ERCA donation blog, special edition

I’m back even though there’s no council meeting this week. I couldn’t help but notice the uproar this week on social media and elsewhere about the town’s recent donation to ERCA. OK, I even participated in the uproar a bit. Because, quite frankly, this fiasco is uproar worthy. Let me start from the beginning….

Last Saturday I was doing my usual pre-meeting blog research. I was skimming through the various parts of the council meeting agenda and I noticed that the town was reporting that they came in around $750,000 UNDER budget for 2016!! What great news one would think….of course, if one is from Amherstburg, news can go from great to “what the heck” really, really fast. Town administration was presenting 4 options to town council of what they could do with our surplus money. I’ll be honest, I almost missed it. The report was really lengthy and as I said, I skim through them. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had missed it? Two of the options included a $100,000 donation to ERCF (ERCA’s fund raising arm) for the newly built trails between Amherstburg and Essex. The other two options did not include this donation. And in the report, administration told council these were some ideas but they were free to do otherwise as well.

Anyway, I blogged about it on Saturday and the issue continued to bug me. Was town council actually considering such a large donation with our overpaid tax money? Maybe they were considering one of the other 2 options that did not include a donation?  It seemed we had only recently turned our financial situation around…weren’t we a total basket case financially just a few years ago?…did I miss something? Were we already so rich we could just throw some money to ERCA, a government-funded organisation? Should I put in a delegation request and ask for my portion back? Cash or cheque I’m open to either…LOL. While I feel the CWATS trails and Greenways are excellent initiatives, I feel ERCA receives sufficient support through their general levies and other levels of government grants. These excess funds belonged to the residents of Amherstburg and I felt should be kept or spent specifically on needs not wants.

As a taxpayer and resident of Amherstburg, I do not feel it is fiscally responsible to donate any of our budget surpluses to any organisation. ERCA is a  government subsidised organisation already and receives tax payer money from several levels of government. This money was paid to the town by the taxpayers for a very specific service, i.e. what was contained in the budget document. Thus, I feel the only responsible use of this excess money would be to put it towards reserves or debt only. I do not think excess tax money that had been collected should be donated to anybody. It should remain in reserves for future needs and/or used to pay some debt.

So, on Sunday morning, I sent an email to all of council. In my email, I expressed to council that I felt that any surplus money should be spent only on debt and/or put into reserves. This money is OUR tax money that was over collected during the 2016 year. I did not feel any of our overpaid tax money should be donated to anyone or anything. I received a prompt reply from Councillor Fryer who briefly explained to me the “difference” between ERCA (Essex Region Conservation Authority) and ERCF (Essex Region Conservation Foundation). He also said neither organisation had requested the money. (Oh, OK, I see….so we’re just going to offer them some? Really? Why?) I replied again and re-explained my position and then that was it.

On Monday evening when I arrived for the meeting, there was a supplementary agenda with a delegation on it for Donation to the Essex Region Conservation Foundation for the Cypher Systems Greenway – Susan Stockwell Andrews, President; Claire Wales, Vice-President; Sean Collier, Director; and Richard Wyma, Executive Director, Essex Region Conservation Foundation. My heart sank. The minute I saw that delegation I knew this donation was going to happen. I would have bet money on it. (How about $100,000? LOL) I felt it was not the right thing to do for the taxpayers, I had done my part, sent my email, but now it was all up to fate. Or, up to the members of council….is that fate? I’m not sure….are preconceived ideas and votes fate? Are previously discussed alliances fate? While I waited for the meeting to begin, Councillor Fryer kept going to talk to the delegations from ERCA. Councillor Fryer is the recently appointed chair of ERCA, so I guess they all know each other. Probably very well.

So, I took my seat and the show began. Council went out of order and allowed the delegation for ERCA to speak first. Honestly, I could see what was about to happen. I could tell from the tone of the delegation and the tone of the council chambers, that they were about to hand over $100,000 to ERCA as a donation. After the presentation Councillor Meloche had a question about the parking near the new trail head. But that was it.

After that, I watched in disbelief as Councillor Fryer made the motion to donate $100,000 to ERCA for the trails. I literally sat there with my jaw dropped as I watched Councillor Courtney, Councillor Meloche, Councillor Lavigne and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale support this motion. Each of their hands went up in support. As the residents in the gallery sat there like we had just been punched in the gut, Councillor Fryer was all smiles. He invited us all to the grand opening to happen in a few days. He said he would be bringing a group of cyclists with him. Of course, once the meeting continued, the ERCA people immediately left. (I, however, was only in the very beginning part of a long and painful meeting.) I just want to explain a bit of procedure that I have learned through goodness knows how many hours of sitting in council meetings. The Mayor only votes for recorded votes or to break a tie. He can vote if he feels it necessary (which I’ve seen happen once and it created a 3-3 vote, which made it a wash). Since the Mayor is the chair, he is supposed to keep a sense of order to the meeting and remain, if possible, relatively impartial. (How he does it is beyond me…..I have a hard time biting my tongue and not screaming sometimes….) So, the Mayor neither supported nor opposed the motion to give away the money. If he had opposed it, it would not have made a difference. It would have simply been 5-1. However, I am curious if he feels this was a good move. I’m also curious how Councillor Pouget feels about this. She was absent from the meeting. Would she have supported or opposed this tax money give-away? Tough call, since it was going to an environmental organisation…..

Later in the meeting, I sat through a discussion about how the Libro Centre is underfunded. Council plans to raise the rates and put that burden on the taxpayers. Two years ago this council cut $100,000 from the Libro Centre’s budget. Now, they gladly handed away $100,000 to ERCA……what a sad state of affairs. I swear I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. Does council see the hypocrisy here or is it just me?

So Tuesday rolled around. I received a reply to my Sunday email from Councillor Courtney. (Better late than never, right? Well, the vote was said and done, so I can’t see how it matters…..) She seemed to feel she needed to support the trails because the town of Essex had donated $100,000 to the trails. I never replied to her email, since at this point, there was no point. The vote was over…..however, it does leave me to wonder…..did the town of Essex include their donation in their budget? Also, if the town of Essex makes a bad financial decision, are we, the town of Amherstburg obligated to follow suit? I don’t know…..

Through the rest of the week, I have watched with interest the commentary on social media. I can see that the residents are angry about this turn of events.

Personally, I am tired of how these items are always sprung at the last minute. I’m sure not many people in Amherstburg read the agendas. I’m not even sure that the councillors do and they’re paid to read it and be prepared. I stumbled on this by accident and had barely a day to react. How does this allow for public input? I thought our current members of council promised transparency and accountability when they were seeking election? How is putting a $100,000 donation in an agenda transparent? As for accountability……how is council accountable for this? They took our money and gave it away. All we can do now is complain, stomp our feet, yell and cry. How can we hold them accountable for giving away a chunk of our overpaid tax money? From the pictures with the smiling faces of Councillors Fryer, Councillor Meloche and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, I have to assume they think this is wonderful, even though we don’t. I have yet to see anybody on social media say that they think this was a good move.

If there’s even a peep of a tax increase next year, my head may spin. We overpaid more than $700,000 last year and council gave away a good chunk of it and at the same time and IN THE SAME MEETING sat and cried poor over the arena budget! If there’s a surplus next year, we should all make a delegation request (last minute of course) and ask for a cheque to return us our money. What do you think?

Just for a visual…..here’s a picture of our money leaving our coffers.

Monday April 24th Regular town council meeting

I have a headache. At voting time next year, I hope everyone will take the time to reread this blog.

**Councillor Pouget was absent tonight.**

I’m not sure how funny I can make tonight’s blog. However, if any of you enjoy irony and hypocrisy, well, I think you’ll be able to find some humour in here. 🙂

When I arrived, council was still in-camera discussing this:

ITEM A – Education Session – Section 239(3.1) – For the purpose of the ‘Education or Training’ of Council where no member discusses or otherwise deals with any matter in a way that materially advances the business or decision making of Council.

The in-camera meeting had started at 3:30 and the doors opened to the rest of us at 5:50. There were sandwiches waiting in the lobby, but they were not for us LOL. When they finally opened the doors, most members of council disappeared into a backroom to eat, I presume. They gradually began to reappear and speak to various people in the gallery. Nobody spoke to me (not that I was expecting any one to), however, I couldn’t help but notice Councillor Fryer speaking at length with the people from ERCA (Essex Region Conservation Authority) and ERCF (Essex Region Conservation Foundation). (Just an observation from a public meeting….)

The meeting resumed at 6:24 and they immediately moved up a last-minute delegation. I can confidently say last minute, since it was on a separate piece of paper (supplementary agenda) and was not on-line yesterday. Unfortunately, I was not surprised to see who the delegation was.

DELEGATIONS

Donation to the Essex Region Conservation Foundation for the Cypher Systems Greenway – Susan Stockwell Andrews, President; Claire Wales, Vice-President; Sean Collier, Director; and Richard Wyma, Executive Director, Essex Region Conservation Foundation. 

Ms Andrews spoke and congratulated administration and council on the surplus money from the 2016 budget. (Yes, thank you, that’s OUR money from over-paid taxes in 2016.) She spoke of the Cypher Systems trails and how they contribute to healthy people and a healthy environment. She pointed out that ERCA and ERCF are 2 distinct entities with 2 separate logos. She said ERCF focuses on raising money and connecting people through trails. She said they are not funded through the ERCA levy. She spoke of the ongoing fundraising of ERCF through grants (government grants?? tax dollars??other levels of tax dollars???) and other fundraising. Councillor Fryer then thanked her and the other board members as well as Mr Wyma for being there. (..…????….they were there asking for OUR tax money…..and the first to speak on it was the councillor who is the chair of the ERCA board……???...) Councillor Meloche then asked a question about the parking at the entrance to the trails and a safety concern. Guess who had to answer his question? Mr Wyma, the Executive Director of ERCA. (Sure, perhaps ERCF and ERCA may be two “separate” organisations but it sure appears they’re, at minimum, in bed together so to speak.) It appears ERCA controls the parking lot, but ERCF controls the trail? I’m really not sure, because I could see what was about to happen…..and then it did. Councillor Fryer made a motion to donate $100,000 to ERCF from the tax surplus of 2016. Councillor Fryer then made what seemed to be a public service announcement about the opening of the trails in McGregor at the end of the month and that he plans on bringing some cyclists with him. And ba-da-bing, ba-da-doom, council voted unanimously to give $100,000 to ERCF from the tax surplus.

Here is a modified excerpt of an email I sent to council yesterday about this issue:

I agree wholeheartedly that these trails are both a valuable and important addition to life in Essex County. My concern however is not with the trails themselves, it is that we should not be using surplus tax money to help fund them. If council felt these trails are an important asset worthy of support, then they should be funded as a budgeted item. The use of the excess tax funds that were collected in 2016, which is what was being discussed, are just that, excess tax funds. They are an excess amount of money that were collected from the residents of Amherstburg. Last year council approved a budget and through good decisions and smart management now has a surplus of money, which is wonderful. However, this surplus is not “found money”. This money was paid to the town by the taxpayers for a very specific service, i.e. what was contained in the budget document. Thus, I feel the only responsible use of this excess money would be to put it towards reserves and/or debt only. If in next year’s budget, Amherstburg chooses to put money toward trails, ERCF, ERCA or anything else, it should be specifically budgeted so that the residents know and agree as to where it will be used.

Anyway, this donation sailed through so quickly and smoothly, it was almost like council had discussed it previously. I’ve attended many meetings. I have watched endless hours of debate over $200. Then in a matter of about 2 minutes, poof, $100,000 gone, out the door as a donation.

Committee Recommendation regarding Sign By-law Exemption – Bob Rozankovic, Chair, Economic Development Advisory Committee

(quick backstory, council denied the Rotary Club an exemption from the sign by-law to allow them to put up signs for an extra 14 days….happened 2 meetings ago I think.)

Next up, Mayor DiCarlo announced that in light of the recent training session, he can not allow the By law exemption delegation to speak. (I have to guess that it was the training session that had just taken 2 hours and 20 minutes…?)  Councillor Meloche wanted to waive the rules of order to allow them to speak. There was much discussion. The Clerk explained that the Mayor denied the delegation and the rules can be waived to speak to it because it’s not on the agenda. Councillor Meloche wanted to speak to it. Finally, they voted to waive the rules of order :

In favour: Councillor Courtney, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillor Meloche, Mayor DiCarlo

Opposed: Councillors Fryer and Lavigne

Councillor Meloche made a motion to allow the 14 day extension for the 10 signs. Councillor Fyrer said he’d second it for discussion purposes. Councillor Meloche talked about how the Rotary Club is an important organisation in our community and that 10 signs for an extra 14 days is not a big deal, it’s not sign pollution and that it offers community value. Councillor Fryer then went into a speech about how council got educated and they have an oath to uphold the by-laws and to make sure they’re adhered to. (You could hear the audible snickers in the gallery…..how many times has this council waived by-laws now? Even I lost count long ago…..but now suddenly, they have to ensure they’re adhered to? Did I just fall, hit my head and wake up in a different meeting with a different group of people?) Councillor Meloche pointed out that they hear people asking for exemptions at almost every meeting and it’s been done many times….it seems to be favouring some groups over others. (Thank you Councillor Meloche for the reality check.) The back and forth continued, should we, shouldn’t we, should we always, should we never, should we maybe once in a while, periodically, perhaps waive the by-laws? Deputy Mayor DiPasquale asked administration if there have ever been any exceptions for the sign by-law. Effectively, yes, yes, there have been. (There was one just 2 months ago with this current council….the WaterBee Pools sign….you’re welcome for the reminder 😉  )

Finally, the motion to allow the 14 day extension for the 10 signs went to a vote:

In favour: Councillor Courtney, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillors Fryer and Meloche, Mayor DiCarlo

Opposed : Councillor Lavigne

Next delegation: Integrity Amherstburg Admirals Jr. C – Wes Ewer and Matt Fox

This delegation, and the two that followed had to do with the dates of ice being taken out of the arena and the town’s proposed increase in user fees for the arena. (Keep in mind we just gave away $100,000 to ERCF and their trails and are now increasing user fees for arena users.)

Mr Ewer spoke and thanked administration for looking into the quality issues with the ice and their commitment towards the Libro Centre. Mr Ewer said that they did not support the ice removal for July and August. He said it will negatively affect their ability to recruit players. He agreed that there is no ice needed in June, however, he proposed to have ice on rink B from July 20th forward, and then on rink A from August 21 forward. It would only marginally move the date forward for one ice pad and a bit later for the other. He also discussed the surcharge that was being proposed. He expressed that registration is already open and the fees are set. He explained that they are a break even business and they can’t just suddenly raise the fees. He expressed how the Amherstburg Admirals are an integral part of the Amherstburg community that give back and are an economic driver right here in Amherstburg. He pointed out that council just donated $100,000 to ERCF and yet is raising fees for ice usage……. Mr Ewer gave a fantastic, comprehensive speech with many valid points. I hope he will comment on my blog when he sees it to add to this part of the meeting. (My head is still aching! lol, well, not really, I’m kinda serious….)

Amherstburg Minor Hockey Association – Marc Renaud

Mr Renaud spoke next. He shared the same concerns as Mr Ewer in regards to summer ice and the increased user fees. Mr Renaud concurred with the proposed compromises and said he’d like to see a reserve established. He explained that the surcharge is $5/hour, which totals about $15,000 for AMHA and becomes roughly $30 per child.

Skate Amherstburg – Lynn Fox

Ms Fox reiterated the same sentiments as Mr Ewer and Mr Renaud. She pointed out that Skate Amherstburg provides jobs, volunteer opportunities and is a hub for engagement and health. She feels the absence of summer ice will hurt not only the figure skaters but also the CanSkate program, which teaches many young aspiring hockey players how to skate and to prepare for the upcoming fall seaons. She would also like to see a Libro Centre reserve and delay the surcharge.

Rick Meloche – Over 40 league

Councillor Fryer waived the rules of order to allow Mr Meloche to speak. He also reiterated that the surcharge would hurt his group.

Before I continue, I would like to point out another very important fact,…..two years ago, this same council cut $100,000 from the Libro Centre budget……

And now, they just handed $100,000 to ERCF…..you can draw your own conclusion here…

 

CAO Miceli explained a bit of the background to the situation. It seems a report came to council in November but was deferred. (shocker lol). There were issues identified with the heating and cooling etc within various parts of the arena. (I actually remember this meeting….) Yada, yada, yada, rates need to go up, repairs are needed.

There was much back and forth. In my opinion, council was nickel and diming the user groups, yet had just handed over $100,000 without blinking…..none of it made any sense.

Then, I’m not really sure what happened, Councillor Lavigne moved the report. Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, it carried. I wasn’t really sure what decision just got made, if any. I was not the only one….I could see all of the delegations with the question marks on their foreheads….I think, maybe, there’s some type of committee to be formed to look into the user rates and the repairs, I truly don’t know. I do know, that shortly after, all of the delegates left and went into another room with someone from administration. Hoping, they will comment on the blog and clarify this for me.

2016 Year End Budget to Actual Summaries and Transfers

Now it was time to discuss what to do with our tax money that we WERE OVER CHARGED in 2016. Councillor Fryer made a motion for option 1 : EcDev Reserve ($15,000), Gordon House working capital transfer ($20,000), Libro Centre Reserve ($100,000), Police Reserve Transfer ($292,291), Greenway Donation ($100,000), Debt-Reduction Texas Road ($285,711) for a total of $783,002.

Councillor Courtney said she felt very strongly about the $100,000 donation to ERCF for the trails. She cited that the town of Essex had put $100,000 towards it but Amherstburg hadn’t put in one cent. (I wonder if the town of Essex did it as a budgeted item, rather than giving away excess tax money collected? I wonder if the town of Essex has been on more solid financial footing for a longer period of time?)

Anyway, the motion for option 1 (above) carried quite quickly.

Relief of Parks By-law for Woofa-Roo Pet Festival

Last year, council waived a by-law (yep, it happens regularly) and allowed camping on the Libro grounds during the Woofa-Roo Festival. The event organisers are seeking to be able to allow campers again this year for this popular event. This by-law was waived once again, without discussion. (Anybody else see the irony here? 10 signs for 14 days and it gets discussed ad infinitum – even refused once- yet allow camping on the Libro Centre grounds for a weekend….sure, no problem!….what am I missing here?)

2018 Municipal Election – Voting Method

The following is the recommendation for the 2018  election : The traditional voting method with the use of electronic tabulators and internet voting be approved for advanced polls and the traditional voting method with the use of electronic tabulators only be approved as the method of voting on Election Day.

Councillor Fryer made the motion, however, he removed the part about internet voting. He had concerns about computer hackers. (Does a defective mouse count as a computer hacker? Does anyone think the Russians may be interested in the Amherstburg council results in 2018? lol ) Anyway, this passed. We continue with what we were already using. (Here’s to hoping we won’t be continuing with some of the same members of council…..yikes….was that out loud?)

Then council was going back in-camera (yep, again) to discuss :

ITEM B – Amherstburg Fire Department Employment Extension – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; and, Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations.

As for Councillor of the week…..without a doubt, it goes to Councillor Meloche for doing the right thing and helping the Rotary Club and Rib Fest. However, I’m calling it a tie….also naming Wes Ewer, Marc Renaud and Lynn Fox as residents of the week! Kudos to you guys for speaking so eloquently and trying to reason with council. That is award-worthy all by itself!

 

 

In preparation for Monday April 24th Regular town council meeting

Monday’s agenda is a mere 250 pages, as well as a supplementary agenda of 26 pages. I’m hoping for a short and sweet meeting! Maybe I’ll get one of the two LOL. Here are the highlights of the upcoming agenda as I see them :

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

First, council will begin their regular meeting early in order to meet in-camera to discuss:

ITEM A – Education Session – Section 239(3.1) – For the purpose of the ‘Education or Training’ of Council where no member discusses or otherwise deals with any matter in a way that materially advances the business or decision making of Council.

Previously, council had had a public meeting for a training session with the integrity commissioner. If I recall, barely any questions were asked. I find it a bit peculiar that this time their education (training?) session is scheduled in a closed in-camera meeting. I can’t help but wonder, what type of education do they need? Does anyone remember at the beginning of this council’s term when they were determined to look into employee qualifications? It took how many lawyers and “education sessions” for them to (sort of?) realise their role….i.e. council should not be nosing into human resource issues. I wonder what it is now? Maybe they need education again about what their role is in terms of neighbour disputes and/or Ontario Municipal Board hearings? Is it possible they’re again, getting into affairs that just are not their business? I don’t know….and since the meeting will be yet another in-camera secret meeting, I guess we’ll never know….unless the leaks resume LOL.

DELEGATIONS

1. Committee Recommendation regarding Sign By-law Exemption – Bob Rozankovic, Chair, Economic Development Advisory Committee

At the previous council meeting, the Rotary Club had a delegation and requested to be able to put their signs up 28 days in advance (instead of the 14 days currently allowed) to advertise the annual Rib Fest. Suffice it say that council had no interest in waiving the sign by-law for the Rotary Club and refused to budge. Councillor Meloche made a motion to allow the signs for the extra 14 days, but nobody on council would second it…..Frankly, it was kind of sad. I felt really badly for the Rotary club.

Well, the issue is up for discussion once again. It appears the Economic Development Advisory committee has passed a motion recommending that council allow the exemption for this event. Bear in mind, that council regularly waives noise by-laws and street closure by-laws (among others) on a regular basis for many events. What’s so different about this one? I don’t know….. I read through the delegation report and it appears Mr. Rozankovic will be speaking to the Economic Development that the Rib Fest brings to our town. It looks like they’re requesting to put up 10 signs, only 10 signs for the extra 14 days they’re asking for. They have even included a map with the EXACT location of the 10 signs. If council can’t compromise on this, I will lose any and all hope…..I’ll have to wait and see what gets decided. I hope council has been following social media on this issue….the residents aren’t happy that council would not help support the Rotary Club and chose instead to support some random Communities in Bloom judges. I hope council can see their error and correct this, but we’ll have to wait and see….

Supplementary agenda :

The following 3 delegations were on the supplementary agenda. I have to guess that ice rental rates are going up. I can also see that the 3 skating/hockey organisations aren’t too pleased with the fact there won’t be any summer ice this year. In the past, the arena has kept ice on one ice pad and used the other as a cement pad for the summer. It appears this year, they’re going cement on both sides.

2. Integrity Amherstburg Admirals Jr. C – Wes Ewer and Matt Fox

3. Amherstburg Minor Hockey Association – Marc Renaud

4.  Skate Amherstburg – Lynn Fox

I’ll have to listen Monday night to see what each organisation has to say and see how council decides to handle the issue.

2016 Year End Budget to Actual Summaries and Transfers

Does money grow on trees? Well, it appears it did last year! We have significant overages in many departments and now because of this “problem”, council must decide what to do with the money. Here are a few of the recommendations, however some come with options.

• Establish an Economic Development Reserve Fund and Libro Centre Reserve Fund
• The general fund surplus of $783,002 be transfered in accordance with Option 1; OR 4.
• The general fund surplus of $783,002 be transferred in accordance with Option 2; OR 5.
• The general fund surplus of $783,002 be transferred in accordance with Option 3; OR 6.
• The general fund surplus of $783,002 be transferred in accordance with Option 4; 7. 8.
• The water surplus of $104,075 be applied as follows: A transfer of $28,150 TO FUND the water fund deficit in the Town’s accumulated surplus and a transfer of $75,925 to the water surplus reserve
• Establish a Building Department Reserve Fund with the Building Department surplus $182,847 to be applied as follows:  A transfer of $82,847 TO FUND the Building Department deficit in the Town’s accumulated surplus;  and a transfer of $100,000 TO FUND the Building Department Reserve
• The wastewater fund surplus of $251,531 BE APPLIED to the wastewater surplus reserve.

As you can see there are a few options presented in there in terms of where to apply the money. The report says the options aren’t complete, simply recommendations and other options could be presented by council.

Here is a summary of options 1 through 4.

Option 1 : EcDev Reserve ($15,000), Gordon House working capital transfer ($20,000), Libro Centre Reserve ($100,000), Police Reserve Transfer ($292,291), Greenway Donation ($100,000), Debt-Reduction Texas Road ($285,711) for a total of $783,002

Option 2 : EcDev Reserve ($15,000), Gordon House working capital transfer ($20,000), Libro Centre Reserve ($100,000), Police Reserve Transfer ($292,291), Debt-Reduction Texas Road ($385,711) for a total of $783,002

Option 3 : EcDev Reserve ($15,000), Gordon House working capital transfer ($20,000), Libro Centre Reserve ($100,000), Police Reserve Transfer ($100,000), Greenway Donation ($100,000), Debt-Reduction Texas Road ($448,002) for a total of $783,002

Option 4 : EcDev Reserve ($15,000), Gordon House working capital transfer ($20,000), Libro Centre Reserve ($100,000), Police Reserve Transfer ($292,291),  Debt-Reduction Texas Road ($548,002) for a total of $783,002

As you may have noticed, I have highlighted in red that within option 1 and 3, there is a $100,000 donation to ERCA for the Cypher Systems Greenway.  As you may recall, Councillor Fryer wanted to donate this money right off the bat at the January budget meetings. It was met with a lukewarm attitude by council and a cold attitude on social media. I hope the residents make their feelings known about this……I also sincerely hope all those with voting power have really and thoroughly read through this report…..!!!!!

 

Relief of Parks By-law for Woofa-Roo Pet Festival

Last year, council waived a by-law (yep, it happens regularly) and allowed camping on the Libro grounds during the Woofa-Roo Festival. The event organisers are seeking to be able to allow campers again this year for this popular event. The event went off without a hitch last year and administration had a plan to mitigate any damages or problems. They are recommending approval again this year. (Anyone see the irony here…..council waived a by-law last year and allowed camping at the arena, yet would not allow some signs to go up for an extra 14 days for a different event???? What gives……geez!) If I’m not mistaken, Woofa-Roo is a business and council waived their by-laws, yet the Rotary Club is a charity and they can’t get the by-law waived?? I say, let there be camping, let there be signs, let there be events and let there be fun! But that’s just me….

8th Concession Road Drain South – Tender Results

It appears the tenders are in for the 8th concession drain work. I have to guess this will go through relatively quickly.

Waste Collection – Windsor Disposal Services Contract Renewal

It looks like the contract for garbage pick up needs renewing. I have to guess this will also fly through.

2017 User Fee By-law

The fees are in, the report is lengthy. For the most part, there are no changes. Most fee changes are only a slight increase.

2018 Municipal Election – Voting Method

The election is only about a year and a half away. The following is the recommendation for the 2018  election : The traditional voting method with the use of electronic tabulators and internet voting be approved for advanced polls and the traditional voting method with the use of electronic tabulators only be approved as the method of voting on Election Day.

There is an overview of the pros and cons of the various methods for voting: vote by mail, internet voting, telephone voting and traditional voting (paper ballots with optical scan vote tabulators). The thing that jumped out at me was : ‘The statistical data for Amherstburg however, shows that in the 2010 election, Amherstburg used vote by mail as its alternative voting method and received a 67% voter turnout using this method. In the 2014 election, Amherstburg used the traditional method of voting with optical scanning tabulators and received a 47% voter turnout.” Interesting. You can draw your own conclusion from that 😉

Accounts payable 

The bills are in and have been paid. As usual, I like to see what we’re paying in legal fees as well as anything else that may jump out at me. Here they are…legal fees totalled up to about $2,500, which is fantastic!!!!! Great job! However, I couldn’t help but notice we paid the second quarterly installment to ERCA of $28,799.45 plus the ERCA levy of $17,301.80. Therefore, ERCA received $46,101.25 of our money…..do we really need to give them another $100,000? How is that possibly fiscally responsible?

And finally, the meeting will end in the way it began. Council, will once again, go behind closed doors to finish their in-camera meeting. They will be discussing:

RESUME SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

ITEM B – Amherstburg Fire Department Employment Extension – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; and, Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations.

I’ll be back Monday night! Do you think the meeting will be short and sweet? How about short or sweet? Hopefully, it’s both!

Monday April 10th Regular town council meeting

Well, tonight’s meeting wrapped up in just under two hours. It could have been finished in about an hour, realistically, but I digress. I think a few councillors are in re-election mode and are trying to talk (a lot, too much, ad infinitum) and say all the right things…..do they think the residents of Amherstburg have short memories?

First up, the Mayor offered a few reminders as a follow up to the last meeting. He said that delegations had a 5 minute time limit, presentations have a 10 minute time limit and that comments and questions have a 3 minute time limit. (These obviously apply to the public and not to council…..wouldn’t it be wonderful if each councillor had a 3 minute time limit for questions and comments?) Anyway, then Mayor DiCarlo moved to the supplementary agenda.

RECOGNITION Al Reaume – Interim Fire Chief, Amherstburg Fire Department

CAO Miceli spoke briefly and thanked Chief Reaume for his service to Amherstburg and offered him a plaque in recognition for his hard work. Chief Reaume had his picture taken with the Mayor and then spoke briefly. He thanked council for their support. He admitted it was a rocky start when he arrived in Amherstburg but that the fire department has come a long way. Chief Reaume said the firefighters are happy and he thinks they will continue to be with the new in-coming chief.

On a personal note, I’ll give Chief Reaume props for always being a true professional whenever he spoke. There were many heated (ha ha, get it?) meetings about the fire department and I feel that Chief Reaume was sometimes questioned by certain councillors in a way to try to lay blame or point fingers in regards to certain difficulties the fire department experienced. He didn’t fall for it, not even once, and always spoke professionally.

By-law 2017-32 – Appoint a Fire Chief for the Amherstburg Fire Department

CAO Miceli read the new chief’s (Robert Bruce Montone) resume. I will not even attempt to quote from it, it was definitely complete and impressive. Mr. Montone is obviously very qualified and experienced. The gallery offered a round of applause to welcome him aboard the Amherstburg train. Chief Montone spoke briefly as well. He thanked council for the appointment and said he will continue Chief Reaume’s work. He said his first order of business is to work with the town staff and then with the public and council as a whole. (He kept his speech brief, succinct and to the point….I think I like him already lol).

DELEGATIONS

Donation to the Town of Amherstburg – Dorothy Thrasher and Theresa Bellefleur, Fort Malden Golden Age Centre

Mrs Thrasher came forward and spoke very, very briefly. I doubt it even lasted much more than 30 seconds. (Man, I really, really, really like her! ) She thanked council on behalf of the Fort Malden Golden Age Centre and had a donation to give to council. Mayor DiCarlo happily came to take the envelope, even joked about who the cheque may be payable to. He smiled, she smiled, the press took pictures and that was it, that was all, we were moving on. Almost too good to be true….

Request for Use of Space at the Libro Centre – Tino Riccio and Joseph Capaldi, The Verdi Club

Mr Riccio spoke on behalf of the Verdi Club membership. He mentioned that after 60 wonderful years, the building had been sold, however, the club still has members. They tried to make an agreement with the new owners of the building, but it did not work out. He has spoken to CAO Miceli about getting some space at either Amherstburg Community Services or the Libro Arena. They’re looking for a couple of bocce ball lanes and want to introduce this sport to the general public.  They need a storage space and a place to play cards 3 nights per week. He said the Verdi Club has been good to the town, now he’s hoping the town will be good to them.

Some of the councillors spoke (I really think to hear themselves speak, so I’m not giving them credit lol), but Councillor Courtney made a motion to have administration prepare a feasibility report for the Verdi Club’s request so that council could see what could be done to help them. Councillor Fryer seconded it. CAO Miceli said that he could have the report ready for the first meeting in May. The motion carried.

Essex Windsor EMS Presentation to Council – Bruce Krauter, Chief, Essex Windsor EMS

Mr. Krauter offered a powerpoint presentation to council about the EMS services. He talked about the areas served, staffing, the regulators (the province), the call distribution, funding, number of calls, response times and the pressures felt by the EMS services. Councillor Courtney had some questions about where ambulances were stationed and Mr Krauter explained they’re stationed at various points throughout the county and the city.

Now, prepare to dance people…..questions were asked, questions were answered, questions were asked again…..the quick pace that the meeting had started on now began to go round and round…..where it would stop, nobody would know….. It got so confusing that not only one motion was made, but two motions were made……I did my best to take notes and try to make sense of it all (but inside I was crying because I knew this meeting had just taken a turn for the worse….) Basically, all the local municipalities except Leamington are on a tiered system. In Amherstburg, our fire department responds to certain health emergencies, not just the EMS service. In Leamington, they only have the EMS service to respond to health emergencies. Councillor Pouget was very concerned that the services are unequal between Amherstburg and Leamington. Chief Reaume explained that about 25% of the 100 calls received last year were medical calls and the fire department responded. It cost us approximately $61,000. Councillor Courtney made a motion to send a letter to county council about the levels of funding needed for EMS and to send a copy of said letter to MP and MPP’s. The back and forth continued. Why do we pay and Leamington doesn’t? Why this, why that, why anything? Councillor Lavigne was looking to wrap up the back and forth dance and asked if the Leamington situation was costing us money. Chief Reaume replied that no, it was not, it has no bearing on our agreement. Basically, it’s a funding issue. Councillor Lavigne asked if Leamington were receiving extra services because they are not part of the tiered system. Mr. Krauter from the EMS said no, the services are fluid. (OK, we can move on right? It’s 7:10 this has been dragging on a good 30 minutes at least… but….no, no moving on…..) Councillor Pouget wanted to make a motion about the Leamington situation. Finally, council voted on Councillor Courtney’s motion to send a letter to county council about the levels of funding needed for EMS and to send a copy of said letter to MP and MPP’s passed. Then Councillor Pouget made a motion for administration to request a report from the county in regards to the differences each municipality pays for services. That passed too.

The only sense I can make of this, is that each municipality can do whatever they want. If Leamington doesn’t want to send their fire department to respond to emergency health calls, so be it. If Amherstburg does, so be it too. But what do I know?

Festival Canadiana 150; Canuck it Up!

Next up, the tourism department presented the premier event coming to Amherstburg this summer to honour the 150th birthday of confederation. The event will be free of charge and they are anticipating 25,000 visitors to this event. The Tourism Department outlines some of the programming for the event :

• Rhythm of the Nation, a cultural music and dance group
• the West Coast Lumberjack Show (who else thinks the idea of lumberjacks pretending to cut down trees in the Navy Yard Park is kind of funny…..after the tree fiasco Amherstburg went through just a few short months ago…..come on, you can see the humour here, right??????),
• Raiders, Rebels and Redcoats
• World’s Largest Rubber Duck

The Tourism Department was asking for road closures and use of the Kings Navy Yard Park, similar to previous festivals like Roots to Boots, the Tall Ships and River Lights. The Tourism Department also pointed out that they’ll be looking for nominations of recognition for services offered in Amherstburg and the winners will be awarded a Canada 150 medal at the July 1st celebrations. (Hmmmm……does being a local blogger count as volunteer services??? She did say to start thinking of nominations…..hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge…..Just kidding, I don’t need a Canada 150 medal….I have my fabulous seat cushion and I was recently gifted this :

Maybe I could use them if I decide to run for council?? LOL

Sorry, back on topic now…..I’ve been spending too much time with town council, now I’m all over the place!

Anyway, Councillor Courtney asked what the plan was for overflow parking and if there was a way to transport people so that they wouldn’t have to walk too far. The Tourism Department replied that the businesses on Sandwich Street are very generous and will allow people to park there during the event. Ms. Rota also said there would be golf carts going back and forth and would be ready to assist with transporting those in need. (Now, one would think that council may be a touch concerned about this…..golf carts driving people around on public roads and in the Navy Yard Park……um, the liability, the grass, the endless accidents that could possibly happen……but no, not one member of council said a word….) In fact, Councillor Fryer who is so often concerned about liability seemed only concerned if there would be beaver tails for sale. He even managed to once again, make this a story about his daughter. (What am I missing here????) The Rib Fest couldn’t put up signs an extra 14 days ahead, Mardi Gras couldn’t close streets early for a street party, yoga in the park had to beg for people to be able to lay on the grass and do yoga in the Kings Navy Yard Park, yet here council had no problem closing streets, opening up the Navy Yard Park AND allowing golf courts to drive all over during this two day event??? Don’t get me wrong, I think this entire thing should have been approved and it was, however, the level of hypocrisy is palpable. Why is it that anything goes when it’s a town event, but if anybody else wants to do anything in town and put on an event, they’re put under the microscope?

2017 Special Events Approval

The following events are seeking approval from town council:

• Music off the Back Porch – April 21, 2017
• Amherstburg Rotary Ribfest – July 7, 8 and 9, 2017
• RAMP-Age Skateboard Competition – July 29, 2017
• Amherstburg’s Gone Car Crazy – July 30, 2017

These events were all approved. They each got their noise exemptions and Amherstburg’s Gone Car Crazy got their street closures.

Amending Development Agreement for 689 Texas Road, The Fort, File # SPC-5-17

The former Verdi Club was sold and is now a new business called The Fort. There is a restaurant there (it’s good too, I’ve been there twice so far) as well as plans to develop some bowling lanes. It appears they’re seeking an amendment in order to put in six sand volleyball courts. This was about to pass, then Councillor Pouget said she had some concerns about the six sand volleyball courts. They had been okayed by ERCA and the accessibility committee. She wondered if there would be any costs involved for us. The CAO pointed out that this is a private development and there would be no cost to the town. The amendment carried. There will be sand volleyball.

Unfinished Business

At this part of the meeting, any members of council can bring forward any issues that are quite literally, unfinished. Councillor Pouget brought up the old Boblo Dock. She said the Parks Committee (which I believe she is a member of) is concerned about the condition of the old Boblo Dock. Councillor Pouget had previously made a motion a while ago about the dock. She said during the previous wind storm there was debris flying off of the dock. Personally, I think it’s interesting she continues to pursue this issue. Councillor Pouget won’t touch the Belle Vue issue with a 10-foot pole because she claims a conflict on it, citing her house is within 1,000 meters of the Belle Vue property. Well, I’m pretty sure her property is just as close to the old Boblo dock and she can probably actually see the dock from her property. So, if the Belle Vue’s corner of their back yard to her back yard is 1,000 meters away and is a conflict, how is the Boblo dock not a conflict? I don’t know…..something’s not adding up here…. Anyway, CAO Miceli said that he received a response today at 4:50 PM and has not had a chance to read it yet. Councillor Fryer asked for confirmation about who owns the dock (I guess he forgot about the report last year?) and then offered a brief science lesson about the debris going upstream and not downstream.  The CAO reminded him that the dock is federally owned and they’re awaiting the review and full report. Mayor DiCarlo reminded council that the dock is not even accessible without going onto private property. Basically, council will have to wait for all information from the federal government. Some on council seemed to think the CAO would have all of this ready for the next meeting, however he said he’s not sure, it will depend what is in the report he was sent today.

So about 7:50, the meeting wrapped up and council was going in-camera to discuss :

• ITEM A – Payment Certificate – Section 239(2)(e) – Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board.
• ITEM B – Proposed Property Disposition – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board.

They also added section f to Item A, which is solicitor/client privilege.

I still don’t know what the payment certificate is, can only speculate…..hmmmm…..is it some form of settlement? Could it be about the resident who was banned from town hall? Could it be about Councillor Fryer who had previously sought reimbursement of legal fees when he threatened to sue a resident over Facebook comments? Could it be about some other lawsuit? Well, at least it’s not about me. I think. I hope. It’s been a year since the last lawsuit threat…nobody asked to speak to me tonight, nobody kicked me out either, I’d say it was a win overall.

As for councillor of the week…..I know some of my loyal followers enjoy this part of the blog…..This week’s criteria will be the councillor who was clear, concise, succinct, brief and to the point (i.e. those who spoke the least and did not cause the meeting to last more than the one hour they should have wrapped it up in)…..so it’s a three way tie….Congrats Councillor Lavigne, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale and Mayor DiCarlo!

 

 

In preparation for Monday April 10th Regular town council meeting

Spent a little time looking over Monday night’s agenda. There’s also a supplementary agenda that was added. I like to have an idea of what I’ll be listening to before council meetings, although votes and reactions can be sometimes hard to predict lol. Here’s the highlights as I see them :

RECOGNITION Al Reaume – Interim Fire Chief, Amherstburg Fire Department

The recognition for Chief Reaume is found on the supplementary agenda. There aren’t any details, so I’ll have to wait and see what the town has planned. Personally, I’ll give him props for always being a true professional whenever he spoke. There were many heated (ha ha, get it?) meetings about the fire department and I feel that Chief Reaume was sometimes questioned by certain councillors in a way to try to lay blame or point fingers in regards to certain difficulties the fire department experienced. He didn’t fall for it, not even once, and always spoke professionally.

By-law 2017-32 – Appoint a Fire Chief for the Amherstburg Fire Department

It appears that council will be appointing a new fire chief,  Robert Bruce Montone, effective April 24, 2017. I have to guess that he’ll be introduced at the meeting. Wishing him much success and welcome to Amherstburg!

Now the regular agenda, all 428 pages of it!

DELEGATIONS

Donation to the Town of Amherstburg – Dorothy Thrasher and Theresa Bellefleur, Fort Malden Golden Age Centre

According to the delegation form, the Fort Malden Golden Age Centre is looking to give a donation to the town. I have to assume this will be welcomed with open arms.

Request for Use of Space at the Libro Centre – Tino Riccio and Joseph Capaldi, The Verdi Club

As most of you are probably aware, The Verdi Club has been sold, the building that is. From what I can see on the delegation form, it appears there are still members of the Verdi Club who are looking to use space in the Libro Centre for meetings. It also appears they are looking for bocce ball alleys. It is not clear to me if they are asking for these spaces at no charge or if they are willing to pay some or all of the fees. I’ll have to wait and see what is said and what questions council may ask.

Essex Windsor EMS Presentation to Council – Bruce Krauter, Chief, Essex Windsor EMS

It looks like Essex Windsor EMS will be making a presentation to council. It’s a fairly lengthy report with stats and graphs and all kinds of nice things. I glanced it over….looks good! Will wait to see what council has to say…..

Festival Canadiana 150; Canuck it Up!

First, I have to say that I love the slogan that somebody came up with for our celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday this year! It appears that there a ton of activities planned for the August 5th and 6th weekend. It looks like we’ll be using the Navy Yard Park for part of the celebrations so council will have to waive the by-law to allow that to happen. They’re also going to have to waive by-laws about street closures. Oh, and waive the noise by-law too….And council worries about setting precedent….. I read through some of the report and this event looks AWESOME!!!! Can’t wait! It looks like there will be a presentation from Rhythm of the Nation, the West Coast Lumberjack Show (gasp! will they be cutting trees in the Navy Yard???? double gasp!), Raiders, Rebels and Redcoats and the World’s Largest Rubber Duck! Sounds good to me! I’m in!

2017 Special Events Approval

The following events are seeking approval from town council:

• Music off the Back Porch – April 21, 2017
• Amherstburg Rotary Ribfest – July 7, 8 and 9, 2017
• RAMP-Age Skateboard Competition – July 29, 2017
• Amherstburg’s Gone Car Crazy – July 30, 2017

They all need exemptions for the noise by-law and the Amherstburg’s Gone Car Crazy needs exemptions for the road closures. Hmmm…..I foresee this all being approved and exempted, however, other events can’t receive exemptions……oh what a tangled web we weave…..

Zoning By-law Amendment for 6000 County Rd 20, Ure’s Country Kitchen and Variety – ZBA/2/17

It appears the owners of the property are seeking a change in their zoning in order to put in an 18-hole mini-golf course. From the length of the report, it appears there may be some opposition to this…..will there or won’t there be mini-golf? Stay tuned….

Amending Development Agreement for 689 Texas Road, The Fort, File # SPC-5-17

As you may be aware, the former Verdi Club was sold and is now a new business called The Fort. There is a restaurant there (it’s good too, I’ve been there twice so far) as well as plans to develop some bowling lanes. It appears they’re seeking an amendment in order to put in six sandy volleyball courts. This appears relatively minor and administration is recommending approval, but…….who knows what could happen……

Official Plan Amendment No.4 for Breweries in Agricultural Areas

This report is really, really long……I’m not going to read it. I’ll wait and see what they have to say Monday night, because surely council will have read the report, right? The way I see it Amherstburg has had a distillery for years (now 2 of them), several wineries, so why not let the breweries into the dance?

Accounts Payable

I always read through the accounts payable report to check the legal fees and to see if anything else of interest jumps out. Well, good news is, nothing of interest jumped out. The not so good news is that legal fees came up to about $11,600…..

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

Then, as seems to be the norm after each council meeting, council will go in-camera! I think they’re almost one for one so far this year….They’re going in-camera to discuss :

• ITEM A – Payment Certificate – Section 239(2)(e) – Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board.
• ITEM B – Proposed Property Disposition – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board.

I can only speculate what a payment certificate may be, because I really don’t know. However, because it’s attached to litigation…..hmmmm…..is it some form of settlement? Could it be about the resident who was banned from town hall? Could it be about Councillor Fryer who had previously sought reimbursement of legal fees when he threatened to sue a resident over Facebook comments? Could it be about some other lawsuit? Well, at least it’s not about me. I think. I hope. It’s been a year since the last lawsuit threat…I think we’ve learned to co-exist, don’t you?