Reducing Size of Council, and Increasing Financial Transparency Up for Discussion
Monday, January 21, 2013 @ 3:59 AM
Prince George, B.C. – City Councillor Brian Skakun will bring forth his motion this evening at Prince George City Council’s regular meeting.
The motion calls for details on the City’s expenditures to a number of a local businesses. Councillor Skakun says he is asking for details in the interests of financial transparency and accountability.
Also on the agenda for this evening’s session, discussion on whether the City should take the next steps towards reducing the number of Councillors from 8 to 6.
If Council agrees to take the step, the most cost effective way of putting the question to voters would be to tag a referendum question to the ballot of the next municipal election which is set for 2014. Under the legislation, even if voters said yes to the reduction, the change could not come into effect until the election of 2017.
There are several communities in B.C. which have populations over 50 thousand yet have a Council of Mayor and 6 Councillors:
Chilliwack, Delta, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver(District) and Port Coquitlam.
The idea of a reduced Council was one of the cost saving “opportunities” detailed in the KPMG Core Review.
Comments
Why stop at 6?
How about a half time mayor?
My suggestions for whom to cut would be b.s & s.g.
All those who didn’t want to see City employee reductions will naturally be against the idea of reducing the number of councillors. Right?
hahahahahahaha like reduction and transparency is going to happen anytime soon. I predict the motions don’t even get seconded, therefore die right there on the spot.
It will be most interesting to see who or which of the Councillors will back Brian’s motion. This will tell each one of us a lot!
Reduce Council? If Council continues to act as one – why not reduce it to one, and yes Gus, make it a half time mayor. But if Council members decide to communicate both with the citizens and in their deliberations, without just lip flapping, it might be best to leave as is. BUT our citizens/taxpayers need to be heard. Perhaps Council members need to be assigned to various neighborhoods and be required to report to Council and our City on various issues – in other words: Represent those who voted you in!
You’re likely right, But.
So let’s see, voting to get rid of 2 councillors in 2014, thereby bringing about a cost reduction, still gives those two councillors another term even though people don’t want them and the cost reduction won’t be realized until 2017. That’s effective allright. Why not take a trip to China bill and spend that money on a referendum sooner so the reduction takes effect in 2014?
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How about getting rid of IPG and saving that million bucks or whatever it is. That’s a waste we don’t need and can’t afford. And what is the return?
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Transparency? You jest! Its called C.Y.A.
The savings for reducing the Councillors from 8 to 6 are minimal, and in fact would be a waste of time.
What we need is more responsibility from Councillors. This can only be achieved if we go to some kind of a Ward System, so that Councillors are elected from and represent certain areas of the City in addition to their other duties. At least with a Ward System, Councillors would have some responsibility to the people they represent, rather than to the City as a whole.
As our system now stands our Councillors can hide behind the suggestion that they are representing the City as a whole, when in fact all they are doing is representing the vested interest groups, business, and industry groups, political agendas, and only after they have all been served do they throw in a donut and coffee for the average citizen and then bill them for the cost.
If we cannot go to a ward system immediately then Councillors should be give an area of the City as part of their responsibility and they can get to work, to look after the interests of that area, ie; snow removal, garbage, roads, policing, etc; etc; etc;.
Never have been a big fan of Brian Skakun, but the response that he got from the acting city manager that he look online to see where the money was spent was a crock. Looking at that would tell him WHERE the money was spent but not WHAT the money was spent for, huge difference! If the head bean counter at city hall does not know the difference it would explain a lot.
Getting the information should take seconds if the Accounts Payable department is in the least bit efficient. Every invoice submitted should be matched with a purchase order before it is paid and looking that up either electronically or in a file folder should be simple.
How about a half time mayor?
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The Mayor is down to half brain capacity as it is.
Cheers
The cost of the two councillors is insignificant in comparison to the wages being paid to department, middle managers. Keep the money in council. Deal with reducing staff.
The citizen’s of this city is way too spoiled and needs to expect less, and we would be ok with it, if tax increases are Zero for the next three years, Get rid of middle managers thru attritution. stop taking on dumb ideas like central heating.
Brian is asking for transperancy and accountability.
Mirror mirror on the wall.
Bang on, He Spoke!
“As our system now stands our Councillors can hide behind the suggestion that they are representing the City as a whole, when in fact all they are doing is representing the vested interest groups, business, and industry groups, political agendas,”
I totally agree with you Palopu.I think that it is a great idea that councilors represent certain parts of the city. How would you go about to do this?
Great idea Palopu. I think the councilors should be elected from various parts of the city. PG is one of the biggest cities in Canada by land mass and places like the Hart are under represented.
I think the idea to reduce the number of councilors just makes it easier for the vested interests in this city to buy the elections. A much better return for citizens and property owners would be to see IPG folded into city hall.
Brian never ceases to give me reasons to vote his ass back on council!!! Keep up the good work man!
Brian for Mayor!
BRIAN FOR MAYOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Occupy Movement gaining on the Idle No More.. Obama serving Timmy’s at his party,Green leading the way with Crime Task force, Harper sitting back rubbing his big tummy sipping Coors Lite.. Spring is coming next week…..
What the ‘ell are we doing sitting here whining???
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