A recommendation that a prospective candidate for a County of Dufferin position as department head should be introduced to the full council before his or her employment is ratified, has been returned to the committee that made the proposal for further consideration.

Under present policy, the selection is more or less at the sole discretion of a committee appointed to the task, and county council as a whole is not involved in the process until the preferred candidate has been chosen.

The process did not sit well with several councillors last Thursday, and Mulmur Deputy Mayor Sue Snider asked how a pre-ratification introduction to the council would be accomplished.

"We can't introduce the candidate in camera, but can't in an open meeting with so many people in the gallery," she said.

Orangeville Deputy Mayor Warren Maycock, in what might have been a response to the question, said, "in Orangeville, all members of council are on the hiring committee." And Mayor Rob Adams appeared incredulous.

"It scares me that a select group is trying to make decisions without (involving the whole council). I can vote on a snow blower, but not on the selection of a department head," he said.

Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson said no one appeared to have an answer to the question of whether all councillors would be allowed to sit in on selection committee meetings. If everyone could sit in, he would support a motion making that clear.

Mayor Crewson added that when he was warden, and there was some difficulty finding a CAO, all council members were welcome to sit it. "I'm not sure you need the whole council," he said.

Mono Mayor Lorie Haddock, chair of Government Services, referring to the fact that recently appointed Director of Community Services Keith Palmer had been sitting among other members of county staff throughout the discussions, said she found it "very rude of everyone here. The CAO just said that Councillor Snider did sit in (on the selection process) but did not have a vote."

There were a few apologies made, and then the council took the suggestion of Amaranth Deputy Mayor Walter Kolodziechuk and sent the matter back to Government Services Committee.