An intensive operational review is underway in Meaford.
Council has hired a consultant to conduct the review of municipal services.
CAO Frank Miele says Greg Keating was awarded the 15-thousand dollar contract.
Miele says their purpose is to find efficiencies, or ways to save money and lower taxes in the future.
Miele says he is going into the review with an open mind.
He says he does not want to pinpoint a savings target, because for all he knows the findings could show one dollar or one million dollars.
Miele says some media have thrown around a 500-thousand dollar goal, but he stresses that is not his aim.
Instead, he says the purpose is to simply explore the opportunities.
Miele says he’s also not predicting what methods the review will recommend to achieve savings.
He says he can understand that some municipal staff may be worried about their jobs, but insists layoffs will be a last resort.
Miele says outsourcing could be a way of making the municipality more efficient.
He says they already outsource policing, waste management, and IT – why not grass cutting and snow removal.
Miele says the review process is extremely complex and involves conducting individual interviews of everyone from grassroots employees to senior management.
He plans to present council with a draft report in September.
Miele says public meetings will also be included in the process, but dates and times have yet to be decided.