"Amalgamation is once again a hot-button issue in this years municipal election campaign, but the A-word is still a touchy subject for many politicians."
Tessa Holloway,
North Shore News,
Nov. 7, 2011
When the dust settled after election night in November, the mayoralty count on amalgamation was one for, one vehemently against and one comme ci, comme ça.
Elected by acclamation, West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith favours the idea to begin with fire services while his counterpart in the City of North Vancouver doesnt want to discuss it.
Agree or disagree with one or the other, you know where they stand. By contrast, District of North Vancouver residents and city Mayor Darrell Mussatto are left wondering where and in what direction Mayor Richard Walton will step off the curb.
But the mayors are not the only part of the decision-making equation. Not only should councillors weigh in on the discussion, there are three complements of staff to consider, each one comprised of both union and exempt-staff contingents.
Without doubt, Smith is showing leadership on the issue. But is it reasonable for us to expect anyone with a job at stake whether on council or as staff to voluntarily offer up their position to amalgamation?
Instead, because local and regional administrations exist only at the pleasure of the provincial government, it would be preferable if the initiative were to come from Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and/or from Premier Christy Clark.
I say that tongue in cheek, because Clark and her government sit all in a row on the fence, scared to make a move in any direction unless it guarantees a positive photo-op for their election-campaign file.
Another possibility, of course, is that amalgamation of North Shore and other Lower Mainland municipalities could be made a priority on the desk of Clarks new municipal auditor general when he or she arrives in his/her new Surrey office.
Nevertheless, the final decision on the North Shore should be made by residents. They are entitled to know all of the pros, cons, benefits and costs of amalgamation. What follows after should be a tri-community referendum held in conjunction with the 2014 municipal election.
Now, for local councils and Metro Vancouver committee appointments: Election to council decides who will be eligible to sit on a myriad of regional committees; what comes after is less democratic.
Eligibility decided, members of council indicate their interest in one or more regional committees in the hope that the chairperson of the Metro board currently Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore will pull their names from the hat.
Municipal reports for 2011 will not be released until June, so remuneration numbers for last years regional committee work are not available.
But while cost-savings are yet to be determined, Moore has achieved an overall reduction in both the number of, and membership in, Metro standing committees for 2012.
The regional finance committee has also amended the formula under which directors are paid for attendance at committee meetings.
Savings notwithstanding, the $332 meeting stipends can still equate to an annual salary for some taxpayers.
Bearing in mind that mayor means full-time, while councillors are considered part-time: regional representation from West Vancouver is thin on the ground, with four members of council having one appointment each.
The District of North Vancouver shows one committee each for four councillors, and four for Walton who also serves as chairman of the TransLink Mayors Council.
In the City of North Vancouver, three councillors have one appointment each, while Mussatto matches Walton with four, as well as holding a seat on the Mayors Council on Regional Transportation.
Membership lists do not tell the whole story, especially when it comes to the two North Vancouver mayors who, as part of their duties, attend a significant number of Metro-related meetings over and above their basic regional appointments.
This begs three questions I hope to answer in upcoming columns:
How many regional committee hours take time away from the work councils were elected to perform in their communities? Does that workload go partway to explaining the significant reduction in regular council meetings in the District of North Vancouver over recent years? Could the regional workload be more evenly spread throughout North Shore councils?
