The Counties Council has appointed Alison Tutak as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer for a two-month period. Ms. Tutak, who is the Counties’ Director of Community and Social Services, will serve until July 4. Current CAO, Andy Brown, is retiring May 6. Incoming CAO, Ray Callery begins his new role on July 5.
“I am honoured to have been asked to provide Interim CAO support to the Counties during this transition of leadership for our organization,” Ms. Tutak said. “I look forward to ensuring momentum and continuity in a number of our key initiatives,” she said.
Ms. Tutak has been with the United Counties for 29 years and has served as a Director for the past 11 years.
Updated report for Maple View Lodge expansion
Council has received a progress report on moving the Maple View Lodge expansion project forward. A costing estimate based on preliminary conceptual designs, along with a set of components and expectations, was completed in early April. It has been reviewed by the Maple View Lodge Committee of Management who is overseeing the project and was presented to Counties Council.
The Class D estimate came in at $51.7-million. The Counties had estimated last December the cost of construction to be $47.7-million. When all costs are calculated, this represents a 6.3% overall increase for total capital project costs.
“This is a very important project we want to keep moving forward and within our time line,” said Counties CAO, Andy Brown, noting the expansion is set to open in early 2024.
The estimate provides an updated figure to be used for financial planning and budgeting. The tender will be the final determination of what the real costs of the new building will be. In the meantime, staff and the Project Managers Turner and Townsend will be looking at potential savings.
The Maple View Lodge project has been ongoing since the Province approved 132 additional beds two years ago. Since that time, the Project Manager has undertaken various technical studies for the construction of a new home. They have engaged an architect and associated consultants under Hobin Architecture, have completed a feasibility study on whether to build one building or use two buildings, and have commenced the design and costing stages.
Non-union employees by-law
Counties Council has passed a by-law establishing the terms and conditions of all non-union Counties officers and staff. The remuneration for non-union employees will see an increase of 1.75 per cent retroactive to January 1st. A compensation review has been completed, which could mean minor adjustments. All non-union employee benefits remain unchanged.
Warden’s remuneration increased following report
Council voted in favour of adjusting the Warden’s base remuneration to a comparator median provided in a third-party report. This increases the Warden’s remuneration by $3,500 (2020 rates). Gallagher Benefits Consulting found that the Warden’s base remuneration was seven per cent off the median of eastern Ontario comparators. The median is $52,706, while the United Counties paid $49,206 in 2020.
Council voted to not increase regular council remuneration for 2021. They will remain at the 2020 level.
Upcoming meetings
The Joint Services Committee on Tuesday, May 4;
The Committee of the Whole meeting is on Wednesday, May 5;
The Maple View Lodge Committee of Management is on Thursday, May 6,
The Accessibility Advisory Committee is on May 10,
The Counties Council is on Thursday, May 20.
All regular meetings are held virtually and begin at 9 am. They are live-streamed and can be viewed online.
