Frontenac County Council - Nov. 24/11

Jeff Green | Nov 26, 2009

County resolves governance issue

Frontenac County Council has ended an 18-month-long process by selecting a new governance model.

An eight-member council, with the mayor of South Frontenac carrying two votes, will be in place after municipal elections next November, pending ratification of the proposal by lower-tier councils in the county.

Currently there are four members of Frontenac County Council - the four Frontenac townships (North, South, Central, and Frontenac Islands), and each township will be adding an additional member after the municipal election next November.

The extra councilors will be chosen by the member councils for a four-year term

By allocating two votes to the mayor of South Frontenac there will be nine votes on the council, ensuring majority votes on contentious issues and providing extra weight to South Frontenac, whose ratepayers contribute 58% of municipally derived funds to the county budget.

The proposal is similar to ones that have been put forward by the member councils, although the specifics of the weighted vote provision was put into the final proposal by Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski.

Gutowski's one-year term as county warden ended after the November 18 meeting at which the council made the governance decision that had been lingering on their agenda for over a year.

“There is a clear indication that there needs to be change,” Gutowski said in framing the final debate. “We've got some very weighty issues at the county table. I think the discussion can be deepened, and I do feel it can be enhanced by adding new bodies. The job is getting bigger and we need more hands on deck.”

Although she said she is not completely comfortable with the second township representative being selected by the councils rather than by an election by the entire electorate, as the mayor is, “I am prepared to let the townships make that selection,” she said.

Gutowski's insistence that the extra vote for South Frontenac be held by the mayor reflects her concern about representation. “I think the directly elected representatives must have a majority of the votes on the council,” she said.

Frontenac Islands Mayor Jim Vanden Hoek, who initiated the debate about governance during his second term as county warden in 2008, was reluctant to support the change.

“Can we get a sense of how much it will cost to add four more members, in terms of salary, staff time, everything? Will it require an extra staff position?” he asked.

After taking a short break to consider that question, County Treasurer Marion VanBruinessen said the cost would be around $70,000 per year. She began to break down the estimated figures, noting that the salary for a councilor is $7,000.

Then Vanden Hoek said, “We don't need the detail. If it is $70,000, that's quite a bit of money. If you agree to this, the eight or nine-person council will be around for a long time. There may be an interim step. I'm going to suggest a couple of things for a term that would avoid us spending the $70,000. What if we transfer any net surpluses at the end of the year back to the townships on a pro-rated basis? That would put the county and the townships on the same operating level as the city and the health unit. We may also turn around and establish a finance committee, with township representation, that works with the county on the budget.”

“You are putting a new proposal on the table at 2 in the afternoon [the Council meeting had started at 10 am with a two hour in camera session] after we have discussed this for 12 months,” Warden Gutowski replied.

“We are dealing in apples and oranges,” added North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam, sitting in for Mayor Ron Maguire, “if you want to take back the surpluses, I don't think that will satisfy the desire for more input from the townships.”

“There has been a lot of discussion and it is time for a vote,” said Warden Gutowski. “There is one proposal on the table.”

Neither Mayors Vanden Hoek nor Davison would move or second a motion based on Gutowski's proposal, forcing her to relinquish her chair in order to make a motion, which was seconded by Jim Beam.

The motion was approved by a 4 – 0 vote.

A bylaw was passed later in the meeting, and the proposal will go to a public meeting on November 30 at the Sydenham Town Hall.

In order to come into effect in time for the 2010 municipal election, it will need to be ratified by at least three of the four member councils, representing at least 50% of the population, by the end of the year.

Because South Frontenac has 58% of the population, the change must be ratified by their council and at least two others. 

County still uneasy with transportation plan

Frontenac County Council continued to express concerns about a proposal to establish an independent not-for-profit corporation for transportation in South, Central and North Frontenac townships.

Susan Leslie, the CEO of Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) and Deborah Andrews, CEO of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCS) along with Jane Drew, the Manager of Rural Routes and Dean Walsh from Community Living-North Frontenac, came to Frontenac County Council last week to answer questions about a business plan they have submitted.

The plan calls for Rural Routes, which is currently a project of NFCS, to become an independent corporation that will co-ordinate rides to medical appointments and other services throughout mainland Frontenac County for needy clients of SFCS, NFCS, and others.

The plan calls for Frontenac County to provide $80,000 each year towards transportation. Of that money, Rural Routes would receive $45,000 towards its administrative budget, and each of the agencies would receive $17,500 to help pay for rides.

Rural Routes will have driven about 400,000 kilometres in 2009, mostly for NFCS clients, and SFCS will have arranged for 100,000 kilometres in rides for its own clients.

The Rural Routes business plan envisions revenue of $244,000 per year from fees charged to customers, along with the $80,000 in county money and $15,000 in fundraising dollars.

Most of the clients' fees are funded by external agencies, such as Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program, Children's Aid, and fundraising by the two agencies.

In introducing the plan, Deborah Andrews mentioned some of the clients that use the transportation service her agency provides. “We received a call recently from the hospital in Kingston, about a young mom who was being discharged with a new baby and had no transportation home. Another couple had lost their house, but were able to secure work and needed help getting there,” she said.

Susan Leslie attempted to reassure council that Rural Routes does not intend to fold itself into county operations. “My key point is this is not a request for the county to become a transportation provider. We are asking for the county to support transportation, not provide it. As well, almost half the money we are asking for from the county is for rides we cannot subsidize in any other way,” she said.

“I've been lukewarm about transportation in rural areas. I've always had difficulties with it. I'm probably still lukewarm, but first I want to give credit for the work you have done to bring your agencies together on this, and to the volunteers who provide the service,” said Frontenac Islands Mayor Vanden Hoek. “I want to go back to something you’ve heard before. There is a significant risk to the county going forward. One of the risks is the volunteer model. The cost would double if there were no volunteers.”

Vanden Hoek also expressed a concern about the potential to ramp up demand by offering subsidy, creating a programme that costs more and more to operate, eventually costing the county more money.

“I would be more comfortable if you had a sustainable business plan,” he said.

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison said, “The only thing I hear from you is about efficiencies in dispatch by setting this up, but nothing about making sure there are savings on the ground. I too have fears about the cost. I commend you people but this is not an open chequebook.”

North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam said, “Thank you very much for the plan. You were asked to do this and you did. You asked the county for support and I think you should get it.”

Warden Janet Gutowski said, “I look at the business plan and I see there is a lot that is not spoken of in it. There is a lot that is not clarified, but I think we should go forward and open the door on this. It is a recognised need in the county.”

Later in their meeting, county council received the first of the budget estimates for 2010. Included among them is $80,000 under the heading “Grants to service providers” that is earmarked for Rural Routes.

The budget estimates will all be on the county agenda for approval in the new year.