‘To Do’ list divides Spaniard’s Bay council

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of Spaniard’s Bay council got into a nitty gritty discussion last week on whether the Town Manager should supply them with a regular list of outstanding jobs on his To Do list.

The discussion began after Town Clerk and Manager Tony Ryan finished delivering his regular monthly report.  

Councillor Darlene Stamp proposed a motion that in the future the town manager add a list of outstanding jobs that staff still need to complete to his report. Stamp said the town manager could also include a list of jobs completed in the previous month.  

Stamp argued that including the list in council’s agenda packages could help the councillors decide if there are any uncompleted jobs they want to ask about or discuss. She asserted it would not add anything to the town manager’s workload, and that he did not need to read it out at meetings, only attach it to the agenda.

Stamp’s motion was seconded by councillor Sherry Lundrigan. However, Town Manager Ryan appeared unclear on exactly what Stamp was seeking.

“I want clarification on the motion, because what was first moved and what’s since been discussed are two different items,” Ryan said.  

Ryan said while it would not be difficult to provide council with a list of outstanding jobs, providing a list of everything completed would be more difficult as it would entail evaluating the progress of all outstanding jobs and updating the list accordingly on a weekly basis. Ryan also pointed out there was no clarity in the motion on how significant an outstanding job would have to be in order to be included on the list.  

“The issue is, we’re aware of a lot of the major issues, but there’s a lot of one-on-one type stuff that comes in from a resident to the council office and our staff just sends somebody out right away, or after dinner, or the next morning,” allowed Mayor Paul Brazil.

 Deputy Mayor Tammy Oliver said she believes getting a list of outstanding jobs would be a good idea. Sometimes jobs that are not completed or have not started do not come to mind during a council meeting, she explained, so having a list on the agenda could rectify that issue.  

Councillor Lundrigan agreed, and cited a number of outstanding jobs that should have been completed months ago in her view.  

Stamp said the compilation of such a list would take some pressure off the town manager.  

Oliver added that it would be understandable that not all jobs would make that list. Stamp agreed that small jobs would not be included, but tasks that could take four or five hours or more would be included.

Ryan asked Stamp again if she could clarify her motion.

“I make a motion that the town manager add to the agenda, for each council meeting, a list of all outstanding jobs,” said Stamp.

Councillor Eric Jewer asked whether those jobs would include those brought to the council table or those phoned into the office.  

Stamp replied that it would be all outstanding jobs.  

Jewer said he could understand the town manager’s concerns about the motion, and asked for clarification as to whether small jobs would be included on the list, and what would or would not be eligible for the list. He offered as an example, a routine request from a resident to remove garbage; would that be included on such a list.

Stamp then amended her motion, highlighting outstanding and completed jobs as two separate lists. Again, councillor Lundrigan seconded it.  

Mayor Brazil said he feared the proposal might get caught up in a lot of “red tape,” wondering about small jobs that might need to be completed but did not merit being added to the list.  

Councillor Oliver suggested they try the list on a trial basis.  

Ryan said that while the motion had been moved and seconded, he still had “no idea what it means.”  

Jewer asked Stamp to repeat her motion. After she did so, Jewer said he still had concerns about what qualified for the list and how much work it would require.  

Stamp and Lundrigan asserted he was making the concept more complicated than necessary. Ryan pointed out the wording on the motion had by now changed several times, and said he saw it as “nothing more than an attempt to micromanage public works.”  

Ryan added, however, that if council wants a list of outstanding jobs, he has no problem with sending one out weekly via e-mail.

Put to a vote, Stamp, Lundrigan and Oliver voted in favour of adding the list to the monthly agenda, while Jewer, and councillors Debbie Newman and Paul Ryan voted against it. Mayor Brazil broke the tie with a vote against it, and the motion was defeated.  

“Not that I’m against the motion,” said Brazil. “I think I’d like to have a little more meat on the bone. Give it a little bit of thought. “