Yarmouth Waterfront Development Corp chair Byron Boudreau
The four-to-three vote at the Yarmouth Town Council Committee of the Whole meeting Thursday to recommend to the full Council to fund a proposal from Natalie Smith for more than $28,000 - plus HST and expenses - for a strategic plan for the Yarmouth Development Corporation has developed into a firestorm of criticism of the decision. Several issues arose at the meeting, including the observation that, as an adjunct organization of the Town of Yarmouth, the consulting contract for YDC would have to be tendered according to the town's policy, as it is for more than $5,000.
There were also questions put forward as to the propriety of deputy mayor Byron Boudreau participating in the discussion and vote on the matter, as he has been a director of YDC for some time and is listed on their registration with the Registry of Joint Stocks. Boudreau told the Committee that he had recently tendered his resignation, but no proof of that was offered. Boudreau has participated in discussion and votes previously regarding YDC without informing his colleagues of the apparent conflict of interest. Boudreau also testified at the meeting that the Waterfront Development Corporation, which he chairs, fully supported the proposal, but no evidence of that was offered. YDC board members contacted by SCT say they were unaware of any such support and sources have told SCT that Boudreau called an emergency meeting of the WFDC Friday to solicit support for the proposal after the fact.
When asked whose idea was it to put forward the proposal, one YDC board member who wished to remain unamed said that he thought the idea came from the Waterfront Development Corporation.
Yarmouth Councilor Ken Langille is disturbed by the events surrounding the proposal approval and has requested that CAO Jeff Gushue place an item on the agenda for the next Council meeting requiring the YDC - or any other "board, agency, commission, corporation and/or committee that is funded by the Town of Yarmouth" operate within the confines of openess and transparency required by the Municipal Government Act.
"One of the problems I have with this situation," Langille told SCT, "is that it can only lead to the further mistrust and alienation of citizens who might otherwise participate in civic government." In his letter, Langille said he was concerned about the lack of transparency in the way the WDC was run and the general perception that there was a "cloak of secrecy" surrounding its business. This was especially galling to Langille, he says, as he and his Council colleagues are being urged to solicit interest from citizens to sit on various boards and committees.
Yarmouth business woman and YDC board member Sandy Dennis told SCT that the Corporation board has been frustrated since the Council withdrew its funding via the BID tax on parking in downtown and it was just trying to get a better financial foothold after falling on hard times financially. The Corporation is reportedly close to $100,000 in debt, including a $25,000 telephone bill that was a legacy of the now-defunct South West Shore Development Authority (SWSDA). Dennis said she was disappointed about the factionalism which seems to pervade the Council and in what she thought were some unkind attitudes about the YDC expressed at Council. "We are all small business people trying our best and there is no need to treat us badly," she said.
Councilor Dan MacIsaac said he still believes that YDC does not "provide the best bang for the taxpayers’ dollars" and opposed the motion. He said he imagined the YDC coming back to the town in the future asking for yet more funding.
The contretemps regarding the lack of tendering the project has been discussed at length by Councilors and staff sine the meeting and most seem to believe that, despite the Town's procurement policy being somewhat outdated, the Council is likely to revisit the matter at its February meeting and is likely to decline to approve the project without some form of public tendering process. Several calls to YDC chair Chris Atwood and YWDC chair Byron Boudreau were unreturned.
Comments
Governement might ought to mind it's own business and let the business world develop itself
Still more blatant disregard for the Municipal Government Act in more ways than one - same old, same old.
Okay, now let me get this straight... After hearing/reading this, that it seems as though the Mayor and some Councillors (I am not one of those consulted - but I would suggest the ones that voted for it - Dares, Pink and Boudreau may have been in the know) seems to be planning to ignore the issue decided by Council regarding the Yarmouth Development Corporation request and are now putting this through the Waterfront Development Corporation by asking for proposals. Well, why is this? We were told by Deputy Mayor Boudreau on Thursday that the Waterfront Development Corporation supported this. Pink seemed to agree by his silence! Now, even more odd that this was the process that I suggested to Council that should of been done and was ignored by the Mayor and Council. So now, 24 hours later, seems I am right and they have come up with a bright idea! In other words, folks, they realized we (Danny, Neil and I) were right and they were wrong. So please tell me, was there another "closed meeting" yesterday to come up with this? I would love to know if there was a closed meeting by the Waterfront Development Corporation yesterday to discuss this! This is NOT how a Town Council should operate. I guess I am tired of being treated as "chopped liver" and being ignored. Frustrated!!!!
Could it be that Yarmouth Council is using Shelburne Council's procedure manual? LOL
Boudreau has been given this project in 2009, so, in 3 years he has succeded in the developement of Farmers Market. We can see why Yarmouth is failing while we have incompetent leaders representing our best interests!