Looking for more information, Woolwich councillors put off for another two weeks a final vote on a new Waterloo Region economic development scheme. Coun. Patrick Merlihan led the charge on a deferral, backed by a majority of his colleagues.
Prepared by a joint committee of chief administrators from Waterloo Region and the seven lower-tier municipalities, the new strategy calls for $2 million a year in public money. The supporting documentation for the venture is long on platitudes and short on details, however, Merlihan argues. He and Coun. Larry Shantz last week voted against handing over a blank cheque. On Tuesday night, he won the support of councillors Scott Hahn and Murray Martin in calling for more information.
If Woolwich signs on, it will be forced to pay $160,000 over the next four years on an as-yet-formed or defined Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation (WREDC). The report given to council contains no details of how the money will be spent, how progress will be measured or how the members will benefit. Likewise, there are no assurances even a dollar will be returned to the public coffers, nor any form of accountability to the public.
While supportive of the idea of working with other municipalities – “It all sounds great on paper” – Merlihan said the documentation provided contains no justification for all the optimistic sentiments.
“What I object to, what I am offended by, is the lousy supporting document that is to serve as the justification to spend $2 million per year of regional taxpayer dollars.”
Recalling the recent township budget process, he reminded fellow councillors that the township demands that longstanding community groups provided detailed financial records, audited statements and proof of need in requesting grants of up to $10,000, some for just hundreds of dollars. The bar is set much higher for those groups than for committing much more money to this plan, he noted.
“I ask councillors to now look at our own standards when we dole out public funds. We ask community groups to provide financials, and prove a need before we approve up to $10,000. Some organizations were put through the ringer for not providing proper paperwork and many others were outright dismissed. Surely our threshold to spend public money is higher than what we are being asked of the region. I would hope that this isn’t the threshold of evidence the region uses on a regular basis,” he said of the poor documentation.
“The report before you does not meet the township’s most minimum standard to approve any amount of money. We are being asked to support a report that is filled with platitudes, and little substance and commit township money for the next four years.”
Shantz backed Merlihan’s call for a deferral, saying the township needs more information and more time to review any supporting documentation.
“I don’t think we’ve had enough time to go through this,” he said of additional material provided prior to the meeting.
Hahn called on chief administrative officer David Brenneman to provide targets and the metrics that will be used to measure them prior to council voting on the issue.
Taken aback by the resistance, Brenneman said council’s caveats and demands for performance measurements could be included in the partnership agreement, allowing the process to move ahead at this point. The deferral was approved, however, in a recorded vote in which only Mayor Sandy Shantz and Coun. Mark Bauman opposed the request for more time and information.
While agreeing the report lacks metrics and accountability, Coun. Mark Bauman pledged his support to the venture.
“There’s enough substance in the report.”
The issue is expected to be back on the agenda on March 24.
