Clearview proceeds with electoral review

By Michael Gennings Stayner Sun July 9 2013
Clearview Township council decided Monday night it will go ahead with an electoral review.
Council unanimously approved proceeding with the review after receiving a report from clerk Pamela Fettes, outlining the type of work that will be involved.

“I’m thrilled,” said Ward 3 councillor Brent Preston, who pushed for the review on the basis there’s never been one in the township’s 19-year history. “And I’m really pleased there’s such a will on council to do it.”
One of the things the review will look at is ward boundaries and whether they should be redrawn to better reflect population distribution.
Currently, there’s a real population discrepancy between some of the seven wards. For example, in the 2010 election, there were 2,088 voters in Ward 7 but only 1,259 voters in Ward 2.
This discrepancy is a key reason Preston and his fellow council members want to look at the ward boundary issue.
As well, the review will look at whether the ward system should be scrapped for an election at-large model, which is how council members are elected in nearby Wasaga Beach and Collingwood.
“It’s a fundamental question we need to consider,” Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage said during the discussion. “If we stick with wards we have to make [boundary] changes.”
The review will also look at whether to have a smaller council. Currently, there are seven councillors, a mayor and deputy mayor.
Council remuneration and the creation of job descriptions for council members will also be considered during the review.
There was discussion about whether it was too late to proceed with the review due to the fact next year is an election year.
Any changes have to be approved by council before the election year starts.
At the same time, the changes have to be approved with enough time remaining to accommodate a 45-day Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) appeal period that exists for people wanting to contest the changes.
This means council has to approve changes by around mid-to-late October of this year in order to accommodate the appeal period and have the changes ready for the 2014 election year. Candidates can file to run for office starting Jan. 2, 2014.
While he supported going ahead with the review, Mayor Ken Ferguson did say he was concerned about the timeline.
Clerk Pamela Fettes told council she supports the review but has concerns about proceeding with it at this time due to the extra workload it will put on her and deputy clerk Brenda Falls.
The two are already busy with their regular duties and preparing for the 2014 municipal election, she said.
But council decided it didn’t want to put the review off, with members saying it’s long overdue.
“I’m sorry we’re in this tight timeframe,” Savage said. “But I’m not of the opinion we can wait.”
Given the scope of the review, Fettes suggested a consultant be hired to oversee the project.
She added the technical expertise of a consultant would also help defend changes if they are appealed to the municipal board.
But some officials were hesitant to commit to hiring someone, questioning what role a consultant would take on and the cost. Fettes suggested $35,000 would be required to pay for a professional’s services.
Councillor Shawn Davidson said a consultant is required for the review to be conducted impartially.
Still, others such as Councillor Thom Paterson, argued much of the work could be done in-house by staff and council.
In the end, council decided to hold off earmarking funds for a consultant but did agree to advertise for a consultant’s services – hoping this will allow officials some time to determine what role a consultant might play.
Council will hold its first public information session regarding the review on Monday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Residents are encouraged to attend.
At the meeting, staff will go over what the review will consider and then open the floor to public comment. People can also make written submissions prior to the meeting.
“So hopefully we get some broad themes out of that meeting about the general direction we might be heading and that will help us figure out what role we want the consultant to play,” Preston said. “The minimum role I can see for a consultant would be assisting with the technical process of redrawing ward boundaries.”
He added council will likely consider hiring a consultant at its Monday, Aug. 12 meeting.
Other public consultation sessions are expected throughout the review process.

Citizens’ proposal