First-of-its-kind agreement: Huron County municipalities to share services

Offices for the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry in Ontario are seen on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. (Scott Miller / CTV London)

Rising budgets and stagnant or declining population has brought two Huron County municipalities together to sign an historic agreement.

The Township of North Huron and the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry have formalized a “shared services” agreement.

Morris-Turnberry Mayor Paul Gowing said in a statement, “The sharing of our resources only makes our two municipalities stronger and the delivery of these services, more efficient. This natural partnership recognizes our common goals, geography and service needs and will allow for future development in our community.”

Starting this July, the two municipalities will start sharing services in public works, the building and drainage departments and some administrative duties.

The two communities aren’t calling this an amalgamation because the two councils will remain in place and many services will remain separate.

It is however, the first “formal” shared services agreement between two municipalities in Ontario.

The combined population of both communities is less than 10,000 and it’s expected the agreement will save $600,000 by 2018.

No jobs will be lost immediately, but some job vacancies likely won’t be filled as current staff retire, which will be where some of the cost savings come from.

This two-year agreement is a pilot project to allow the communities to see if it really is more efficient and if there are cost savings from sharing some services.

In a statement, North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent said, “By working together and pooling resources, we can provide more efficient and effective services, with a greater focus on customer service.”

After two years the agreement could be scrapped, altered or even expanded.