The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2007-11-15, Page 7A re c o m m e n d a tion from cl e rk -a d m i n i s t rat or Ja ck McL achl an toh i re a me et ing inve s t i gat o r wa s defeated by Huron East council at their Nov. 6 meeting. Council decided to stick with the p rov inci a l Om bud sm an w ho is provided to them free of cost from the provincial government. Huron County has not finalized its d e c i s i o n ,bu t the re wi ll be a recommendation coming from their upcoming committee of the whole meeting. The question posed by dep u t y - mayor Bernie MacLellan was,“Why wouldn’t we just take the free one?”Several other councillors echoed hiss e n t i m e n t s ,w ith th e m ot io neve n t u a l l y ge ttin g d ef e a ted wi tho n l y thre e vot e s go ing for th erecommendation. With an annual retainer of $300 and hourly costs for investigations, MacL el lan cou ld n’t see why th e municipality would pay someone for a job tha t th e p rovi n ce wo u l d provide to them for free. McLachlan said the argument for hiring an investigator would be that he would be local and he would understand the issues and the area better than someone the province would send from London,Kitchener or Toronto. The investigator would be on staffto deal with any complaints that mayarise as a result of council meetings.These complaints w ould surroundclosed meetings. McLachlan said that essentially, the investigator would ensure that when council went in-camer a,they did so for the right reasons and that when th ey do,t h ey stick to th e subject that brought them into c losed session and not run off-track. Whi le co u nci llors c al led th e i n ve s t i g at or a “ g oo d in sura n c e policy”and said that their council wouldn’t have to worry because they are careful about things like that, some disagreed. Councillor David Blaney pointed out that careful could have nothingto do with it,because as of Jan. 1,c i t i z e ns wi ll b e a bl e to lod gecomplaints whenever they see fit,foranything they want.“It doesn’t matter how careful we are. It might not prevent people from lodging a complaint,”Blaney said. C ou nc illo r B ill Sie mo n wa s against the municipality employing their own investigator. “After all of the complaining we do,the province is going to pay for something,and we’re not going to take it?”he said.“With the $300 retainer and then $75 an hour,if you get a b unch of complaints,that’s going to add up and $300 is going to be dog food.” The neutrality of the investigatorwas qu estio ned a s we l l ,w i t hc o u n c i l l o rs qu es tio ni n g wh e t h e rcitizens would feel having someoneemployed by the very municipalitythey are complaining about may lead them to feel like they have the deck stacked against them. O n th e o the r ha nd ,s o m e councillors felt that the province’s investigator,who they said would be more or less an arbitrator,may have a ten d ency to rul e aga in st the municipality. The investigator who interviewed for the job has years of municipal i n vo l vem en t an d re c e n t l y re t i r e d f r om a jo b w ith th e prov i n c i a l government. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY,NOVEMBER 15, 2007. PAGE 7.Huron East council chooses Ombudsman Don’t Give Up A Thing. High Traction Tread SNOW GROOVE M.G.M. TOWNSEND TIRE WE’LL KEEP YOU ROLLING 40356 LONDESBORO RD., LONDESBOROUGH BUSINESS: 519-523-4742 TOLL FREE: 1-877-619-7877 EMAIL: ttyr1@tcc.on.ca WINTER WHEELS IN STOCK Our prices can’t be beat! By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen Continued from page 1 H u r on c ou nc il ex p r e sse d a preference for appointing their own closed meeti ng inve s t i g at o r . “ T h e onus will be on the investigator to decide if council went in camera l egi t i m a t e l y,”sai d cl e r k - administrator Kriss Snell. He explained that the other two op tion s wo ul d b e fo r the O m bud sm an to h an dl e any complaints or use AMO’s new LAS i n ve s t i gato r p ro gr a m. “ T he o nl y thing with AMO’s program is I don’t l i k e the c ost,”sa id Sn el l. Th i s includes a retainer fee of $600 and a second daily fee of $1,250 for actual i nve s t i g a tion s alo ng wi th o ut -of- pocket expenses. C ou nc il wa s in favou r o f a re c o m m e n d a tio n to ap p o i n t recently-retired manager of Ministry o f Mu ni ci p al A ffa i r s fo r th e southwest region,John Maddox,as closed meeting investigator for one year. Snell said he hopes that the county and other lower-tier municipalities will enter into an agreement with Maddox,in which case the retainer fee would be $2,500 for the county and $300 for lower-tier plus $75 per hour for each investigation. If only a few choose this option, the fee is based on population with North Huron’s retainer being $500 plus $75 per hour. “ M r . Mad d o x ha s a go o d u n d e r sta nd ing o f h ow mu n i c i p a l government works,”said Snell. Co un ci llo r G reg Mc Clinch e y wondered if there was anything to protect them should the complaints become frivolous. “M y q ues tion is how wi ll we d ea l w ith th is if it b ec om es vexatious. There is a chance here for abuse.” Co un ci llor A rch ie Mac Gowa n sai d tha t wou ld b e som et h in g co un ci l c ou ld loo k a t sh ou ld it become an issue. Snell agreed saying that the rules for closed meeting are clear.“I think we should leave it for now,but if it gets to the point that there is abuse we’ll have to deal with it.” NOW AVAILABLE AT: DUIZER PLUMBING AND HEATING LONDESBOROUGH,ON 519-523-4846 OR 519-482-5267 Cell ~ 519-955-4222 or 519-525-0925 duizer@tcc.on.ca •North American installation friendly •Dual drain for quick drainage (approx. 2 minutes) •Low threshold access into tub •Convenient seat height at 15 1/2" •Easy door-lock mechanism Capacity: 52 Imperial Gallons /220 Litres /57.7 US Gallons Weight: 165 lbs. Cubed Weight: 480 lbs. Dimensions Of The Package: 62" x 28" x 451/2" Features & Benefits •Come with dual drain and overflow kit •Available in LH or RH drain •Optional air or water massage system •Safety grab bar installed •Non-slip bottom Walk-In Tub Deep Independence Start-to-finish installation North Huron votes to appoint investigator In memory John Elliott lays the wreath for the Blyth Masonic Lodge at the annual Remembrance Day service in Blyth on Sunday morning, at Memorial Hall. (Joan Caldwell photo)