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Clearview council talks term priorities

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In Clearview
Dec 16th, 2014
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By Ian Adams Wasaga Sun

Communication and council reform will be top-of-mind for local politicians as Clearview Township’s new council embarks on its four-year term.

On Monday, Mayor Chris Vanderkruys oversaw a candid two-hour discussion on councillors’ priorities, allowing each municipal politician to outline his or her legislative wish list.

While the priorities of each councillor ran the gamut, such as completing the servicing of industrial land in Stayner, focusing on the township’s downtowns in Stayner and Creemore, and keeping the township’s financial house in order, public engagement was the main concern for councillors.

Ward 5 councillor Thom Paterson suggested council should look at reviewing its committee structure to allow for more public comment on issues, in an atmosphere that’s more relaxing than a formal council meeting.

A reformed committee structure would also give the public – and the media – more time to consider an issue being discussed by council.

“If there’s a signal that in two weeks or a month we’re going to make a formal decision, it’s a way of engaging not just ourselves, but the public,” Paterson said. “Right now, it seems the public is the least involved, and the last to be considered.”

However, countered Ward 4 councillor Shawn Davidson, communication is a two-way street, and cautioned council members “need to balance the squeaky wheel” of listening to one person, but not hearing from the other 14,000 residents.

He also suggested the best town hall style meeting would be to hit the local coffee shop at different times of the day.

“There’s no formula to that,” Paterson responded. “We need a set of tools to communicate.”

Deputy Mayor Barry Burton suggested public apathy could be a symptom of residents “losing faith” in the municipal process.

“We have to work on a way to get the public involved,” he said.

Councillors also wanted to see the municipality move forward on the branding exercise.

“It’s not about a lapel pin, or about stickers on a truck, this is about the community,” Davidson said. “There are a number of steps to be carried out for the money that’s already been spent.”

“It’s important to move forward with the branding exercise,” added Ward 7 councillor Deborah Bronée. “If we don’t move on it and get everybody on the same page, the money we’ve spent will be for naught.

“If we’re not going to implement studies and improve our place in the global market, we shouldn’t spend money on those studies.”

Vanderkruys said he will go through the list of suggestions to narrow down the major items that he felt were a priority for everyone.

“Communication is a priority, it’s great to see the points of not only trying to get the public to communicate, but also the concept that council needs to communicate itself together,” he said. “I’ll try to grab the main parts and point them out for [future] agenda items, whether that’s a restructuring of the system for the procedural bylaw, how we run council meetings, or communication itself.

“It’s really trying to understand the process of where we need to go. The biggest piece is it’s not going to happen over six months.”

Sidebar

Ward 1 Councillor Doug Measures: Along with consideration of creating a heritage committee, Measures proposed councillors keep a closer eye on what’s being spent in councillor and staff expenses.

Measures also suggested the municipality get back on track reviewing its official plan, as well as a review of service levels. He also proposed more co-operation with Clearview’s neighbours. “We need to find a way to provide services to the community by developing partnerships with other municipalities.”

Ward 2 Councillor Kevin Elwood: Council needs to focus on the core business of delivering services to residents in a fiscally responsible manner. “If we spend too much time on wish lists, and not enough time on what we’re supposed to do … operating [the municipality] in a fiscally responsible manner is our first priority.”

Ward 3 Councillor Robert Walker: Along with moving ahead on a servicing plan for industrial lands in Stayner, Walker wants to focus on securing more property for the municipal trail system – including the future of the Barrie-Collingwood Railway right of way.

Ward 4 Councillor Shawn Davidson: Along with branding, council needs to make a decision on building a library – “If we’re not going to do it, we have to have the intestinal fortitude to say why we’re not going to do something.”

Ward 5 Councillor Thom Paterson: Redefining council roles and staff responsibilities were also a concern for Paterson, and insuring councillors were fully informed on each and every decision they make. “Monday night [council meetings] is not enough time to be fully informed,” he said.

Ward 6 Councillor Connie Leishman: Development of a committee structure that allows more public comment, and council discussion, in a less formal atmosphere.

Ward 7 Councillor Deborah Bronée: Bronée was the only councillor to bring up public transit as a means to allow residents more accessibility to the job market in Collingwood.

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