The first of two policy changes took place at the Town of Erin council meeting on Oct. 6.
The first public question period was held, giving community members a chance to pose a question to council and staff in a public forum.
Mayor Allan Alls welcomed and encouraged the attendees to ask questions but clarified the rules, including speaking at the front of the chambers at the table or podium, asking a question only, and addressing the chair only.
“They have to be questions only. I get enough lectures from the press, I don’t need the public to lecture me,” said Alls.
“You will address your questions to the chair and I’ll redirect the question to where it needs to go if that’s the case. If I can’t answer it, or member of the council or the staff (can’t)… I assure you I will get you an answer. It may not be today, it will be given to you in another form, either written or email.”
Tenders
The first question was brought forward by resident Roy Val, who asked council about possible problems and challenges of tenders for the town’s lawn cutting.
“I went back and looked at some of the passed agendas going all the way back to 2009, when the previous council before the last council had given the contractor a three-year contract with two per cent (increase) each year and it was followed by the last council, it was given the same contract, at 2%,” Val began.
“It started off in 2009 at $25,000 and it ended in 2014 at $28,000 and change. So question one is how did we get from $28,000 to $36,500 this year? And a second question is when will this tender go out again for next year?”
CAO Kathryn Ironmonger said staff is preparing to put out the tender again for next year before the end of 2015.
As for the price difference, she said, “It went out to bid, it went out to tender and that was what the price was and it related to the properties that we are cutting, the number of properties as well as the number of cuttings.”
Val then asked why the increase jumped by that amount saying, “Did something change, that’s all I’m asking?”
Councillor John Brennan said he believes a change in the number of properties caused the increase. “I’m trying to recall, but wasn’t there a change in the number of properties and that would impact the price?” he said.
“To an extent of an extra $8,000?” asked Val.
Ironmonger said that’s what the prices were.
“You don’t have any choice of what people put in their bid and you pick the most appropriate one to pick, so that’s where it was and that’s why I decided I’m going to redo it,” said Ironmonger.
“This isn’t the proper process for this. I’m sorry,” she added, ending the discussion for the first question.
Gifts
The second question, from Nyola Holliday, addressed the mayor’s gavel.
“The gavel. I know the gavel is a new gavel and I’m not sure where the old one is,” Holliday said. “I guess my question is, past mayors receive gifts, I assume … so are those gifts paid for by the taxpayers and what were the gifts for the two previous mayors and is there a policy set for the expense of the mayors and retiring employees?” asked Holliday.
Alls explained the previous gavel was given to former mayor Lou Maieron.
“The … gavel that was here was given, perhaps not appropriately, to the mayor the night of his last (council),” Alls said. “He owns it still. We had a gavel made with his name on it (and) the years and it has been couriered to his home. He has that gavel. I’ve asked him to return the other and we haven’t got it yet.”
Maieron said in an interview with the Advertiser he was uncomfortable receiving the gift at first. He did confirm that Alls asked for the gavel back, but before he was sworn in as mayor. Maieron said he is no longer in possession of the gavel and it now is in the Wellington County Museum and Archives collection. Kim Summerville of the archives confirmed that the gavel is in the museum’s collection.
Alls asked finance director Sharon Marshall if there was a gift policy. Marshall explain ed there was one for retiring staff based on the number of years served, but not for councillors.
Holliday asked again what past mayors received as gifts, if anything. Councillor Jeff Duncan said he received his name plate when he stepped down from council, but couldn’t recall if former mayor Rod Finnie received any gifts.
“Perhaps there should be some sort of policy so that another year a piece of our room is not given away,” said Holliday.
Alls agreed, but said councillors should be given a token for their service.
“You’re perhaps right, Ms. Holliday, but I personally feel that certainly for what these councillors give up for so little money … I think we should have a policy where they do have, it doesn’t have to be large, but a token for the service that they give. Because they give up a lot of time for very little money. And I think we should look into that council as we move forward,” he said.
Brennan agreed, adding the town has a policy that addresses Holliday’s concerns.
“There is a policy in place that individual councillors can not go out and make purchases on behalf of the town; neither can we dispose of town property. So what happened was inadvertent, it shouldn’t have happened, but it did and I think it caught everybody by surprise,” he said.
The public question period, as well as an earlier start time, will take place during the next Erin council meeting on Oct. 20.
