At last week’s County council meeting, there was a discussion about the municipality developing a strategic plan.
I was surprised to hear that the County has never had one. Without a plan, how can staff and councillors know what to prioritize?
They have been able to do so – somewhat – for example, focusing on lake health via a shoreline preservation bylaw adopted by three councils, and soon licensing and regulating short-term rentals.
However, without a to-do list, some things have fallen by the wayside. Other shiny things have come up, and councillors and staff can become distracted. It’s easy to lose focus in a fast-changing world.
So, I applaud the creation of a strategic plan.
I am also pleased the council has decided not to hire a consultant to do this work. It has been the practice of most councils to hire outside firms. For the most part, I have not been impressed with the results. It will be interesting to see how the in-house approach to this file will pan out. Some, such as warden Liz Danielsen, would like a more hands-off approach, believing outsiders may see things staff would not. However, the majority of councillors are happy to give staff a crack at it, for a lot less money for taxpayers.
We welcome the working group’s plan to consult with residents. I believe that is a crucial part of the process. We need to be asked what we think council’s priorities should be over the next five years.
Coun. Jennifer Dailloux did query how the parameters of that feedback would be managed, since County council is responsible for certain things, such as roads, planning, community safety, economic development and tourism, human resources, physician recruitment, land ambulances and community paramedicine, as well as sitting on numerous external boards.
Not every resident is going to get a kitten or pony, as former coun. Carol Moffatt used to joke.
However, as raised by coun. Bob Carter – there is value in trying to garner a vision for the future of the County – and that goes beyond a five-year window.
In the face of rapid growth, now is the time to have that discussion – if not too late.
What do we want Haliburton County to look like in five, 10, 15, 20, 25 years? Do we want to continue down the road of looking like Muskoka or do we want to reclaim Haliburton County? Do we want continued growth or are we maxed out? Is it time to say enough is enough? As coun. Murray Fearrey said, we simply don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate current growth rates.
The question of what we want to be has never been as important as it is now, in my opinion. But to get solid answers, we need to be engaged. We need to lift our game. Just as the last municipal election was appalling – not enough people running for office and too many acclamations – we need to get involved. Because if we don’t, we are going to have seven councillors set our agenda going forward and if we don’t like it – we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves.
