Should I or shouldn’t I? Candidates Information Session

Well, I attended the Candidates Information Session for Municipal Elections on Thursday night. I saw some familiar faces in attendance. I saw some people from councils past, some from councils present……possibly some from councils future? Who knows?

As for present council members, I only saw Mayor Aldo DiCarlo and Councillor Leo Meloche in attendance. I know the mayor has already publicly stated that he will be seeking re-election (and I am VERY happy about that!). I would guess by seeing Councillor Meloche in attendance at the information session that he will also be seeking re-election, however, there has been no formal announcement. Yet. As for the other 5 members of the current council (Deputy Mayor DiPasquale, Councillors Courtney, Fryer, Lavigne and Pouget), I did not see them in attendance at Thursday night’s meeting. Does that mean that they will not be seeking another term on council? Or does that mean that they already know it all, even though the rules of campaigning have significantly changed for this term? Hmmmmmm…….there’s some food for thought.

The first part of the meeting was a presentation from Tim Ryall, Municipal Advisor from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. He presented about the legalities of running for election in terms of dates and times and mostly about the financial rules and regulations. There was some very good (and extremely important) information presented, even if it was a bit dry.

Then, Mike Galloway spoke about the realities of running for municipal office. He had served 2 terms on City Council with the City of Kitchener, then went into the administration end of things and is currently the CAO in the Region of Peel, with the Town of Caledon.  His presentation was interesting, although, in my opinion, was too lengthy. However, one thing really hit me. He spoke a lot about the difference between the roles and responsibilities of elected members of council and the roles and responsibilities of administration (employees) of a town. Right there, I think he hit the nail on the head of why Amherstburg has seen so many tumultuous times during the last 4 years. I believe that several members of our current council do not fully understand their role and responsibilities as an elected official. They also do not fully understand, in my opinion, the roles and responsibilities of those in administration either. And most certainly, they seem not to understand the difference between the two. This lack of understanding has caused many unfortunate situations, most especially during their first 2 years on council. Perhaps our next members of council will ensure to go to all of the training sessions offered to ensure they understand their role and responsibilities.

Anyway, as for me, I still have not decided what I will do about the upcoming election. I had hoped that Thursday night would give me a clearer idea and direction……Ironically, before Thursday night I was leaning toward running……now I’m leaning toward not running. However, I have not yet come to a final decision. I still have time to consider all of it. I have made my pro and con list. I truly appreciate the people who have approached me and offered support if I choose to run. (And if I choose to, I will be calling you to help LOL!). However, it’s interesting also that several people feel that I have been able to affect, in a positive way, the outcome with our current council, by maintaining a sense of accountability.

My hope from the beginning was to effect change and to eventually have an open-minded, pro-active council. I hope very much that that will be the type of people that will run for the next election. If we managed to elect 7 people like that, I could ride off into the sunset of retirement from blogging. LOL. That’s a very big “if”. LOL.

If I were to run, I would be but one vote of seven and may not be able to have the influence that many of you seem to feel that I have currently. I don’t know. This has become somewhat of a moral dilemma I guess. But I also know that I have a few “haters” that are reading this right now waiting to see what I will decide (you know who you are and so do I, LOL) and I’m okay with that too.

So, all of this to say that I still don’t know if I’m going to run for council or not. I don’t feel any closer to a decision than I did before. If I don’t run, I’m not sure about the future of this blog either. It will probably depend who gets elected. Dare I dream that we can elect seven open-minded, pro-active people that will be able to make decisions for the greater good of Amherstburg as a whole for the next four years?

 

Monday April 23rd Regular town council meeting

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, it was shame on me tonight. I thought for sure there was nothing of substance in the agenda and that the meeting would wrap up in one hour. Tops. Wrong. Two hours later……and I left my seat cushion at home, because, well, it seems I’m a fool I guess LOL.

***Councillor Fryer was absent tonight***

There was a supplementary agenda item regarding Belle Vue. Councillor Lavigne declared a conflict on this issue due to his parents home being near the property. Councillor Pouget declared a conflict due to her house being close by.

Breath of fresh air, Councillor Meloche said as a point of clarification that his brother’s name is mentioned in one of the bylaws, but it’s no need for a conflict, just a point of clarification.

Request to Advertise Event on Existing Signage – Lorene Clayton,
Woofa-Roo Pet Fest

Ms Clayton was requesting to use the existing Miracle League sign on Sandwich Street. She seems to want to hang an additional banner or sign underneath the existing sign to advertise local special events (e.g. Woofa-Roo etc.). As it stands, the existing (and very restrictive, in my opinion) sign bylaw only allows signs to go up to promote local events 14 days prior to the event.  Ms Clayton said she used to be able to piggy back on Duffy’s large sign to promote her event, until the sign ceased to exist. She had asked if she could purchase the sign but was told no that all signs were going to be taken down. She said she understands the need to limit signs, however, she said that lawns signs are a proven effective tool and that they’re the number 2 way that people find out about her event. Ms Clayton showed a picture of the existing sign and then what it would look like with her additional sign to promote Woofa-Roo underneath. She also said she’d be open to installing loops or rings to put up banners instead of wood signs.

Councillor Pouget asked if she had asked permission from the Miracle League. Ms Clayton said that yes, they had said to go ahead, but she wanted to talk to council first. Councillor Pouget expressed some concern that Ms Clayton wants to put her sign up on a yearly basis and wondered what would happen if somebody else came forth for the space for the same time period. Administration agreed that it would be difficult to coordinate multiple uses. Ms Clayton pointed out that the town has the same issue with overhead street banners and it’s treated as a first come, first serve basis and that this could be done in the same format. She also felt it would eliminate lawn signs. Ms Rubli, Manager of Licensing, pointed out that the Miracle League was responsible for maintenance and any damage to the sign.

CAO Miceli felt it may be time to revisit getting a programmable sign at both entrances of town. It had been talked about two years ago. He said it allows control and can be programmed accordingly to events that are held in town. He felt it was important to advertise events at the entrances of town.

Councillor Meloche said that he felt Ms Clayton’s proposed signage was aesthetically pleasing and that he also liked the CAO’s suggestion. Councillor Courtney, however, did not find the proposed signs aesthetically pleasing and have difficulty mixing the two elements – historic above and a dog underneath….

Councillor Lavigne asked if Ms Clayton would still be using lawn signs. Ms Clayton said she wouldn’t be using any along this stretch of road. She also pointed out that the lawn signs are only allowed for 14 days, which is not much time. Then…….wait for it…….she said that one year she had to take her signs down for 2 days because the Communities in Bloom judges were coming……so she only got 12 days of advertising.

Then, the bomb dropped that Ms Rubli had received an email from the Miracle League stating that they did not want anybody adding additional signage to their existing sign.

So, finally, Ms Clayton did not get the sign she was hoping to get. Instead, council passed a motion to direct administration to get prices and feasibility for electronic signs at both entrances of town.

And, once again, the famous sign bylaw came back to haunt council…..but almost always to the peril of the requester. I guess nobody else seems to notice (or care?) that perhaps the bylaw is just too restrictive……All to appease some out of town judges so we can “win” some blooms?

Staff Accommodation Review – Municipal Office

Since some staff has been added at town hall, space is at a premium. Administration had applied for a grant for the Libro Centre, to do some modifications, however did not receive the grant. As I’m sure everyone is aware, our existing town hall is relatively old and outdated (including the chairs in the gallery of council chambers LOL). Basically, a review has been done to provide some solutions to modifying the space in order to properly accommodate staff. This will cost up to $50,000.

After a bit of discussion, this was approved. It turns out the Mayor is sharing his office  with one of the new hires……

River Lights Winter Festival – Future Operation by and Asset Transfer to
the Town of Amherstburg

The River Lights Festival has existed in Amherstburg for many years. It was organized and run by the River Lights Committee (all volunteer), which is a sub-committee of the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce (also all volunteer). It appears that the Chamber has asked the town to take over the assets of the festival (lights, money and materials) and responsibility of the festival and therefore continue to run it.

There was some discussion about this but not much. Council agreed fairly quickly to take over the River Lights Festival.

Notice of Intent to Demolish – 305 Dalhousie Street

It appears that the Heritage Committee had named this building a “property of interest”. However, since then, the Heritage Committee has decided that this building holds no “significant architectural or cultural value” and is now supporting it’s demolition.

Well, council decided to let the wrecking ball swing. Then…..wait for it……the CAO said that this demolition aligns with the town’s strategic plan for accommodations in town…..That’s all he would say……is it possible this will become a site for a hotel???? I feel almost giddy.  Unless there’s some other type of accommodation that I’m not thinking of….

Amherstburg Farmer’s Market – User Fees

The Amherstburg Farmer’s Market has requested to have it’s user fees waived. They’ve made the same request each year (at least as long as I’ve been attending the meetings anyway). Administration is recommending the waiver since the amount has been included in this year’s budget as a “grant and waiver”.

I had guessed this would fly through, so I was right about this one…..very little discussion, a couple of comments and done. Fees waived.

Election Sign By-law and User Fee By-law Amendment

This part of the meeting got, well, kind of crazy and very difficult to follow. Council was to decide on a sign bylaw and user fee bylaw regarding elections (all levels, federal, provincial and municipal) . The bylaw would cover, among many other things:

• Time period that election signs may be placed
• The time period that elections signs must be removed after voting day
• Signs on trailers and vehicles at voting places and Town owned property
• The Town’s logo, trademark and/or crest will not be permitted on election signs
• Placement and number of sign restrictions for different properties

The discussion opened with some members of council discussing an email regarding constitutional rights. It seems that the email went to some members of council, but not all of them. The Clerk explained she had done some research and that the provisions in Amherstburg’s proposed bylaws were the same provisions in some other municipalities.

Bear with me here, people…..I did not see the email. Neither did all of council. It was like trying to make sense of listening of only one side of a three way conversation.

Councillor Meloche asked if there could be legal grounds against the town’s election sign proposal. Mr. Galvin, Director of Engineering and Legislative Services (I never get this guy’s title right and I’m too tired to look it up…..sorry….but he is a lawyer, that I know for sure…..) said that there can always be constitutional challenges but it comes down to striking a balance. He referred to a case at an airport (signs in an airport I guess????). He said that the Elections Act requires a municipality to have a bylaw regarding signs and rental of space. He explained that any constitutional challenge would have to go to the Supreme Court. He again cited the airport and said that in an airport, a person can’t leave if they choose to however, should a politician knock on someone’s door, the person has the freedom to shut the door. Or, if they’re approached in the mall, to keep walking away. He felt that a rented space could be included with this type of scenario. (But, really, the question we should all be concerned about……would we win blooms????? LOL)

Councillor Meloche asked as it stands now, if a candidate could rent the Libro and post their signs. Mr Galvin said that no, not right now. That in general, town facilities should be unbiased and there must be a balance with freedom of speech.

Councillor Pouget then said that she had something handed to her as she came in regarding section 3.5 of this bylaw and that a person was asking these questions. (I still had no clue what they were talking about……so if you’re confused right now, welcome to the club.)

Councillor Pouget then cited another clause and a section of the Municipal Act. (still, none of us knew what was going on……)

Then CAO Miceli seemed to have had enough of the song and dance. He said the email was received at 3:45 today and that this individual wants to challenge the bylaw. The CAO said if he wants to challenge it, then bring it to court. He said one has done it already and lost. He said that there has been lots of time and money wasted by challenging administration.

Mr Galvin said that the policy is based on language in several other municipalities. He said the report is supported by best practices in other areas.

Councillor Lavigne then said that he supports this current proposed policy regarding signs and renting space for elections. He said this has been politics as usual from a certain individual lawyer (and referred to him as “he”) and that he thinks if someone wants to run for election, they should. (Sooooooo……..the only conclusion I can draw from this “who’s on first” discussion is that it seems we have a local male lawyer who is stirring the pot…..????? For what reason, who knows……???? political aspirations?????)

Belle Vue Restoration Project – Roof Stabilization Tender Results

This item was on a supplementary agenda.

Councillor Pouget and Councillor Lavigne left the room due to their conflicts.

Mr Prue addressed council and said that the money was going to be used to redo the roof of Belle Vue. The interior has some water damage since the roof is leaking. By replacing the roof, there would be no more damage to the interior. Windows will be the next project after the roof is redone. Council approved this.

Unfinished Business

It seems the Rotary Club had asked to be able to advertise their organization on the Miracle League sign too. After everything that happened at the beginning of the meeting, that got denied too.

New Business

The song and dance continued……Councillor Pouget made a motion to direct administration to look into amendments to 6.12 in the Election Sign By-law and User Fee By-law Amendment where it states that a candidate can not have events on town owned property. Councillor Lavigne seconded the motion. Councillor Pouget said she had received a concern about this and wanted the amendment to protect council. The Clerk then said that the policy is in line with other municipalities policies and uses the same verbiage. Councillor Lavigne then said he had no idea what they were talking about. The Mayor didn’t either. (Welcome to the Club!!!!!!!!!!! We had no idea either.) Then Councillor Pouget said she had forwarded an email complaint to the Clerk and Deputy Clerk. The Clerk said something about the email saying that the inability to have campaign related actions in public buildings contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. (It’s back…….the email from the male lawyer……) Councillor Lavigne said then he can take us to court. Councillor Lavigne then removed his second to the motion since he does not want people campaigning in public space (e.g. the arena). So, Deputy Mayor DiPasquale then seconded Councillor Pouget’s motion. (back to square one now….)

Councillor Pouget then gave a little speech (my opinion). She felt this person had a valid concern and was trying to get clarification. The Mayor asked if it’s a Charter level question, then it must not be simple. Mr Galvin concurred. He said that any bylaw can be challenged. He also said that it’s common that candidates can’t rent space in town owned buildings.

Then, Councillor Lavigne said that this type of complaint has been coming continually this term (seems to be still from the local male lawyer……) and that it is a drag on administration’s time and that he wants nothing to do with any of this.

Councillor Pouget asked for a recorded vote.

Mayor DiCarlo then pointed out that if they were to add the option of candidates renting a public facility, could that then be challenged by those who do not want candidates campaigning in public spaces…..and yes, it could happen…… The CAO felt this was a bad route involving public space (e.g. the lobby of the arena is not rentable, and this could spill over into public space….) Mr. Galvin said that involving staff can also be problematic. He felt it’s important to preserve the public trust of facilities.

So, all this round and round and up and down……because a local male lawyer seems to be threatening legal action with alleged Charter infringements…..and I guess that Councillor Pouget is A-OK with candidates setting up shop in public facilities and campaigning (hmmmm…..I could then campaign before, during and after council meetings????……if I decide to run, of course…..)

Anyway, the motion was to direct administration to amend section 6.1.2 and allow candidates to rent public space and campaign.

In Support : Councillor Pouget and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale

Opposed : Councillors Courtney, Lavigne, Meloche and Mayor DiCarlo

If you managed to follow any of that, you did better than I did.

Request for report to Council regarding all infrastructure improvements,
programs and initiatives completed to date to improve the sanitary and
storm sewers – Councillor Pouget

Councillor Pouget presented a motion requesting a full report of the improvements to sanitary and storm sewers in order to have the information shared with insurance companies and other other levels of government.

Councilor Pouget felt that the homeowners insurance, prices and deductible are being affected in the entire county. She felt that this report would indicate the millions that the town has spent trying to prevent sewage backup and flooding. Then, in turn, she thinks that people can send this letter to their insurance company for a reduction in premiums.

Anyway, long story short, I think this was probably posturing (possible reelection time?) but the report will get written. Unless the town will guarantee no flooding, I doubt the insurance companies will care. But what do I know? I wonder what will happen if the reports get written and the letters sent out and the flooding continues…..?

By now it was 8:00…..and I had foolishly left my seat cushion at home……Council then went off behind closed doors to discuss :

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

ITEM A – Fort Street &  Sandwich Street Development – Section 239(2)(c) – A
proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or
local board.
ITEM B – Co-An Park Agreement – Section 239(2)(k) – A position, plan,
procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or
to be carried on by of behalf of the municipality or local board.
ITEM C – Potential Property Acquisition and Disposition Review – Community
Benefit – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of
land by the municipality or local board.

Well, we may still be months away from the next municipal election but you wouldn’t know it from some of the posturing in tonight’s meeting. Welcome to “silly season” in Amherstburg town council.

Any speculation on the local male lawyer would be appreciated…

 

 

 

In preparation for Monday April 23rd regular town council meeting

Well, this Monday’s agenda is only 175 pages, so I remain hopeful that it will be all wrapped up in an hour……we’ll see, I guess. Here’s the highlights as I see ’em.

Request to Advertise Event on Existing Signage – Lorene Clayton,
Woofa-Roo Pet Fest

It appears that Ms Clayton is requesting to use the existing Miracle League sign on Sandwich Street. She seems to want to hang an additional banner or sign underneath the existing sign to advertise local special events (e.g. Woofa-Roo etc.). As it stands, the existing (very restrictive, in my opinion) sign bylaw only allows signs to go up to promote local events 14 days prior to the event. This new sign bylaw has created many, many, many delegations requesting exemptions. Most have not been well-received by council. We’ll have to see what council does with this one.

Disability Waiting Period Self Insurance Policy Amendment

Last fall, council had approved self-funding of the waiting period for employee’s disability insurance. This was done as a cost-saving measure. It looks like the new program was sent to Service Canada and needs some modification. It appears that the change required by Service Canada will lessen the savings, but there will still be some savings none the less. We’ll see what happens with this one.

Staff Accommodation Review – Municipal Office

Since some staff has been added at town hall, space is at a premium. Administration had applied for a grant for the Libro Centre, to do some modifications, however did not receive the grant. As I’m sure everyone is aware, our existing town hall is relatively old and outdated (including the chairs in the gallery of council chambers LOL). Basically, a review has been done to provide some solutions to modifying the space in order to properly accommodate staff. This will cost up to $50,000. What will council decide to do?

River Lights Winter Festival – Future Operation by and Asset Transfer to
the Town of Amherstburg

The River Lights Festival has existed in Amherstburg for many years. It was organized and run by the River Lights Committee (all volunteer), which is a sub-committee of the Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce (also all volunteer). It appears that the Chamber has asked the town to take over the assets of the festival (lights, money and materials) and responsibility of the festival and therefore continue to run it. Should council choose not to take over the River Lights Festival, it appears to be at risk of discontinuation. I would guess that council would jump all over this opportunity, but I’ve been wrong before……we’ll have to wait and see.

Notice of Intent to Demolish – 305 Dalhousie Street

It appears that the Heritage Committee had named this building a “property of interest”. However, since then, the Heritage Committee has decided that this building holds no “significant architectural or cultural value” and is now supporting it’s demolition. We’ll see if council decides to let the wrecking ball swing. Or not.

Amherstburg Farmer’s Market – User Fees

The Amherstburg Farmer’s Market has requested to have it’s user fees waived. They’ve made the same request each year (at least as long as I’ve been attending the meetings anyway). Administration is recommending the waiver since the amount has been included in this year’s budget as a “grant and waiver”. I would guess this will fly through.

Election Sign By-law and User Fee By-law Amendment

This is a very lengthy report regarding signs for elections. (all levels, federal, provincial and municipal) . The bylaw will cover :

• Time period that election signs may be placed
• The time period that elections signs must be removed after voting day
• Signs on trailers and vehicles at voting places and Town owned property
• The Town’s logo, trademark and/or crest will not be permitted on election signs
• Placement and number of sign restrictions for different properties

I foresee some discussion about this.

Request for report to Council regarding all infrastructure improvements,
programs and initiatives completed to date to improve the sanitary and
storm sewers – Councillor Pouget

Councillor Pouget will be presenting a motion requesting a full report of the improvements to sanitary and storm sewers in order to have the information shared with insurance companies and other other levels of government.

And finally, once again, council will go off behind closed doors to discuss :

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

ITEM A – Fort Street &  Sandwich Street Development – Section 239(2)(c) – A
proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or
local board.
ITEM B – Co-An Park Agreement – Section 239(2)(k) – A position, plan,
procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations carried on or
to be carried on by of behalf of the municipality or local board.
ITEM C – Potential Property Acquisition and Disposition Review – Community
Benefit – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of
land by the municipality or local board.

Here’s to hoping for a relatively quick and efficient meeting Monday night! 🙂

Monday April 9th Regular town council meeting

Well, I took a chance and left my seat cushion at home. I thought that tonight’s meeting would last an hour. Tops. Well, you know what they say about people who “assume” something……Over two hours later and then it was finally over.

***Mayor DiCarlo was absent tonight***

Deputy Mayor DiPasquale chaired the meeting.

When I arrived, there was a troop of Boy Scouts in attendance in the back two rows of the chambers. (Couldn’t sit in my usual spot, but that’s okay).  We were told that the Boy Scouts were in attendance to earn a badge and observe municipal politics. The Boy Scout Troop was from LaSalle and I believe they were going to attending a LaSalle Council meeting also. The kids stayed and listened and left around 6:30. (Maybe they thought the meeting was half over? That was my hope…..)

By-law 2018-30 – To Appoint Deputy Fire Chief

The new Deputy Fire Chief was introduced (I think his name is Paul Acten, not sure of the spelling). The CAO read his resume, which was very impressive indeed. He thanked council and the meeting continued. (For those who are wondering, yes, I do believe he’s from Windsor…..at least that’s what I heard. I don’t know for sure.)

DELEGATIONS
Request for Relief from Business Licensing By-law pertaining to
Refreshment Vehicles – Bill Deslippe, Smashed Apple Catering Inc.

Mr. Deslippe was seeking relief from the setback boundaries for refreshment vehicles. He was requesting special permission to have a 25 meter setback for food trucks from restaurants or concessions. He said that the current setback for a food truck from a restaurant is 250 meters. Mr. Deslippe said that he’ll be closing his take out location and wants to open his food truck in Amherstburg around one day per week, but said the 250 meter setback is too far.

Councillor Pouget asked if he had an exact location he was looking at. He didn’t seem to have one, but mentioned that Naples or McDonald’s would be too close if he were to open in the park area. Councillor Pouget said she would need a specific location in order to consider his request. She felt it was important to ensure fairness to the businesses in town since they pay property taxes. Mr. Deslippe said that a 50 or 75 meter distance would be fair.

Councillor Meloche wondered if Mr. Deslippe would park his food truck on public or private property. Mr. Deslippe said he would be seeking agreements with private property owners.

There was then much back and forth about the existing bylaw that was established in 2009. It seems it was set up more to protect existing businesses and not so much about “safety” as seemed to be a concern of Councillor Meloche’s. Mr. Deslippe explained that his truck is inspected annually by several different organisations.

Councillor Lavigne then spoke and said that Mr. Deslippe’s food truck has been operating for years and is wildly popular. (Agreed. His food is awesome!) Councillor Lavigne said he used to own a restaurant in town and understands the difficulties of this type of business. He seemed to be okay with allowing a shorter setback limit for Mr. Deslippe’s food truck.

Councillor Fryer wanted to look at each request on an individual basis, rather than change the whole bylaw.

There was A LOT more back and forth…..A LOT.

Councillor Lavigne said that 200 meters was too much and that there have been food trucks at Toddy Jones Park and never a problem. Administration pointed out that, in fact, they have received complaints in past years about food trucks not adhering to the setback requirements. (Uh-oh…..)

Anyway, finally, it went to a recorded vote to allow Mr. Deslippe a 25 meter set back.

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

Opposed : Councillor Pouget

Hold on to your hats people…..I kind of agreed with Councillor Pouget. While I LOVE Mr. Deslippe’s food truck, the local restaurants pay big tax bills for their locations…..two sides to every story…..but, as usual, what I think does not matter. It only matters what the 7 members of council think. 🙂

PRESENTATIONS

Essex Powerlines Corporation Update & Youth in Community Fund
Cheque Presentation – Joe Barile, General Manager, Essex Powerlines
Corporation

Mr. Barile made the annual presentation to council. I’m trying to save myself some time here. If you’re super interested, please go find my blog from last year’s presentation. I think it’s probably the same. Or at least very, very close.

Rural Rumble Strips

There have been several complaints as of late about the rumble strips along the concession roads as they approach County Road 10. Council was presented with 3 choices:

Option 1 – Status Quo
Option 2 – Fill In Rumble Strips
Option 3 – Fill In Rumble Strip and Install Other Countermeasures

Administration is recommending option 3 to council for approval. It appears the rumble strips have been around since about 1999, however, over time had flattened out. Council recently approved re-doing them and then some complaints ensued. Basically, with option 3, council would have to approach County Council about some of the countermeasures and the costs. It looks like they would have to put flashing lights as well as bigger stop signs at the intersections that currently have the rumble strips. Pavement markings would also have to be added. It seems these changes will put council over-budget by about $13,500. And it’s possible that the County Council (County of Essex) may not concur with the requests.

So, Councillor Meloche made the motion to approve option 3, which would mean fill in the rumble strips and install other countermeasures for safety.  Councillor Pouget said that she would support this since the price is reasonable and felt it’s a win/win. There was some back and forth about the technicalities of when County Council would deal with the issue and when the rumble strips would be filled in.

Councillor Fryer reminded us, AGAIN, that he has felt from the beginning that the rumble strips were too deep. He then talked about some type of raised white line as being an additional option to create sound to alert drivers. Councillor Pouget couldn’t understand what the problem was (and yep, I agreed with her again) since option 3 had alternative safety measures.

Councillor Meloche then said he went and measured the rumble strips and they aren’t that deep. (Did I predict that some time ago ? That eventually somebody would be out there with a ruler measuring? Well, it happened. ) He felt it was the design that makes them loud.

Then council waived the rules of order and allowed a member of the public to speak. His name was Jim (didn’t catch the last name) and he lives on the 8th Concession. He said he had done some research and that rumble strips shouldn’t be within 25 to 50 feet of residences. He also mentioned that cyclists will move into the other lane to avoid them and felt that was dangerous.

Well, finally, after a VERY LONG discussion, the motion carried. The rumble strips will be filled in and other countermeasures will be installed.

Unfinished Business

During this part of the meeting, any member of council can bring up previous issues that are still unresolved. Councillor Pouget said that she had received complaints about the old Boblo dock. It seems that during some wind storms lately that sheets of metal were flying off of the dock and washing up on people’s properties. She wondered if the Department of Oceans and Fisheries could be contacted. (I wonder why she does not have a conflict about the old Boblo dock? It is probably about the same distance from her house as the Belle Vue…..yet, it seems to be fair game to discuss…..maybe the old Boblo dock isn’t a contentious issue? I don’t know…..) The CAO said he’d contact the Federal Government.

There were questions about hole patching in roads, the second concession, the stop light at Sandwich and Pickering and the old General Chemical.

There was a lot more discussion about various, small items, not much of interest really. Election season is gearing up in Amherstburg…..some people are trying to get their names in the paper, so I’m going to avoid giving them free advertising in the blog LOL.

I’ll enjoy my next two weeks off. After sitting through the droning on and on tonight, I think they’re well deserved. Have a great week Amherstburg!

In preparation for Monday April 9th Regular town council meeting

Well, I had a nice little break (and so did council too), but it’s time to get back at it. At first, I felt pretty hopeful since the agenda was only 204 pages…..but then I noticed that a 40 page supplementary agenda was added about the rumble strips. So Monday should be fairly interesting.

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

As you may or may not know, at each meeting, council must approve of the minutes of previous meetings. Usually, I skim through these because, well, I was there, I know what happened. However, as I skimmed through the last set of minutes, I noticed this little tidbit :

ITEM C – Update Hobbs Litigation heard under Section 239(2)(e)&(f) of the Act. As a result of that discussion, the following is before Council for consideration and voting :

Resolution # 20180319-95

Moved By Councillor Fryer
Seconded By Deputy Mayor DiPasquale

That:
1. The Offer to Settle made by the Town to Hobbs dated March 6, 2018, and accepted by Hobbs BE APPROVED.

The Mayor put the Motion.
Motion Carried

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM……what does this mean???? This is the in-camera report-out that was included in the minutes of the last meeting. So, the town made an offer to settle to Mr Hobbs’ lawyer? Was the town offering money to settle? Or, was the town offering Mr. Hobbs’ estate to have to pay a certain amount to make this all go away? I don’t know what this means…..but I’d really like to know. Did this cost the tax payers money? Or, did it bring some reimbursement of legal funds back to the town? I wonder if any more information will be forthcoming about this? Frankly, there should be! This is our tax money…….This story even made the national news.

For those who don’t recall, Mr. Hobbs had been banned from town hall some time ago and then sued the town for $100,000.  Here’s an old article for those who need a refresher :

http://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/amherstburg-fires-back-in-lawsuit-by-senior-who-has-been-banned-from-town-hall   (Mr. Hobbs has since passed away, however, his estate continued the lawsuit)

DELEGATIONS
Request for Relief from Business Licensing By-law pertaining to
Refreshment Vehicles – Bill Deslippe, Smashed Apple Catering Inc.

It appears that Mr. Deslippe is seeking relief from the setback boundaries for refreshment vehicles. He’s requesting special permission to have a 25 meter setback for food trucks from restaurants or concessions. (It doesn’t say what the current setback is.) I’ll have to wait and see what council decides to do.

PRESENTATIONS

Essex Powerlines Corporation Update & Youth in Community Fund
Cheque Presentation – Joe Barile, General Manager, Essex Powerlines
Corporation

Essex Powerlines will provide their annual presentation to council.

2018 Essex Region Children’s Water Festival Sponsorship

This appears to be an annual event and an annual donation of $1,500 made by council to help from ERCA’s Children’s Water Festival. I’m sure this will be approved without question. The question is, will the gallery be forced to listen to the grandstanding from some councillors? LOL

Deferred Development Charges for Meadowview Estate Subdivision

This appears to be costing the town nothing. Here’s the conclusion from the report :

“There is merit in the request to defer development charges. The development charges
By-law contains provisions which allow Council the opportunity to defer development
charges. The By-law was developed to initiate residential development by developers
during the economic downturn. The By-law has proven to be successful in stimulating
development in various residential subdivisions that have been stagnant and
experienced slow growth.”

Request for Removal of Part Lot Control- Meadow View Subdivision

It looks like some final approvals are needed for the development of some semi-detached homes in the above mentioned subdivision.

Election Policies

In case you didn’t know…..the municipal election is fast approaching….October 2018. It seems some parameters have to be set before the May 1st nomination period opens. Here we go :

• No candidate shall use the facilities, equipment, supplies, services, or other
  resources of the Town of Amherstburg for any election campaign or campaign
  related activities;
• No candidate shall use the services of staff during hours in which those
  persons receive compensation from the Town.

As for number one above…..if a councilor is grandstanding during a meeting is that considered using the facilities for campaign related activities? What if he/she is purposely bringing up certain issues, to say, get his/her name in the paper? hmmmm…..just some food for thought.

From the report : “The adoption of the Election Accountability Policy is intended to instill public confidence in the election process and ensure that the Clerk can maintain peace and order in connection with the election. ” If the October 2018 election is half as dirty as the October 2014 one, is that considered peaceful? LOL!

I foresee either no discussion at all, or lengthy on-going discussion….

Accounts Payable for the Month of March 2018

I looked through the accounts payable for the legal fees and anything of interest. We paid out around $15,000 in legal fees. Seems kind of high. I wonder if it has to do with the resolution about the Mr Hobbs litigation?

Rural Rumble Strips

And here we are……the much anticipated report about the rumble strips. I think the rumble strips have been discussed as many times as Texas Road in the past 6 months. Anyway, it all started with a few complaints from residents about the noise caused by the rumble strips. Well, administration has 3 options for council :

Option 1 – Status Quo
Option 2 – Fill In Rumble Strips
Option 3 – Fill In Rumble Strip and Install Other Countermeasures

Administration is recommending option 3 to council for approval. It appears the rumble strips have been around since about 1999, however, over time had flattened out. Council recently approved re-doing them and then some complaints ensued. Basically, with option 3, council would have to approach County Council about some of the countermeasures and the costs. It looks like they would have to put flashing lights as well as bigger stop signs at the intersections that currently have the rumble strips. Pavement markings would also have to be added. It seems these changes will put council over-budget by about $13,500. And it’s possible that the County Council (County of Essex) may not concur with the requests.  This should be interesting.

And, as per the usual, council will end their meeting with an in-camera meeting to discuss :

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

ITEM A – Update on Building Services Staffing – 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.

There it is folks, a quick, brief summary…..will have to see how Monday night unfolds….and how quickly it finishes!