Deputy mayor calls for feasibility report on third-party review of Ramara’s financial systems

Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, OrilliaMatters.com

Two motions at Ramara’s council meeting this week may bring some debate — and changes — down the road.

The first was a notice of motion from Coun. David Snutch, in which he emphasized the need to increase updates to council regarding litigation.

The motion suggests using the council information package (CIP) process and that memos or reports be submitted at key stages during any litigation. At the discretion of the township solicitor, clerk, or CAO, memos may be public or confidential, depending on the nature of the matter.

“I want to make sure the council is exposed to all potential litigation,” said Snutch.

“I’m not in a rush to get this through today … It’s just a matter of making sure that we get all the legal correspondence, whether it’s initiated at our lawyer’s level, or at our internal legal department…I know staff is trying to update council as much as possible, but things get missed,” he said.

The newly appointed director of corporate services/legal, Ryan Matson, said this is intended.

“Staff is more than happy to continue committing to these regular updates,” he said.

An inquiry motion — a formal request for information — was also put forward by Deputy Mayor Keith Bell.

A notice of motion seeks to change policy, while an inquiry is a formal request for information. A notice of motion provides notice to the rest of council in advance of a possible discussion/decision at a later date.

Bell’s motion directed the CAO to prepare a report that outlines the feasibility, scope, timing and anticipated costs associated with obtaining third-party professional reports.

The purpose is to review the township’s overall financial systems and include recommendations for optimizations.

The motion proposes a review of the township’s water and wastewater operations as well as the legal and governance framework for its relationship with the Lagoon City Parks and Waterways Commission.

“I think this is something that we’ve heard every council member request at some point … I think the people have asked for this, it’s good for our residents and it’s good for us as council to make decisions,” said Bell.

He recognized CAO Gayle Jackson’s skills and background as assets in the undertaking.

“Perfect timing, because I remember shortly after I became mayor we did a very similar study on the overall function and we restructured,” said Ramara Mayor Basil Clarke.

Snutch asked if there is an estimate of cost related to the review. Jackson said “no,” as her report, although comprehensive, will provide options to do the work.

The CAO’s report will identify what is included in the analysis and then outline the financial requirements to obtain the full analysis that is being requested.

Coun. Sherri Bell suggested including an assessment of Ramara’s bylaws and policies as a base. She noted learning about some “on the fly” when they pertain to a specific matter.

“In order for any report to be done, there has to be a review of what’s currently in place,” explained Jackson.

“For example, for a consultant to come in to look at our financial systems, they’re going to have to look at what we’ve got in place in terms of policies, how we manage the systems and so on.”

The township’s leadership team, she noted, has discussed the creation of an internal policy manual for council members. This would be a different project altogether.

Jackson aims to present her report to council at a June meeting.

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