By Stephen Vance, Staff
Two upper-level municipal staff positions have been eliminated following the completion of a staff realignment and organizational review requested by Meaford’s council on July 27.
In addition to the elimination of the Director of Operations, and Purchasing Agent positions, the municipality says that the number of municipal departments has been reduced from six to four.
“A review of the Municipality’s current organizational structure has been completed; including careful consideration of our goals, and strategic objectives. This has included the realignment of functions and areas of services from one department to another department,” said the municipality in a media release issued by CAO Denyse Morrissey on Thursday (September 10) afternoon. “The updated organizational structure includes the re-alignment of key service areas and staff positions within the four departments and reduces the number of full time staff positions to 59 from 61. As a result of re-organization, effective September 10, 2015, two full time positions are eliminated: Director of Operations, and Purchasing Agent.”
The four municipal departments after the realignment are: Parks, Recreation and Culture, Financial Services and Infrastructure Management, Development and Environmental Services, and Legislative and Protective Services.
The realignment of responsibilities means that Meaford’s Director of Financial Services and Treasurer, Darcy Chapman, will add responsibility for road maintenance and infrastructure management to his portfolio.
When asked by The Independent how the responsibilities for roads and infrastructure – previously the responsibility of the Director of Operations – could be undertaken by Meaford’s Treasurer, CAO Denyse Morrissey was vague.
“The Director of Financial Services and Infrastructure Management responsibilities include providing supervision, management, and leadership for the Department which includes the development and implementation of service levels, policies and long-range departmental strategies, departmental operating and capital budgets, project coordination, infrastructure needs assessment, material and equipment acquisition, participating as a member of the senior management team, and championing the corporate mission and values,” responded Morrissey.
When asked what impact the loss of the two positions might have on the operation and management of the municipality, Morrissey was equally vague.
“The review of the Municipality’s current organizational structure has been completed which included careful consideration of our goals, and strategic objectives. The organizational restructuring and staffing realignment for the Municipality of Meaford has been generally based on the following approach and principles: The realignment of functions and areas of services from one department to another department to improve delivery of services and better position the Municipality to deliver improved operational efficiencies and revenue generation; An organizational structure and revised full time staffing complement to be more responsive and better position the Municipality to achieve our strategic goals and objectives. These goals and objectives include those of continuous improvement, process improvement, and operational efficiencies, and revenue enhancement,” Morrissey told The Independent.
Morrissey said in the press release that beginning in 2016, the estimated annual net savings achieved by the restructuring and staffing realignment will be $233,000, which amounts to approximately 1.76 percent reduction on the tax levy based on the 2015 operating budget.
The staff realignment and organizational review was triggered after Deputy Mayor, Harley Greenfield first suggested it in May, and then found council’s support for the review in late July.
Greenfield caused a stir when he made a notice of motion at the May 11 council meeting indicating that he would be bringing forward a motion that would “have to do with the huge future cost of infrastructure, it will deal with no additional tax increases to cover the infrastructure expenses, it will have very much to do with a workforce adjustment which will free tax dollars for infrastructure needs”.
The words “workforce adjustment” triggered a response from the mayor, who called a special closed-session meeting with councillors and municipal lawyers on May 20 to discuss “a matter related to labour relations and employee negotiations, specifically potential implications arising from a notice of motion, to be considered at an upcoming meeting, on a potential workforce adjustment”.
The municipality conducted a similar review in 2009 that found that Meaford was appropriately staffed, and if anything required additional staff at that time. Faced with a second year of significant tax increases, and rumours of 2008 ending in another massive deficit, frustrated residents and some members of council voiced concerns that the municipal staff roster was bloated, and demanded that a study be conducted. Then-CAO Frank Miele enlisted the help of a Citizens’ Task Force as well as an independent auditor to ensure objectivity and transparency throughout the five-month review process. The final result of the hundreds of hours of work, which included interviews with all municipal staff members and and an exhaustive look at the services provided by the municipality, was a report from Miele that contained 128 recommendations. The conclusion reached by the independent auditor, the citizens’ task force, and the CAO in 2009 was that staff levels within the municipality were appropriate for the services that the municipality provides.
When Greenfield’s motion was formally introduced at council’s May 25 meeting, Councillor Mike Poetker immediately moved to defer, arguing that council should first complete its strategic planning and priorities sessions before tackling a staff review.
Councillor Steven Bartley supported the intent of Greenfield’s motion, and he told council that such a review must be done in order for ratepayers to feel confident that the municipality is appropriately staffed. Bartley noted that during the 2014 election campaign, the number of staff employed by the municipality was a common issue with voters.
“This motion that the Deputy Mayor has brought forward will be the most important thing we do in the next four years. Whether a consultant tells us that we have enough help, not enough help, too much help, it’s got to come out in black and white,” said Bartley.
