Region, townships could co-ordinate some services better: Wellesley mayor

In meeting with special advisers who are doing a review of regional municipalities for the province, Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak says they brought forward concrete ideas if ways the region and the townships could co-ordinate better.

Snow clearing in Wellesley township is one area where the region and townships could co-ordinate better, Mayor Joe Nowak says.

It's a view he expressed recently to special advisers from the province who are conducting a review of regional municipal governments for Municipal Affairs minister Steve Clark.

Nowak echoed the sentiment of other local leaders to the advisers — that the township isn't interested in amalgamation and the two-tier system works for them.

But Nowak says some have suggested the region's political leaders didn't offer the special advisers any hard ideas on change that could be made.

"We did," he said. "We tried to make some positive suggestions as to how things could change."

Nowak says they highlighted efficient service delivery for residents. In particular, and quite timely given the winter weather being experienced in the region, was the issue of road maintenance.

Nowak says the region and the township each have plows that hit the road when the snow falls, but that service could be co-ordinated much better.

"We could take on some of the maintenance of the regional roads. When you think about it ... in the wintertime, we have to drive over the regional roads with our snowplows to get to the township roads. Would it make a big difference just to drop the snowplow and clear those roads as we go," he said.

He added the township and region could share a plow parking facility where the trucks are kept, rather than having two separate yards.

'Success story of a two-tier system'

North Dumfries Mayor Sue Foxton also said they also gave specific suggestions to the advisers before meeting with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for about 90 minutes.

"[Clark] stated that Waterloo region is a success story of a two-tier system," she said.

She agreed amalgamation is not something her township wants, but, "I think it's time for some changes."

She noted in some projects, the townships moving forward on their own is more economically feasible than waiting for the region.

"All of the townships are financially solvent right now. They carry zero to very little debt. Everything is quite manageable," she said

She added there's a lot of respect between the lower-tier municipalities and the region.

"If it's working, then we should sustain it, but that does not mean we can't improve it," she said. "Bigger doesn't always get better."

Minister to receive report in early summer

The special advisers Michael Fenn and former Region of Waterloo chair Ken Seiling are currently meeting with municipalities across the province for the review.

They are expected to report back to Clark in early summer.

Both Nowak and Foxton said they've been told the municipalities won't be informed beforehand about recommendations contained in the Seiling-Fenn report.

Lee Alderson, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, said in an email to CBC Kitchener-Waterloo the minister "may retain the special advisors to assist with additional advice until September 30."

When asked whether the recommendations in the report would be made public, Alderson wrote, "Once we receive the advisors' recommendations and have an opportunity to thoroughly consider them, we will be in a better position to determine how we will proceed and the best way to share that information."