Swimming Pool Authorities and Hot Political Potatoes

Under administrative and agency reports last night was the item Dissolution of Board and Authority. The following was taken from the Municipal web site.

“Dissolution of Board and Authority

Myron Thompson, Chief Administrative Officer, provided and reviewed a written report in reference to formally dissolving the Culture and Recreation Board and the Swimming Pool Facility Authority.

M#-6683-12: Councillor Mitchell moved that Administration’s recommendation be split into two separate motions:

􀂃 A motion to formally dissolve the Recreation and Culture Board acknowledging the

establishment of the Sport and Recreation Committee and the Culture and Heritage

Committee as its replacement and;

􀂃 A motion on the Swimming Pool Facility Authority.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

M#-6684-12: Councillor Saje moved that Council formally dissolves the Recreation and Culture Board acknowledging the establishment of the Sport and Recreation Committee and the Culture and Heritage Committee as its replacement effective January 1, 2013.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

M#-6685-12: Councillor Saje moved not to dissolve the Swimming Pool Facility Authority and discuss with the Sport and Recreation Committee how to proceed with their portion of overseeing the pool.

Discussion took place on the wording of the motion

Motion not Withdrawn

M#-6686-12: Councillor Saindon moved to table the motion in reference to the Swimming Pool Facility Authority.

CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY”

Comments:

During the CAO comments at the start of this process, he informed council that administration had met with the ladies from the swimming pool authority prior to the season commencing in May, and again during the season to inform them that the operation of the swimming pool would change and be ran by the municipality instead of the authority.

Once the first motion was dealt with on the rec and culture board then the Mayor asked for a motion on the dissolution of the Swimming Pool authority, the room went silent everybody began to stare at the roof nobody was touching this “hot political potato” the silence was deafening.

So then the Mayor pushed for something from his council on this issue, that’s when Councilor Sage came up with M#6685-12. This is when confusion set in, I and I think 90% of the people in the room were not clear on if Mr Sage was trying to roll the authority into the new board or leave them in place. Then Councilor Gallant made a friendly amendment to the motion to involve the authority in discussions with the new board about what their role at the pool would be.

Then there was more discussions about if the authority had been probably informed of the change in the operation of the facility, again more from administration confirming there previous comments and what appeared to be more confusion amongst council.

Then Councilor Saindon made the motion to table this issue which of course was passed unanimously. After all this I was thinking back to a comment that somebody had made to me about this issue, that maybe the councilors did not know what was really going on here between administration and the pool authority. With all the confusion my little brain was saying this may well be true.

Until the Mayor spoke up after Mr Saindon’s motion, when he informed administration that they better provide council clear precise information, and that councilors better take that information and come back to the next meeting prepared to deal with this issue. “Especially now that they were flying in the face of a decision that they had previously made”.