Morris-Turnberry council has asked its history book committee to prepare a plan on how the book will be ready for printing by the end of the year, and at a minimum cost to taxpayers.
Jodi Jerome and Jenny Versteeg, co-editors of the book, which will tell the history of both Morris and Turnberry wards, attended the Feb. 16 meeting after councillors had expressed concern at their Feb. 2 meeting over the growing expense of the project and its publication date.
More than $100,000 has already been spent in researching and staff costs for the project with a further $60,000 in costs projected this year. Versteeg explained that there were fewer volunteers involved in researching this book than others she had been involved with and therefore more paid labour was required.
The mammoth book, to be published in two volumes totalling 1,300 pages, is likely to cost more than $300,000 by the time research, editing and printing costs are totalled, according to figures presented at the meeting by Nancy Michie, administrator clerk-treasurer.
The municipality has received grants of $61,000 but it still leaves nearly $250,000 to be raised either from the price charged for the book or from a municipal contribution.
Councillors expressed concerns that with only 1,260 households in the municipality it was unrealistic to expect more than 1,000-1,500 books sold, and far fewer than that if the price was more than $100.
“When you get up to $300 or even $200, sure some people would buy it, but the normal person on the street won’t. It has to be less than $100,” said Deputy Mayor Jim Nelemans.
He questioned whether the book needs to be as thorough. “It’s great to have all this information but will people read it?”
Coun. Paul Gowing said he had six siblings who had grown up in Morris ward and they might be interested in buying the book but only if it was reasonably priced.
Coun. Mark Beaven pointed out that if the book sold for $100, and 1,000 copies were sold, the municipality would be on the hook for $100,000-$200,000.
“I cannot continue spending,” he said. “If that means we have to pull the plug now, so be it. This is ridiculous to keep continuing down this road. This is a white elephant waiting to explode,” Beaven said.
It became obvious that councillors had various ideas on whether taxpayer money would help pay for the production of the history book.
While Beaven seemed to expect sales of the book to pay for the costs, some councillors said they’d expected all along that the municipality would be paying part of the costs.
“I had figured the township would come up with $100,000,” said Mayor Dorothy Kelly.
Kelly was concerned about the timing of publication, saying she had understood the book would be ready for sale this coming Christmas.
“We thought we were preparing a book for 2011,” said Versteeg.
Jerome explained that the committee and editors had been working toward an April 2011 launch, with promotion in time for people to pre-buy the book this Christmas, raising money to help with printing costs.
“We can knock off a book by Christmas but it would look like the old Morris (history) book,” she said.
Nelemans explained that councillors had wanted the project completed during their term of office which ends this fall, because they didn’t want to saddle a new council with the costs.
Committee member Donna Nicholson defended the project.
“We took our instructions from what you wanted,” she said.
Council had taken the West Wawanosh history book as a model, with histories of every lot, but that took eight years to complete and it only involved one township. The Morris-Turnberry book would include two former townships.
“I don’t think it’s ever been done,” Nicholson said. “You guys should have known the time we were given wasn’t enough.”
As well, she said, the committee didn’t have as much volunteer help as other projects, particularly from Morris ward.
Nicholson said she was fed up with the criticism.
“In some ways you guys had better take some responsibility,” she said.
Coun. Lynn Hoy agreed.
“I think the council has asked for something and we’ve got it,” he said. “I think it’s a slap in the face to these people to shut it down now.”
Councillor Bill Thompson agreed that the project can’t be stopped now but that the costs had to be controlled somehow.
In the end, council passed a motion to ask the committee, which is to meet in early March, to come up with a plan to sell the book at $100 and find ways to reduce the cost.
Council agreed with a proposal of the committee to request proposals from various printers for the actual printing of the book, but at the urging of Beaven, agreed to cast as wide a net as possible in seeking competitive bids.