News Release Archive
MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS--CONSULTANT CHOSEN FOR CUMBERLAND STUDY ------------------------------------------------------------ Municipal Affairs Minister Sandy Jolly today announced the selection of UMA Group in association with Doane Raymond, as the consultant to conduct a municipal government study in Cumberland County. Maurice Lloyd, Atlantic region vice-president of UMA Group will be Project Manager for the study, with John Mullowney, a partner with Doane Raymond, as assistant project manager. The five municipal units in Cumberland County include Municipality of the County of Cumberland; and, the towns of Amherst, Oxford, Parrsboro and Springhill. The villages of River Hebert and Pugwash will also be included in the study. Representatives of the municipal units had been discussing ways of sharing services on a regional basis over the past several months. At a Aug. 30 meeting in Amherst, all five municipal units agreed to ask the province to fund a study to examine regional service delivery and structural change for Cumberland County. The minister said that the consultants will obtain the views and opinions of the citizens in Cumberland County through a number of public meetings. They will also consult extensively with the elected and appointed officials of the municipal units. Ms. Jolly said the study will examine the current financial situation and service delivery methods of the existing municipalities; and will determine whether a regional municipality structure is appropriate, by examining the financial and non-financial advantages and disadvantages of adopting a regional structure taking into account the principles of accessibility, accountability, and cost - effectiveness. The UMA Group/Doane Raymond proposal was selected as a result of a public tender. Proposals from KPMG Management Consulting, Boyne Clarke in association with Coopers & Lybrand, and Porter Dillon in association with ATI Consulting and Syntel Consultancy were also considered. The proposals were assessed for value for money by comparing study methodology combined with proposal cost. The expenditure for professional fees under the contract will be $47,450, plus legitimate expenses. The contract will commence this month with a project timetable of 10 weeks. -30- Contact: Danny McDougall 902-424-5378 trp Nov. 17, 1995