During an election, politicians love to talk about how they’ll listen to the public and address their concerns.
They’ll talk about how much they value the public’s input, how they’ll make themselves available to the public and how, together, they’ll build a brighter future.
Most of it rings pretty hollow, but it appears the folks in Oro-Medonte have started something that may gain traction and lead to better communication — a small but important first step.
“Communication transparency is definitely a big issue,” said Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw. “We’re trying to reach out and better communicate with the community so we have more tools that will help us better understand what the community wants.”
To facilitate that desire, Oro-Medonte council, spurred on by members of the community who wanted more information and an enhanced level of understanding, launched the Community Consultation Group (CCG), which would meet independent of the township and would remain at arm’s length.
The group would also have no affiliation with the official township organization and no members of Oro-Medonte council or municipal employees would be permitted to join.
The initiative is expected to gain council’s approval today at the township's regular council meeting, which gets underway at 9 a.m.
In April, Oro-Medonte council announced the new program and invited folks to submit their application by July 4.
The purpose of the group, according to materials sent to residents includes: identifying challenges and opportunities within the community; sharing information and bringing awareness of challenges and opportunities to the community, council and staff; and collaboratively exploring options, expressing ideas for potential solutions with council and township staff.
The group was originally envisioned to be made up of five members from the community and be led by a two-person co-chair system, who would be selected from within the five members.
“A total of 13 individuals submitted their interest in being a part of the CCG,” Donna Hewitt, Oro-Medonte's director of corporate services, wrote in the staff report to council. “All interested individuals presented strong motivation for participation and considerable experience, skills and knowledge.
"To varying degrees, all wards of the municipality were represented reflecting a variety of backgrounds, ages and duration/connections with the municipality," she added. "Staff had not anticipated such a high level of interest.”
Based on the level of talent and experience of the applicants, Oro-Medonte is proposing that an initial meeting of the group of 13 be co-ordinated by the township.
In accordance with the original proposal, a member of staff will be present for administrative purposes only. The co-chairs, once determined by the group, will liaise with Robin Dunn, the township's chief administrative officer, as noted in the deputation and the CCG's terms of reference.
“Given the calibre of applicants, coupled with the stated intent that the CCG function at arm’s length from council and staff, staff are recommending the group of individuals is best served by working collaboratively to determine their future roles and responsibilities," Hewitt wrote.
