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Read Mayor Bennett's Year 3 Report (& Watch & Tweet #Year3 Q's On October 29th When He Appears For Live TV Cogeco Special)
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Mayor Daryl Bennett delivered his Three Year Report Thursday (October 24th). The report, an analysis of City Council’s performance over the first three years of its four year term, highlighted 80 key accomplishments in areas such as financial management, economic developmen and social services. Said Mayor Bennett, “As I see it, we have put our financial house in order. We have invested in both current needs and future obligations. We have approved modest tax increases in accordance with the ability of the community to pay. We have looked out over a longer horizon and charted a course for our future.”
Do you agree? Well you're invited to interact live with Mayor Bennett on his Three Year Report following the speech of his broadcast on TV Cogeco at 8 PM on Tuesday, October 29. People are encouraged to call in that night to speak with Mayor Bennett; tweet him with their comments using hashtag #Year3—our Neil Morton will be live in the TV Cogeco studio that night to monitor questions over social media and ask the Mayor; or upload video/question now to Facebook.com/TVCPTBO.
Here's the speech he delivered in its entirety...
Notes For Remarks
Daryl Bennett
Mayor Bennett’s Three Year Report
October 24, 2013 12 Noon
Best Western Hotel
Peterborough
Let me begin with a word of thanks to the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce
For the opportunity to speak with you today.
The Chamber has graciously helped with arrangements for this meeting...
As have TV Cogeco and the Best Western Plus Otonabee Inn...
And I am grateful to all of them.
We created this meeting not only to permit me to report to City
Councillors and the public...
But to set something of a template
That might hopefully become an annual event in the life of our community
in the years ahead.
Speaking of our City Councillors, allow me to introduce them to you now.
***
Tomorrow marks the third anniversary of the election of the current
Peterborough City Council.
Having completed the first three years of our four year term,
My purpose today is to report to the community on our progress and
performance
As we head into an election year.
I am proud to say that this reporting
Has become something of a defining characteristic of this Council.
I issued my first report on our work as a Council 40 days into the
term...
Then again on the anniversary of the first six months in office...
And again on the completion of our first year.
This was followed last year by the midterm report...
Which looked at our progress in terms of the 45 campaign proposals
I put forward during the 2010 mayoralty campaign.
I prepare these reports
Because I believe that government should be as transparent as possible,
And because it is important to me
That the Councillors and I be fully accountable to our electors,
And to the entire community.
***
So ... how have we done over the first three years?
I know that this is a subjective judgement,
And that your opinion is ultimately more important than mine.
In assessing our performance, I have looked at two things:
First, the main issues and themes that emerged during the 2010 election
campaign,
Including the proposals I made during that same campaign...
And second, the thousands of comments I hear...
And all Councillors hear...
From people from all walks of life ... who ... over the past three
years...
Have taken an active interest in their City and their future.
***
Let’s begin with our financial state of affairs.
Because of my background in business,
I know that people had high expectations
That Council would put the City’s financial house in solid working
order,
And I believe that we have done exactly that.
Standard & Poor’s credit rating for the City of Peterborough is
AA-/Stable.
This is very good news, and a financial status about which we can be
very proud.
In terms of residential property tax increases,
We have been deliberate in holding them to modest levels,
In order to help keep costs down for Peterborough families.
We have recognized the limits of the ability to pay within our
community,
And we have acted accordingly.
For our industrial and commercial property classes,
We are continuing an 8-year program that balances tax rates in a
business-friendly way,
And we will continue to do so.
As financial managers, we have made a conscious choice to invest in our
long term future.
For those with eyes only on the next horizon or the next election,
It is tempting to ignore the long term capital investments necessary to
support future generations.
We have not done that.
Instead, we have taken stock of our infrastructure deficiencies
And invested in a wide variety of important improvements.
We have an obligation not just to run a City, but to build and maintain
a City as well.
And we have done exactly that.
Last year, there were 240 projects in the capital budget,
Representing an investment of almost $63 Million.
The City is also living well within its means.
We have all heard stories of municipalities in financial trouble as a
result of debt...
Even to the point of bankruptcy.
Not Peterborough.
Measured against provincial standards, the City is using less than half
of its debt capacity.
In fact, even with a debt limit we have set for ourselves...
We are still using only 75 per cent of that capacity.
Our financial house is in very good order,
And it will continue to be so.
Finally, as Councillors, we walked the financial walk ourselves...
Freezing our salaries and then limiting our annual pay increases
To the Consumer Price Index or the lowest CUPE settlement...
Whichever is less.
Your Councillors will not accept a wage increase that is greater than
the increase given to its staff.
And that is as it should be.
***
Let me raise the question of vision.
It’s a word that carries big meaning
And is important for every organization.
Right from the beginning of the term,
Most City Councillors sensed a measure of uncertainty in the community
About where the City was headed.
And while cities are always a work in progress,
And always will be...
The continuing course of our transition away from an industrial economic
base
Was raising more questions than it was answering.
As a community, we were not clear on a collective vision...
And we were unsure about the roadmap that could direct us all in a
common cause.
It’s been said that if you don’t know where you are going,
Any road will get you there.
So we set out to do some important planning.
I include here,
The development of a new Peterborough Official Plan.
The approval of a new Housing and Homelessness Plan.
The approval of a new Sustainable Peterborough Plan.
The approval of a new Municipal Cultural Plan.
The approval of a new Comprehensive Transportation Plan.
The approval of a new Public Transit Operations Review.
The approval of a new Waste Management Master Plan.
The approval of a new Flood Reduction Master Plan.
The approval of a new Urban Forest Strategic Plan.
The approval of a new Morrow Park Master Plan.
And the development of a Climate Change Action Plan.
This is not a shopping list.
And I hope it won’t be seen that way.
It is, I think, tangible proof of our ability to look forward...
To consult with people ... to listen to expert advice ... and to chart a
new course for the future...
In which our constituents can find both affirmation and acceptance.
***
Let me turn to the way we conduct the people’s business.
I know this is not at the top of everyone’s list of accomplishments,
But we hear about it all the time.
Your Council functions without acrimony or outburst.
We choose decorum over discourtesy.
We value all that is collegial and cooperative.
We disagree, yes ... but we do so in ways that respect differing points
of view,
All of which are welcome at our table.
That success, I believe, is the result of a determined focus on
Councillor needs and services.
In the first year of the term, we put in place a modified version of
zero-based budgeting
So that Councillors would have a more meaningful say in the early stages
of setting the annual budget.
And it has worked.
We have updated our Procedure Bylaw
And established new Councillor Portfolios for seniors, economic
development and multicultural diversity.
We have been innovative in serving Councillors with new services, new
technologies
And a new measure of autonomy in the use of their own discretionary
funds.
We delegated a number of responsibilities to staff
So that Councillors could increasingly focus on the big picture.
Our purpose with all of these changes was to modernize the role of
Councillors
And strengthen their capacities as corporate managers.
And it has worked.
Most importantly, we have instituted a new customer-driven culture
across the organization,
Supported by mandatory staff training sessions,
And based on the simple but stirring idea
That the people of the City are our customers,
And that we are in business to serve them.
***
Economic development is on everyone’s radar.
And we are no exception.
Three Councillors ... myself included ... have assumed Portfolio
responsibilities for economic development.
We have now initiated hundreds of meetings with current employers and
prospective investors...
Many of whom have never been approached by the City...
So we could speak with them about the future they see for themselves,
their employees and their families...
And how we can help them get there.
So how have we done?
Well, we put in place the largest public works project in the City’s
history,
And a key factor in our future economic success...
That being the expansion and upgrading of the Peterborough Airport...
Including the new Airport Terminal Building...
Improvements to the roadways, runways, aprons, and hangars...
The new Seneca College School of Aviation and Flight Technology...
And the development of a new aviation business community.
We approved the largest residential subdivision in the City’s history,
And we created guidelines to permit new subdivisions embodying the
principles of the new urbanism.
We approved the redevelopment of the former St. Joseph’s Hospital site
in East City,
Which is now underway.
We continue to invest in the downtown,
Where we have waived development charges in certain areas...
Reduced parking requirements...
And invested millions of dollars in capital improvements.
We put in place two new Community Improvement Plans that offer
substantial financial incentives
Such as grants,
And the reducing and waiving of property tax increases, fees and
development charges...
In order to stimulate new private sector investment and renewal in the
Central Area,
And to encourage the development of affordable housing across the City.
We created a new and results-based contractual relationship with
Peterborough Economic Development,
Where the focus is now squarely on employment retention and attraction.
Through the City of Peterborough Holdings, Inc.
We undertook new hydro generation business arrangements with Trent
University for the management of the Stanley Adamson Powerhouse...
And we are investing in upgraded hydro facilities at the London Street
Generating Station.
We supported the new Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre at Fleming
College.
And we declared ourselves a potential host for a new casino.
While economic development and job creation are areas
That are largely influenced by the policies and programs of senior
governments,
We strive to create the environment that attracts investment,
And this remains a primary focus of everything we do.
***
Government business is about people.
If it’s not, then it should be out of business.
In terms of social policy,
Your Council was successful ... even with a tightening of its financial
belt...
In maintaining all its social services in place.
Until this year.
In spite of our best efforts ... including the investment of our own
additional property tax dollars and determined lobbying at Queen’s
Park...
The provincial cuts to one program ... the Ontario Works Discretionary
Benefits...
Went into effect this year.
Notwithstanding that provincial decision,
We have continued to maintain a very extensive suite of social services,
Including financial assistance, housing, transportation and food
support...
Children’s services ... employment services ... community dental
services ... and emergency shelter and assistance.
In terms of those in greatest need,
We created an after-hours emergency telephone line for food, shelter and
prescriptions.
We funded the new Lighthouse Drop-in Centre to replace the former Our
Space facility.
And we put in place a new winter warming protocol
So that no person in need who seeks help will be put at risk.
I have said before that a community can be measured
By the way it looks after those who are least able to look after
themselves.
And this is still the guidepost that marks our way.
And let’s be clear about our increasingly diverse community,
Where multicultural Canadians represent growth opportunities
In terms of population, employment and investment.
The City has created a new immigration portal.
We have supported the new Canadians Centre and the Workplace Integration
Centre.
And we have recently sponsored a first ever meeting with multicultural
business community,
Which is intended to support the success and the expansion of that
sector over time.
***
For years now, we have heard the call for improved sports and
recreational facilities in the City,
Particularly through two innovative Summits put on by Sport Kawartha.
Based on a new approach to partnerships, we have made good progress in
answering that call...
With a new state-of-the-art, multipurpose, artificial turf field and
track at TASSS...
Which will allow for evening events and extended seasonal use...
With two new outstanding artificial sports fields at Fleming College
that are now nearing completion...
With our continued funding of the new Trent Community Sport and
Recreation Centre...
And a good prospect for the development of a new baseball facility on
Trent lands...
With the approval of the new Morrow Park Master Plan...
With the work underway to replace the Northcrest Arena...
With the opening of new splash pads at Nicholls Oval and Rogers Cove...
With the completion of the Millenium Trail from Millenium Park to
Jackson Creek...
And with the rebuilding of the CPR footbridge and trail over the
Otonabee River.
***
We also heard from people that it was ... as many of them so eloquently
put it...
Time to get on with the job.
By that they meant turning the heat up on projects
That seemed to have more currency in the talking than the doing.
And so we did.
I include here the three sports fields I referred to earlier...
The completion of the improvements to the Hunter Street Bridge...
The opening of the renovated Market Hall...
The building of the new Fire Hall on Clonsilla Avenue...
The completion of Medical Drive on the Parkway corridor...
The development of new student housing on Water Street...
The renovations and accessibility improvements at City Hall...
And the upgrading of Lansdowne Street West ... a project that had been
on the books since 1991.
In carrying out this work, we have not abandoned our environmental
responsibilities.
In fact, we have reinforced them...
With a new policy of installing solar panels on City buildings, where
possible...
With the highest rate of diversion of residential waste in the City’s
history...
With the mining of methane gas for power generation at our waste
facility...
With the introduction of the City’s first Environment Day...
With the collection of more than 270,000 kilograms of electronic waste
annually...
With the installation of new street waste receptacles...
And with the expansion of our cycling lanes and trail system.
***
As you can imagine, the list of accomplishments goes on.
I could include the development of a new cell tower policy...
The licensing of rooming houses...
Automated stop announcements on City buses...
The first ever proclamation of International Women’s Day...
The agreement to purchase waterfront land at the Navy Club...
And the strengthening of the City’s no smoking bylaw...
Just to name a few.
The point is that we have listened to people and acted in their
interest.
***
As I see it, we have put our financial house in order.
We have invested in both current needs and future obligations.
We have approved modest tax increases in accordance with the ability of
the community to pay.
We have looked out over a longer horizon and charted a course for our
future.
We have created a culture that values civility and cooperation ... and
is driven by the highest ideals of customer service.
We have completed the projects that needed completing.
And we have done so with a focus squarely on the two most fundamental
pillars of City building...
That is, the aggressive promotion of economic wealth...
And the fair and equitable distribution of that wealth.
I am grateful to all Councillors ... to City staff ... and to my own
staff...
For the work that they have done in advancing the interests of our
constituents...
And for committing to a fourth year of the same.
Thank you.
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The City Of Peterborough Embraces Social Media By Joining Twitter @CityPtbo
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The City of Peterborough has taken a big step—they are on Twitter and tweeting @CityPtbo. We wanted to find out why they took this step now, and the back story on how it came together. Heather Watson, Councillor Services Assistant with the City of Peterborough, explains in this interview.
PTBOCANADA: This is a big step for the city. How much planning and logistics went into deciding to activate this account? Has it been in the works for a while? Many internal conversations? What were your main concerns in joining Twitter?
WATSON: There has been a group working on a social media policy since the Mayor was elected in 2010. After much collaboration, a social media policy was adopted by Council in the Spring of this year. The policy and accompanying procedure explored the use of various social channels by each of the departments within the City. Concerns discussed and addressed were the timely responses to postings, regular monitoring and security (password management, who has access etc.).
The Mayor's Office was not involved in the working group, however we did have input once a draft policy was presented. Our concern was to ensure that members of Council would be free to maintain social media profiles and respond to their constituents in a way that they saw fit. We also wanted to know that staff who managed the accounts were able to respond to requests made through social channels in a timely way to provide good customer service.
PTBOCANADA: Who will be looking after the account and will it be monitored during weekdays only? Will there be interaction with Tweeters (aka "tweeps") who have questions/concerns?
WATSON: Any City department or program can start a social profile. As in the case of the City of Peterborough Twitter account, staff are assigned to be responsible for the management, monitoring and responding to queries. The @CityPtbo is managed through Corporate Services staff member Sharron Hayton. The account will be monitored Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.. The purpose of the account is to relay messages as it relates to media releases and information that is already public. Interaction with tweeps will be responsive to questions and to refer them to the right channel.
PTBOCANADA: What is the main "mission" of the account?
WATSON: To get messages out to City residents in a timely way and to respond to customer service inquiries.
PTBOCANADA: Do you see this as another step in the city embracing the age of social media? Mayor Bennett, of course, has been on Twitter for a while.
WATSON: Yes. This is something that Mayor Bennett has been encouraging since being elected. Now that a policy has been adopted by Council, citizens can expect to see more engagement through social channels. He was the first Mayor to tweet in the City of Peterborough, has held two Twitter Town Halls to engage citizens and he proclaimed June 30, 2013 as Social Media Day in the City to recognize the important role that social media plays in our community.
PTBOCANADA: Will it be used in times of emergency for the city?
WATSON: This account will be used to get timely information out to citizens during times of emergency.
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Note: Watson notes there are a number number of City departments/programs that currently maintain Twitter sites. Here they are:
Peterborough Airport: @PtboAirport
GPA EDC: @PtboEcDev
Peterborough Fire Services: @PtboFireRescue
Peterborough Museum & Archives: @OntheHill3
Peterborough Lakefield Police: @PLCPS
Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre: @PSWC1
Peterborough Transit: @PeterboroughTr1
Peterborough Utilities: @ptbo_utilities
Riverview Park & Zoo: @RiverviewZoo
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Chalk Talk: Mayor Daryl Bennett
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PtboCanada's Chalk Talk is a snapshot of people's favourite thing about Peterborough. Watch for us around town as we would like to feature your favourite thing too! In this edition of Chalk Talk, Mayor Daryl Bennett was very enthusiastic about "The volunteer spirit of Peterborough!"
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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Top 10 Reasons Not To Build A Road On The Parkway Greenspace
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The Friends of Jackson Park and the Friends of Peterborough Trails have compiled a list of the Top 10 Reasons Not to Build a Road on the Parkway Greenspace. Here they are...
1. The Parkway is not a solution to our traffic problems
The proposed Parkway fixes perhaps one-tenth of our traffic problems in the north end of the City. It links one fifth of the City’s planned north end residential areas to only one of the two main employment areas in the City. The City proposed the original "Parkway" route to bypass the city limits as they were in 1947. Other options better connect the places where we live to the places we work.
2. The Parkway Greenspace is one of Peterborough’s most precious assets
The Parkway Greenspace corridor is the largest and most significant natural habitat and open space in the north end of Peterborough, and one of the largest areas of green space in the City. It is a key part of the City trails network. The Parkway route also serves as an important wildlife corridor, along which wildlife can traverse a large swath of the city. It allows citizens, and most importantly our children, to observe wildlife and connect with nature.
3. The Parkway is not the best investment of our hard earned tax dollars
The projected cost of the Parkway is around 40 million dollars. This does not include costs to deal with noise, flooding and other infrastructure. Realistically, the price could be easily around $50-‐60 million. Do you want your taxes increased to pay for a road that doesn’t meet Peterborough’s needs; a road a majority of us don’t want, all for a time saving of one to three minutes? We have other critical spending priorities, including fixing the many poorly maintained roads we already have.
4. When given the opportunity to actually choose, the people of Peterborough said “No Parkway”
The Parkway has been a contentious issue in Peterborough for many decades. It was turned down by 55% of voters in a referendum in November 2003. Following that vote, City Council ordered the Chief Administrative Officer to have the Parkway removed from the Official Plan. This did not occur. Why was the voice of the people not respected and the why was the direction of Council not acted upon?
5. The Parkway Greenspace promotes a healthier population
Greenspace encourages people to get outside, to walk instead of drive, to interact with each other and connect with the natural world around them. Greenspaces are proven to support a better sense of community and improved mental health. The greenspace provides a place for city children to explore and play, for free, no matter what their financial means. We have an obesity epidemic costing us billions of dollars and untold health problems. Do we need to make the situation worse?
6. The Parkway Greenspace supports our children and our schools
There are five schools along the Parkway corridor. The Parkway will run directly alongside two primary schools. Putting a major arterial road directly next to or near these schools increases risks to students. Also, a main arterial road will eliminate safe opportunities for students to learn about science and nature, conduct their own research and experience outdoor education in a natural setting.
7. Previous consultants said we don’t have a problem, now or in the future
In their report to City Council on April 18th, 2011, consultants Morrison-‐Hershfield reported that even with no road improvements beyond those presently committed, the best performance models for 2031 show no significant congestion except around river crossings. This congestion is not addressed in any of the proposals related to the Parkway.
8. We are not growing as fast as projected so do we really need a new road?
Growth projections prior to the 2012 Comprehensive Transportation Plan turned out to be optimistic, and current slow economic progress and an ageing demographic may impact the projections used in the 2012 Plan.
9. The Parkway Greenspace supports Provincial planning directives
A 2012 Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Provincial Policy Statement on Land Use Planning requires all municipalities to have and protect natural heritage systems that include natural corridors and linkages such as Jackson Park and the Parkway Greenspace corridor. A decision to build a road through these natural corridors would be contrary to such provincial directions
10. Paving the Parkway Greenspace will certainly lead to a bridge through Jackson Park
You only have to look at the incremental history of the “Parkway by Stealth” campaign to see that this will happen (despite the promises it won’t). When the southern and northern parts of the Parkway are finished, do you think they will leave a big bend around Jackson Park between the two?
If you believe in permanently protecting the Parkway Greenspace and Jackson Park, please let your councillor know. Alternative 2 (Fairbairn/3rd Line) is a far more effective route than the Parkway for connecting the places people live and where they work and shop, now and in the future. The Fairbairn/3rd Line route will not see the destruction of our precious greenspaces and makes even more sense given the many fewer residences affected and the proposed Lily Lake housing development.
Join us at the next Parkway EA meeting Thursday, June 27th from 4:00 pm -‐ 9:00 pm at the Peterborough Wellness Centre. This is the last time you will be able to ask questions about the route before the final proposal is presented to City Council in September!
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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]
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Read The Letter Sent To The City Planning Committee About The Redevelopment Of Charlotte Street
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Old Jim's location
[UPDATE: Jan 23rd: The Shoppers Drug Mart decision has been delayed.]
Here's a letter Trent professor Stephen Hill sent to the Mayor and city councillors—and cc'ed the media on—about the redevelopment of Charlotte Street between Aylmer and Bethune...
"Dear Mr. Mayor and City Councillors,
I write regarding a report coming before Planning Committee Tuesday evening about the redevelopment of Charlotte Street between Aylmer and Bethune.
I am opposed to the proposed site plan for the following reasons:
- It is not consistent with a street scape that encourages pedestrian and active transportation.
- The building design has no second or third story and thus does not support the intensification of our downtown required by provincial legislation.
- It promotes a single purpose form of development. That is, the building will have little adaptive potential in 15 or 20 years, should Shoppers Drug Mart decide to vacate it in the future. The building design articulates the corporate brand rather than fitting into the existing and aspiring nature of downtown Peterborough. The development should hold enduring value for taxpayers.
- The site plan is inconsistent with the urban design expectations that were met by local developer Seven Hills in their new Collins Barrow building. The expectations for developers should be transparent and fair.
I am also concerned that last week's staff report to you (PLPD13-007) suggests that Council has already approved a preliminary "concept plan" for this site. I note to you the following passage on page 4 of the staff report:
"Staff have proceeded to process the Site Plan Application as though the concept site plan, already approved by Council, is a decided matter. The location of the building, the massing of the building, and the placement of the parking lot has been based on the approved concept site plan."
In my opinion, this is a mistaken presumption by city staff. Council minutes from December of 2011 make clear that the land conveyance is contingent upon a site plan agreement in keeping with "the general intent" of the concept plan that was presented at that time, not the concept plan itself.
"That the conveyances of City property and the improvements to municipal property be detailed in a site plan agreement and further, that the conveyances not occur until a Site Plan agreement has been executed for a redevelopment of 242-248 Charlotte Street and 321 Aylmer Street in keeping with the general intent of Appendix B, attached to Report PLPD11-081." (recommendation d)
This was confirmed in an email exchange between your Director of Planning and myself from last year (to which you were all copied). In that email, I was assured that "Council has only agreed in principle to the sale and exchange of certain municipal property in order to establish a parcel of land that is large enough to support a development of the scale proposed. The sale will only take place once Council has approved a site plan that captures the intent of the development concept presented" (emphasis added).
In my opinion, the general intent of the concept plan is for Shoppers Drug Mart to be on this parcel of land. The general intent implies nothing about the massing of the building or the placement of the parking lot, as suggested by the staff report.
While only Councillors can know with certainty your understanding of recommendation (d), I am concerned that the 18 January 2013 staff report infers decisions about the site plan that were not, in fact, made by Council. Indeed, because recommendation (g) of the December 2011 minutes - an amendment made during the meeting - requires the site plan return to Planning Committee for final approval, it seems fair to assume that the initial concept plan was not "a decided matter."
I would be pleased to discuss any of these matters with you further. I note also that I have copied this email to members of the local media who have written about this issue in the past - I expect your decision on this will be followed closely by many people in Peterborough.
I thank you all for your ongoing hard work and dedication to the city's governance and continued prosperity.
With kind regards,
Stephen Hill"
[Read the email here that Hill sent out last year about the development.]
Photo of the corner lot Shoppers Drug Mart in Newcastle, Ontario. Photo: Evan HoltTip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.
Read Mayor Bennett's Statement On A Report The Police Services Board Is Trying To Remove Him
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Photo: Evan HoltPeterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett today released the following statement to media:
A media report indicates that the Peterborough Lakefield Police Services Board has made an application to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission to attempt to remove me from the Board.
I have no notice or knowledge of any such application, nor have I had any indication from any Board member that such an action was being contemplated. If such an action has been taken, it clearly would have been appropriate and respectful to advise me of same.
An application of this sort would represent a rogue action focused on petty politics rather than quality policing. If there is lingering disappointment on the part of the Board that the Police Service did not receive its full 8.4% budget increase from the City this year, that disappointment must be put aside in the interest of civility and an acceptance of the public will. There is a time to graciously accept the will of the elected members of City Council and their constituents, and this is it.
I am aware that the Board has maintained a secret file on me, which I have not been permitted to see, and that there may be similar files on other Councillors. It is very troubling that the Board has adopted a practice of maintaining secret files on those with whom it disagrees. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that Board members will do the right thing and, like all other public agencies, focus their energies on serving people rather than attacking them.
The statement is issued in Daryl Bennett's capacity as Mayor and not as a Member of the Peterborough Lakefield Police Services Board.
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[UPDATE: 2:11 p.m. July 4th]
Media Release Response From The Board...
Media Release Response From The Board...
July 4, 2012
The Police Services Board does not have the authority to remove a member from the Board.
According to the Police Services Act, the authority to investigate the conduct of a board member and impose sanctions rests with the Ontario Civilian Police Commission.
The board continues to carry out its responsibilities to uphold the integrity of the Police Services Act and to ensure the citizens of Peterborough and Lakefield have adequate and effective policing.
There will be no further statements at this time.
Thank you
Nancy Martin Board Chair
Nancy Martin Board Chair
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Backroom Briefing Q: Why Does It Seem Like Decisions Are Made So Slowly At City Council?
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GOYETTE'S BACKROOM BRIEFINGQ: Why does it seem that decisions are made so slowly at City Council? –Bill, Peterborough
Goyette: The question is fairly general in nature, so I am going to respond in kind.
First, the conventional wisdom. Government is slow. In a race with a turtle, it would strike a subcommittee to review the risks associated with winning. The file is under active review. It will be determined in the fullness of time. The perception of lethargic government is so fully ingrained in the broader culture that we presume it to be self evident. And it is undeniably rich territory for the jester: “If it was forced to proceed through City Hall, the aging process itself would be slowed down.”
Because speed is relative, we see the measured march of the public sector in relation to the hustle and headway of the private sector, and the comparison is not flattering. Neither is it fair, and here’s why.
Unlike the private sector, the public sector is not driven by revenues, margins or profit. Its shareholders have expectations that go well beyond financials to include every aspect of public life, the breadth and complexity of which cannot be denied. As a result, government becomes a pleaser and a purveyor of inclusiveness, generating practices that necessarily chew up time. Government operates in a fishbowl, and that means it has to present favourable processes as well as favourable services. Those processes are extensive and often imposed by other governments. Government leaders understand that the most meaningful and grounded decisions—the ones that are likely to come back and bite you—are those that result from genuine community consultation and input, which takes time.
I am not an apologist for slow government. Neither are most people I have met who work in government, the vast majority of whom want to be part of a prideful organization. The issue has to do with the manner in which the above noted public sector characteristics are perceived by public sector workers. Unfortunately, some will use those characteristics as a rationalization for inefficiency, creating a culture of acquiescence and resignation.
To my mind, the answer lies in accepting the reality that government proceeds at a pace designed to serve its uniquely public purposes. The trick lies in creating a workplace culture that resists the temptation to let constraints become crutches, and pays permanent homage to the idea of doing things better. And faster.
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David Goyette is the Executive Assistant to Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett. Email your burning questions for David about City Hall to feedback@ptbocanada.com.
Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.
Backroom Briefing Q: What Happens During Closed Door Meetings Before City Council?
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GOYETTE'S BACKROOM BRIEFINGQ: What happens during the closed door meetings that sometimes happen before (and delay) City Council meetings? —Elizabeth
Goyette: We begin with the principle that the business of the public must be conducted in public. The democratic underpinning for this has to do with both the watchful inhibition of wrongdoing and the ethical promotion of accountability through transparency. Public exposure of government decision making increases public trust and decreases the invitation to impropriety.
Nonetheless, this fine principle can easily bump up against the practical realities of government decision making. A public meeting about a personal matter involving an identifiable individual may offend his or her right to privacy. A public meeting about a lawsuit may reveal information harmful to the case or offend solicitor-client privilege. The Ontario Municipal Act (Section 239.2) permits meetings or parts of meetings of Council or its Standing Committees to be closed to the public for situations like these, and the City of Peterborough’s procedural bylaw identifies nine such situations. The most recent of these was added last year, with some debate, having to do with education and training for Councillors.
Here’s what happens at a “closed session” meeting.
The meeting is held in a Committee Room, and begins in public or “open session,” followed by a vote of the Councillors to close the meeting to the public. Staff presentations frequently take place, and staff reports are printed on bright yellow paper to identify them as confidential; they are not publically distributed. The procedure for the meeting follows that of an “open session” meeting with the notable exception that formal voting by Councillors does not occur: a direction may be given to staff; a straw vote may be held to judge the will of the Councillors; or a consensus may be reached through discussion. The reason for the avoidance of a formal vote is optics—that is, the laudable avoidance of the perception of deal-making behind closed doors.
When the Councillors come out of the “closed session” they head into the “open session,” typically in the publically accessible Council Chambers. Public reports are distributed by the Clerk on the matters that have been agreed to: these are prepared and edited in advance to respect the confidentiality that brought them to the “closed session” in the first place. Councillors may speak to these reports in the “open session” before they are voted on, but rarely do because of the challenge of respecting the confidential elements of the matters they have just dealt with. The formal vote then takes place in public.
Many observers register surprise when they first come across this closed door process, because it appears to offend the highly desirable principle of transparency. In time, they come to see it as the necessary practice that it is: a means of permitting the City to protect its own corporate interests by meeting in private, but only when it would be harmful or prejudicial to those interests to do so in public.
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David Goyette is the Executive Assistant to Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett. Email your burning questions for David about City Hall to feedback@ptbocanada.com.
Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.
Backroom Briefing Q: How do You Deal With Conflicting Ideas Between Politicians & Public Servants?
/Q: How do you deal with the challenge of permanent professional staff who have conflicting ideas of how our 
City should run compared with a temporary and yet democratically elected Council? –Michael VanDerHerberg.
Goyette: Michael is an owner of the wonderful Silver Bean and the proprietor of Peterboroughcareers.com. He indicates that his question arises from a DBIA presentation on a new public square for Peterborough. It also goes to the heart of decision making in local government.
The three traditional branches of government—legislative, executive and judicial—enjoy separate and independent areas of balanced responsibility, all functioning at the will of and in support of the electorate. City Hall deals primarily with two of these branches: the legislative branch (elected City Councillors who make laws) and the executive branch (appointed public servants who administer laws).
The fundamental distinction is that Councillors represent the value laden and often short term views of municipal electors, while public servants represent the objective and often long term interests of the municipal corporation.
Of course, the two groups work together and are reliant on each other. In their working relationship, the lines of responsibility inevitably flex and blur, based largely on the forces of personality, culture and the corporate appetite for change. Manageable conflict can be expected to arise as a result of differing perspectives: short term interests versus long term interests; popular opinion versus professional expertise; popular spending versus prudent financial management; publicity versus privacy; innovation versus inertia; the fanciful versus the practical.
Conventional wisdom holds that the best decisions are obtained when the two branches are in comfortable balance. My own experience is that the executive branch—appointed public servants—are more likely to be dominant in smaller municipalities and those with part-time Councillors. With larger municipalities and full-time Councillors, the legislative branch tends to exercise more authority.
As I see it, the City Peterborough is now experiencing a change in this balance involving a strengthening of its legislative branch. Elected Councillors now have computers, smart phones, tablets, IT support, their first-ever modest discretionary budgets, and staff dedicated to assist them in their work. This is, I believe, a very healthy trend that will provide Councillors with resources of the sort already made available to the local MP and MPP.
Like any relationship, the key to success is to ensure a fair balance of responsibility and to create conditions conducive to mutual respect and compromise. In the ultimate expression of that relationship, and to the extent that we value representative democracy and electoral accountability, City Council is always supreme.
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David Goyette is the Executive Assistant to Peterborough Mayor Daryl Bennett. Email your burning questions for David about City Hall to feedback@ptbocanada.com.
Tip us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada (hashtag #bethechangeptbo) or Like us on Facebook.
