Meaford residents got their first glimpse of the long awaited Operational Review Report on Monday night when CAO Frank Miele presented the findings to council.
The release of the report ends months of speculation, and Miele hopes that it will answer the oft asked question: Is the Municipality of Meaford over-staffed?
The long road to the completion of the operational review began early in the year as the 2009 municipal budget was being prepared. Faced with a second year of significant tax increases, and rumours of 2008 ending in another massive deficit, frustrated residents and some members of council voiced concerns that the municipal staff roster was bloated, and demanded that a study be conducted.
The CAO enlisted the help of a Citizen's Task Force and an independent auditor to ensure objectivity and transparency throughout the five month review process.
The final result of the hundreds of hours of work which included interviews with all municipal staff members and and exhaustive look at the services provided by the municipality is a report from Miele that contains 128 recommendations.
The conclusion reached by the independent auditor, the citizen's task force, and the CAO is that staff levels within the municipality are appropriate for the services that the municipality provides.
Though it was evident that many in the community had anticipated finding significant cost savings through staff cuts, there was only one position identified as a candidate for elimination.
Recommendation 122 in the report states that “It is recommended that the position of General Manager of Meaford Hall be eliminated at the expiration of the contract.”
Hall Manager Paul Osborn's contract is due to expire in September of 2010.
The study did identify areas where the municipality is actually under-staffed, and as a result, included in the 128 recommendations which were presented in the form of a work plan, are suggestions for filling currently vacant positions such as the Treasurer, and an Administrative Assistant for the Operations Department.
A requirement for a new position was also identified. It is recommended that the municipality hire a Directory of Community Services and Culture to oversee the many revenue generating facilities within the municipality. Responsibilities for this position would encompass Meaford Hall, Memorial Park, the Arena, Library, Museum, Blue Dolphin Pool, and the harbour.
Concern was also raised with regard to 15 positions within the municipality whose salaries are not competitive with surrounding communities. Six of these positions including that of the CAO, Director of Planning, and the Chief Operator for Environmental Services are considered to be market sensitive positions, and Miele cautioned council that the municipality risks losing staff members in these positions to other municipalities.
“This leaves the municipality vulnerable,” said Miele.
The CAO went on to caution members of council that retention of existing staff should be a priority.
“You can't afford to have a revolving door in this community any more,” advised Miele.
Council members had mixed reactions to the report. Most members of council were satisfied that the study had been comprehensive and provided the municipality with some excellent recommendations to help operations become more efficient, though a couple of councillors expressed reservations.
Councillor Jim McPherson who has publicly called for staff reductions as a means to lower costs was skeptical.
“I represent a sizable portion of our community who want a more efficient operation. We have moved from being a reasonably taxed community to a heavily taxed community,” said McPherson.
McPherson also wanted to know how the recommendations contained in the report would be implemented without increasing taxes.
“The work plan is based on ensuring that we continue with out five year plan which would mean a maximum 5% increase each year,” answered Miele.
Councillor Cynthia Lemon accepted the findings, and stressed that members of council should take heed.
“Clearly there has been significant micro-managing by members of council. We have gotten away from our role of policy and governance,” said Lemon, “We need to let our municipal staff do their work.”
Councillor Gerald Shortt expressed issues with 23 of the recommendations, and told the other members of council that he would not support the report and the accompanying work plan because of those issues.
“We have good people, but we can't afford them all,” suggested Shortt.
Mayor Francis Richardson reminded everyone that the work plan as presented is a living document that will be in the forefront for some time to come.
“We are all very concerned about the bottom line. We all will have concerns about some parts of the report,” said Richardson, “But it is a four year plan and we will get progress reports every six months, so we will revisit this at least eight times. I hope that council will give it resounding support.”
The report was adopted by council in a recorded vote with only Councillor Shortt voting against.
As for those who will still insist that the municipality must cut staff, Councillor Lemon was quick to respond.
“Which services would you like to cut?” asked Lemon.
