Gordon Lummis said he agrees with the recommendations put forth in a report by Kings County chief administrative officer Tom MacEwan.
Lummis said the coalition has been recommending a robust study of regional governance, and a shared services review would be part of that. However, the citizens group doesn’t want to see local municipalities stop at the shared services study or impose pre-conditions on a governance study.
The coalition has written to Warden Diana Brothers and county council in advance of them considering MacEwan’s report and recommendations on Jan. 28.
“That will provide the warden and council with a real opportunity to show real leadership in Kings County,” Lummis said.
He said county council should be consistent with a notice of motion currently before the Kings Partnership Steering Committee. At the last partnership meeting, Wolfville introduced a notice of motion calling for four steps leading to a “regional service delivery and governance study.” The partnership will consider the motion at its next meeting.
The steps include developing a shared vision, mission and goals; identifying current and potential shared services; recommending the implementation of those services and undertaking a study in partnership with the province, subject to funding.
“They have an opportunity to show further leadership by agreeing with the partnership proposal,” Lummis said.
The partnership steering committee has been considering the concept of a regional governance study since the Kings Citizens Coalition made a presentation on the topic last June.
In the letter sent to the warden and council, the citizen coalition urges council to pass a motion in support of what Wolfville put forward at the last partnership meeting. The first phase would be the study of shared services as proposed by MacEwan and the second phase an independent regional governance study.
MacEwan recommends shared services study
Kings County chief administrative officer Tom MacEwan’s report is recommending a shared services review before council commits to a regional governance study.
The report makes two recommendations. The first is that the county delay committing to any regional governance study until the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities fiscal review steering committee releases the second part of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal Review, due in the next few months.
MacEwan anticipates that the options identified by the committee would be relevant to any study on regional governance.
MacEwan is also recommending that the county and other members of the Kings Partnership Steering Committee undertake a shared services review, tasked to the committee of Kings chief administrative officers.
MacEwan was directed by council on Oct. 1 to prepare a report with options and recommendations relating to a proposed independent review of governance in Kings County. The report was to be presented to the committee of the whole no later than January 2014.
Council is expected to officially receive the report at the Jan. 28 committee of the whole session. MacEwan couldn’t be reached for comment on his report prior to deadline for this article.
Shared services study objectives
- Creation of an inventory of regional or multi-jurisdictional services currently in place through inter-municipal agreements, joint service boards or other agencies where one or more of the partners fund the core operations of the entities.
- Examination of existing inter-municipal service agreements, joint service boards or other agencies. Strengths and weaknesses of the current governance model would be identified; as would the scope of the service provided, methods of service delivery and the overall sustainability of the program would be explored.
- Recommend, where appropriate, alternative governance models, changes to the scope of the services provided or different delivery methods with the goal of increasing efficiencies and ensuring the financial sustainability.
- Identify potential collaborations between two or more of the partners to improve municipal operations or the provision of municipal services on a multi-jurisdictional or regional basis and recommend a governance model for the provision of the program or service.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Kirk Starratt
Quelle/Source: The Kings County Register/Advertiser, 27.01.2014
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