Baby step

Council dithers over size of council

Council inched forward last week toward honouring the intention of voters expressed in a ballot question more than two years ago. However it wasn’t clear that a process can be initiated and completed in time to put into effect any proposed changes.

The size of council has vexed Shire Hall for at least three terms. Horse trading and deal making during the formation of the amalgamated County led to the at-times unwieldy and cumbersome 16-member council that governs the 25,000 folks who call Prince Edward County home.

The debate became particularly heated during the last council, stopped up by a series of stalemates. Unable to reach a consensus the council opted to put the size of council to the people to decide if it was even an issue to them.

Eighty per cent of respondents said yes, they wanted the next council to initiate a process to review council size. Overall voter turnout in 2010, however, fell under the 50 per cent threshold necessary to make the decision binding upon council. Some councillors saw this as an out— a way to ignore the wishes of the 7,578 who answered yes.

But recently council has grudgingly turned its collective attention to the issue once again. The question remains open, however, whether some members are sincere or merely stringing out the discussion in hopes of running out the clock for changes to be made in time for the next election. After Monday’s meeting the question remains unanswered.

Staff had hoped council would commit to taking action to hold a review and implement any recommendations. Instead, what they got was more modest: council would allow staff to identify a facilitator or consultant who might guide them through such a review process.

No timeline was prescribed. No commitment to act tendered. Not even a commitment to hire the consultant once one were found and vetted.

Still, it was enough for Mayor Peter Mertens to declare progress—albeit incremental.

“It is a solid foot forward,” said Mertens. “Meanwhile it allows us to finalize the terms of reference that will guide the review and public consultations.”

Mertens expects a facilitator may be found and contracted before the end of the year. That leaves about four months to review the issue, seek public input, and for council to make a decision in order for it to take effect in time for the next election.