Perth South to hire deputy treasurer/asset management coordinator amid department capacity issues

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Unable to meet provincially legislated compliance requirements and missing out on the potential for much-needed infrastructure grants, the Township of Perth South will hire a deputy treasurer/asset management coordinator to help lighten the load in its financial services department later this year.

At the Aug. 5 Perth South council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to create the position and hire someone to fill it at an estimated cost of between $87,392 and $109,179 annually. According to the staff report to council, the township is experiencing growing pressure on its financial services because of expanding municipal responsibilities, increasingly complex regulatory requirements and the rising intricacy of financial reporting.

Currently, all financial functions are managed solely by the treasurer. They include budgeting, long-term financial planning, reporting, payroll, taxation, municipal drains and grants, tile loans, audit preparation, asset management, procurement and oversight of two communal water systems. The treasurer is also the deputy chief administrative officer (CAO), contributing to the day-to-day management of both the financial services department and broader organizational initiatives.

“When Tracy (Johnson) came onboard (as treasurer), we certainly evaluated the capacity of the treasury to do all the things that are assigned to the treasury and all of the expectations of council,” Perth South CAO Fred Tranquilli said. “At the moment, the treasury has very limited capacity to do any forward planning, to do any evaluations of the systems that might be on the horizon. … I think Tracy has done a good job getting her arms around all the work in the treasury, but certainly the demands of the water systems and the financial plans for them, as well as asset management and procurement, are all new expectations laid out in legislation over the last four years and there’s been no additional capacity added to the treasury to respond to those requirements.”

“The FIR (financial information return) is actually due (to the province) by May 31 and I don’t think that’s ever been done here,” Johnson said. “I mean, we’re doing year-end in December, so with that kind of stuff, they’re going to cut off your (Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund) funding if we don’t start. … We’ve been working on stuff that hasn’t been done; the gas tax. To get the gas tax (funding), you have to do a report on it, and the (Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund), it has to be reported on. It’s all stuff that gets put on the backburner because you’re trying to do the budget, you’re trying to do the payroll, you’re trying to do the taxes. It’s a lot for one person.”

According to Tranquilli, this single-person model for the financial services department is and has been unsustainable for a long time. It has contributed to challenges in managing grant reporting and recovering eligible expenditures, and the current workload leaves no room for proactive initiatives such as policy development, strategic financial planning, or internal process improvements. Without additional support, the township risks falling behind in regulatory compliance, operational efficiency and the delivery of essential services.

In addition, Tranquilli pointed out there is no one to take over should Johnson find herself unable to work and, as is the case in many of the township’s municipal departments, there isn’t adequate succession planning for the role of treasurer currently, should Johnson leave the position or retire.

While Coun. Jaime Martin asked whether the position could be part-time or contracted to save taxpayers the full cost, Tranquilli said it would be difficult to find a part-timer who would have the right skillset and solve the township’s succession-planning issues, while hiring a deputy treasurer on contract would do nothing to address succession planning and may be more expensive than hiring a full-time employee.

Coun. Jim Van Nes asked why this request for a new staff position didn’t come to council at budget time, to which Tranquilli said Johnson had only just been hired and she was still getting to know her new role and department.

Van Nes also expressed frustration with the province over how much more it has started requiring from municipalities from a financial compliance standpoint, suggesting the township meet with Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae to discuss its concerns.

“If a new person comes in and it frees up time for trying to get more grants to help us out, it won’t pay for itself (but) at some point, it helps pay for it,” Coun. Sam Carriveau said. “If we’re not submitting for grants, I see a big problem there and, if this will help, I’m for it for sure.”

“It worries me that for this position we’re saying, ‘This person is going to ensure compliance,’” Coun. Jeff Bell added. “It’s becoming obvious just through this discussion that we do need some support and when we’re talking compliance, that’s a big deal. And I think grant funding is really going to help us as well.”

As Tranquilli said, the township likely won’t have anyone hired for the new position before October. The cost for that position for the remainder of the year can be paid for through this year’s budget. For 2026, staff will include the full cost of the position as part of the operating budget.