No Extra Public Session on Core Review
Prince George, B.C. – The public workshop on the City of Prince George is set for tomorrow evening, and while Councillor Garth Frizzell pushed to have his Council colleagues approve an extra public consultation session before the October 8th deadline, that won’t happen. Only Councillor Brian Skakun supported Frizzell’s call.
Mayor Shari Green says although there may be other events planned for this evening in the city “ That is a choice some people will have to make.” She also notes adding another meeting will increase the budget on the project, and there would be significant travel expense as the full KPMG team would have to return for such a session.
The discussion was sparked by a presentation from the City’s two unions, CUPE locals 1048 and 399 but was interrupted with the Mayor calling on a person in the gallery to take their seat. The Mayor indicated the person’s determination to stand was viewed as a visual protest and Council would not tolerate efforts to intimidate Council. The woman refused to sit, at which time the Mayor advised that if the woman did not take her seat, she would be removed from the Gallery. City Administrator Derek Bates moved to talk with the woman, and with some assistance from one of the City’s union reps, the woman took her seat and the meeting continued.
Janet Bigelow of CUPE 1048, says the Core Review has become so complex, the average citizen has become frustrated and may abandon the process. She also noted that while the public workshops were supposed to hear ideas from the public, many who took part in the first round felt there were predetermined ideas being presented or injected into the discussion by KPMG.
Mayor Green says while she has been asked what she thinks of the proposed “opportunities” presented in the draft form by KPMG, the only report she wants to see is the final one. That final report is due to be delivered to the Select Committee on Core Review at the end of the month. She expects it will be discussed at a Committee of the Whole meeting before being presented to Council.
The public workshop on the Core Review is set to start at 6 Tuesday night at the Civic Centre.
Comments
Just curious…is there security at council meetings or does the mayor wave her wand and POOF, the person is sitting in the parking lot ?
There is no security, or Sargent at Arms at these meetings that I am aware of. Derek Bates as the City Manager can handle the situation by calling in the RCMP, who are just across the street.
There was no threat to anyone by the person standing, other than it could be construed to be intimadating Council.
While watching tonight’s council session on live webcast, it was obvious that there was no way there was going any more consultation if MAJOR Green had anything to do with it. Not only is the mayor supposed to let councilors conduct the business of the day, the Mayor is not supposed to use her position to heavily influence the voting as was clearly evident tonight. She is the one who should have been asked to leave the chamber.
If the Mayor and Council wont support a **public meeting** then I suggest that the Citizens of Prince George have one anyway.
This meeting could be set up quite quickly, and would give people the chance to vent their spleen.
The present system with KPMG, is far from being efficient, and certainly does not get anything specific said.
Perhaps thats why it was set up that way.
In regards to the Mayor’s comment that
there would be a significant travel expense
as the full KPMG team would have to return
for such a session. Why not hold such a session without KPMG present so the public can talk directly to councillors without influence from KMPG? I am sure the city could find a facility and it wouldn’t be that large of an expense.
Having administered many contracts in my life, there is another possible option from my observations of what has been happening and having read all the documents provided for the public and attended tow public sessions to observe the reaction of people to the process.
I m assuming KPMG is to deliver a product which included public sessions and other methods of getting public input.
Even if the contract is not the tightest in the world, they not only have to deliver quantity but also quality. In other words, the public input has to be informed public input. KMPG is solely responsible for the method and format in which the information is provided. That information must be understandable to the average public, not only those with Masters or PhDs in public administration. Any reasonable consultant would know that.
On several occasions there were indications that the interim products provided by KPMG did not provide a reasonable format for the average citizen to understand.
Based on that, I would have discussions with them to at the least make an attempt to provide people with improved access by such methods as increasing/improving communication out in order hopefully getting more complete communication in. That effort would be at KPMGâs cost rather than the Cityâs cost.
The steering committee may think they are tough, but they actually are not, or they simply think that lip service to public input is sufficient.
“Mayor Green says while she has been asked what she thinks of the proposed âopportunitiesâ presented in the draft form by KPMG, the only report she wants to see is the final one”
I beg to differ with her worship on this one.
As a member and chair of the committee overseeing the administration of the contract, she has some duties to perform during the performance of the work of the consultant.
One of those is the duty to ensure that the work is up to expected standard as it progresses. Anyone who has administered contracts and anyone who has some street smarts would know that the time to keep work from being derailed is as work progresses and not waiting until the end when it becomes costly for everyone concerned to correct work which has not met explicit or implicit standards.
communication: you can communicate with me as long as you agree with me ;)p
Mayor: I may only have one vote, but do not forget, I am also the Council Whip …. ;-)
I wonder if KPMG’s travel expenses would be MORE or LESS than the travel expenses for the mayor and seven of her merry men to trek to victoria for a week to attend their provincial municipal meetings.
And btw can’t the city’s communication staff manage a meeting without having to have the consultants there in person?
Funny how Core Review – supposed to be a zero base think about what services the City should be providing turns into a budget cutting exercise.
Everyone who voted for the puppet Ms. Green should be patting themselves on the back. Our city is well on its way to being a do-nothing backwater with no vision.
Think I’ll move along as soon as I can. Pity .. used to be a great place to live.
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