By Stephen Vance, Staff
Meaford councillors approved the appointment of members to a new Citizens’ Charter working group at their March 24 meeting.
Citing a desire to improve council’s communications with Meaford residents, Deputy Mayor Harley Greenfield suggested the creation of a ‘Citizens’ Charter’ at the January 27 meeting of council.
“Why I’ve brought this forward,” Greenfield told his fellow councillors at their January 27 meeting, “is all in the name of communication, openness, and transparency. I think there is confusion among a lot of our residents as to what exactly the Municipality of Meaford stands for, what it does, what it offers.”
The Municipality of Meaford had previously adopted Terms of Reference for The Meaford Citizens’ Charter Working Group “tasked with the preparation of a Citizens’ Charter outlining the services provided by the Municipality of Meaford and the vital role of residents in making Meaford a wonderful place to live, work, play and visit.”
Council spent more than half an hour of the two and a half hour meeting on January 27 discussing the potential ‘Citizen’s Charter’, and in the end council voted 4-3 in favour of establishing a committee composed of council members and residents who will work toward establishing a Citizens’ Charter which would then be signed by “Council, Senior Staff, and a number of citizens representative of our entire populace”.
The working group will consist of five residents and two members of council, and the term of the working group expires on November 30 of this year.
Members appointed to the group are as follows: Peter Bantock, Jaden Calvert, Fred Kennedy, Ray McHugh, Evelyn Dean. The council representatives in the working group are Councillor Lynda Stephens and Deputy Mayor Harley Greenfield.
