City council delays decision on core services & program review in Thunder Bay

The debate took hours, but in the end, city councillors in Thunder Bay, Ont., decided to delay any decision on proceeding with a core services, or program review.

Council originally asked administration to come back with options for is March 18 meeting, on how the city could proceed with a review. The idea is to save money, with an external consultant recommending ways to cut services or staff in the city.

Instead, councillors were concerned with the options presented by administration, as to exactly how the review would take place, along with the timelines given for a final report.

Administration estimated it would take a consultant nine to 12 months to complete a report, while Mayor Bill Mauro wanted the report complete by the end of October. He said that would allow recommendations to get included in the 2020 municipal budget.

City manager Norm Gale cautioned council that even though the goal is to find savings, a consultant may find the city is being run efficiently.

"A great example recently is the City of Toronto that undertook a substantial, what they called a core services review. And on a $14-billion operating budget, substantial savings were not achieved," he said.

Coun. Andrew Fouldssaid the review could also point out the city departments where it is underspending, and may have to increase budgets to ensure departments are properly staffed.

Foulds pointed to the city's Citizen Satisfaction Survey, where some respondents feel the city could do a better job of delivering services.

Next week, administration will give council its terms of reference for the review, allowing council to see exactly what a review would cover, and what it hopes to achieve.

The city will then receive a Request for Proposals, and will select a consultant for the $250,000 job. The consultant's review will be provided to council, who will make any final decision on how to adjust city services.

The review will not include a look at Thunder Bay Fire Rescue and Superior North Emergency Medical Services, which is undergoing its own separate review.