Taking the Long View —
My wife and I love living in Athens. We have made good friends here, enjoy the community and consider ourselves fortunate to call it home. Nothing that I have written about municipal administration changes that. Athens is a fine place to live, and its people are the reason.
Throughout my professional life, I have had a tendency to examine how organizations work, identify problems and look for better ways of doing things. It is an occupational habit, I suppose, and one that has generally served me well. But experience has also taught me that the best use of one's energies is usually where one has some reasonable ability to influence the outcome.
I take some satisfaction in having brought the building department's qualifications problem to public attention. It was a serious matter that needed correcting. Unfortunately, I understand the township may now be considering an arrangement intended to return Mr. Bell to the Chief Building Official position, despite the qualifications and experience concerns that gave rise to the problem in the first place. If that is the intention, I fear the underlying issue remains unresolved.
For what it is worth, I would offer the incoming council the following suggestions.
1. Restore a properly qualified building inspection service
Re-establish a shared-service arrangement with a neighbouring municipality, such as Elizabethtown-Kitley or Leeds and the Thousand Islands. Alternatively, consider employing an experienced, appropriately qualified retired building inspector on a part-time basis. Either approach deserves serious examination before attempting to reinstate the previous arrangement.
2. Reorganize the township website
Reconstruct the website's information architecture so residents can readily find bylaws, budgets, financial statements, reports, meeting records and supporting documents. A municipal website should be a working public information resource, not an obstacle course.
3. Improve council minutes and public records
Implement the Ontario Ombudsman's recommendations and applicable best practices for accurate, informative meeting minutes, appropriate meeting recordings and reliable archiving. Residents should be able to understand what council considered, why decisions were made and what supporting information was available.
4. Separate the Clerk and Treasurer functions
The concentration of CAO, Clerk and Treasurer responsibilities in one position creates unnecessary weaknesses in administrative oversight and internal controls. Separating the Clerk and Treasurer functions would improve accountability and provide a more appropriate division of responsibilities.
5. Examine what administration does — and what it fails to do
Effective oversight is not simply a matter of reviewing expenditures and approving recommendations. Council should also examine whether statutory duties, reporting requirements, established procedures and previously approved projects are being completed. Failures to act can be just as consequential as poor decisions.
6. Commission an independent forensic fraud-risk audit
Commission an appropriately scoped, independent forensic examination of financial transactions, expense claims, procurement practices and internal controls this year. Repeat independent fraud-risk examinations at least every four years, preferably before each municipal election. Such examinations are prudent safeguards, not allegations of wrongdoing.
7. Obtain an independent management review
Engage qualified municipal governance consultants to examine the township's administrative structure, delegation of authority, reporting relationships, decision-making procedures and internal controls. Ask them to recommend practical improvements appropriate to a municipality of Athens' size.
8. Complete the overdue Asset Management Plan
Produce the outstanding Asset Management Plan without further delay. A credible long-term financial strategy requires an understanding of the condition, remaining useful life, replacement cost and maintenance requirements of municipal assets. Without that information, budgeting becomes an exercise in managing immediate demands rather than planning responsibly for the future.
Once completed, the township should prepare a clear, understandable summary of the plan, mail it to every household and business in Athens Township, and publish both the summary and the complete plan on the municipal website. Residents and businesses should know the condition of the infrastructure they depend upon, what it will cost to maintain and replace, and how those obligations are likely to affect future municipal budgets and taxes.
9. Explain the township’s financial position to residents
Provide a clear public accounting of the municipality's financial condition, including the status of its reserves, any reserve fund deficits, infrastructure funding requirements and the implications for future taxes and services. Residents deserve to know not only what council proposes to spend, but what financial obligations and constraints lie ahead.
None of these recommendations is particularly revolutionary. They reflect established principles of sound administration, financial management and accountable local government. Some would require expenditure. Others could be accomplished largely through better organization, clearer responsibilities and more disciplined procedures.
Athens is a small municipality. That makes the careful use of its resources more important, not less. It is not a reason to dispense with sound management practices.
I wish the incoming mayor and council every success in the years ahead. I hope they will consider these suggestions on their merits and approach the work with openness, curiosity and a willingness to improve what needs improving. Their success will be Athens' success.
As for my wife and me, we look forward to continuing to enjoy the community, friendships and everyday pleasures that make Athens home. I remain grateful for the many thoughtful conversations this experience has brought, and optimistic about the township's future.
Good decisions emerge from informed discussion, competing ideas, constructive criticism and a willingness to change one's mind. That, after all, is what taking the long view is about.
