Re: Village Org Review Editorial June 10th
I agree, but would go further Korie. Was this 20K review not foisted on Council by urgent calls for Special Meetings of Council (in February) to amend the 2015 budget to pay for the exercise amid grand pronouncements of duty to always respect the public purse and the taxpayers hard earned dollars?
The cost extracted from ratepayers for this exercise is marginally justified. It more accurately panders to a childish desire for foolish games, not unlike the disagreeable suggestion that taxpayers fund individual Councillors to waste tax monies on alternative, cavalier, independent legal opinions whenever one wants, begs, or seeks an adversarial legal opinion. Findings of the costly review, or witch hunt as you rightly put it, is that Valemount is already blessed with having one of the very best legal consultant retainers, possibly in all of Canada working for this Village!
As for the initial call for the comparable educational background check of the CAO, which 20K could not humour”¦ the wealth and excellence of existing staff to draw upon is deep and vast! Possibly superior to that of one who pushed for this review. This Village for its size has attracted remarkably talented and a competent administration. No ‘organizational review’ was necessary to reveal the inevitable findings but served to reinforce what was already, widely known. The Village cannot afford, either to squander scarce money resources while taxpayers pick up the tab!
Re: councillors’ legal opinion budget: does the average Valemount taxpayer really want to invite the potential for legal vulnerability? It would be a foolish squandering of time or money. Effects could be disastrous for this small community. Councillors are elected to act as a body, to cooperate, synchronize for a term of government, including the Mayor. If legal counsel is needed or requested it really needs to go through Administration and rightly so! We can be thankful that November elections saw our Village retain a vast intelligence, acumen and local experience of councillors and administrators. The staff we have at the Village Office serve us well. As a ‘whole’, McBride did not fare so well. Any game of dominos would be tragedy for Valemount at this crucial stage of development. The office is not over-staffed. We need exactly the team of 1st tier gatekeepers, staff and controllers of local treasury we have here. In the world of professionals there is always ongoing education and professional development. I hope for exactly this intelligence to guide and to advise Council on best practice, to contract and secure competent outside legal opinions as required by Council, not frivolously, but only as justified necessary.
Peter Fox
Valemount, BC
