford Library Board meets today (December 13) to discuss the latest developments, and Bantock is hoping to put this issue behind and move on with other Library Board business.
“This whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” said Bantock adding that his board will shift their focus to completing their strategic plan, and laying the groundwork toward raising funds to construct a new library facility.
