The City of 91原创 is standing behind its decision to ignore a call for a study into amalgamation.
Last week, 91原创 Reunification Association members brought to City Hall a petition bearing the signatures of 3,176 91原创 City residents. Like a similar petition bearing 3,547 names, presented to the Township the same day, it calls for the two 91原创s to jointly commission a study about the merits and drawbacks of reunifying the communities, which split in 1955.
In presenting the petition at 91原创 City Hall, committee chair Rian Martin said he was hopeful that council would not simply dismiss the wishes of more than 3,000 of its citizens for an independent study.
Acknowledging that council had received the petition, Mayor Peter Fassbender, at the close of Monday night's council meeting, reiterated the City's earlier position that it will not pursue a study into amalgamation.
When the issue of amalgamation arose last summer with the formation of the 91原创 Reunification Association, council pre-emptively turned down the group's request for a joint study.
At the time, the mayor produced a stack of reports, compiled by City staff, from communities across Canada that had looked into the issue.
All of them pointed to the same thing, Fassbender said 鈥� when it comes to amalgamation, most often the bad outweighs the good.
"I've said we don't see a need (for a 91原创-specific report) because a number of studies have already been done," Fassbender said last July.
He reaffirmed that position on Monday night, stating that further study "does not warrant significant expenditures of taxpayer dollars."
In July, Fassbender estimated that such a study would cost between $30,000 and $40,000.
And he doesn't agree that amalgamation is a subject that is on the minds of the City's residents. For most it is a non-issue, the mayor said. And those people he did speak with about it during last November's civic election campaign did not support it, once they learned the facts, he added.
"The bottom line to the report is that there is no perceived benefits for communities (to amalgamate).
"I urge anyone who feels we've not considered the the 3,176 (City residents who signed the petition) to read the report."
The Township of 91原创, meanwhile, has always publicly stated that it would support amalgamation with the City.
More on the 91原创 Reunification Association can be found at onelangley.com.
