Cornwall Ontario – City Councilor Mark A MacDonald who has come under fire for pointing out the obvious, that which has inflamed the fiscal burden on the city’s budget might be where Cornwall has to look to find solutions, has come out with an intriguing and positive proposal which he’s released to city staff, council, and the medial.
With respect to the budget meeting on Monday, I am prepared to vote for the budget AS IS, with
one condition.
We desperately need to take control of our emergency services budgets.
We could look at the issue of appointing a Commissioner of Public Safety and issue a Directive regarding combining our police, fire, by-law and paramedic into one Public Safety Division, with one budget that is reduced by 5%, per year for the next four years. I have attached a DRAFT copy of a Sample Directive.
They will have lots of manpower and time to figure it out how to accomplish the Directive.
He attached the document which we’ve published below, unedited.
City of Cornwall – Public Safety Division
DIRECTIVE TO THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Purpose: To assist the Commissioner with the development and implementation of a process to ensure that the City of Cornwall meets the necessary mandatory requirements of all provincial standards and associated regulations regarding police, fire, by-law and paramedic services.
Introduction: Empirical data shows a disproportionate rate of growth in the budget for our emergency services. The overall emergency services budgets will be reduced by 5% per year, for the next 4 Years (20% total). This will be accomplished by merging our police, fire, by-law and paramedic services into one division in accordance with provincial standards which will include a focus on education and enforcement.
The City of Cornwall is committed to providing an environment for the residents that is safe from public safety hazards by providing leadership and espertise in the reduction and elimination of these hazards.
Directive: To provide an adequate and effective level of safety to life and property within our boundaries with a consideration for addressing the disproportionate rate of growth in our emergency services budgets.
The City of Cornwall recognizes the importance of using an acceptable system and process to achieve an adequate and effective level of public safety within our boundaries. The Commissioner will be provided with all the resources required in order to accomplish this directive.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? Is Councilor MacDonald onto something? You can post your comments below.
Quite interesting and useful. But will the monkeys around the horseshoe go for it?
As I have mentioned in the past, simply hiring part time emergency services personnel would dramicallt reduce budgets providing the same service. Each and every day a firefighter or police officer is off for training, sick leave, vacation etc. an other full time employee is being paid overtime to replace them. The Sunshine list certainly makes that issue clear.
Take Care,
Diane
A 5% reduction year over year; isn’t that closer to an 18% savings after 4 years?
Could common sense be making a come back? Coordination of services should easily achieve a reduction in expenditure without impacting delivery of services. l agree with Diane Shay, efficiencies are there to be found. Sell it Mark! Hammer home the benefit to the taxpayers!
I’ve said since day one if city departments did better cooperation 10% savings could easily be achieved. But with the current monkeys around the horseshoe they won’t save a penny.