An extensive effort to review how and who provides local government services in Prescott and Russell counties continues. The Service Delivery Review began in the fall of 2023 and involves the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) and the Chief Administrative Officers (CAO) of its eight municipalities.
“We’re turning every stone, we’re looking at every service,” UCPR CAO Stephane Parisien said at the March 27 UCPR council meeting.
Consultant Kathryn Wood of Pivotal Momentum Inc., who is facilitating the Service Delivery Review, explained the review is based on managing and operating services as cost effectively as possible, and to accommodate growth.
She said they are considering new policies, financial agreements, shared services agreements, and governance structures. Wood noted a re-imagined fire service for the counties is possible due to certification changes at the provincial level. She said they are also examining a collaborative approach to transportation infrastructure across the counties, and a counties-wide business model for water, wastewater, and sewer services.
The Service Delivery Review will be completed by the end of November 2024. Proposals resulting from the process will be presented to UCPR council in April and May of 2025.
“We have to start thinking about merging certain things that make sense,” Clarence-Rockland Mayor Mario Zanth said.
Both Zanth and The Nation Mayor Francis Brière said changes are necessary due to financial pressures facing local governments.
“Where’s that money going to come from?” asked East Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Kirby. He is concerned about the cost of equalizing the level and quality of services because East Hawkesbury is a small municipality with fewer services and less serviced land.
Parisien said it is difficult to answer that question at this point, but the final report will provide insight.
Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre said he is open to dialogue about how services are delivered by municipalities.
