Mixed reviews for Bluewater's petition response
July 20, 2010Ben Forrest
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VARNA – The Municipality of Bluewater's response to a petition signed by about 640 residents met with mixed reviews Monday night and could still result in a full public meeting on the matter.
Bluewater devoted part of its July 19 council meeting to presenting structured responses to the petition, which former Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle presented to council in early June.
The petition asked for a public meeting to answer questions related to a number of areas of concern, including general accountability and transparency, municipal hiring policies, and the appropriate of the existing salary grid for municipal employees.
Council opted to delay a full public meeting, which would allow for more input from the audience, in favour of presenting structured responses to the petition at the July 19 council meeting.
All council meetings are open to the public, but members of the audience can only ask questions or make comments at the end of the meeting, and can only do so on matters listed in the meeting agenda.
The municipality's response to the petition stretched well over an hour and took the form of a presentation by chief administrative officer Lori Wolfe that had been approved by council.
Though there were a few positive comments from the gallery afterward, Steckle indicated he was dissatisfied.
He said the group behind the petition still seeks a full public meeting solely conducted for the purpose of listening to the public and allowing the public to ask questions about matters of concern.
"This has not satisfied any of our concerns," he said.
Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson said Monday night it is his intention to call a public meeting on the matter, but he didn't want to make that call until he has time to sit down with council to discuss it.
Dowson has said in the past that as mayor he has the power to call a public meeting on his own, and that he intended to do so if the structured responses did not satisfy the public.
Bluewater devoted part of its July 19 council meeting to presenting structured responses to the petition, which former Huron-Bruce MP Paul Steckle presented to council in early June.
The petition asked for a public meeting to answer questions related to a number of areas of concern, including general accountability and transparency, municipal hiring policies, and the appropriate of the existing salary grid for municipal employees.
Council opted to delay a full public meeting, which would allow for more input from the audience, in favour of presenting structured responses to the petition at the July 19 council meeting.
All council meetings are open to the public, but members of the audience can only ask questions or make comments at the end of the meeting, and can only do so on matters listed in the meeting agenda.
The municipality's response to the petition stretched well over an hour and took the form of a presentation by chief administrative officer Lori Wolfe that had been approved by council.
Though there were a few positive comments from the gallery afterward, Steckle indicated he was dissatisfied.
He said the group behind the petition still seeks a full public meeting solely conducted for the purpose of listening to the public and allowing the public to ask questions about matters of concern.
"This has not satisfied any of our concerns," he said.
Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson said Monday night it is his intention to call a public meeting on the matter, but he didn't want to make that call until he has time to sit down with council to discuss it.
Dowson has said in the past that as mayor he has the power to call a public meeting on his own, and that he intended to do so if the structured responses did not satisfy the public.
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