LOSE WEIGHT
Pelham’s independent news source from the Heart of Niagara
The
VOICE
Vol.15 No.37
It’s Movember Page 3
Remembering Pages 8 & 9
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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Pelham Town Council divided over tender process BY SARAH MURRELL VOICE Staff The roof of Old Pelham Town Hall continues to cause trouble for Pelham Town Council, and not because it blew off in the spring. At the Oct. 17 meeting council discussed the tender to put a new roof on the building. The report recommended accepting an $11,694 tender from Dominion Sheet Metal and Roofing. At that meeting, Councillor John Durley pointed out the tender should not have been on the agenda as it fell within the CAO’s discretionary spending limit of $25,000. Council did discuss the tender, led by Councillor Larry Clark, and asked that the project be re-tendered for better quality shingles and sent to the Pelham Business Association and Welland Pelham Chamber of Commerce. On Monday, Nov. 7 the new tender report was back, with a recommendation to give the project to Precision Roofing for a cost of $10,500. The issue on Monday, however, wasn’t the cost of the project or the company being awarded the tender, it was the fact that council had discussed it at all. Durley brought forward a minority report on Monday. A minority report is a committee report written by at least two members
of a committee to officially state a position counter to the committee’s majority, in this case that the roof tender should never have been discussed at the council table. Durley explained there is a policy in place giving direction to staff on how to tender and how those tenders are approved. Bringing the issue to council, said Durley, “sheds a doubting light on the process” and leads to the belief of questionable action by staff. Durley pointed out he wasn’t bringing forward the minority report to condemn the individual, but said there needs to be an awareness that council needs to follow protocol, which they all pledged to do when elected. Mayor Dave Augustyn, who attempted to keep Durley’s minority report from being brought forward by suggesting it was out of order, gave up the chair’s seat to ask why the roof tender report was on council’s agenda in the first place. Planning Director Craig Larmour, sitting as the acting CAO, said the report was authored by CAO Martin Yamich and it is his understanding it was Yamich’s decision to bring the report to council. Durley noted, however, that the report was brought forward because of the actions of a member of council, referring to an email that was sent to council and staff from a councillor who indicated there were questions about the tender.
FITNESS
“I did send out an email saying I wanted to talk about it, but I never asked for a change in the agenda,” said Larry Clark, acknowledging he is the councillor Durley was referring to, although Durley did not name him specifically. “Proper policy was not followed,” said Clark about the original tender, noting the PBA did not receive the original tender information. Council Richard Rybiak said he agrees with Durley that staff did everything by the book, but suggested when a resident raises a question, aggressively, it should be up to councillors to get answers to that question. “The complaint was from one of the bidders,” responded Councillor Gary Accursi. “That’s a significant difference than the public.” Accursi went on to note council gave staff the direction to tender the roof and the authority to approve a project under $25,000. To bring it to the table, he said, undermines staff’s position. Accursi said Yamich brought the report forward because he felt a significant undermining of his authority, which was wrong and why Accursi supports Durley’s minority report. Augustyn said he spoke with the CAO who indicated he put the report on the agenda to complete a process, which was started when the original motion to fix the roof was brought to council.
Yamich was on vacation and not present at the meeting to give concrete reasoning for the report being on the agenda in the first place. “When the words in the email say ‘I will not let this go’ there’s a gun to the CAO’s head,” said Durley, who then dropped the discussion by thanking council for the opportunity to raise his concerns. Clark defended his email, saying it was about
shopping local and his long support of buying local. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Clark. “Now Councillor Durley is airing our laundry in front of everyone.” Councillor Peter Papp stopped the debate by declaring a point of order, saying the discussion needed to stop and the personalization of the discussion was unwarranted. Rybiak responded with
his own point of order, saying he didn’t have a written copy of the minority report so he shouldn’t be asked to vote on it. In the end, Clark, Augustyn, and Rybiak refused to accept Durley’s report while Durley, Papp and Accursi voted to accept it. Couincillor Catherine King, sitting as the chair, broke the tie by accepting the report for information.
TOONIES FOR YOUR TOMORROW
THE WELLAND Hospital Foundation is asking for Toonies for your Tomorrow at Sobeys in Fonthill until Nov. 20. The 2nd Annual Toonies campaign includes a silent auction at the store as well as an opportunity to donate $2 at the cash register which will put your name on a bed in the store window. Last year’s campaign, the first, raised more than $5,000 for urgently needed capital equipment. Store owner Ron Kore (centre) says he’s hopeful the Pelham community will once again support the campaign, noting even if they only raise enough to buy one bed it is better than nothing. Helping Ron kick off the campaign are John Bosse and Karen Davies, volunteers with the Welland Hospital Foundation’s Special Events Committee, Sobeys cashier Peggy Purser, and Welland Hospital Foundation Fund Development Assistant, Lori Pottle. Sarah Murrell/Voice Photo