Minister to appoint next county warden
The province has introduced legislation which, if passed, will significantly alter the composition of Simcoe County council. The Better Regional Governance Act would reduce the size of council and allow the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing toappoint a warden.
Under the current system, county council is composed of 32 members including the mayor and deputy mayor of each of the 16 member municipalities. The warden is elected from within the membership.
A resolution passed by the county last March called for one representative from each municipality, with the warden elected at large.
Clearview Mayor Doug Measures is opposed to the reduction in council size.
“I was vocal at the time that the reduced number of councillors and the weighted vote provision is not consistent with the objective to serve all people in the county equally and fairly,” he said. “Weighted voting does not serve the interests of rural municipalities.”
Measures says awarding votes based on population ensures that the five larger municipalities in the county can impose their will on smaller municipalities.
“For example, we know that rural municipalities have a great need for paramedic services, but a vote could be made to devote all available resources to larger urban centres,” he cautions.
“Everyone is committed to the goal of establishing more long-term care facilities in the county, but we could easily see all of those facilities built in urban centres as opposed to throughout the county where they are needed.”
Measures expressed further concern about having the warden appointed by the province rather than selected from among elected representatives.
“Right now, everyone who sits on county council has a mandate but with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing appointing the warden, the head of council will be someone with no actual mandate given by the electorate. This is just ineffective leadership,” he said.
The proposed legislation, expected to be passed in advance of the May 1 opening of nominations for this fall’s municipal elections, would also create “strong chair” powers (comparable to strong mayor powers) which are intended to provide more efficient, streamlined local decision-making, enabling council to deliver faster results for residents and support efforts to advance shared provincial-municipal priorities.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack says the changes will support lower costs for municipal taxpayers. In a newsrelease from the province, Flack said, “These changes provide the necessary tools for local leadership to advance our shared priorities and better serve our communities, including by expediting housing and infrastructure development.”
Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke said in a statement, “While our governance model has served the county effectively for many decades, there is recognition that further streamlining decision-making will better support the needs of our communities.
“This reduction in the size of council, which was previously recommended by county council, advances our ongoing efforts to be responsive and cost efficient for residents, while continuing to ensure strong local decision-making at county council through the leadership of our 16 lower- tier mayors and representatives from the separated cities,” he continues.
“With growth in our efficient regional services, there is also a strong need for a full-time head of council to focus on the interests of our residents and communities every day. These changes will help strengthen our ability to serve our growing region effectively. We look forward to the province sharing more information about the process of appointment of the full-time warden position.”
Simcoe County is responsible for regional services such as maintenance of county roads, provision of paramedic and social service programs and waste collection. Its operations are funded with contributions from member municipalities.
