MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a story, titled, 'County politicians divided on shrinking council, adding full-time warden' published Sept. 13.
County Council recently referred back to staff the question of restructuring council. It is a matter of little impact to people living in Orillia. However, the voters living in Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Severn and other townships should pay attention as these people elect and pay the county councillors.
The matter has been studied several times by both the county and the province. It is not a matter of technical difficulties. In reality it is a matter that is easy understood by anybody knowledgeable in municipal governance. The difficulty is that the 32 county councillors cannot reach something approaching consensus, so they refer it back to staff.
The basic issue is that many people, including this writer, consider a 32 member council too big for the county. There are several solutions to this. Some more disruptive and costly than others. The following suggestion will save some money and be the least disruptive to the current system.
The suggestion is that council consist of 16 members, the mayors of each township. The 16 council members elect the Warden from one of the 16 members, for a four-year term. The Warden retains the voting rights at the same level as he /she would have had as a councillor.
As an aside issue, I also recommend the practice of appointing “alternates” from the townships for short-term absences of a county councillor be discontinued. The reason for this as these “alternates” are not elected to the county.
A further benefit of the 16-member county council would be opportunity for the townships to consider eliminating deputy mayors. Many municipalities operate without deputies. It would save some money.
Konrad Brenner,
Ramara Township
