WHEREAS Mississippi Mills maintains two libraries and two arenas as well as other cultural and recreational facilities;
AND WHEREAS Mississippi Mills has contributed to the Carleton Place Culture and Recreation Cost Sharing Agreement since amalgamation for their library, pool and area, with increases of 8%, 8.2%, 9.4% and 12% in the last four years, for an increase of approximately $50,000 from 2016 and totalling more than $1M in the last 8 years;
WHEREAS the Province of Ontario has clarified that establishment of a library services agreement by a municipality for library services with another municipality when it has established its own Library Board is inconsistent with the Public Library Act;
AND WHEREAS on February 18, 2020 the Mississippi Mills Public Library Board communicated its wish to terminate the Library “cost sharing” service agreement in preference to fiscally effective reciprocal sharing agreements with its neighbours;
AND WHEREAS the premise for cost-sharing agreements are generally to support services in one municipality which another municipality does not have but uses exclusively;
AND WHEREAS the cost sharing agreement abrogates Council’s authority, control and management of its expenditures to third parties;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Mississippi Mills Council terminate the Cost-Sharing “Howard Allan Agreement” effective immediately.