Monday July 18th Special Town Council Meeting

Tonight’s meeting consisted of 2 presentations that were deemed “council training sessions”. There were only 8 members of the public in attendance.

Of special note, Councillor Fryer and Councillor Courtney were absent tonight.

Code of Conduct Training – Robert Swayze, Integrity Commissioner

First up was Mr. Swayze, the integrity commissioner. He was pleased that his training session was done during a public meeting as it could have been done in-camera. (Kudos to whoever made the decision to have this done in a public meeting. Serves towards transparency, I think.) Mr. Swayze said that he was hoping for participation from council, with questions or interruptions as needed during his presentation. (A little foreshadowing, I’m guessing he left kind of disappointed, serious lack of participation was seen. ) He explained his role was independent of staff and that he reports directly to council. He stated that the role of councillor is complicated and that he can’t open an investigation based on principles, he can only open an investigation based on a violation of the rules governing council. Here is what I retained from his presentation.

Conduct at meetings and otherwise

Mr. Swayze said that he encourages vigorous debate during council meetings, he feels it is the backbone of democracy. He said he gives some latitude if councillors say derogatory statements about other members of council during debate, but no latitude at all for name calling or derogatory statements about members of the public or staff. (hmmmm….uh-oh….)

Confidential Information 

Mr. Swayze cautioned council that he is very strict about issues around the releasing of any type of confidential information. He cautioned council that they can not say anything about what is said or done in an in-camera meeting. He cautioned them to be very careful about this. (hmmmm…..uh-oh again…..anyone remember the in-camera leaks that happened around this time last year during the firefighter situation?) Councillor Meloche had a question about something in their “councillor’s handbook” and Mr Swayze addressed it. He said it’s very clear, council members can not talk about anything that happens in-camera. Ever.

Improper Use of Influence

Mr. Swayze felt this was obvious for council. Yes, their voting is up to them, however, they should not use their power to influence others.

Conduct Respecting Staff

Mr. Swayze said that a majority of council runs the town and makes decisions. (don’t we know it… LOL) However, there is a line between council and staff. Mr. Swayze cited, for example, a councillor can not yell at staff, that they have no executive authority over members of town staff. He explained the chain of command, right on up to the CAO. He said the Mayor holds a special power and that is to declare an emergency. (Does any one else think those hard, uncomfortable chairs for the public in council chambers are an emergency?)

Mr. Swayze asked again if there were questions. There were none.

Investigations

Mr. Swayze said that if there is a complaint under council’s code of conduct, he must first see if he has jurisdiction to address the complaint. He made it clear that he has no authority over staff, only members of council. He must apply the rules of fairness and ensure the complaint is not politically motivated or vexatious. When the complaint is deemed warranted and within his jurisdiction, he sends an email to the councillor and they have 10 days to provide a written response. He then supplies the response to the complainant. He said it is similar to a court process. He said that then he would then make a recommendation to council regarding the complaint.

He again told council that he wants discussion and questions. Councillor Meloche had a couple about conflict of interest, but that was it. Councillors Pouget, Lavigne and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale never said a word during his presentation and training session.

Workplace Violence, Harassment & Discrimination Prevention Training – Adrien LeBlanc, Health & Safety Officer

Next up was Mr. Adrien LeBlanc the Health and Safety Officer. He provided a somewhat lengthy presentation (with PowerPoint) about Health and Safety in the workplace. Unlike Mr. Swayze’s Integrity training, there were many more questions and comments made during the Health & Safety (H&S) training. Deputy Mayor DiPasquale asked how often the policy needs to be reviewed by council. Mr. LeBlanc said that it is to be reviewed annually by the employer and reviewed every 2 years with staff. Councillor Pouget asked if there had been significant changes to this new policy from the old. The Clerk said this new policy was adopted in March 2016, with some changes. (I got the impression there weren’t many changes) Councillor Pouget then cited page 8 of 25 #6.10.2 (I think I got that right) that any member of council if confronted with a situation of harassment should go to the CAO or Mayor. She said that at one time members were accused of not doing this but they were following the policy to a T. (I’m not exactly sure what she was referring to, and there were crickets in the room after she made this statement.) Councillor Pouget then cited page 7 of 25 and spoke of a website that continually blasts four members of council. She feels these four members of council are being harassed and falsely accused, citing pictures and statements. She wondered if there was anything they could do to protect themselves from harassment. Mr. LeBlanc told her that, like anyone, she can use libel and slander laws for personal matters, however it is dependant on what is being said and that generally, when it comes to politicians, “people talk”. Mr. LeBlanc then went on to explain that the Mayor is the official spokesperson to the media when the town takes a position on an issue. Councillor Pouget asked if councillors can respond in the media or if they will be challenged. She mentioned that members of committees have been disciplined for speaking their minds. Councillor Pouget then stated that the Mayor said in the media that he found the certain website “entertaining”, however, she feels the website has been badgering four councillors. (Just my opinion, but I think she was referring to a Facebook page called – Amherstburg Election Project – and was mistakenly calling it a web site.) Anyway, the clerk brought the discussion back on track by reminding everyone that this part of the discussion was about the code of conduct as it relates to the Mayor as the spokesperson. (wait a minute…..wasn’t this the H&S presentation? Why didn’t these questions get asked of Mr. Swayze? Wasn’t his presentation about the code of conduct?)

Councillor Meloche then asked a question and used the example of what if one employee refers to another as an “idiot”. Mr. LeBlanc explained that statements need to be a course of vexatious comments, not a one-off single comment to be deemed harassment. Councillor Lavigne clarified that if there were a harassment complaint about a member of council to staff, this would be up the the Mayor, in terms of how to deal with it. Mr. LeBlanc said that the mayor would have to determine whether to bring in a third party or not to investigate. Then, Councillor Lavigne asked what if the harassment complaint is about the Mayor? Mr. LeBlanc had to do a little bit of quick research but said it would be up to the HR department and the CAO to bring in a third party to investigate.  Deputy Mayor DiPasquale had a couple of questions also. (Here’s the part I retained…..INTERVENE….if you see harassment, say something, do something, don’t just sit there, then bring it up the chain of command. But that’s just what I retained.) Councillor Meloche then had some questions and then the presentation and training was over. (Note to self…..since this was training, will there be a quiz to see what was learned and retained? What will be done to train the people who were absent? )

One last minute addition to the agenda

The Music on the Porch event recently held at the Park House was such a success, that the organiser, Mr. McDonald has requested more dates. The next date, July 29th, falls before the next council meeting in August, so he was requesting approval. He got it. There will be music on July 29th.

As for councillor of the week……this week Councillor Meloche gets the award, hands down. He was actively listening to the presentation and asking questions and participating. He was engaged and seemed curious and wanting to learn about the two issues up for discussion. Kudos to you, Councillor Meloche.

As for me, I learned a little bit tonight too. I won’t lie….both presentations were somewhat dry, not overly dynamic, however the cold, hard seat kept me uncomfortable enough to stay at attention. Fortunately, it’s summer and we have a little breather until the next meeting in August.

Well there you go folks, our town leaders now know where the line is for their code of conduct and harassment policy. Let’s hope they stay on the right side of the line and keep us out of the news!!

In preparation for Monday July 18th Special Town Council Meeting

There is a special town council meeting scheduled for this Monday night. The agenda is only 87 pages, so it leaves me hopeful it may be a relatively short meeting. Not sure if it can beat the record of 7 minutes though. Council managed to pull off that record time for a special meeting a few months ago that was to approve a couple of financial policies. I only say this because for this meeting there are only 2 policies however, they’re fairly heavy subjects. Will depend greatly on the Q&A and how prepared the councillors are to receive the information. So, here it is.

Code of Conduct Training – Robert Swayze, Integrity Commissioner

There is not any information available in the agenda about this item. It took council almost a year to approve their own Code of Conduct, so I have to assume that this policy has proven a difficult one, for a variety of reasons. It appears that Mr. Swayze, the Integrity Commissioner, will be there. I can only venture a guess that he will be discussing the Code of Conduct, perhaps introducing himself or clarifying and answering any questions. Will be definitely be listening closely and watching, both for the things that are said and the things that may go unsaid.

Workplace Violence, Harassment & Discrimination Prevention Training – Adrien LeBlanc, Health & Safety Officer

There is a PowerPoint presentation included in the agenda about Harassment Prevention and Respect in the workplace.  It appears Mr. LeBlanc will be presenting. I think he is the new Health & Safety Officer that the town hired. Again, should be interesting. Originally, council had refused to hire for this position in their budget for 2016. Once the year got rolling, there were several Health and Safety issues within various town departments and well, it seemed like the CAO basically, sort of, “forced” council to approve hiring a Health and Safety Officer to try to mitigate the situations. Once again, this should be an interesting presentation and I am looking forward to it. I will be listening closely to see what council has to say.

CONSENT CORRESPONDENCE RECOMMENDATION

That the following consent correspondence BE RECEIVED: a) Walter Perry Emancipation Golf Classic – August 6, 2016

Whenever council receives correspondence for any reason, they have to accept it into the meeting minutes. It looks like council has been invited to a Golf Tournament. Considering the lengthy discussion last week about being invited to a golf tournament, well, this could end up interesting after all…LOL.

All in all, I am very interested to hear the presentations Monday night. There are only two, however, they are both very big and heavy topics, which will hopefully lead to some fruitful discussion and well thought out questions. A girl can dream, right?

Monday July 11th Regular Town Council Meeting

Well, tonight’s meeting was…a little bit odd. Some items were passed through quickly, others had lengthy discussion and others seemed to have a weird undertone that I just couldn’t pinpoint. Sort of Twilight Zone-ish, in my opinion. Or maybe that’s because I zoned out. I don’t know. Could be either one. Here we go.

There was a full house tonight! Yay! There were many members of CUPE in the audience representing the library workers who are currently on strike. The meeting started around 6:30, since council had been in-camera prior to this, since 5PM.

** Of special note, Councillor Lavigne was absent from tonight’s meeting. That made me have a small panic attack, just sayin’. I was going to have to think outside the box and really dig deep and look hard for a councillor of the week. No favourites allowed tonight.**

DELEGATIONS  Big Creek Watershed Billboard Signage – Greg Nemeth

Mr Nemeth was reporting again about the Big Creek water shed area and was requesting council’s approval for signage. He would like some signs posted in the wetlands and woodlands showing them as significant with words such as “Save Big Creek Wetland”, “Save Habitat, Save Lives”, “Call your MP” etc. Councillor Fryer put forth a motion to request a report from administration about signage. Councillor Pouget seconded the motion. A lengthy, quite lengthy, discussion ensued. Councillor Meloche felt that signs just become “art on the wall” and that people, over time, do not notice them. Mr Nemeth, along with Councillors Fryer and Pouget felt that signage is effective and supported the idea. After much back and forth, the motion carried and administration will be bringing a report back to council about putting up signs for the Big Creek area.

Many items flew through after this, until we got to the strategic plan….

Draft Community Based Strategic Plan – 2016-2021

Administration along with a research company that was hired, had compiled data to create the Community Based Strategic Plan for the town of Amherstburg. Administration was asking that the draft of the Strategic Plan be tabled to allow administration to meet with Committees of Council and that the plan be considered by council for adoption at the September 12, 2016 meeting. Councillor Pouget was concerned with people being away during the summer months and, in order to have committee meetings that a September 12th date may not be possible. The CAO did not feel this would be problematic and said the chair of each committee could call meetings, since this strategic plan is important. Then, Councillor Courtney asked what about the residents being able to give input. The CAO explained that the residents are the ones who filled out the survey, however, they could still certainly comment and give feedback up until September 12th. Councillor Fryer asked that the draft be put up on the web site. Councillor Pouget concurred with Councillor Courtney and wanted to know how the residents could comment. The CAO said he would tweet it out right now and asked to rely on the media to promote it. He also said town hall would promote it and put it on the website. Councillor Meloche also wanted the residents input. (I thought my head was going to explode! The draft and plan is made up completely of public input!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all had the opportunity to fill out a survey, on paper or on line, there were meetings held and random phone call surveys made!!!!!!!!!!!! And now council was asking for public input???? Do they not understand how surveys work???? Did they read the draft that I read that included pie charts, graphs and statistics based on the people’s answers to the questions??????? What am I missing here???? Why would they need residents input? It’s all in the draft of the strategic plan!!! Right there!! In black and white!!!! Sometimes I wonder if I’m one of few who reads the agenda and the reports. 😦  Basically, they want public input on a plan that was based entirely and completely on public input. UGH! )  Anyway, the motion carried.

Police reports

Small public service announcement…..there have been more break-ins in town. The Deputy Chief reiterated the importance of locking doors to cars, houses, sheds etc. He said most of the break-ins have been crimes of opportunity and not forced entries. So, people, lock up your stuff!

Ombudsman Investigation – In-Camera Meetings October 14 & 26, 2015 and Email Exchanges December 2014 through January 2015

The Ombudsman had investigated a couple of in-camera meetings and some email exchanges and made some recommendations to improve things. Councillor Pouget was not happy that Councillor Meloche did not read the entire motion and only mentioned it by number. She felt it was important that the motion be read in it’s entirety. The Mayor said it is often done this way in other meetings as well, in order to expedite meetings and keep things moving along. Mayor DiCarlo also stated there are paper copies of the agenda available in the lobby for people to follow along. Councillor Pouget said when she makes a motion she will read it.

Councillor Pouget then asked about the ombudsman report. Councillor Pouget believes that council should still see the accounts payable, but remove the wording “prior to payment”. The problem stems from email exchanges between councillors in order to approve bill payments when there are more than 2 weeks between meetings. The Treasurer explained that not everyone’s bills are due within 30 days, some companies require the 15th of the month or other time lines and depending on timing of council meetings, this can sometimes be problematic. The CAO also pointed out that allowing the Treasurer to pay the bills without prior council approval would allow administration to take advantage of 1% or 2% discounts that are offered by certain suppliers if the bill is paid within 10 days. The whole issue brought forth some fruitful discussion. Originally, council made the motion very early in their term to reign in spending and in order to verify all bills being paid. The process sometimes became problematic because of timing. The Treasurer explained how there are many checks and balances that happen before the bill comes before council. Council has mandated a budget, a procurement policy, there is a purchase order issue, management sign-offs etc. before the bill lands in the finance department to be paid. Mayor DiCarlo explained that he reads every single cheque he signs. So, this whole issue was resolved very reasonably and efficiently. It was decided that the accounts payable will still be given to council but only for information and oversight purposes, it will still be available to the public too, however, the Treasurer can get the bills paid right away without waiting for council’s approval. (I was impressed with council’s level-headed reasoning on this issue.)

Consent Correspondence

28th Annual Golf Tournament – Essex Region Conservation Foundation

Usually, something like this flies through and I barely notice because I’ve fallen asleep in the back row. Tonight, this golf tournament was discussed, debated and discussed some more. Councillor Fryer wanted to send a foursome to this tournament to represent the town of Amherstburg. He felt it was important to be present and represent Amhersrtburg at this function. Councillor Pouget thought council had agreed to pay any fees themselves to participate in events. Councillor Meloche felt that some on council don’t do enough to promote themselves and the community by attending events. Councillor Courtney expressed concern for the money available to councillors to better themselves and felt it was limited. Councillor Pouget felt measures had been put in place to stop abuse and cited that previously people would pay for an event out of pocket, then collect $800 per diem. She also mentioned that we are not that far out of debt. I don’t think that sat well with the CAO who gave a passionate speech about how this administration and council have changed the way this town is moving forward. They have taken all of the steps necessary and put direction on the financials. He received quite a round of applause afterwards. Anyway, long story short, much back and forth, I was confused with how this ended. The conversation had gone round and round….boredom had set in, my mind had wandered to it’s happy place. Later, after the meeting, Councillor Fryer clarified to myself and a few others that they did vote to send 4 people to the tournament. The opportunity would be offered to council first, then administration. He said he felt it was very important to try to have council members or administration present at various events.

Unfinished business

Councillor Pouget wanted to know the status of the sign by-law and what was being done about the portable signs on Sandwich Street. This went back and forth somewhat too. It seems, I think, that the signs are all licensed and have permits. Councillor Pouget was concerned that the judges for Communities in Bloom would be here soon and see the signs. (I say, send them by my house….my flowers are still alive and well. That’s almost a miracle in my world. I think it’s award-worthy, considering most plants cringe, wither and die when I look at them. I once watered a plastic flower for a week and was proud of myself that it was still alive. True story.)

Councillor Fryer wanted to discuss flooding after construction on Texas Road…..(sigh, can we get through one meeting without discussing Texas Road?)

There were many items brought up under unfinished business, back and forth it went, round and round, up and down, back and forth, forth and back…..CWATS, tennis courts, flooding, trees, churches, Heritage Committee, painted lines…..my eyes were rolling back in my head……

New Business

Councillor Fryer wanted to make a motion regarding the CUPE members who were present at tonight’s meeting. Mayor DiCarlo declared a conflict (his wife works there) and so did Deputy Mayor DiPasquale (not sure why, didn’t catch it) and they both left. That left Councillors Fryer, Pouget, Meloche and Courtney staring at each other, literally. Councillor Fryer made a motion for Councillor Pouget to take the chair for this portion of the meeting, so she did. Councillor Fryer made a motion to contact Essex County Libraries to encourage moving the negotiations forward. He talked about how the seniors, unemployed and students are reliant on the internet and our libraries and wants the employees back in the library, working. The motion carried.

After this, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor came back. Once again, the merry-go-round of discussion resumed….Echo building, trees, tennis courts, washrooms, lights, no lights, cleanliness, Centennial Park, who could keep up? Not me……I think I was snoring…..

The meeting adjourned at about 8:15, so all-in-all, just under 2 hours. Not bad.

As for councillor of the week…..what to do….my favourite go-to was absent. I had to dig a little deeper. Look for something that impressed me during (or after?) this strange meeting.  Hold on to your hats folks, I can barely believe I am about to type this. This week, I nominate Councillor Fryer as councillor of the week. I know, I know….we often don’t see eye-to-eye on issues…..okay, fine….we rarely see eye-to-eye on issues……okay, almost never do we see eye-to-eye on issues, but tonight I was impressed that he took a few minutes to stop and talk to myself and a few others after the meeting. He explained what the heck had happened during the golf tournament discussion and his reasons behind it. He thinks it’s important for council to be at functions and represent the town and well, I concur. I also liked the he wants to see our library workers back at work doing what they do best! Serving our community!

 

In preparation for Monday July 11th Regular town council meeting

It’s summer time! This means that council will only have one regular meeting during the month of July and one during the month of August (although there is a special meeting scheduled for Monday the 18th, which I’m guessing will be for policies, but not sure.) Anyway, I’m getting my “preview” up and ready a little earlier than usual because I have a fantastically busy summer weekend ahead! 🙂  Also, Monday’s agenda has some great stuff on it and I have thoughts and opinions that I just can’t keep inside. They have to get out!  Here we go! Hope to see you guys at the meeting! Looks like it will be a good one.

First up, there is a supplementary agenda. This means, a “last-minute” type addition to the already prepared agenda. It’s an interesting addition though…..

Ombudsman Investigation – In-Camera Meetings October 14 & 26, 2015 and Email Exchanges December 2014 through January 2015

It appears the Ombudsman investigated two in-camera meetings and an email exchange between administration and council. Let’s begin with the in-camera meetings. These two meetings are the ones where, it is believed, Councillor Fryer was seeking reimbursement for his legal fees when he threatened to sue a citizen over some Facebook comments that he did not like. Of special note, the October 26 2015 meeting, members of the public and the press were kicked outside to wait during the meeting. Basically, long story short, there were several “issues” found by the Ombudsman. The one that stood out the most to me was : “They also spoke about other individuals who do not have any official position with the town.” This leads me to believe that council spoke about the members of the public who were waiting for the report-out and vote and possibly even other members of the public……wow!!!!!!!

As for the email exchange…..this seems to have occurred because of the new (at the time) council’s initiative to see all accounts payable items before authorising payment. This occurred in December and leading into the holiday season. “The Director of Finance told us that, had he and the CAO not taken steps to ensure that the financial affairs of the town could be continued, 43 days would have elapsed with no payments released from the town.” (taken from the report)……43 DAYS!!!!! WOW!!!! While I can appreciate council wanting to review how our money is being spent, I think this is a perfect example of when theory and practicality collide and create a perfect storm. Well, we’re heading back into storm season, because council will approve the payables Monday night and there won’t be another meeting for a month. I wouldn’t want to be a business waiting that kind of time to be paid for services rendered. However, I see the recommendation is : “The Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to release funds for payables as per the Treasurer’s duties, set out in Section 286(1)(c) of the Municipal Act, 2001.” Should create an interesting discussion. Will council return to the “regular” way to paying bills or will they want to continue to micromanage and see the payables? What will they do to ensure there are not late fees incurred or worse, damage to our reputation (i.e. slow payers), when meetings don’t happen exactly every two weeks?

Here’s the link to the full report, with a play by play.

https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/Resources/Reports/Town-of-Amherstburg-(8).aspx#HTML

Now on to the regular, prepared agenda:

Looks like council is going in-camera at 5PM to discuss :

ITEM A – Update on Current By-law Enforcement Matter – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

ITEM B – Update on Current By-law Enforcement Matter – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

DELEGATIONS  Big Creek Watershed Billboard Signage – Greg Nemeth

It appears that Mr. Nemeth will be asking council’s permission for a portable billboard to be placed on town property on Thomas Road. Considering portable signs seem to be a “hot topic” at the moment, this may prove interesting….

Accounts Payable

Another good week! No legal fees! Things are looking up! Now, to see what they’re going to do to get the bills paid between now and August 8th. That’s 4 weeks until the next regular meeting…..

Alma Street Rehabilitation – Howard Avenue to Walker Road – Tender Results

It looks like the town wants to re-do the stretch of Alma Street that sits between Howard Avenue and Walker Road. The prices are in and now it’s decision time.

REPORT – PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND LEGISLATIVE SERVICES 14.1 Agreement to Defer Development Charges –14, 16, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 & 52 SHAW DRIVE

Looks like they’re looking to defer some development charges on Shaw Drive. Not sure, but will listen and keep you posted.

Removal of Part Lot Control- Kingsbridge Subdivision

This appears to be a final approval for dividing up some lots in Kingsbridge.

Removal of Part Lot Control- Forhan Street Plan 12M-198

See above. Different street.

Zoning By-law Amendment for Part Lot 19, Concession 1580 Middle Sideroad (County Rd 10) – Outcome from the Statutory Public Meeting

Not really sure about this…..started reading it but it seems kind of above my pay grade. I will listen Monday night and see what the deal is. Hopefully those who are paid to read the agenda, will have read it and will be prepared to discuss, then it should be easy enough for me to figure out what the deal is.

Draft Community Based Strategic Plan – 2016-2021

Well, well, well…..this was a great read! I can hardly wait to hear the discussion about this Monday night. To say this draft is exceptional is an understatement! It’s comprehensive, with graphs, statistics, explanations etc. It is truly a must-read!  Administration has a draft version ready for the strategic plan and is aiming to have it adopted at the September 12th meeting. If you recall, the public were asked to provide input about our vision for the town of Amherstburg going forward during the next 10 years or so.

The document is lengthy and, in my opinion, fascinating. I will pull out the points of interest, while trying not to be too long-winded. Based on the survey results, here is the town’s vision:

Our Vision

• Ensure financial sustainability through a long term financial plan and maintenance of adequate reserves.
• Improve, develop and maintain existing and new infrastructure that supports a sustainable community
• Commercial and industrial business investment has been secured through the use of progressive land-use planning tools and incentives.
• The Town has a reputation as an attractive place to live and where residents experience a high quality of life.
• Town is renowned for the quality of its festivals, celebrations and historic character.

There are some beautiful words and values that make me so happy to see…..collaborative, service-oriented, results-focused, accountable, innovative……These are in the draft plan as roles and responsibilities of our municipal government.

Here are the priorities as identified by the survey respondents :

Priority #1 – Marketing and Promotion Objective: Promote the Town as a destination for all demographics including young families and retirees.

Priority #2 – Economic Development Objective: Target the growth of our business community and foster an attractive downtown core.

Priority #3 – Investment in Infrastructure Objective: Provide infrastructure that will facilitate growth and development.

Priority #4 – Fiscal Sustainability Objective: Demonstrate fiscal responsibility and the efficient allocation of tax dollars.

Here are some survey questions and answers I found interesting:

What makes Amherstburg a unique place to live or work?

• Beauty, charm and history
• Big city amenities with a small town atmosphere
• Proximity to bodies of water (i.e. Detroit River) and the United States
• Ongoing events, festivals, and the beautification efforts
• The people

Here are the people’s visions for the town of Amherstburg:

• A premier tourism destination, more and better festivals, more shopping and restaurants
• Population growth, balance the potential of Amherstburg with McGregor, Anderdon, Malden
• More businesses and industry
• Improved financial situation

What are the top 3 priorities for the Town of Amherstburg to achieve this vision?

• Investment in waterfront, improved access to Bois Blanc island, hotel, marina
• Improve marketing and promotion of town
• Fiscal management, broaden tax base, accountability
• Attract jobs and investment
• Develop tourism, a festivals and events strategy
• Leadership from Council, a progressive vision for Town
• Improved communication with residents
• Attract development in the interest of what the town needs (alternative senior housing, small businesses)

When asked what were the barriers to achieve this vision, here are the replies:

• Council (i.e. lack of vision, divided, not open to business or new ideas) (ouch!)
• Fiscal and Financial Management (i.e. control spending, and government funding)
• Overcoming the negative perceptions or attitudes towards Amherstburg
• Lack of hotel/overnight accommodations

And the services in Amherstburg we are happiest with? Fire and Police.

Least satisfied? Economic Development.

A vast majority of respondents (79%) of respondents agree that the Town of Amherstburg should hold more festivals and events at the King’s Navy Yard Park. Almost all respondents (92%) agree that the built and cultural heritage of Amherstburg needs to be protected and conserved.

Honestly, I don’t feel I can adequately summarise this superb document. The data and statistics are fascinating and show a true portrait of the thoughts and opinions of the residents of our great town. I seriously encourage every single person reading this to click on the link of Monday’s agenda and read the draft version of our strategic plan.

Click to access 2016%2007%2011%20-%20Regular%20Council%20Meeting%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf

It starts at page 100.

I honestly, truly can’t wait to hear the discussion about this on Monday night.

All in all, Monday night’s docket looks pretty full, but not overloaded. I hope there will be many members of the community there to hear about our new strategic plan. I don’t want to be lonely. Here’s to hoping we can get ‘er done in less than two hours?? Maybe?? It is summer time, after all…..