The Quebec Municipal Commission recommends additional follow-up by the MRC of Bellechasse on the recommendations it issued last June, in a report in which it severely criticized the governance and direction of the MRC.
In a report on the follow-up to the recommendations it made to the MRC following the disclosure of wrongdoing within the organization, the vice-president of the Commission, Denis Michaud, observes that the MRC seems to have began a reflection on its ways of doing things and its governance, but apart from the tabling of the Commission’s report at the Council meeting, no recommendation has resulted in a concrete decision by the MRC since the publication of the report on June 19 last. The deadline for following up on the recommendations was set for 1is october.
For this reason, the Commission therefore recommends additional follow-up, with the MRC at the beginning of 2025, on the concrete measures implemented resulting from the report’s recommendations.
Abolition of the administrative committee?
The report mentions a correspondence sent by the prefect of the MRC, Luc Dion, where an action plan is mentioned which was however never adopted by the council of mayors and which should be implemented before the holidays.
It mentions improving the transfer of information useful and necessary for the decision-making of elected officials of the council of mayors, systematically carrying out exit interviews, upon resignation, with an elected official delegated by the council of mayors, revise the decision-making process in order to reduce the response and action time for employees to demonstrate transparency in the presentation of files to the Council, whether for information or for decision and, finally, to prioritize the revision of the regulation governing the Administrative committee.
On the recommendations to analyze the opportunity to review the sharing of powers between the administrative committee and the council of mayors, then to publish the calendar of ordinary meetings of the administrative committee on its website, the MRC responded that it was studying a new model of governance.
The Administrative Committee would be abolished and full powers given back to the MRC Council. However, delays would be required in order to modify the MRC regulations. The Commission notes that no decision taken by the Council has been brought to its attention on these two subjects.
The report also recommended offering conflict management training to executives, department heads and members of the mayors’ council. However, training was given to board members, but it did not relate to conflict management and was not provided to executives and department heads.
On the recommendation to analyze the advisability of designating one or more members of the council responsible for participating in employee exit interviews, it is indicated that a committee will be formed at the next regular meeting of the MRC Council on October 16. The Commission judges that the mandate given to the committee seems to go beyond the recommendation, which only concerns participation in employee exit interviews and not to exercise the functions assigned to officers or civil servants of the MRC.
The Commission concludes its report, addressed to its president, by simply requesting additional follow-up. “Given that few measures have been taken to implement the recommendations of the Commission’s report, we recommend that you carry out additional follow-up with the MRC at the beginning of 2025 on the concrete measures implemented resulting from the recommendations of the report,” writes the Commission.
