Transparency a concern for Orkney residents

Residents of the R.M. of Orkney had an opportunity to air concerns to their council as a whole at a ratepayers meeting March 1 at Gallagher Centre.

Following presentations by two guest speakers, Reeve Randy Trost gave a brief overview of 2016 R.M. spending. This included $842,300 in road repairs, gravel, dust proofing and construction, the bulk of which, $546,800, was spent in Division 1. The lion’s share of that spending was on a major upgrade to Maple Grove Way Road at close to $250,000.

The R.M. also replaced a bridge in Division 2 with culverts at a cost of $36,400. Trost said Council intends to continue replacing the bridges in the R.M. at a rate of one or two per year as all have reached or surpassed their usable life expectancy.

Trost finished his comments by recognizing the R.M. staff.

“They make the R.M. a great place and I’m proud of them,” he said.

Former Reeve Dale Rhinas used the public forum to complain about the lack of transparency in how money is spent eliciting an equally heated response from another former Reeve, Barclay Westerhaug, who commended council for doing a good job.

Perhaps the most contentious issue of the evening, however, was the makeup of a public works committee that coordinates R.M. maintenance staff. Last year, council assigned Division 5 councillor Vern Effa and Trost, then Division 2 councillor, to direct operations. Gloria Rhinas stated it was a violation of the Municipal Act for members of council to supervise staff and she intends to refer the matter to the Saskatchewan ombudsman. That statement elicited loud applause from the assembled crowd.

Effa responded that council had consulted with the Province and said the arrangement is perfectly legal and acceptable.

Gloria Rhinas also wanted to know when the public works committee meets, why public notice of those meetings is not being given and how council intends to inform the public so residents can attend those meetings.

Effa noted the committee does not really have meetings per se, but consults mainly by telephone as needs arise to coordinate things such as road work and snow removal.

Joe Zarowny, a Division 1 resident who has been one of the more publicly vocal critics of the R.M., complained that it had taken three years during the last administration to get council to agree to a ratepayers meeting and that the current meeting had not been very well publicized leaving little time for residents to organize. Zarowny suggested council should simply establish an annual ratepayers meeting, perhaps the first Wednesday in March, so that everybody could be ready.

Trost said he was open to that idea.

Dennis Dyck, also a Division 1 resident, who has long said the biggest problem in the R.M. is communication, suggested council look to the R.M. of Saltcoats website as a model for transparency and accessibility.

The R.M. of Orkney has recently published a new website (rmorkney.ca) that includes minutes of council meetings, financial statements and application forms. The R.M. also plans to publish its bylaws on the website.

Saltcoats also publishes the phone and cell numbers of council and administration, Dyck noted. Trost said Orkney is also open to that idea.