The CCC getts a 4 - 2 approval rating
You don't give a figures man no figures and you don't give the process lady no process! That's what the fifty minute debate about the Cobourg Community centre boiled down to yesterday afternoon.After two amendments were voted down, the main resolution - to approve the building of the CCC and finance the Municipal portion with funds from the development charges account, passed in a recorded vote without much ado.
The debate kicked off with Councillor Frost asking that the project be made more specific and that private clubs, especially the Lawn Bowling club be left out of the project unless they pay a full rate. "The June report spoke about a club house for the Lawn Bowling Club, we should not be using public money to relocate private clubs." When the gang of four made it abundantly clear that they were not going to support his motion, quote Councillor MacDonald, "This motion is redundant, the Steering Committees will decide this" Frost tried to persuade the rest of Council to tighten up the proposal, in Council chambers, the majority were quite happy to let unelected and as yet unknown members of the steering committees decide the nuts and bolts of the build. So having kicked Stan in the goolies the gang of four then put the boots, in due process, to the other dissenter of the group.
Councillor Mutton wanted to know why the Council was funding the Municipal Portion of the build, $6 million, out of the development charges fund and not use the "playmoney" from the Holdco and Northam park dividends because when debentured the $6M goes to $8M. When asked the reason CAO Steve Robinson said, "It' a philosophy thing, do you want the taxpayers in the next 25 years paying for the facility or do you want present taxpayers doing it?" So she made a motion to the effect that other funds be used as well as development charges used to finance the debt - it lost. After that she wanted the resolution split in two parts so that she could vote for the project but against the financing details. It never happened so she voted against the resolution because of the financing arrangements. For his part Councillor Frost was incensed "We have met three times on this issue and we have never had a discussion about what it is! Council must settle down and say what it is we are doing."
Apparently that is something they will not do now because at the same meeting they decided to hire a Project Manager to fill in the details, with the steering committees, and run the project. BTW that decision cost us $310K.
Who says that the Private Sector can do it best? Putting their faith in owning and operating their own piece of equipment Council bought a boat. A dredger to be precise. Cobourg spent $123K last year on dredging the harbour and it is an annual chore. If Cobourg wants a harbour it has to keep the entrance open by dredging. Buying a boat for the sum of $688K and paying for it over ten years we save 46K alone on our own costs. If we rent it out at $566 per hour we make more money, and there are customers already waiting for it. A good deal for all and it came about because this was a job that the private sector couldn't do, or didn't want to do, properly!
The debate kicked off with Councillor Frost asking that the project be made more specific and that private clubs, especially the Lawn Bowling club be left out of the project unless they pay a full rate. "The June report spoke about a club house for the Lawn Bowling Club, we should not be using public money to relocate private clubs." When the gang of four made it abundantly clear that they were not going to support his motion, quote Councillor MacDonald, "This motion is redundant, the Steering Committees will decide this" Frost tried to persuade the rest of Council to tighten up the proposal, in Council chambers, the majority were quite happy to let unelected and as yet unknown members of the steering committees decide the nuts and bolts of the build. So having kicked Stan in the goolies the gang of four then put the boots, in due process, to the other dissenter of the group.
Councillor Mutton wanted to know why the Council was funding the Municipal Portion of the build, $6 million, out of the development charges fund and not use the "playmoney" from the Holdco and Northam park dividends because when debentured the $6M goes to $8M. When asked the reason CAO Steve Robinson said, "It' a philosophy thing, do you want the taxpayers in the next 25 years paying for the facility or do you want present taxpayers doing it?" So she made a motion to the effect that other funds be used as well as development charges used to finance the debt - it lost. After that she wanted the resolution split in two parts so that she could vote for the project but against the financing details. It never happened so she voted against the resolution because of the financing arrangements. For his part Councillor Frost was incensed "We have met three times on this issue and we have never had a discussion about what it is! Council must settle down and say what it is we are doing."
Apparently that is something they will not do now because at the same meeting they decided to hire a Project Manager to fill in the details, with the steering committees, and run the project. BTW that decision cost us $310K.
Who says that the Private Sector can do it best? Putting their faith in owning and operating their own piece of equipment Council bought a boat. A dredger to be precise. Cobourg spent $123K last year on dredging the harbour and it is an annual chore. If Cobourg wants a harbour it has to keep the entrance open by dredging. Buying a boat for the sum of $688K and paying for it over ten years we save 46K alone on our own costs. If we rent it out at $566 per hour we make more money, and there are customers already waiting for it. A good deal for all and it came about because this was a job that the private sector couldn't do, or didn't want to do, properly!
7 comments:
Ben, you're being a tad facetious aren't you. This subject,( town issues in general ) has been discussed in the minutest of detail at the nearest watering hole. All neatly done and vetted too. Geez, those out of the loop, need to pony up and buy a round for the boys. Get with it , you know. What's the problem ? All is well.
I thought the practise of Town officials, elected and otherwise, holding those friendly informal meetings in local drinking establishments had fallen into disfavour.
After the scandal of a drunk driving charge following one of these meetings years ago, one that spread to include senior police officials, a police board member or two and various other local movers and shakers from both Cobourg and PH, everyone appears to have learned their lesson.
Say, they haven't gone and got themselves a limo and driver have they? Or maybe they are all just too old and dull for carousing anymore.
This may be slightly off topic but it does concern the ever increasing vanity of our Town Councillors, who have quietly decided to ramp up the sound facilities of Old Bailey courtroom so they can hold their Council meetings there.
I could not believe what I was reading when I saw that story. Visions of Delanty decked out not only in his robe and big necklace, but wearing a big curly powdered wig came to mind, and before long I could imagine him in those funny knee britches too.
Next we'll need the Town Crier to announce him, then each Councillor as they strut down the stairs, bow to His Worship, and solemnly take their seats.
Talk about pompous and self important; these guys get the prize again.
Who will even want to endure "those" seats for more than twenty minutes, much less an average length council meeting?
I can remember when a pair of young men from Toronto ventured into Cobourg to pay a social call on my girl friend and me. We had met them in Yorkville after a weekend spent at my friend's older sister's apartment. Very exciting for a couple of Cobourg girls.
In those days you didn't casually invite a young man, especially with very long hair, to come and stay at your parents' house with you, so they both spent the weekend sleeping on those hard wooden court room benches. It didn't seem to hurt them and in those days there was no security guard to worry about.
In those days you could wander down into the basement of the Town Hall and go through boxes of very old town records, with the fine spidery handwriting they used in those days. It was very neat, a most interesting way to spend some time.
You certainly couldn't do that now.
Lack of security in those late 60s facilitated sex in the judge's chair, on the stage of the "opera house", in the balcony, and the holding cell in back of the courtroom. Basement? Too damp for fancy.
Well now, I have a friend who claimed to have done the deed way up in the clock tower itself, which certainly impressed me at the time. Sadly, I can't claim that kind of excitement myself, at least not dating back quite that far.
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