The Voice
Larry “BILKO” THE Bilkszto PAPER THAT PELHAM READS
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bilko@rgcmail.com Vol.21 No.15
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
FREE
Private meetings among Niagara mayors called out
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Column Six So, so many bugs
BY VOICE STAFF not let you in. It's a closeddoor meeting. If a Regional councilor who wasn’t mayor tried to go in, no.”
BY NICK SALTARELLI
Special to the VOICE
T
If a Regional councillor who wasn't a mayor tried to go in, no.
What finally prompted the source to come forward, he says, was what he asserts was a clear attempt in June by Pelham CAO Darren Ottaway to influence the outcome of Regional Council’s current inquiries into Pelham’s finances. At the most recent meeting, held June 16 in Ft. Erie, the agenda notes that Ottaway requested that the group discuss the “Taxpayer Affordability Guide” under review by the Region’s Audit Committee, a measure originally tabled over concerns about debt levels in Pelham. According to the minutes, Ottaway stated that an “arbitrary” limit of 20% debt repayment to a municipality’s annual budget wasn’t workable.
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Bugs
Pelham CAO lobbies Regional councillors on debt issue behind closed doors An employee of Niagara Region has come forward alleging that Regional matters are improperly discussed and strategy agreed on, out of public view, in closed-door meetings among the mayors and CAOs of Niagara’s municipalities. Together, the region’s mayors, who also serve as Regional councillors, make up 12 of the 30 votes on Niagara Regional Council. Section 239 of the Ontario Municipal Act sets out limited conditions under which meetings of officeholders may be closed to the public. The employee provided the Voice with copies of minutes taken at recent meetings. Labelled, “Municipal Mayors and Administrators Meeting,” the paper has confirmed that the gatherings occur approximately quarterly. There is no advance notice to public or press. Neither minutes nor executive summaries of past meetings are publicly available. As of last Friday, the Voice was unable to find any mention of the meetings—current, past, or future—on any of the region’s municipal websites. The employee, whose identity the paper has agreed to withhold, says that Regional councillors who are not mayors are also not informed of the gatherings and would not be permitted to attend in any case. “Even if [a member of the public] showed up at the next meeting, they would
Larry “BILKO” Bilkszto
ALL IN A SHIFT'S WORK Constable David Brown helps reunite kids with mom. John Swart rides along with Niagara's finest for A Day in the Life, page 8. SUPPLIED PHOTO
“[Ottaway] feels that the Region is making a foray into municipal affairs,” reads the minutes. “He stated that this is a fundamental concern and asked for support from local municipalities to tell the Region this is not their jurisdiction and they should not be involved
in [Pelham’s] tax levy as it can become very destructive and a discouragement to growth.” The source asserts that previously some Regional councillors have voiced their own concerns about the closed-door sessions, but have been reluctant to
make their objections public. “I can say that those [councillors] who are aware have raised similar concerns that, ‘Hey, this looks like an illegal meeting,’” he says. See PRIVATE back page
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