Brian Cullen, the chief administrative officer for the County of Pictou, who is part of the steering committee, said consulting firm Grant-Thornton is expected to finish the study in about three weeks.
At an open house held at the NSCC campus in Stellarton on Tuesday, Cullen told the roughly 50 people in attendance – a number that included municipal leaders and CAOs – that it is estimated that if the MOU goes through, the reduced number of council members representing the four participating units (the County of Pictou, Stellarton, New Glasgow and Pictou), would see those units save roughly $220,000 in salary compensation for elected officials.
Cullen said the report is expected to delve into management structure and how staff resources would be allocated in the proposed amalgamation. “The council report was separate from (human resources),” Cullen said.
A plebiscite in the four units will be held in May of next year, but the results of that won’t necessarily make or break the MOU’s future. “The plebiscites are non-binding,” Cullen said.
Under the MOU, there would be 10 districts with each one having a councillor and one mayor selected from all the districts, through a public vote.
