Over the past several weeks, staff have talked to each Councillor about Council meeting procedures (governance) and incorporated some of their changes into a revised by-law (050-2024). The new by-law was presented at the “Strategic Priorities and Policy Standing Committee” on September 3 – this is the only Standing Committee that all Councillors attend (although Deputy Mayor Beatty was absent during this discussion). Councillor Miriam Mutton asked many detailed questions and questioned the understanding of quorum rules. She also moved to include more changes. But in the end, and although Mayor Cleveland expressed appreciation for her attention to detail, she was outvoted. But the discussion was useful – it was clear that other Councillors did not want drastic change –… Read complete articleCouncil Tweaks Governance

Last November, someone complained to Cobourg’s Integrity commissioner (who knew we had one?) that Mayor Cleveland had violated the Code of Conduct by harassing her.  The “complainant’s”; name is not provided but it’s probably someone active in the Town.  Anyway, the Commissioner, Lawyer Tony E. Fleming of “Cunningham Swan”, found no breach of the Code – the complaint was not proved.  The episode will no doubt cost taxpayers for the Lawyer’s time and if you read the report, you can decide for yourself what to think.  The commissioner sent his report to Brent and Brent is making it public at the Strategic Priorities and Policy Standing Committee on September 3.  One of the requirements of the governing Municipal Act is… Read complete articleMayor Cleveland Cleared of Breach of Code of Conduct

The Town of Cobourg has many “Master Plans” detailing what should be done on various assets and areas.  I count eleven multi-year Master plans that describe what to do about Downtown, Heritage, Culture, the Tannery Property, Transportation (including Transit), Parks, Tree coverage (Urban Forest), the Waterfront, Downtown parking, Fire and Accessibility.  The plans include goals and timelines intended to guide staff over multiple years but in general, there are no regular reports on whether the goals are being met or indeed if there is any progress.  The Operational Plan recently established includes reports on KPIs but there seem to be few if any references to Master Plans.  I have made a list of the plans and where they can be… Read complete articleCobourg Master Plans

With a goal of ultimately approving a budget before the start of the budget year, the first step is to ask citizens what they want. At the recent Council meeting, a timetable was approved (full details in special Cobourg internet page – see Resources below) and today (August 1), the first item has been implemented – an online survey. The survey starts by asking demographic information (how long have you lived in Cobourg, age, income, etc.) then moves to the importance of various issues. But we are told that if current services are maintained, the budget must go up by the amount of inflation (3%) or services must be cut. So the next set of questions asks which services should… Read complete articleTown Asks for Budget Input

In 2020, Council contracted with KPMG to do an organizational review. Then in 2021, Council directed CAO Tracey Vaughan to prepare an “Organizational Review Implementation Plan” to spell out specific actions. The first step, in 2023, was to decide the “Strategic Vision” so the “Strategic plan for 2023-2027 and Beyond” was developed. Tracey has now delivered the implementation plan which revolves around actions and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). In addition, there is now an online measurement report on the KPIs. (Go to “Operational Plan – Program Dashboard” at the link in Resources). There are three sets of KPIs based on the Strategic Plan’s Priorities/Pillars: 1) Sustainability;  2) Service Excellence and 3) Thriving Community.  Each set has 4 “Strategic Actions” and 2… Read complete articleTown of Cobourg Operational Plan for 2024

I have been following Council meetings for a number of years but last night’s was the longest – it finished at 12:27 am. That’s right, after midnight. The reason of course is because the next meeting will be in September – no longer are there regular meetings in summer. A number of items needed to be passed, and they were, although the issue of stormwater fees triggered a long debate with a large public gallery. Other major items passed included the non-union salary increases, delegation of powers to staff, the new customer service strategy, the non-core asset management plan, a new “operational plan”, approval of an $8M debenture required by waterworks, and more – see a list below. Mayor Cleveland… Read complete articleLongest Council meeting – 26 June