Letter to the Editor
The Council and staff team of the Municipality of Meaford will, very shortly, begin the Service Delivery Review. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the process that we will be undertaking, and perhaps dispel some rumours and misinformation that have been circulating.
The first thing I would like to emphasize is how very much we are welcoming, and indeed relying on, input from the members of our community. Your feedback is vitally important to help Council make decisions that are responsive to our community’s needs and are compliant with Council’s Strategic Priorities.
We will be providing information by mail shortly outlining this process in detail. This information is currently available on our website, and posters will be going up shortly at facilities and businesses around the municipality. We will be posting regularly to our social media outlets as well. Beginning on May 16, we will be launching a survey to collect your feedback which will run until February 2017. This survey will be available online as well as in hard-copy at a variety of municipal facilities.
The first of seven consultation sessions will also be held here at the Council Chambers on May 16 from 3-5 pm. We will then be at Trinity Church in Annan May 17 from 7-9 pm, and Woodford Hall May 18 from 3-5 pm. That’s just the first week, the other dates and locations are included on our website, posters, and will be advertised in local media. What we’d like to hear from you is: what services do you use? Which ones don’t you use – and why? And what could we do to make these services better?
In June staff will begin a series of 66 presentations to Council. Each service area will be presented at a Council meeting as per the schedule that is available on our website. The purpose of these presentations is to review each service, keeping in mind the feedback we have received, and to try to find opportunities for cost savings, adjustments to service levels, alternate methods of service delivery, new revenue streams, or service elimination.
Part of making informed choices when reviewing services involves using comparisons with our neighbouring municipalities. These comparisons can offer valuable information, but they can also be misleading because there can be so much variety in the types and levels of services provided. For example, though the community of Grey Highlands is one of our close neighbours, their needs and structure are very different. Their planning services are contracted externally, and thus not included in their staff complement. They do not have any trails in their community. Their arena operates only in the winter with seasonal staff. Their park maintenance is contracted externally. They do not have a harbour, or a campground, or a museum, or a pool, or a cultural centre. Our community is unique in these features and so Grey Highlands is not able to provide a good basis for comparison. I believe these unique features provide us with many opportunities, and also provide value to many of our residents.
In another example, as a small municipality our staff may work cross-functionally in many areas where in other municipalities they do not. Our Director of Planning and Development also manages our IT and our Environmental services. On paper, this position is allocated entirely to planning. In practice, that is only a third of his functional responsibilities, where another municipality might have multiple staff assigned to these roles under different departmental areas. Again, it becomes difficult to make a 1:1 comparison.
As our strategic priorities emphasize the importance of investing in infrastructure, much of our property tax income is allocated towards our infrastructure needs – to invest in our roads, bridges, and water lines, and contribute to long-term financial stability.
According to the 2015 BMA Study, the Municipality of Meaford has assessed value in the mid-range of the 105 municipalities that were included. Our average household income is $80,977 which is actually substantially higher than some of our comparators. For example:
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Parry Sound: $63,855
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Owen Sound: $69,650
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Hanover: $71,987
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Wasaga Beach: $74,943
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Penetanguishene: $77,013
The tax burden on an average detached single family dwelling in Meaford for a family earning our average household income of $80,977 is 3.26%. This is lower than, for example, Hanover, which comes in at 3.53%, and Parry Sound, at 4.4%.
As we can see, there are many complicated factors that go into comparative data, and as such all data that we use will be subject to careful review.
I hope to hear many more questions, concerns, ideas, and opinions throughout the Service Delivery Review process. Please keep an eye on your mailboxes, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, visit our website at Meaford.ca/servicedeliveryreview, complete our survey when it is released in May, and attend our meetings to share your thoughts. We want you to get involved and engaged – Please Have Your Say in the Service Delivery Review.
Barb Clumpus, Mayor
Municipality of Meaford
