'It's actually embarrassing': County council increases size instead of recommended downsizing

It was recommended that the County of Simcoe's council size be cut in half, but instead, it's adding a new, full-time member.

On Tuesday, the County voted against its governance committee's recommendation to decrease council to 16 regular members and install a full-time warden, which represented the latest attempt to eliminate deputy mayors as members of the upper-tier government and again proved unsuccessful.

Instead, councillors voted to keep its 32 members and to appoint a full-time warden.

Most councillors saw a necessity for a full-time warden but were concerned that reducing members would increase workloads and reduce the weight of votes for smaller municipalities.

But the decision to increase its size faced stern opposition.

"I can't support this. This is bloat," said Midland Mayor Bill Gordon. "This is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing, and it's actually embarrassing."

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Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin requested that a vote be recorded, meaning a written record of the name and vote of every member present to be taken.

"To have the minister of municipal affairs say, 'What are you going to do?' and we say, 'ok, we're going to have that conversation,' and then go back and say, 'oh yeah, instead of 32, we're actually 33 now, we made it bigger,' I don't want to have that conversation with him," Dollin told County council.

County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke voted to cut the council size in half. He also voted to keep its 32 members and add a full-time warden.

"When you look at the fact that we have 16 municipalities, two members from each municipality is not out of line," said Clarke. "I told the house I could support whichever way they go. The important thing is that we have that warden that's dedicated to the folks of Simcoe County."

Anyone eligible from Simcoe County could be appointed warden, as the position wouldn't necessarily have to be a current mayor or deputy mayor. While figures in those positions could apply, they would have to vacate their seats and trigger a byelection.

Warden Clarke said the idea is to deter that from happening.

"If you're a mayor, you've got to make sure you keep the folks in your home municipality happy, or you're not coming back," he added. "That does away with this."

Still, it could be some time before this change comes into effect.

County staff must draft a bylaw that reflects the change, which includes holding public consultations and sending a notice to the minister of municipal affairs and housing.

It must then be taken to local council levels for their consideration and to gain their support.

The County of Simcoe hopes to have a full-time warden by 2026, in time for the next municipal elections.