North Bay council votes for review of how the city operates

The City of North Bay will undergo a third-party review of municipal operations after the idea received unanimous approval at a city council meeting Tuesday. (File)

The City of North Bay will undergo a third-party review of municipal operations after the idea received unanimous approval at a city council meeting Tuesday.

Deputy Mayor Maggie Horsfield said the goal is to ensure the city is being run as efficiently as possible.

"It's to ensure that we're following best practices, looking for improvements and just helping guide us in the future," Horsfield said.

"One of the (things we want) to look at it is at each department and see how they are functioning, where we could possibly implement technologies or different innovative measures to improve the service levels that we are providing to our customers, which are the citizens of North Bay.”

There's also a price tag to the review and that's something city councillor Mac Bain wants people to be aware of.

"This could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs and then staff time, more money, to help with the review," Bain said.

"Last time we looked at this was probably seven or eight years ago and if memory serves, $150,000 was the estimated cost … Costs have gone up, and it's not just the consultant, it's also the time the staff are spending away from their daily duties to help with the third-party review."

Bain told CTV News the review has gone out for a request for proposals, and if council approves, the review will happen in March or April.