The buck stops with council – unless the ombudsman is called in.
In approving a streamlined process for dealing with citizen complaints and concerns, Minto council declined to appoint an integrity commissioner or other local official to adjudicate unresolved disputes.
As of Jan. 1 the Ontario Ombudsman has been allowed to take public complaints about general business of municipalities. In a report on March 1, CAO Bill White explained to town councillors the Municipal Act allows an integrity commissioner, municipal ombudsman and auditor general to be appointed to provide oversight in key areas of municipal business. However, it notes the ombudsman’s new oversight role applies even if a municipality has all these appointments in place, although the ombudsman cannot become involved until the local appointee has made a decision.
In a report at the June 21 council meeting, White stated, “The overall approach staff recommends is to have a robust public complaint system that ultimately concludes with a presentation to council, but this would conclude the process in Minto. Having a local integrity commissioner, municipal ombudsman or auditor general seems to be redundant when the Ontario Ombudsman can perform this role. Even if these appointments were in place their decisions can ultimately be reviewed by the ombudsman.”
The town’s formal process, approved at the June 21 meeting, begins with a complaint filed in writing, email or online identifying the specific details surrounding the complaint or call for service including the name of persons with the town, if any, previously contacted.
Complaints will then be referred to the affected department head who will attempt to resolve them and respond.
Unresolved complaints or those where response is delayed may be appealed to the CAO. Upon a review, the CAO will issue a second written response outlining the municipality’s position.
Meetings with the mayor, CAO, department head or front line staff will be arranged if required. Written minutes of any such meeting will be taken and provided to the parties involved.
The final step in the process for unresolved or delayed requests is a delegation before council, after which council will provide direction on the town’s final position.
In his report to council, White noted if council determined a need for an integrity commissioner, municipal ombudsman or auditor general in the future, “such appointments can be made where an issue or trends arises.”
