The District of Sechelt will be going under the looking glass this spring when a team of consultants undertakes an organizational and management review.
Council voted Feb. 4 to accept interim chief administrative officer Bill Beamish’s recommendation to award the contract for the review to Perivale and Taylor Consulting and R.A. Beauchamp and Associates, both based on the Lower Mainland.
The contract is worth about $50,000 after taxes, but Beamish told council he believed the final tab would be less than that amount.
The review is expected to take about 60 days. It will include confidential recommendations to council on the “qualifications, capacity and suitability” of current managers as well as “any identifiable concerns regarding staff appointments through open, fair and competitive hiring practices,” according to the objectives listed in the District’s request for proposals.
The review’s broad sweep will also take in the District’s organization structure, labour costs, staffing levels, reporting relationships, next steps in building capacity, contract and job description reviews, and professional development practices.
In their submission, the consultants noted there had recently been “a considerable turnover” in the District’s staffing.
“As a consequence, it is difficult to assess whether the organizational structure in place is optimal for the range of municipal services provided,” they said in their introduction. “The review will determine the optimal organizational structure followed by a review of senior positions to ascertain that those currently filling those positions are fully qualified and well suited for their responsibilities. In addition, human resource procedures and appointments will be examined.”
Beamish said the consultants were in Sechelt on Tuesday and used the opportunity to meet with staff and council.
The actual on-site work will begin in mid-March, he said.
