Dear Editor:
One person astutely observed "Where do you start to challenge the RM of Moose Creek Council on matters that "It just doesn't get"
For instance the reeve was quoted in a Feb 11 Carlyle Observer newspaper interview as saying "If anyone wants the facts about the project, or anything else they should just come into the office and ask."
At the March 18/2011 regular Council meeting the payment schedule for requested minutes was doubled to $10 per copy or $100 per year. Other inquiries for information are expected to have to be submitted on the prescribed form, which will be responded to within 5 working days (excluding the day of submission) and accompanied by a fee to cover expenses either on a flat rate basis or hourly charge to cover the cost of the administrator's time. Nothing will be released by an assistant administrator, and time delays caused by Council approval requirements will not be factored into the new processes.
It appears that any hope of real solutions such as freely providing minutes and financial statements via e-mail and Internet Web methods are doomed. Outside the Council chambers there had been some apparent substantial support from council members to indeed use the new communication tools. However it was pointed out that even e-mailing to council members takes substantial time and so apparently this solution will not be used by Council for delivery to ratepayers. And it would still cost $100 per year anyways.
These decisions will be nearly 100% effective in deterring every last inquiry for information or request to obtain the minutes; let alone any other documents that ratepayers are entitled to obtain.
There is no denying that Council is still expected to conduct the ratepayer's business in public meetings in an open accountable democratic fashion. The results are also intended to be freely and widely distributed.
What Council doesn't get is what happens if you take up the reeve's offer "If anyone wants the facts about the project or anything else, they should just come into the office and ask" Ratepayers and anyone interested may well conclude that they can expect no result before the following week; and be prepared for the information to be cost prohibitive, and the process complicated, time consuming and inconvenient to get the information that they desire and are entitled to by statute and/or the reeve's offer.
Murray C. Johnson
Box 272
Oxbow, Sask.
