County of Brant and City of Brantford vote in favour of reinstating Shared Services Committee

By Casandra Turnbull

The County of Brant and City of Brantford are looking for ways to expand on shared services and interests to improve the quality of life within the region

During separate committee meetings last week, County of Brant Councillors and the City of Brantford Councillors discussed the opportunity for the two municipalities to take advantage of more shared services. Not only will the newly formed committee provide some much needed and expanded services for taxpayers, but it will also show the province that the two municipalities are willing to work together for efficiencies, which may prevent the province from forcing amalgamation of services. Both Mayor David Bailey and Mayor Kevin Davis have spent a great deal of time this past summer discussing shared services.

During separate meetings, both Mayors made it abundantly clear there was no interest in amalgamating the County of Brant and City of Brantford.

“We are in no way in talking or discussing or considering or encouraging amalgamation or a merger That’s not on my agenda and it won’t be so long as I am Mayor,” explains Kevin Davis during a City of Brantford Committee of the Whole meeting on September 5th .

The County of Brant and City of Brantford already share decisions on many services like Social Services, which resulted in the partnership of this new affordable housing project currently under construction on Trillium Way in Paris. Councillors voted in favour of resurrecting the Shared Services Committee for more collaborative services and interests. The committee will feature five county councillors and five city councillors along with both mayors

“If we can show the province that there’s more we can do together and efficiently to improve the services for our residents and lessen the load on our taxpayers, they won’t bother us,” he added. During the County of Brant Policy Development Committee meeting, also held on September 5th , councillors discussed a staff recommendation that a Joint City-County Shared Services Committee be resurrected to explore opportunities for service sharing and improvements. The committee will be comprised of five members from the county and five members from the city, along with both mayors. Paris Councillor Lukas Oakley was pleased with the 50/50 representation noting that one representative from each ward ensures all areas of the county have a voice at the table. The following councillors will represent their wards – Councillor Jennifer Kyle, Ward 1; Councillor Lukas Oakley, Ward 2; Councillor John Bell, Ward 3; Councillor John Chambers, Ward 4 and Councillor Brian Coleman, Ward 5.

A Joint Shared Services Committee was previously established in March 2017, and fulfilled its mandate at the end of term in October 2018. The city voted to reinstate the committee in 2019 but the county opted out According to a staff report, since that time, there have been several emerging issues that impact the county and should be evaluated with a broader lens and require the collaboration of both Councils. As an example, of one of these missed prospects, in April of 2018 both the City and the County library CEOs submitted a letter which identified current and future opportunities to share services, yet none of these initiatives have been implemented.

“I’m very supportive of this, I think it’s timely and we have lots of items we can work through,” said Councillor Bell. Currently, the county and the city share several services – Social Services, Land Ambulance, John Noble Home, Brant County Health Unit, Boundary Road Agreements, Infrastructure Agreements and Tourism activities, to name a few. Councillor David Miller pointed out that while sharing services is good, the committee should broaden the scope and focus on shared interests, citing examples of the Ontario 55+ Senior Games and the hospital redevelopment project.

Councillor Steve Howes also expressed his support for the committee, noting a recent shared partnership with the City of Brantford on Social Services resulted in the construction of a new affordable housing complex on Trillium Way and more shared projects like that will only benefit the community. He acknowledged that shared services like these typically lead people to believe amalgamation is around the corner.

“I’ve never heard anyone at our County Council show any appetite for merging the two municipalities, but if there are services that we can share, for the betterment of all, it is worth discussing,” he said.