Should Bylaw positions be Bygones?

Dear Editor,

In the last two decades or so Hinton has increased its Bylaw staff by 250 per cent, from one to 3.5 positions. One has to wonder what sort of petty crime wave justified such an expensive increase, especially with census data saying Hinton’s population actually decreased slightly during this time.

Our most recent Bylaw staff increase occurred last year when two new positions were put on the public payroll: an additional Bylaw Officer and a Bylaw/ Protection Coordinator. Strangely, these hires occurred outside the budget cycle without any Council discussion of where the money was coming from and without a clear discussion of what the new people would be doing.

Well, let’s discuss it. A Bylaw position has become vacant and our Mayor wants to consider cutting this position to save money. But Council wants an information report before they proceed. One has to wonder what the information report would have to say to get this Council to change their mind on this topic, not only because changing their minds would be admitting a mistake but because we have no idea why they thought the position needed to be filled in the first place.

It’s pretty clear why we should be saving money. Hinton faces an uncertain financial situation with the COVID crisis and the closing of two nearby coal mines, the current downturn in the oil & gas industry and the difficulties our local small businesses face. Good grief, our economic cup isn’t even half full; it’s almost empty.

So, for the information of newcomers to our town, and possibly our municipal councillors, Hinton used to have one Bylaw Officer who reported to the RCMP and worked strictly on enforcement of Municipal Bylaws. Now we have three full-time Bylaw Officers and a Bylaw/Protection Coordinator who I assume has other duties. The Bylaw Department now reports to the Fire Chief and Bylaw duties have now expanded to include municipal traffic enforcement.

The Mayor rightly asks whether we need this level of enforcement. So let’s have the upcoming information report due July 14 address the following questions:

- What explains overall staffing levels in Bylaw enforcement?

- Should Bylaw officers or the RCMP handle traffic violations?

- Should the Bylaw Department be supervised by the Fire Chief or the RCMP Staff Sargent?

- Does a Bylaw Department need a coordinator position at all? and

- What happens if we have lower Bylaw service levels?

If this information report doesn’t address the above questions it will likely be an anemic self-serving justification for a past decision. And if it does, the last question is the big one. If a criminal breaks into your house at 3:00 am or you are in a bad car accident you need the RCMP there right away. But most Bylaw infractions are far less urgent; can’t they wait a few days to be dealt with?

If you have an opinion on these questions, or simply on what should be in the upcoming information report, be sure to express your opinion to Council before July 14. Please support our Mayor on this one.

Stuart Taylor, Hinton