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Contrary to a report recommending changes to bylaw officers' duties, the manager of the municipal enforcement division and the city's senior administrative officer agree the status quo is the best option.

Dennis Marchiori, director of public safety, addresses council during a discussion about reassigning MED duties at the last Monday's municipal services committee meeting. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

As part of an operational review of the MED department commissioned by council in 2013, a consultant was asked to examine the department and give recommendations on how to streamline it.

The findings included that coin collection and parking meter maintenance should be taken off MED's plate and given to the finance division and the public works division respectively.

Senior Administrative Officer Dennis Kefalas said the system works well as it is right now and moving duties to other departments would mean they'd have to hire more people.

"Essentially what it means is what that would require another staff member," he said. "It didn't seem like a viable option. If you wanted someone in public works to start fixing the meters we'd need another person to do that. At this time it works the way it is."

But Coun. Adrian Bell wants administration to reconsider the recommendations.

"We are open, as council I believe, to taking a look at tasks being moved between departments but it doesn't sound like administration is looking at this through that lens," said Bell at last Monday's municipal services committee meeting. "I'd like to request that this be revisited."

Doug Gillard, manager of MED, is also in favour of maintaining the status quo.

"I think it is the most efficient way to do it," said Gillard. "When you have to involve more than one department in an aspect of work things do become more complicated."

He said his officers already repair parking meters on site, so having them call another department to do the work would mean it would take longer to get it done. "To do a work order for public works to go out there and repair a meter when they're (MED officers) already out there doing it (doesn't make sense)," he said. "There's a lot more work involved."

Bell said the operational review is an important step for council in addressing the needs of the division, so he would have liked to have seen the review sooner.

"This is the first time we're taking a look at this," he said. "I would appreciate if we could try to move to this stage more quickly in the future."

It couldn't be determined by press time what other recommendations were born out of the review.

Bell said he'd like to see assignments and written policies for all officers consolidated into one, accessible place and shared with council. But Director of Public Safety Dennis Marchiori said it's not normal practice to share operational policies with council. "The consolidation of operational policies will stay within municipal enforcement," he said. "It's not usually an area council's going to look at, actual policies for a division."

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