Advertisement 1

Columbus wants CAO position filled

Vacancy producing payroll savings

Article content

At least one member of Norfolk council wants to expedite the hiring of a new CAO to replace David Cribbs.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Cribbs’ desk next to Mayor Kristal Chopp has been vacant since he resigned in mid-January.

Norfolk council is saving “gapping” dollars by not replacing Cribbs and appears to be in no hurry to find a successor.

Article content

Delhi Coun. Mike Columbus hopes to change that at Tuesday’s meeting of Norfolk council.

Columbus will table a motion directing Yakov Sluchenkov, Norfolk’s general manager of employee and corporate services, to “engage an external recruitment firm to advertise for the position of Chief Administrative Officer.”

Columbus’s motion calls for council to name a hiring subcommittee consisting of appointed council members. Columbus’s motion – which so far has no seconder – also sets a target date for replacement as “prior to the scheduled summer recess.”

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

During council’s levy-supported budget deliberations in January, council noted that the municipality is saving money by not filling vacant positions. Chopp has said that – so far – the municipality appears to be operating well without a CAO but that – when the time is right – council will issue a call for applications.

In support of Columbus’s motion, Norfolk council has been provided a 14-page report from the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association (OMAA) that highlights the role a CAO plays in a municipality’s good governance.

OMAA tabled the report in 2015 when then-Minister of Municipal Affairs Ted McMeekin was considering modifications to the Municipal Act.

OMAA asked the Wynne government to make the CAO position mandatory for all of Ontario’s 444 municipalities.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

In support of its position, OMAA cited Hon. Madam Justice Denise Bellamy, the judge who presided over the public inquiry into the computer leasing scandal that plunged Toronto city hall into turmoil in 2001.

The scandal had many facets, but the major one involved Toronto paying $85 million to lease computer equipment after council capped the expenditure at $43 million.

In her final report, Justice Bellamy said “there should be a clear division of responsibility between the mayor and the office of the city manager – a separation of the political from the administrative.”

The OMAA report notes that the CAO position is mandatory at the municipal level in six of 10 provinces. Some provinces make exceptions for smaller municipalities that fall below a specific population threshold.

Tuesday’s meeting of Norfolk council begins at 2 p.m. in the council chamber at Governor Simcoe Square when council convenes as the Board of Health for both Haldimand and Norfolk.

Once the board of health agenda is complete, council will move directly into its council-in-committee agenda. The meeting is open to the public.

MSonnenberg@postmedia.com

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers