Tuesday October 23rd regular council meeting

**Councillor Lavigne and Deputy Mayor DiPasquale were absent tonight**

Well, tonight’s meeting lasted about an hour and a half. It wasn’t overly exciting. I guess considering it’s the day after the election, most were tired out and some were even “voted out”. I’m pretty excited about the election results, so I found myself somewhat distracted during the meeting….but I did my best.

On a side note, my council buddy, Marc Renaud got elected! (Good for him! Not so good for me!). That means that I am officially seeking a new council watching buddy. The job provides boredom, entertainment or a mix thereof. The pay is bad. Really bad. It’s actually a big fat zero. You may make a few enemies, but I can assure you you’ll make more friends than enemies. You may be required to do some bodyguard duties, but nothing too major….just walk me to my car once in a while. If you’re interested, please apply directly to me. 🙂  I have 5 weeks to find somebody. Could it be you? Think about it! 😉 You don’t want me to be lonely do you? (That’s a rhetorical question for my haters that are reading, just sayin’ )

DELEGATIONS
Removal of Tree on Town Property – Drew Coulson

It appears that Mr Coulson is requesting to remove a dead tree located on a property on Lowes Side Road.  The tree is on municipal property located on the corner of Lowes Side Road and Sandwich Street South. Mr Coulson said he’d been to the Committee of Adjustment a couple of times trying to salvage the tree. He said he needs to have the tree removed to comply with building permits. He said he was willing to pay for the tree and the removal but was seeking a reduced rate.

Councillor Pouget spoke and expressed her disagreement with what Mr Coulson had said. She compared what was written in each of the arborist letters that Mr Coulson provided. She cited the Tree Report that was provided to council last year and noted that the tree in question was noted as “green” and in good shape. She also referred several times to the tree bylaw and quoted some sections.

After the CAO spoke I think I was able to figure out what was going on. In the tree by-law the arborist has a way of assessing value to any tree in the municipality. This particular tree is valued at $8,500. The CAO explained that he had advised Mr Coulson he would have to pay the value of the tree plus removal costs. The town arborist had looked at the tree and had reported it to be a danger. Basically, Mr Coulson was seeing if council would be open to reducing the valued price of the tree. (Anybody who has followed this council even a tiny bit, knows how they are when it comes to trees…..you can start predicting the outcome now…..)

There was much, much back and forth. Finally Councillor Pouget made a motion to charge Mr Coulson $8,500 for the cost of the tree and that he would also be subject to the cost of the removal of the tree. There was more back and forth and then this passed.

Many of the items tonight were passed with little to no discussion. I’ll list them if you missed the pre-meeting blog.

Accessible Fishing Location at Kings Navy Yard Park

Highway of Heroes Tree Planting Program

2018 Special Events Approval – November/December 2018

Temporary Use Zoning By-law Amendment at 2376 Front Road N,
Zoning By-law Amendment for the Contractor’s Yard, Demolition
Agreement and Development Agreement

The above were all passed with little to no discussion. Until council got to this item :

Feasibility of Developing a Fee for Planting Trees on Public Land

Back on track talking about trees….More discussion…..had to change some of the wording from the original proposed wording of :

“Change the building permit fees to contain a fee for the planting of a tree on the right-of-way.”

There was much back and forth about amending bylaws, changing words and to send it all to the Parks Committee for information. I won’t lie. I was tuning out….played on my phone a bit….my pen ran out of ink….had to fish around in my purse for another one….that type of thing…..whatever it was, I think they went with a modified version of the recommendation above.

Information reports:

Council receives many reports for information purposes. Sometimes they discuss them and ask questions, most often they don’t. Tonight they discussed a few. Here are the highlights (briefly).

Storm on September 25, 2018

At the last meeting, council requested a full report about the storm that came through the area on September 25th. The Fire Chief wrote up the report. Councillor Pouget wasn’t happy with the report. Neither was Councillor Courtney. Chief Montone explained that the challenge is that the town cannot issue a weather warning without provincial or national authorities advising them to do so. He said he can’t provide information to the public that he does not receive.

There was much back and forth about information through the American System. Councillor Fryer pointed out that even though we are close to the United States, they are a different country so we can not rely on the U.S. system for alerts.

Anyway, much discussion and nothing came of it.

Amherstburg Police Service 2017 Annual Report
(As deferred from the October 9, 2018, Regular Council Meeting)

2018 Second Quarter Operating Variance as at June 30, 2018
(As deferred from the October 9, 2018, Regular Council Meeting)

These two above items carried some more discussion. Chief Berthiaume was present to answer questions. It seems that the police department is tracking to be over budget. It seems that the variance is due to paying out vacation time and statutory holiday time since the contract with Windsor Police will be coming into effect January 1, 2019.

Unfinished Business

It seems that the backyard chicken issue has been simmering on the back burner for over a year (haha, punny eh?).

Councillor Fryer was looking to create a similar fee and permit system (like the bonfire by-law) to allow for inspections and monitoring of backyard chickens. Administration said they had done the research and could soon provide a report and schedule a public meeting for consultation. I’m not sure when this will happen.

Integrity Commissioner complaint

Then Councillor Pouget inquired about the Integrity Commissioner investigation about the “leak” of in-camera info. I’m sure everyone remembers the special meeting a few weeks ago about this? The one where some in-camera council meeting information was “leaked” to the Amherstburg Police Service Board? Well, the Integrity Commissioner was tasked with investigating council. But an outside private investigator had to be hired to investigate administration. (The Integrity Commissioner can only investigate council members.) Councillor Pouget wanted to know the status of the report regarding the administration investigation.

Mayor DiCarlo confirmed that an investigator was hired and that it’s a confidential investigation so they’ll have to wait for the report.

New Business

Councillor Pouget expressed a concern that at the last meeting she tried to make a motion to get a report regarding money owed to the town for policing at a festival. She felt she was stopped from getting the information and wondered why. Mayor DiCarlo said that the information is not public information. The CAO said that they are currently following their procedure for collection. The CAO said that what she was referring to is an allegation and that it would only be if the amount is written off that it would be public.

Councillor Fryer asked if this weren’t an Amherstburg Police Service Board issue. (see my blog from the last meeting…..) He felt that if it’s not collectible then the town has to pay. He said that in a round about way it’s an Amherstburg Police Service Board decision that council would not be privy to. (hmmmm…..another leak???…..)

Councillor Pouget felt that it was no longer an Amherstburg Police Service Board problem and it was council’s problem. The Mayor told her she could make the motion if she wanted to, so she did…..the motion was something like this (don’t forget I take my notes by hand)….that administration provide a report about an allegedly significant amount of money owed to the town for policing at a non town sponsored festival. (And yes, the word “allegedly” was in the motion…..maybe they think council is a court of law? or just fishing for information? …..??)

It went to a recorded vote :

Support : Councillor Courtney and Councillor Pouget

Opposed : Councillor Fryer, Councillor Meloche and Mayor DiCarlo

So, “allegedly” there will not be a report provided about the collections items I guess.

NOTICE OF MOTION
Amherstburg Community Foundation – Crown Park Corporation’s
Progress to Date – Councillor Courtney

This is what it says : “That the Amherstburg Community Foundation, the progress that has been made to date by the Crown Park Corporation hired at a cost of $12,000 to oversee fundraising for BelleVue; and, That the Amherstburg Community Foundation provide to Council the information pertaining to how the Crown Park Corporation was selected.”

Then council prepared to go in-camera to discuss:

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council directly
following Regular session pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as
amended, for the following reasons:
Item A – Employee Request for Leave of Absence – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal
matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board
employees.

(supplementary agenda) Item B – Sale of 7860 County Road 20 – Section 239(2)(c)-A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by a municipality or local board.

Then it was a wrap (at least for me). Council went off in-camera to discuss the two items above…..and I headed home.

I think there is one, maybe two meetings left for this current council. Then it will be time for the new council to get sworn in. I’m still feeling pretty darn happy with the election results and I think I will continue to blog about the new council. We’ll see how it goes. But again, just a friendly reminder…..I’d really like a new council buddy…..Think about it….

In preparation for Tuesday October 23rd regular town council meeting

Well, I am anticipating an interesting meeting Tuesday night. Not because there’s anything much of excitement on the 242 page agenda, but because it will be happening the day after the election! That means that Tuesday night, the current members of council that are seeking re-election will know whether they’ve won or lost. Their reactions to the election will no doubt come out in all kinds of various ways Tuesday night…..

Here are the highlights:

DELEGATIONS
Removal of Tree on Town Property – Drew Coulson

It appears that Mr Coulson is requesting to remove a dead tree located on a property on Lowes Side Road.  The tree is on municipal property. From what I can see, he has 4 letters from experts stating the tree is dead and has been for quite some time and that it’s death has nothing to do with the construction of the new home. Well, this should be interesting…..usually trees aren’t a hot topic item, but……we’ll see…….

Accessible Fishing Location at Kings Navy Yard Park

A delegation had come before council last year inquiring about having some space allocated at the Kings Navy Yard Park for accessible fishing. Since the Duffy’s property includes a fishing pier (see the Parks Master Plan), administration doesn’t feel it would be cost effective to alter the existing fishing area. It seems that they’re going to incorporate this in the new fishing area moving forward.

In the meantime, administration is proposing to erect 3 accessible fishing area signs on the railing in the KNYP to accessible use.

We’ll have to see what council decides.

Highway of Heroes Tree Planting Program

Administration is looking for council’s direction to purchase a plaque and make a donation towards the Highway of Heroes Tree Planing Program. It appears that this would total $300 and that there is enough money still remaining in the donation account to cover this expenditure.

2018 Special Events Approval – November/December 2018

As per the usual with this council, each event must come before council and request permission for their event. Some events require street closures or noise by-law exemptions, but these usually fly through. Here are the events that are requesting approval and various exemptions:

• Legion Remembrance Day Parade – November 11, 2018
• Ignite the Night – November 17, 2018
• Municipal Tree Lighting – November 17, 2018
• Winter Lights – November 17, 2018 – January 6, 2019
• Holiday House Tour – November 24, 2018

Temporary Use Zoning By-law Amendment at 2376 Front Road N,
Zoning By-law Amendment for the Contractor’s Yard, Demolition
Agreement and Development Agreement

This development agreement is very lengthy and looks like it’s been in the works for quite some time. I’m not going to read it all…..I skimmed it over…..looks to be in order….ERCA approvals are done, permits in place etc……we’ll see what council decides….

Feasibility of Developing a Fee for Planting Trees on Public Land

Once again, administration needs council’s direction about the possibility of developing a fee system for planting trees. They’re asking for one of the following recommendations:

• Begin the process of an Official Plan Amendment to
  include a public tree fee as a condition for infill
  development consent applications; OR,
• Require that all consent applications contain a condition
  requiring a development agreement between the Town
  and the applicant be entered into; OR,
• Change the building permit fees to contain a fee for the
  planting of a tree on the right-of-way.

Storm on September 25, 2018

At the last meeting, council requested a full report about the storm that came through the area on September 25th. The Fire Chief wrote up the report and that’s that.

Amherstburg Police Service 2017 Annual Report
(As deferred from the October 9, 2018, Regular Council Meeting)

This information report was deferred at the last meeting since council had some questions for the Police Chief but he was not in attendance at the meeting. I guess if he’s there on Tuesday, council will ask their questions.

2018 Second Quarter Operating Variance as at June 30, 2018
(As deferred from the October 9, 2018, Regular Council Meeting)

See above. Same thing. Questions for the Police Chief.

Here’s what I had written up last time in preparation for this :

Some departments are projecting surpluses and others are projecting deficits. Here’s the one part that I knew would be of interest to most :

“The Police budget centre is projecting a deficit of $288,000. The deficit mainly results
from estimated salary overspending of $246,000, POA revenue shortfall of $26,000,
overspending of $50,000 for legal fees and computer maintenance overspending of
$14,000; offset by under spending of $25,000 for uniforms and $20,000 for training. The
salary expenditures include a projected cost of up to $251,000 for payout of employees’
eligible banked time on disbandment of the police service not disclosed prior to budget
as an estimated cost.”

From what I can tell, we’re looking at a potential over all deficit of about $175,000 (with three departments projected to be in the red…..police, fire and engineering & public works….) Also a potential deficit of about $75,000 for water. Good times.

So, I guess if the Police Chief is at the meeting council will ask their questions.

Royal Canadian Legion 2018 Annual Poppy Campaign

This item was on the agenda but I couldn’t find the report to go with it…..I’ll listen and see what’s what.

2018 Remembrance Day Celebration

As above, this item was on the agenda but I couldn’t find the report…..

NOTICE OF MOTION
Amherstburg Community Foundation – Crown Park Corporation’s
Progress to Date – Councillor Courtney

This is what it says : “That the Amherstburg Community Foundation, the progress that has been made to date by the Crown Park Corporation hired at a cost of $12,000 to oversee fundraising for BelleVue; and, That the Amherstburg Community Foundation provide to Council the information pertaining to how the Crown Park Corporation was selected.”

Then council will go in-camera to discuss:

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council directly
following Regular session pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as
amended, for the following reasons:
Item A – Employee Request for Leave of Absence – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal
matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board
employees.

I’ll be back Tuesday night after the meeting with a summary of how the meeting unfolded.

In the meantime, Monday is election day, so get out and VOTE!

If you haven’t had a chance to read my pre-election blog, here it is, take a read:

https://amherstburg2.wordpress.com/2018/10/13/election-selection-my-picks-for-council-2018/

 

Election Selection – my picks for council 2018

Well, the campaigning season is drawing near the end. There have been two advance polls and October 22nd , voting day, is fast approaching.

As many of you know, I have attended almost every single council meeting during the 2014-2018 term. I have followed this council and the issues quite closely. Many of you have asked me who I am supporting for the next council……so, here goes……

Please note, the commentary you will read below is my opinion based on my experiences, the things I have seen and heard. You may or may not agree with some of it, all of it or none of it, but please note that it is my opinion and it is not meant to be “fair” and balanced. While I believe that putting your name forward to represent your community is a noble and honourable calling, in this election the reality is that there will be 7 winners and there will be 13 people who will not win. This is not meant to sound harsh, it is simply reality. It is life. Not everybody will win a trophy so to speak. I hope to see the faces below counted in the winning group.

Also, in the interest of transparency, I put my money where my mouth is. I have made a financial contribution to three candidates for their campaigns. Therefore, when all of the candidates provide their financial statements in a few months, this should not be earth shattering news for anybody.

Some will say that I’m trying to influence the election. I firmly believe that all of my readers are very capable of making their own voting decisions. I am offering my thoughts and commentary about the election since so many of you have asked me to do so. Am I 100% comfortable putting it out there publicly who I will be voting for? In a way yes and in a way not really. However, I realize that my readers are free to agree, partially agree or disagree completely with my opinions. I am offering this blog as my personal thoughts and opinion about the election. Everyone is free to vote for whomever they wish. 🙂

Some of you have accused me of being biased. Yes, I am absolutely 100% biased, as is everyone else when it comes to politics. I don’t understand why some candidates think I should be unbiased. I am not a reporter. I am a blogger. I post my political opinions all the time.

Also, some of you have accused me of having an agenda. If trying to get open-minded, forward-thinking people elected is an agenda, then so be it. I guess I have an agenda then. Some of you have even gone so far as to insinuate that I have something to personally gain from all of this. That part makes me curious. I don’t want the CAO’s job. I don’t want any job with the town. I don’t want to be paid by the town to write a blog. I won’t be sending in any letters seeking contracts or other payouts from the town, so I have no idea what anybody could be inferring about personal gain.

I’ve also heard from several friends that some of the candidates had some pretty colourful things to say about me when they showed up on people’s doorsteps campaigning. I found that absolutely fascinating and insulting all at once. Please note that if a candidate made any commentary about me on your doorstep, it shows quite clearly that they do not hold some of the character traits required for a solid member of council.

All of this being said, I found a great article that was posted on Aldo DiCarlo’s Facebook campaign page. Here’s the link :

https://www.municipalworld.com/feature-story/7-vital-qualities-look-local-leader/

To summarize, here is a brief description of the 7 qualities to look for in a municipal candidate :

1. 1. Relationship builder : The ability to build relationships with staff, the rest of council and the residents in the community. “Disrespect, contempt, and personal attacks create unhealthy relationships that undermine sound governance.”
   2. A Team Player : The ability to debate one’s position while remaining open minded. The ability to work with others without dominating. The ability to set aside personal interests, opinions or influences for the greater good of the community as a whole.
   3. Emotionally mature : “Given that they are required to make decisions in the best interests of the community – despite opposition – they must be able to withstand criticism. Being emotionally mature means staying engaged, welcoming dissent, and not over-reacting to it. At times, it may mean coping with the intense emotions of others.”
   4. Approachable: The ability to listen to others. The accessibility to the public not only at public meetings but also by phone and email.
   5. Critical thinker : The ability to look at all sides and facets of an issue. The realization that decisions can have long term consequences or simply push problems into the future. I.E. solve the issue now.
   6. Prepared: The member of council must be reading, understanding and researching all of the issues coming before council.
   7. Financial acumen : “We can’t afford to have a governing body where two-thirds of the group glaze over the budgeting process, while a few others want to go through the budget line by painful line. Policy makers need to understand basic financial information and be able to evaluate budgets and financial statements. If they do not, then they should be willing to seek training to improve their skills. They need to comprehend the long-term taxation and budget consequences of financial proposals and decisions.”

For Mayor : Aldo DiCarlo

Before I begin, I am going to be upfront and honest. I did not support Aldo DiCarlo for mayor during the last election. I supported another candidate. But that was then and this is now. I am fully supporting Aldo DiCarlo for Mayor for many reasons.

Since I started attending all of the council meetings, I’ve had the chance, first hand, to see Aldo DiCarlo in action. I’ve been impressed by his openness and approachability. Not only is he open and approachable, he always treats others with respect. I’ve seen things get heated in council chambers but he remains respectful. I’ve seen people go after him quite strongly (name calling etc) on Facebook and yet he answers the questions and remains respectful. Aldo DiCarlo is not afraid to be held accountable. I’ve seen it over and over again on social media and in council chambers. People may not always get the answer they want to hear, but they get an answer and they get respect.

Aldo DiCarlo has made decisions, the easy ones and the difficult ones. He has represented Amherstburg well every single time. Aldo DiCarlo has continued to reply with factual answers on social media, before, during and after a vote on any issue. His Facebook page is wide open, he’ll accept any “friend” request and does not block or ban residents that want to engage with him, even when it’s been less than friendly engagement. He has shown openness to all sides of an issue, but ultimately does what’s best for Amherstburg.

Aldo DiCarlo is devoted. He is devoted to the town of Amherstburg and his role as Mayor. He attends almost every single event that this town has to offer. And when he attends, it’s not simply a quick photo opportunity and then off he goes. He stays at the events, all day and all weekend too. He stays at the event ALL day to talk to the residents, to talk to Us. The people he represents are often seen chatting with him and sharing their thoughts or concerns. Aldo DiCarlo puts Amherstburg’s best foot forward and remains engaged with the residents by attending, promoting and actively participating in ALL of the town events.

I think that Aldo DiCarlo is the best candidate for mayor, hands down.

For Deputy Mayor : Leo Meloche

When this term began, I did not really know Leo Meloche. Again, I attended the meetings and started to get a feel for who he is as a councillor and how he thinks per say. Leo Meloche was a solid councillor during this term. His attendance was stellar. He only missed one meeting his entire 4 year term and that was due to his wife’s passing. Leo Meloche has shown over and over again how devoted he is to Amherstburg and to his role as councillor.

Now, Leo Meloche is running for Deputy Mayor and here is why I’m supporting him. Leo Meloche has a very solid financial understanding of the budget and how the town operates. I believe he is an accountant and his questions regarding finances and the budget are always on a much higher level than the other members of council because of his education and background. His understanding and questions are more on par with the town Treasurer. He knows how to read the budget, understand the budget and keep it all accountable all at the same time. I also feel that Leo Meloche is a strong supporter of our local businesses. He was the only member of council who seemed to show any concern when council passed the new sign bylaw restricting businesses ability to advertise. He understands business.

Leo Meloche does not “play politics”. LOL In fact, I get the feeling that Leo Meloche is just a downright, good, decent human being. I’ve never really seen him participate in political posturing or games. I like that he’s just a hard-working, prepared representative ready to make the easy and the tough decisions to represent all of Amherstburg.

For Council (in alphabetical order) :

Donald McArthur

I did not know Donald McArthur and feel he literally came out of nowhere! I read his first few replies to the blog questions and I knew immediately that he seemed like he’d be a fantastic councillor! I reached out to him, met him and I was even more impressed than I was before.

Donald McArthur is forward-thinking and open. He wasn’t “born and raised” in Amherstburg…..to me that’s a good thing! (Bear in mind, I myself, was born and raised in Amherstburg so for those of you think that’s criteria for jobs or politicians, I do not think that.) Donald has lived in a few towns and cities and is open to ideas and initiatives. He is extremely well-versed with technology and social media and I think that’s so important in today’s day in age.

Donald McArthur seems to “get it”, that he needs to be accountable to the public. He’s worked in the media field for many years and understands the criticism and pressure that politicians must be able to endure. He shows he has all of the 7 required qualities in spades.

Donald McArthur has shown to me that he is approachable and a critical thinker. He asks pertinent questions and will do the required research to find the answers. He understands how a council works from years of experience of reporting on councils. I think he will bring a new level of openness and transparency to us, the residents.

Marc Renaud

I met Marc through a mutual friend at the council meetings. Marc has attended almost all of the meetings, just like me, so we see each other quite regularly. I think he attended meetings during the previous term of council too, so he was always good at comparing things now with the previous council.

Marc and I, (along with 2 other residents) were kicked out of town hall and asked to wait outside the night of the famous in-camera meeting over legal fee reimbursement. That was probably our “bonding moment” LOL. Nothing like telling residents how important they are when council sends someone out to tell you to get out! We laugh about it now, but not so much then. That evening was part of the catalyst to this blog.

Marc Renaud is up to speed on the issues, ALL of them and there are many. He’s sat through the meetings (until the bitter end of them….I don’t think I ever saw him leave early, or very rarely anyway) and knows how a council meeting works. He’s informed and ready to hit the ground running.

Marc Renaud is also a forward-thinking candidate. He’s looking for progress and to continue on a positive momentum. Marc Renaud is very approachable and he is prepared, very prepared and up to speed to propel our town forward.

Marc Renaud has been volunteering for Amherstburg Minor Hockey for many years. To me, this shows how devoted he has been to our community, not only at election time, but all year round and for many, many years now. Marc Renaud has a passion and understanding for our youth and their needs in our community.

Lori Wightman

I’m actually not sure exactly when I met Lori Wightman. I know she attended some meetings and we’ve spoken here and there, but once she put her name in for councillor, again I started researching to find out more. I am VERY impressed that Lori Wightman does her homework. She reads ALL of the documents and the reports and is very informed. When Lori Wightman answers a question, she is informed and prepared with a relevant and pertinent answer.

She’s a forward thinker and I think will move Amherstburg forward in the right direction. Lori Wightman is a team player and a relationship builder. She has shown her abilities to work with others and for others under strenuous circumstances. She was the union president during the very lengthy library strike and displayed her abilities to the public in a professional manner. During the very bitter library strike, Lori Wightman, as the union president, proved her ability to work in very tense and high pressure situations. I think she’d be a very solid member of council that would be able to weigh out all sides of an issue and then take a stand and justify it.

Lori Wightman has a very strong work ethic. I’ve seen how hard she’s been campaigning. She has taken it upon herself to read all of the reports provided to the current council so that she can be up to speed. She will be a valuable asset I feel during any future contract negotiations. Lori Wightman has spent a lot of time becoming informed and has shown me that she’s ready to represent and work hard for ALL of the people, while making well-informed, well rounded decisions based on information.

2 more to choose from…..

I’ve chosen to only comment on 3 councillor candidates. Residents can vote for up to 5 candidates for council.

In my personal opinion, please remember, that voting for 5 people for council can have less of an impact than voting for a lesser number. I’m only voting for these 3. Just because we have the option to vote for 5 does not mean we have to vote for 5. Technically each additional council vote can be a vote against someone that you’ve already picked and that you may really want to get elected. I feel that by simply voting for the three that I really would love to see serve us on council, it strengthens their chances of getting in. With 14 people running for 5 seats, there will be vote splitting all over the place. The difference between 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th place could be slim and could be the difference of someone winning or losing.

I feel that some of the other candidates have a few of the 7 qualities and quite frankly I feel that some of the candidates have none of the 7 qualities. It’s scary honestly.

One thing I know for sure……I’m looking for members of council who will move the town forward! We are on a great, positive upswing and I want to see that trend continue.

On election day we can either put the car in reverse and waste the next 4 years going backwards…..or we can put it in drive and move forward! The candidates that I’m supporting are ALL candidates that are looking to put the car in drive and go! 🙂

On a personal note about the 2018 election

For those of my readers that are on social media, you’ve seen (I know you have because you’ve reached out to me) some pretty poor behaviour on the part of some of the candidates. Some of them, for some reason, rather than campaign on their platforms have spent a lot of time attacking myself and my husband on social media. It’s been truly ugly, dark and distasteful. My husband nor I are candidates running in the election. We are residents and taxpayers, just like the rest of the residents. The quality of “emotional maturity” is clearly lacking by some candidates during this campaign and it’s sad. A lot of people thought the 2014 election was nasty, since one resident drove around town with a sign telling people who not to vote for. This 2018 election brought a whole new and unfortunate low…..candidates attacking and smearing residents.

I would like to end this blog on a positive note of deep, personal gratitude. Through this almost 4 year “political journey”, I have made many new friends and acquaintances. I’ve also made a couple of enemies. I am choosing to focus on the friendships and positive messages that so many of you have sent to me during the past few years and especially the past few months. I deeply and truly appreciate your support and kind words. Your emails, messages, phone calls, chats, whatever form our communications took, it is truly appreciated to know that people appreciate and recognize the work that has gone into this blog and my desire to keep council accountable. I am forever thankful to my readers and followers to have so kindly helped me in various ways during this journey.

See you on the flip side. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday October 9th Regular town council meeting

Well, this was it…..the last council meeting before the election. It probably could have wrapped up in about 45 minutes but lasted just over an hour and a half. There was quite a bit of last chance pontificating. Quite a bit. Seeing that I am one tired out blogger and I am not interested in helping the pontificates get a last ditch effort at a podium, I am going to keep this short and sweet. No doubt that our local RTT will have some more information available in the near future. Stay tuned for that.

2018 Amherstburg Uncommon Festival Post Report Presentation & Video – Anne Rota, Manager of Tourism and Culture

Ms Rota presented a video presentation about this past summer’s Uncommon Festival. It was very well done. She then spoke about our vibrant, scenic and authentic community!! (I love it!!!) She shared that the Tourism Department was able to gather 330 responses from either face to face meetings or online information. She pointed out the the tourism numbers are increasing year after year after year. (Great news!) This summer’s event drew 35,000 attendees and had the help of 260 volunteers both local and non-local. Ms Rota talked about the great “earned media” coverage that they gathered. This type of coverage is free coverage and comes from social media. (That’s where it’s at folks, like it or not….) Ms Rota gave all the financial impact numbers and talked about how the money spent per person per day goes up exponentially if they stay over night. I believe it goes from around $104 per day up to $180 per day if the person stays overnight. Therefore, we need a hotel and I believe it’s in the works! Ms Rota also spoke about the re-branding initiative that council engaged in. She explained that it’s not just a logo, it’s a complete revamping of the town’s web site in order that people can purchase tickets etc online. This would greatly help to maximize our on line presence.

Ms Rota explained that the tourism department is seeking approval to apply for grants and begin planning next year’s event. This presentation received lots of positive feedback from council and it was approved.

Belle Vue National Historic Site – Community Use

Councillor Pouget and Councillor Lavigne each declared a conflict on this issue and did not participate in the discussion.

The public consultation meetings about Belle Vue happened some time ago and here’s the recommendation based on public input :

“The use of the Belle Vue National Historic Site BE ESTABLISHED as a
conference centre/wedding venue with Botanical Gardens as supported in the
results of the community consultation.”

There was much back and forth about the use of public funds for Belle Vue. There seemed to be a bit of grand standing between two councilors running for Deputy Mayor. Basically, all that was required for this was to approve the use of the building so that there is a plan in place to proceed with fundraising initiatives. After some lengthy back and forth, it carried.

Information Reports 

Usually information reports fly through without much discussion. However,……..tonight, not so much. Lots of discussion.

Council ended up deferring the two reports having to do with the police department since Chief Berthiaume wasn’t in attendance to answer the questions. There was a strange discussion about the dispatching contract that Amherstburg has now with Windsor. I say it was strange because council voted on it well over a year ago, since it saved the town $200,000 per year but it seemed to be news to some on council……very odd……There was also some concern with the Amherstburg Police Department’s budget over runs. So, ultimately, I listened to everybody talk about the reports but nothing really happened.

There was also some discussion about an information report about the flooding from this weekend. This was not included in the original agenda that I read on Friday, so I did not see the updated agenda with this report. There was a lot of discussion and I think that ultimately council decided to put a full page ad in the RTT advising residents of the options being offered in the subsidy policy (backwater valves, over flow sump pumps, down spout disconnection etc.)

Unfinished Business

This went on and on and on as well……There were several reports requested but only a few will come to fruition…..some of the reports requested didn’t fall under council’s purview. There was discussion about Belle Vue Conservancy, about the radio notifications during the tornado two weeks ago, talk of the earthquake from this summer, talk of the Amherstburg Police Service Board…..I stopped taking notes several times in order to check my phone…..that’s how “interesting” this meeting was……sorry peeps.

Anyway, so this is it. The last meeting before the election is said and done. I’m fairly happy about that. My retirement from blogging may be looming…..or maybe not…..it will depend how the election goes I think…..

Anyway, you can look forward to hearing from me at least one more time before the election. Well, I guess that depends on your perspective, my lovers and likers can look forward to it….my haters can dread it LOL.

See you in a few days I hope. Unless I mysteriously disappear. Don’t laugh. It could happen.

In preparation for Tuesday October 9th regular council meeting

Well, it’s finally here……this will be council’s last meeting before the October 22nd election. In some ways the time has gone so quickly and in other ways it was like this day would never come. But alas, it did and here we are.

The agenda is a mere 374 pages mostly filled with information reports……so here we go (going to make this short and sweet because I’ve got a busy long weekend ahead of me) :

2018 Amherstburg Uncommon Festival Post Report Presentation & Video – Anne Rota, Manager of Tourism and Culture

It looks like we’re in for a presentation and a report about the Uncommon Festival from this past summer. The Tourism Department is already looking to plan another one for next summer. I would hope that council will approve this one! I can’t wait for the presentation. The report has all of the numbers for the economic spin off for our town. I love it! I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I love festivals! This looks like it will be a very interesting and informative presentation.

Belle Vue National Historic Site – Community Use

The public consultation meetings about Belle Vue happened some time ago and here’s the recommendation based on public input :

“The use of the Belle Vue National Historic Site BE ESTABLISHED as a
conference centre/wedding venue with Botanical Gardens as supported in the
results of the community consultation.”

Sounds great to me! Maybe if I were to remarry someday it could be at Belle Vue?! LOL Just kidding. I am happily married. If that changes, well I won’t announce it on the blog LOL.  Maybe some day one of my kids may have their wedding there? That’d be beautiful!

I can’t wait to hear council’s thoughts on this. Belle Vue that is, not my marital status LOL.

Accounts Payable for the Month of September 2018

I always look over the accounts payable for anything of interest and to check what we’ve paid in legal fees. For those who have followed my blog since the beginning, you know why I check why I check the legal fees we pay out. For those of you who are newer to the blog, well here’s why……back at the beginning of this council’s term, during the winter of 2015, four members of our current council thought it a great idea to ask for reports and inquiries about employees qualifications, their contracts, who hired them and when etc etc…..we had a line up of various lawyers come before council and advise them over and over again that this was not council’s purview. Over and over again. It cost us a small fortune in legal fees (and would have cost us even more had council not decided to finally let it go…..) but anyway, that’s why I check. And the scary thing right now is…..there are a few people running for council positions that want to do the exact same thing as during the winter of 2015! I just don’t understand why some people didn’t learn from this ill-advised motion and want to essentially do the same thing. Again. But I digress. This months’ total for legal fees was about $13,000.00 Perhaps with the new council I won’t have to try to tally up legal fees anymore?

2018 Second Quarter Operating Variance as at June 30, 2018

Some departments are projecting surpluses and others are projecting deficits. Here’s the one part that I knew would be of interest to most :

“The Police budget centre is projecting a deficit of $288,000. The deficit mainly results
from estimated salary overspending of $246,000, POA revenue shortfall of $26,000,
overspending of $50,000 for legal fees and computer maintenance overspending of
$14,000; offset by underspending of $25,000 for uniforms and $20,000 for training. The
salary expenditures include a projected cost of up to $251,000 for payout of employees’
eligible banked time on disbandment of the police service not disclosed prior to budget
as an estimated cost.”

From what I can tell, we’re looking at a potential over all deficit of about $175,000 (with three departments projected to be in the red…..police, fire and engineering & public works….) Also a potential deficit of about $75,000 for water. Good times.

So, this is it. Tuesday will be the last meeting for the current council prior to the election. Will we laugh? Will we cry? Will we hug? Will we dance? Will we run out of there? Who knows. I guess I’ll find out Tuesday night.