County forms not filed

Posted By DONNA PITCHER , CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Posted 3 months ago

The Provincial Municipal Performance Measurement Program (MPMP) is now in its tenth year. It requires all Ontario municipalities to file an annual report to the Province and to the public, setting out performance data on solid waste, sewers, water, transportation (roads and public transit), fire, police, land use, planning and general government. All Ontario municipalities are required to report MPMP results to local taxpayers no later than September 30th following the reporting year.

According to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website the benefits of reporting performance measurement results to the public are significant: ranging from improved accountability to improved service delivery. The MPMP program should generate public interest into the decisions their councils make, encouraging further communication.

Municipalities are required to report MPMP results to the province through the Financial Information Return (FIR) by May 31st following each reporting year. Municipalities must also publish results for local taxpayers by September 30th using a format of their own choosing.

Many municipalities provide this information on their web sites. Others take out newspaper ads, mail the information or include performance measurement information in the property tax bill.

In a letter to all heads of Council from Minister Jim Watson in August of this year, he states "By publicly reporting their MPMP results, Ontario municipalities are achieving a level of transparency and accountability that has gained both national and international recognition".

In an interview with the Chronicle, Mayor Marie Trainer was under the impression that Haldimand County was in fact complying with the Province in respect to the MPMP program reporting requirements.

The treasurer of Haldimand County, Mark Merritt confirmed in an interview that Haldimand County does a Financial Information Return (FIR) every year but has never filed an MPMP return. Although the FIR and the MPMP are part and parcel of the same return, Merritt stated that due to timing and the lack of resources the county has never filed an MPMP.

Merritt anticipates that by the end of the year the MPMP results for 2008 will be completed and available for the public to view on the county website.