BEYOND THE HEADLINES: Decisions, decisions

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: May 15, 2013 1:00 AM It doesn’t appear that Vernon city hall will be plastered in pink slips.  Council started making decisions about the core services review Monday, and among them were recommendations from consultant KPMG about staffing. Those discussions were held behind closed doors but we can get a sense of the possible direction based on an analysis from Will Pearce, chief administrative officer. “According to the KPMG findings and specific recommendations, the corporation appears to be appropriately staffed when compared to like municipalities and in consideration of expected service levels,” Pearce writes. It is also a view upheld by Mayor Rob Sawatzky. “There are no large abnormalities that have to be dealt with in staffing,” he said. Now this runs against the opinion of some residents who consider city hall to be bloated and bureaucratic. In his analysis, Pearce, who was hired in 2012,  does acknowledge, “there was a significant (hiring) growth period, 2007-2009 inclusive. This tapered off through 2010-12 and will show a decline in 2013.” City figures indicate there were 244 full-time equivalent employees in 2007, with that jumping to 269 in 2008, 297 in 2009, 310 in 2010, 317 in 2011 and 321 in 2012. Approved positions for 2013 are 303. Some of the payroll hike can be attributed to the pre-recession boom the community was experiencing. With development taking off, there was a need for planners and engineers. Also, the city took over some previously regional responsibilities like economic development, tourism and operation of the arenas. Other positions were created based on community wants. As an example, the official community plan process identified public interest in promoting alternate forms of transportation as a way of easing traffic congestion and improving the environment. That led to a transportation demand management co-ordinator being hired. In another case, concerns about crime led to more bylaw enforcement officers and support staff at the RCMP to help with records. Now it should be pointed out that Pearce didn’t wait for the KPMG report to start paring  back. A senior management position (safe communities) has been eliminated, one water services management position is gone and six water staff were transferred to the regional district. There may be fewer parks workers as the city no longer looks after Coldstream parks under contract. Numbers are numbers and yes it looks like there are a lot of bodies at city hall. But consider that Vernon has a population of 38,150 and all of those residents have wants and needs — whether it is road sweeping, lifeguards at the Peanut Pool, zamboni drivers at the arenas or ensuring sewer lines don’t back up. I should also note that after two decades of hanging around city hall, I have discovered that there are a lot of individuals who are not only good at their jobs but are committed to their community. Ultimately, there are adjustments that can be made to staffing levels, and we may find out some of those as early as Thursday when council discusses the core review again. However, anyone in the public who was expecting a repeat of Penticton, where a core review led to widespread layoffs, will be extremely disappointed. That said, those residents, along with anyone else who lives in Vernon, plays a role in labour costs by placing demands on the municipality. No one likes paying taxes, but what services are you willing to give up?