NORM PUTTICK/Straight Talk
The Niagara Falls Council has moved their meetings to Tuesday from Monday so they can have more time to study and contact staff for answers to questions on the agenda. They also will have fewer meetings during the year; as one councillor said, staff is having a problem finding items to build a council agenda.
With this in mind along with the unwieldy city debt, like the unexpected increase of $600,000 to operate the Gale Centre and whatever else will be found as council starts the late 2012 budget chatter, I thought the following would be of assistance.
A little history first. The former Stamford Township offices housed in the now city historical museum on Ferry Street had a small area where the council would meet. The legal firm of Lamarsh and Lamarsh represented the township in legal matters. The firm was a father and daughter team. Yes, Judy Lamarsh and father who had offices upstairs at the corner of Main and Ferry.
Judy would attend the council meetings and give legal advice. This was after the Second World War when Stamford was booming in housing and new industry. The City of Niagara Falls was unable to expand its borders but eventually common sense prevailed and they amalgamated.
That brings me to what I feel has come full circle in the legal department at Niagara Falls City Hall. Presently Niagara Falls has a legal department composed of four full time staff and a part time secretary. The 2011 taxpayer cost was about $669,000.00. I have done some discreet investigation and my many years at city hall would lead me to suggest the department revert to a private firm.
Close the department. In discussions on this suggestion it is estimated the legal costs could be reduced as much as $450,000. The first question council would ask, I presume, is who would give legal advice at council?
Two answers. With the added day until Tuesdays council meeting call in your questions to the new legal advisors or use the city clerk, who is also a lawyer and is fulfilling that role presently by my observation of council meetings.
Then close the economic office. The Niagara Region is floundering on a new system and a little encouragement by Niagara Falls would be helpful. Niagara Falls taxpayers also pay 25 per cent of the Regional economic office with 19 staff.
In 2011 the Niagara Falls economic office spent $534,000 and are requesting $543,000 for 2012. I am hard pressed to find out what they have done to advance job prospects to warrant a budget increase.
However I suggest to close this office because there already is a provincial presence at city hall called Self Help for Small Business at a cost of $75,000.00. The province, however, want a “street-front presence” and will be moving these employees from city hall to an office on Queen Street, increasing the cost to $137,000 for 2012. Will this entail a new manager for the Queen Street frontage.?
It is time that councillors made the tough decisions. The above closures would help.
