Mapleton outsources bylaw enforcement for $43,000
In second year of contract township will pay Municipal Support Services $45,000
MAPLETON – For at least the next two years, Municipal Support Services (MSS) will be providing bylaw enforcement services to the Township of Mapleton.
The township has entered into a two-year agreement with MSS that includes three optional one-year extensions.
The first year will cost $43,200 and the second year $45,120.
Future extension years increase incrementally, up to $53,400, but would return to council for approval.
The township budgeted $76,130 for bylaw enforcement in 2026 and said MSS’ pricing falls within an expected range for contracted enforcement services.
According to a township report, there are about 50 bylaw calls and 20 animal control calls each year, which require between 16 and 20 hours of bylaw enforcement each week.
MSS will not be providing animal control services in Mapleton.
Bylaw enforcement includes property standards, clean and clear, noise, parking and zoning.
The township issued a request for bids for the bylaw enforcement work in November and received three submissions.
They were evaluated on company background, staff qualifications, services and pricing.
“MSS was deemed fully capable of meeting our enforcement needs, and the proposed team exceeded the minimum staff qualifications,” township staff state in a March 9 report.
“MSS has been in operation since 2019 and currently provides bylaw enforcement services to several comparable municipalities, both rural and mixed rural-urban.”
The report added that MSS provides “full-time, seasonal and complaint-driven enforcement, supported by 24/7 dispatch, digital reporting and court file management.”
However Mapleton will not be using the 24/7 dispatch or digital reporting system.
“We are certainly not in a place where Mapleton needs 24/7 dispatch but if it should come to that we definitely can make that available,” said planning manager Michelle McCabe.
Township staff say MSS will provide:
- proven experience in comparable municipalities;
- a qualified and well-structured enforcement team;
- a complete and compliant proposal;
- competitive and predictable pricing; and
- capacity to begin service effective March, 2026.
MSS was selected because its proposal was the most cost-effective, the report states.
Councillor Marlene Ottens asked where the bylaw officer would be based.
McCabe said the officer MSS is assigning to Mapleton is originally from Minto and is looking to relocate back there.
