The Blue Mountains council has endorsed the creation of a new accountability and transparency committee.
At its committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 16, council unanimously approved moving forward with the new committee after CAO Shawn Everitt brought a report forward about the results of the work done by the accountability and transparency working group.
Coun. June Porter will chair the new committee, Coun. Paula Hope will be vice chair and Coun. Gail Ardiel will be a member. In addition, the town will advertise for two public members for the committee.
The mandate for the committee will be: “to create and implement a plan to grow trust between the community and the town, by reviewing, modernizing and designing the corporate strategic plan to create a responsive and democratic governance structure within the town.”
“It will go a long way to build trust with the community,” said Porter.
The committee aims achieve the mandate by recommending action by council on the following 11 key points:
- Educating staff, council, residents, stakeholders, and visitors to ensure a shared understanding and meaning about the town’s corporate strategic plan while also building a culture of learning and providing evidence of change.
- Updating the accountability and transparency of town actions to the public policy
- Recommending strategies that will ensure council, residents, stakeholders, and visitors continue to be educated on all town direction and activities.
- Reviewing the staff report template to ensure that corporate strategic objectives are aligned with the established policies of the town, Grey County, the province, and the federal government.
- Decision making of staff and council is supportive of the corporate strategic objectives.
- Collaborating with communications staff to ensure all elements of accountability and transparency are ingrained into every town communication vehicle including surveys.
- Reviewing and providing recommendations regarding the code of conduct.
- Providing recommendations on the establishment of the lobbyist registry and its ongoing effectiveness.
- Reviewing and, where appropriate making recommendations on any other matter that comes forward during committee discussions through the lens of accountability and transparency or as requested by council.
- The mandate will be supported by measurable action items and timing.
- Ongoing and continuous monitoring of accountability and transparency of trends and issues.
Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon praised the creation of the new committee and thanked his colleagues for their efforts on the file.
“I look forward to good things from this,” said Bordignon.
