I was right, in that I knew I was wrong.
At least partially. Maybe even more than partially. But even with the tiniest sliver of potential accuracy, I still seemed to be way out in front of just about everyone other than staff when it came to those bloody cameras. I have no idea about the car, as in how many, what type, where it/they might be, and what the plan, if any, might be moving forward.
To me, it was almost as if most of council had no idea about much to do with these cameras, certainly already purchased, and that car(s), almost as if they were hearing about it for the first time.
It’s disconcerting. After watching in disbelief as they waded through a can of crushed armpits on the HR Liaison issue, another treat lay in front of me, as well as the edge-of-the-couch crowd watching live on YouTube, a number that may well have approached the teens. Not the kids, but the numbers.
Along came the the cars and camera thing. And while the discussion was much more lucid, it was a discussion where there was a dearth of information available for Council to make a responsible decision. And I get that. There’s plenty of detail not included, or not forthcoming, or just plain not there. So on this point, I’ll grant them a political mulligan, just out of a sense of trying to be a good sport.
I’ll more than admit that I jumped the gun a couple of days ago with an article that pretty much said that Council was proceeding with the cameras obtained through an anti-car theft provincial grant in collusion with the OPP. That they were going to leave the OPP stewing in their own internal confusion and move forward on the installation of the cameras themselves, rather than having the damned things sitting in a box somewhere for eternity or offering them up in a Town of Renfrew Yard Sale. The OPP get what they want anyways, that is access to the camera footage, without having to live up to their end of the bargain. Typical OPP move.
My article? This was too far, and too fast, and I should have known better. That’s on me for sure.
It was incorrect for me to assume that this just made sense. Mind you, it does, but it doesn’t make enough sense to people who apparently have no idea what the topic is, like this was the first time they ever heard of those cameras, or any of the back story behind them.
Which causes me to wonder why a guy like me, peripherally incorrect as I may be on some aspects, seems to know far more than the folks who are ostensibly calling the shots. That part of it is nothing less than disappointing, but there we are. I can only assume Council members read their briefing packages before going into their meetings, but a result like this makes me wonder.
So, with all necessary due diligence, Council took the correct step of wanting to take more time to familiarize themselves with the issue. Fair enough, but maybe the time for that was sometime in the past, and not two-and-a-half weeks away from a critical $18,000 deadline.
You see, here’s what I got wrong. The grant money wasn’t unloaded in full onto the loading dock back in shipping/receiving. Instead, the municipality would have to lay out the funds in advance on their own, and then apply to the province for reimbursement from the grant funds, something that was only revealed when somebody asked that of the treasurer. The documentation provided pre-meeting in the agenda didn’t do a very good job of articulating that, if it even did at all.
So the municipality did lay out the cash, and the cameras were purchased, and they are in hand, but God knows where, because that’s top secret. The cash flowed so efficiently, that we spent some $18,000 more than we’ve been able to recoup from the grant monies. So the province owes us eighteen grand. And for us to get it, we have to apply for reimbursement, and we need to do that before the end of the provincial fiscal year, March 31, 2025, some nineteen days off the port bow. It’s a bit of a tight timeline.
Council did what council does, they agreed to move the whole thing two weeks down the road to the next Council meeting, where the idea would be that they’d arrive armed with all the information gathered over the course of that fourteen day period. They could “talk” about it in the interim, even though some of them barely speak to one another. They could email staff for more information, which would be a group of people who don’t answer their emails emailing another group of people who don’t answer their emails. The question is, will they talk about it? Will they email staff? Will they do their due diligence? Or will they keep their heads in the sand for two weeks and be “surprised” again?
Maybe some of them might consider a revolutionary concept and walk right into Town Hall to the offices of the relevant staff and get their information that way. How about tomorrow? Would tomorrow be a good day? Or do they dare not tread upon the home court of the staff?
I try to be fair, I really do, but hamsters on a wheel cover more ground than some of these folks. I’m sorry, but that criticism is legitimate. Why on earth is this issue now coming to the attention of Council for a decision? And why is Council so befuddled at its appearance?
So, full mea culpa for me making it sound like we were going to move forward with those cameras. Also, but only to a degree, for getting some of the facts down incorrectly, although information is not exactly the forté of any of these folks, with maybe one exception, that being the reeve.
But I’ve known about this for many months now, and I showed up ready. So to Council, I feel I can rightly ask, with any due respect, what’s your excuse?
Tomorrow. Do it tomorrow. Better yet, do it today. Find out today. What’s stopping you?
Never mind the stupid email thing. And if you’re busy, get un-busy. The business of the municipality isn’t dependant upon your personal convenience.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 