Guelph-Eramosa councillors changed their minds and have decided to appoint Local Authority Services the township’s meeting investigator, as opposed to the county’s choice, Norm Gamble.
On Feb. 19, after receiving legal advice during a closed session, council defeated a bylaw to execute an agreement between the township and Gamble.
And on Monday night council approved a bylaw appointing LAS – which is affiliated with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario – the township’s meeting investigator.
“We felt it just didn’t get us to where we needed to be,” Mayor Chris White said of the previous bylaw appointing Gamble as the investigator.
“We need the best and most open and accountable individual we can get,” White said, explaining the reason for the change.
Council unanimously approved the bylaw appointing LAS the township investigator. Councillor Roger Knapp was absent.
Costs for the LAS investigator include an annual retainer fee of $600 plus a daily investigation fee of $1,250, plus expenses, as needed.
Those costs are significantly higher than what the township would have paid had it stuck with Gamble, who will charge $350 per day for investigations, plus expenses.
Guelph-Eramosa and Erin are the only two municipalities in the county to hire LAS. The other five, plus the county itself, have hired Gamble.
