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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-02-21, Page 6Gathering info A large percentage of a clerk-administrator's day is spent on the phone. North Huron's John Stewart knows that it only takes one call to alter his plans for the day. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 A walk in their shoes For clerk-administrator one call can change a day Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series of stories about area people and the jobs they do. As an attempt to provide some insight on what it's really like in certain professions, not just our perceptions, we invite you to join us as we take "A Walk in Their Shoes". By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff Municipal clerk-administrators know the value of planning ahead. They also know only too well, that being able to stick to that plan is com- pletely out of their hands. John Stewart, top dog at the North Huron municipal office in Wingham, arrives at the office at 8 a.m., certain of what he hopes to accomplish. "Usually I plan a day ahead, but that first phone call can change every- thing right off. You have to be flexi- ble." With the office not officially open for another half an hour, Stewart has a little time to get himself organized and some projects begun. This being a Wednesday, he intends to prepare the agenda package for the Monday night council meeting. Also, having attended a special meeting the previ- ous evening he will complete the minutes. As well, that day was the closing date for the sale of Blyth Hydro to Hydro One so Stewart anticipated a few phone calls to tie up the loose ends. With a Blyth Community Centre board meeting that night, Stewart hopes to review the agenda, as well as an agreement with the Ontario Clean Water Agency for the sewage and water systems in preparation for a meeting the next day. "Some days are fairly mundane, but it can be really hectic and nothing planned gets done," says Stewart. Though now responsible for the administrative work of three wards (Blyth, East Wawanosh and Wingham), Stewart who was former- ly administrator for Blyth and Wingham, said that with amalgama- tion the number of night meetings has decreased for him. Where there were four council meetings a month there are now two, plus the deputy-clerk covers some of the committee meet- ings. Even so, he averages nine or 10 nightly meetings per month. Some of these are covered through his salary while others are paid extra. He is scheduled for a 37 1 /2 hour work week. However, his day starts at 8 a.m. and, he says, "if I get out of here at 5, I consider myself lucky." When there are nightly meetings in Wingham, he generally stays through supper and works until he meeting to catch up. On odd occ sions he does find himself working Saturday to stay on top of things. By 8:30 most of he staff has arrived, with Director of Finance/Treasurer Donna White attending a meeting. The newly reno- vated office space is roomy, the atmosphere one of quiet efficiency. Everyone knows what the job is and gets on with it With each department having spe- cific jobs, calls are directed through Clerk-Receptionist Barb Black. Eventually the system will be moving to voice mail. "It has been recom- mended to us from other municipali- ties," said Stewart. Having the work so clearly divided has been a benefit for the municipali- ty. "It has made us more specialized in certain departments," says Stewart. "Where before I knew a little about a lot, I can now focus on the duties laid out to my position." The full shift to what everyone's duties are still hasn't really been made, though, in part because some of the staff was not yet in place at the Wingham office on this February day. Wheeler was at the Blyth office until the end of the month, while Transition Director Winona Thompson is still at East Wawanosh. "We're all trying to cover until life is fully organized," explains Stewart. While this means Stewart is still on top of much of what happens in the office, the day will come when his job description will be less broad. The big challenge then will be keep- ing up to date on issues happening in the other departments. To this end, Stewart holds monthly department head :neetings to give everyone a chance to review and look at what's planned and update him as their supervisor. "We are one municipality not four separate departments." At 9:35 Stewart is ready to start the paperwork. First he deals with sever- al requests from the previous council meeting. Beyond his open door, activity begins to increase in the main office as people come and go. Stewart likes to deal directly with any concerns that come into the office. "I like to meet the people and though I can't always give them the answer they want to hear, I believe that if they are treated fairly they have to respect that." Should the expertise of another department person be required he calls them in for assis- tance. Problems he feels, should be dealt with swiftly and personally. The interaction with the public and staff is one of the "real benefits to his job,' Stewart says. Shortly before 10 a.m., a call is made to Deputy-Treasurer Julie Wheeler in Blyth regarding informa- tion from Hydro One, which has raised some questions. While talking to her, he is put on hold several times. "One of the disad- vantages of the Blyth office still being open is the mail-ins and calls. I try-to touch base with Julie once a day to see if there's anything I need to know." The office would close by mid-February. By 10:10, Stewart is finally ready to begin the minutes. He explains that for regular council meetings, when he types the agenda he saves it as min- utes so a lot of the work is done. Also if he has time, he does the resolutions that he knows will be passed, such as bills and accounts. "It's just a matter then of adding the mover and secon- der. The general format is there." Just getting started, Stewart is interrupted to discuss a new comput- er system needed to connect all the municipalities. Minutes later Deputy- Clerk Kathy Adams comes into his office for a brief consultation on some cemetery board business. "One of the other challenges we've been having is that with the change in staff, there have been different ways of doing things. This is even more difficult when the new staff member hasn't had the time to spend with the previous employee. They try to pick up what the other's been doing, with questions on why things were done that certain way." To guard against this occurring in the future, one of Stewart's goals is to have the staff trained in a number of areas. "This way if someone for some reason isn't here, those functions don't shut down. There are things that come up that are urgent. Government has enough delays, people don't need more at this end." NoW close to half an hour since he first started the minutes, Stewart is ready to begin again. No sooner has he settled in front of the computer, however, then a call comes in from the East Wawanosh engineer. While talking, another call comes in that Black redirects to Adams. The facili- ties manager peeks his head in the dpor and seeing Stewart on the phone, turns around. Twenty minutes later, the phone call ended, Stewart jots down some notes regarding information he needs to obtain. The question is concerning a grant for water systems and whether it will interfere with the application for another grant for the Blyth arena as they both are under the SuperBuild program. The engineer calls back, and Stewart spends 10 minutes on the phone. Beyond his door, the office continues to see people coming and going for everything from complex donations to receipts. Someone from the rec department stops in for a signature, then Stewart consults some information from the province before making a phone call to another clerk who has also been applying for the same provincial funding. He leaves a message. For the next 10 minutes, Stewart hunt-and-pecks on his computer. Then the phone ring and Black asks him to come out and speak to some- one regarding the meeting room, con- cerns about the piano donated by the WI and whether it is to be returned to that room since the remodeling. Stewart explains that the usage of the room, which is also the council chambers, may change when the complex is completed. It is something council is• considering, he assures her. When the ratepayer leaves, another call comes in regarding the construc- tion of the sludge storage tank in Blyth. Lunch time is nearing, and Stewart explains that the staff have different hours in order to accommodate them and to keep the office open through the noon hour. "Those from out of town found the lunch too long so they take half an hour instead of one and leave earlier." For Stewart, lunch will be at his desk. At 11:50 a.m. Adams comes in to go over a completed year-end budget. "It has been a bit of a challenge this year because Kathy did this for three months, then we hired a treasurer who left after six month, then Kathy took over until Donna came. It hasn't run as smoothly as it could have." As Adams leaves the information with Stewart, she jokes about his 'unique' filing system. "He doesn't have one," she says. "One part of the job I really don't like is filing," admits Stewart, some- what sheepishly. As testament to this fact, stacks of paper are placed in var- ious locations around the office.. , During lunch Stewart receives a call from Hydro One about unpaid Blyth Hydro accounts. This means another call to Wheeler. The issue is that Hydro One is saying they won't be responsible for any accounts over 30 days, something Stewart believes was not in the agreement. "If I'd understood that we would have pur- sued these more vigorously." After lunch, Stewart is able to get back to the minutes and complete them. At 1:45 p.m., a call comes in regarding the rental of the municipal building in Blyth. Information will be passed on to council at the next meet- ing. By mid-afternoon, Stewart is ready to begin putting together the agenda packages, which will be completed for pick-up by Friday. First, however, a call is made to the township's auditor about the Hydro 1 issue. The decision was that letters would be sent to ratepayers indicating that the accounts must be paid. Stewart also spoke with the solicitor. That call complete he then gives information to Black regarding the business cards to be made, and anoth- er call comes in from the solicitor. At 2:40 p.m., Adams brings in the minutes of the North Huron develop- ment committee meeting for proof- ing. After a brief discussion, she leaves and Stewart takes a call from the clerk he had tried to contact earli- er. He then puts in another call to the engineer. A member of the Thresher Reunion Association comes in to discuss fund- ing through the Trillium grant and asks for a letter which states that a lease is in place for the land between the Association and the municipality. Stewart writes this as soon as the vis- itor leaves. By 3:22 p.m. the letter is printed, proofed, signed and faxed. Back to the agend l a, and reams of information is divided into sections, such as new business, old business and correspondence. This is then pri- oritized so that at the end of the agen-- da council "is dealing with the least important items when they are the most tired," says Stewart. A phone call minutes later involves further discussion on the hydro issue. At 3:45 p.m. a call comes in from Wheeler about the date of the bylaw authorizing the sale of hydro to be included in a letter to the solicitor. This is written and sent out by 3:55 p.m. With Stewart back to work on the agenda, Adams comes in with a ques- tion regarding a lottery license exten- sion. As she exits, the reeve comes in to sign a cheque and ask for some- thing to be included in the agenda. At 4:15 p.m. Stewart starts to investigate the lottery question, but is interrupted minutes later by the cemetery manager. After a brief dis- cussion it is back to the lottery and a decision made on how to handle the extension. Ten minutes pass then another call is taken regarding the grant funding. No sooner has this one ended then another comes in from the clerk of a neighbouring municipality. This is with regards to a bylaw that needs to be passed by the councils. Less than half an hour to go until the official work day is to end and Stewart sits down to type the agenda. This job takes about two hours, he says. The regular Monday night council minutes generally take three. "I have a goal when I sit down on Tuesday with the minutes, if I can have them done at 5 it's been a good day." At 4:40, the solicitor calls to con- firm that the hydro deal has closed and Stewart then returns to the agen- da. "I had hoped to be further on today, but hopefully will finish it tomorrow." By Friday lunch, the agendas will be printed, compiled, bound and ready for councillors by 3 p.m. Last minute additions are con- sidered for timeliness and included if necessary. At 5 p.m, Stewart's set to leave giv- ing himself time to have supper and prepare for the arena board meeting in Blyth at 7:30 p.m. Of his best-laid plans, he is matter- of-fact. "There were half or less of the phone calls I normally get in a day. It's gone pretty well."