Montreal backs Beis for 911 agency board

Summary#

Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position on a proposed appointment to the board of the Agence municipale de financement et de développement des centres d’urgence 911 du Québec (Québec Municipal 911 Emergency Centres Funding and Development Agency). It supports appointing Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough, to replace Daphney Colin. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.

  • The appointment is to the board of an existing non-profit agency, not to a new city body.
  • The agency’s six board members are divided equally among Montréal, the Union des municipalités du Québec and the Fédération québécoise des municipalités. Each has one elected representative and one staff representative.
  • The agency manages and redistributes the proceeds of a municipal tax that funds 911 emergency centres. This decision does not change the tax.

What it means for you#

  • Montréal residents and telephone-service subscribers: The decision does not directly change the 911 tax or emergency services.
  • Montréal and the agency: The city council’s position is to replace Colin with Beis on the agency’s board. City staff say the nomination is important to Montréal’s leadership in the agency.
  • Beis: The decision summary says board members receive no remuneration for these responsibilities.

Money#

No cost estimate is given; city staff say the board role is unpaid.

  • The materials do not identify other costs connected with this appointment.

What is unclear#

  • The resolution names Beis as Colin’s replacement, but the decision summary describes Colin inconsistently: one part identifies her as an elected representative, while another calls her the city’s employee representative.
  • The materials do not state the length of the appointment or describe a process for selecting a replacement.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for the appointment is that it maintains Montréal’s representation on the agency’s board.
  • City staff say board appointments help ensure Montréal’s leadership in the agency, which manages and redistributes 911-tax proceeds to municipalities.

Case against#

  • The materials do not clearly establish whether Beis is replacing an elected-member seat or a staff-member seat. That matters because the stated board arrangement gives each participating organization one of each.
  • The materials give no information about the term of the appointment.