Councillor Josie Wintersinger has written a letter of clarification for a request earlier this month to have monthly reports on the status of the Hillsburgh Fire Hall.
That request was defeated by Erin councillors.
She said on Nov. 1, “I asked for a written monthly report on the progress of the construction of our new fire hall (a motion which was voted down). The reason I asked for this report is because the new fire hall is a major project, and expenditure, that I feel should be monitored closely by council.
“We are all accountable to the residents in how tax money is spent, and with the economy the way it is, we need to be even more diligent in monitoring large projects and any potential for costs over and above what has already been budgeted.
“Currently, most of our reserves have already gone on last year’s construction projects that went over budget, and as a result, there is very little in our reserve accounts.”
Wintersinger stated,
“I am not against large-scale projects or the need for additional funding where it is needed and justified. However, as councillors we all need to determine if a project is going over budget, whether the money is being spent appropriate, or whether there are alternative solutions to avoid unnecessary spending.”
She wrote, “As a council, we need to be committed to receiving and reviewing regular project updates in writing for tracking purposes. This is not meant to add more paperwork to each councillor’s desk – this is simply so we can be knowledgeable and accountable for each project that we as councillors have approved. Council can receive the report any time during the month, just as long as it is there for council’s reference and knowledge.”
She added, “I just cannot justify the acceptance of cost overruns that are only brought to the attention council when it is too late.”
She explained that last year, projects such as the deer-pit, arena dressing rooms and East Wellington Community Services food bank, Sideroad 5 paving, and possibly MacMillan Park, all had significant cost overruns.
“I believe $1 million in total had to be taken from reserves to cover these cost overruns, and reserve money is difficult to replace.
“This also leaves our current reserves very low at this time. I am not implying that money was misspent, however, I am asking for better control of our spending.”
She suggested if council can predict how, why or even when a project may go over budget, it will be better able to use reserves in a more responsible manner without making last minute and hasty decisions to get the project finished.
Three of those capital projects were funded one-third federally, one-third provincially, and one-third municipally.
All overruns were funded completely by Erin reserves.
Furthermore, she said, with residents losing jobs and the economy being unstable, “We cannot afford to have our residents regard our council as allowing money to be spent freely without a second thought, or that we have little control over how the money is being spent.”
She said council might not be able to avoid cost over runs on large projects, but, “It is my belief … we all must be aware of exactly where each dollar is spent as the project moves forward.
Wintersinger said while there are aspects of fire hall operations controlled by the province, the department is financed locally and should be dealt with by a council committee.
When asked by Mayor Lou Maieron at the Nov. 15 meeting if she wished to speak to the letter, Wintersinger said, “I don’t believe I’m allowed to,” referring to council procedures.
Councillor Barb Tocher said there was a vote taken at the previous council meeting, and “a motion of reconsideration would be needed before we could discuss this again.”
Maieron said he was trying to sort out the issue.
He said at the previous meeting Wintersinger had brought a motion that was defeated, and then sent a letter of clarification.
“She’s not asking for reconsideration.”
Council passed a resolution to receive the letter.
