| Aug 21, 2019


“I had always wanted a job in a business that operated on a human scale; where I could know what was going on overall, not just in one separate department. I wanted to be able to see the larger picture, and South Frontenac seemed to offer that opportunity,” said Wayne Orr, in reference to his decision to uproot his family from Fergus in Western Ontario to become South Frontenac’s CAO ten years ago. The week before he began his new job, he sat at the back of the hall watching his new employers in a regular Council meeting. I remember they put on quite a performance that night. They were outstandingly irritable, quarrelsome and loud. Orr may well have wondered what he had signed up for.

What he remembers best from his first night at the table of a Council meeting was that one Councillor asked for some information about an issue, information that Orr knew was on his desk. He offered to go get it right away, but Mayor Gary Davison said; “Sit down! You don’t leave a Council meeting: next time you be sure to bring all the relevant information to the meeting with you.”

“That lesson stuck with me,” said Orr, “Council needs to be fully informed about an issue, to have the rationale, legalities, costs, pros and cons all laid out, before coming to a decision. It was my job to provide that information.”

It was a steep learning curve: Orr came from a human resources background. He not only had a lot to learn about the functioning of municipal governments, but he had to hit the ground running. Amalgamation was far from complete: the fire halls still operated pretty much as separate entities. Cemeteries, recreation facilities and community halls, nominally all under South Frontenac Township ownership, were fiercely independent, although expecting funding from the municipality. The bitterly angry Sydenham water controversy was still raw, and the whole water system ended up requiring a further $1.5 million retrofit before the current water treatment method was achieved.

“The scariest meeting I can remember was a year after I began, when the question of Sunday hunting was debated. The hall was packed, people lined the walls, and a group of hunters in camouflage gear were lined up on the stage behind me”, recalls Orr; “I couldn’t help wondering whether some of them might have brought their guns.” (note: it was decided Sunday hunting would be permitted in the Township, with the exception of the village of Sydenham, where guns may not be discharged.)

During Orr’s tenure, Council’s work was streamlined and became more efficient and focussed. No longer were all the reports of cattle kills by coyotes brought to the meetings for approval of reimbursement. Council committees now do the homework on larger issues, bringing informed recommendations to the Committee of the Whole or Council for decision.

Council meetings have become much more accessible to the public, and a lot less paper is wasted. All Councillors are provided with iPads to access meeting information, in lieu of reams of paper.  Meeting agendas and background information are available at any time to the public on the Township website, and are projected onto an overhead screen at the meeting. All Councillors and presenters use microphones.

In keeping with the growth of South Frontenac through amalgamation and development, staffing has been increased. Prior to amalgamation, each Township had a clerk, a treasurer, a roads supervisor and a fire chief. The South Frontenac CAO’s job has, over the past ten years, been separated out to include a clerk, an executive assistant, a receptionist, a development services director and a recreation director. This has made it possible for Orr to work with his treasurer and department heads to develop an efficient budget process that results in the year’s budget being in place early in the new year, rather than some time in the late spring. South Frontenac is currently in the enviable position of having healthy financial reserves. The four districts have finally achieved full amalgamation.

Orr credits his strong and dedicated staff for working together to help make South Frontenac a well-functioning municipality, but it was Orr who had the vision and ability to build that administration.

Orr feels this is a good time for him to retire; “We’re facing a time of great change - we’re on the cusp: ‘Too small to be big, but too big to be small’ as Mark (Segsworth) says. My job here is done: it’s time for a new person to facilitate the move on to the next level; to take the Township in new directions. We’re facing increasing development pressures, and the Provincial Government is currently a wild card. Much of the prime waterfront and easy development areas are already taken. It’s time for us to decide what sort of future we want, as we update our Official Plan for the coming years.”

He added that he felt the County may have missed an important opportunity to be proactive by deciding recently to remain with the status quo, rather than choosing to examine possible options for re-visioning the Frontenacs.

As for the future, Wayne and his wife Gwen are currently headed off on a meandering trip West, visiting friends and relatives on the way. Later, he looks forward to future community involvement as a volunteer, and to following his enjoyment of drama by working at designing and building stage sets.

“I had assumed we would retire ‘home’ to Fergus, but a couple of years ago, I realized this would not be so. Our home is here, now.’

 

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