Monday February 25th regular town council meeting

The honeymoon just might be over. I think this logo debate might be the death of me….(there may be some reading this who may be happy about that LOL).

The chambers were pretty full, which was nice to see.

DELEGATIONS

Inconsistency between Marsh Court and Marsh Drive – Richard Harvey 

Mr Harvey addressed council to share his personal experiences based on the constant confusion between Marsh Court and Marsh Drive. He has lived on Marsh Court for over 11 years and said his concerns ranged from mistakes with EMS arriving at the wrong address to issues with mail or other delivery mix ups happening regularly. Over half of the houses on the two streets have the same address (house number) and they all have the same postal code. The only different is “court” and “drive”. He suggested that Marsh Court existed first, therefore Marsh Drive should be renamed to fix the confusion permanently. He felt that the administrative recommendation of making larger signs with arrows is acceptable and could help, but ultimately changing one of the street names would be the ultimate fix.

(Supplementary agenda) Romana Ferrarelli – delegation

Ms Ferrarelli addressed council about the same issue. She felt that each home should have a unique address and that it’s difficult to locate houses and there are daily errors with mail and deliveries. She expressed concerns about safety since there have been mix ups with emergency services. Ms Ferrarelli wanted the signage at the road enlarged and arrows added and to raise awareness to emergency responders. She felt the changes could be reviewed in 6 months to a year to see if they had resolved the issues or if more change could be needed.

There was some back and forth between councillors and the two delegates, about preferences regarding either improved signage or changing the street name.

So, council then brought forward a report that had been written by administration on this issue :

Marsh Drive and Marsh Court Naming Discrepancy

It seems that in the report, there is a request for direction to Administration to enhance the signage on Marsh Drive and Marsh Court, to monitor any complaints and/or issues post-implementation of the enhanced signage and to report back to Council after six months.

Changing the name of the street would cause some inconvenience for residents (government forms, change of address etc.) As well, choosing a new street name could be problematic. It seems the residents are in favour of enhanced signage, which includes larger print size of “court” and “drive” as well as arrows to indicate the direction. I found this in the report from administration too :

“The County of Essex EMS was consulted and advised that a caution note will be added to the dispatch system to prompt the call receiver to confirm if the caller lives on Marsh Court or Marsh Drive. EMS stated that a name change is not necessary for their purposes and that clearer signs would be beneficial.
Amherstburg Fire Department and Amherstburg Detachment of the Windsor Police
Department were consulted on this report and recommended that the changing the name would be the only way to stop confusion, but did not take issue with the changing of the signs and monitoring instances of further confusion.”

Councillor Prue had questions about the street naming policy, however that policy has only been in place since 2017. He felt that Marsh “drive” was not a proper “drive” since there was no boulevard. He felt that the only way to change this situation was to change the name of the street and chose a new street name from the pre-approved list of street names. He didn’t feel it would be too problematic to change the street name for the residents. Mr Galvin explained that the policy does allow for some compensation to the residents for a street name change. Councillor Courtney seemed concerned that people would be unhappy if council changed one of the street names. However, Mr Harvey said there had been a survey and most seemed okay with it. Councillor Courtney said he supports the recommendation for larger, clearer signs.

Councillor McArthur then spoke and felt that if council was going to do it, they should do it once and do it right. He agreed with Councillor Prue that one of the streets should have the name changed. Deputy Mayor Meloche concurred. He felt that either way, the town would be paying, with new street signs or for relief for the residents.

Councillor Prue made a motion to change Marsh Drive to another name not beginning with M (from the pre-approved list) and that the town would pay the costs. Councillor McArthur seconded the motion.

Councillor Courtney started talking about getting public input for the street name…..and there was some back and forth between him and Councillor Prue. (There is a pre-approved list in the policy…) Councillor Renaud wondered if the residents had been notified. It seems they had been notified about tonight’s meeting and they’d be notified about the upcoming name change for their street.  Councillor Simone said she’d vote against the motion since the delegates were okay with the signage changed. It went to a vote :
In support of renaming Marsh Drive : Councillor Prue, Councillor McArthur and Deputy Mayor Meloche

Opposed to renaming the street : Councillor Courtney, Councillor Simone and Councillor Renaud.

Mayor DiCarlo broke the tie and voted in favour. So, the street will be renamed…..name to be determined, not sure when.

Request to Waive Rental and Equipment Fees for Rib Fest – John Sutton and Steve Butcher, Rotary Club of Amherstburg

Lena Lasanja addressed council since Mr Sutton was unable to attend tonight’s meeting. She explained that the Rotary Club is a small service organization and she is a past president. The Rotary Club hosts many fundraisers and listed their many, many contributions to the town of Amherstburg. (I’m afraid to list them all, since I will probably leave some out……) Ms Lasanja was hopeful that the collaborative effort between the town and the Rotary Club would continue. She said that 2019 is the Rib Fest’s 10th Anniversary and they’ve expanded it and grown it for this special anniversary. They’re hoping to bring in over 15,000 visitors and anticipated the new venue at the Libro Centre would easily accommodate their expanded event.

Then, Mr Butcher addressed council since he is the co-chair of the Rib Fest. He said they have planned a bigger and better event for the new location for their 10th anniversary. He requested that the fees for the rental and any equipment be waived. He also requested that the costs of the fencing be paid by the town. He said that at Cenntennial Park, they only had to absorb a small cost for the fencing, since most fencing was in place. He said they need about 2,500 linear feet of fencing for this year. Mr Butcher also requested that the gravel be graded and rolled in the current extra parking area to allow for people walking and using strollers. He said the new site provides an extra 1.5 acres in order to be able to accommodate more vendors and a less cramped space. He asked for the pile of dirt to be removed and all costs for water hook up be provided. He also spoke of the removal of a berm. He requested waiving any other related facility expenses, i.e. no rental fees for 3 days.

Councillor Courtney then spoke and sort of dropped a bomb on everyone. He asked them if they had to have the new site at the Libro or if they could use Centennial Park since they got notice it will now be available. The delegates had no idea that Centennial Park would still be available and had planned a bigger event to correspond to the bigger property at the Libro. Councillor Courtney pushed on and wondered if they’d be okay with staying at the Centennial Park. The delegates had no idea that this was a possibility and had already planned the event that it would be at the Libro. The CAO explained that the town just found out that they’ll have access to Centennial Park until September 2019 but that the Libro would be the future home for the Rib Fest. Ms Lasanja explained that the event is planned for the Libro and it’s too late to change the location now. Councillor Courtney wondered if there were to be profits made from this event do those profits they stay in Amherstburg. The answer was, yes, they do.

Deputy Mayor Meloche was concerned that the budget would be approved tonight, yet council was now looking at about a $15,000 expenditure that was not in the budget.

CAO Miceli explained that in the Master Plan, this event will be at the Libro. The water hook up would be a one time expense. He felt it was in the best interest of the town to acquire the fencing, since it could be used at the Libro or the waterfront for future events. He commended the Rotary Club for bringing this forward and the good they provide. He felt this was a way for council to say that they’re a partner and will contribute to have festivals. Councillor Renaud felt it was wise to support the event.

Finally, Deputy Mayor Meloche made a motion to approve the expenditures, up to a limit of $20,000 but that the money be absorbed into the budget. Councillor Prue seconded the motion and added a friendly amendment to get line items from staff reports so that council could see where specific costs come from.

The motion carried.

Yay!!!!! Rib Fest 10 year anniversary party will be here in just a few short months! I know I’ll be there! Love the Rib Fest!

2019 Draft Budget and 2018 Annual Report – Richard Wyma, Secretary  Treasurer/Executive Director,ERCA

Each year, ERCA presents their annual budget and report to council. This is standard procedure. ERCA will present how they’ve spent their money (a chunk of it that was our tax money).

If I weren’t so tired from sitting through the logo debate, I would go and copy and paste last year’s ERCA report to council for you. Highlights…..their budget is about $7.7 Million and increased about $89,000 this year.

Amherstburg Branding Strategy, Logo Design – Bronwyn Mondoux and Andrea Dyer, Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc.

It was now 7:40 PM. I left at about 9:15 PM when this issue was finally over. Yes, your math is correct…..that is one and a half hours talking about the logo. One and a half hours…….even my seat cushion did not relieve the pain of this.

Just a brief history. Last year, the previous council voted in favour of a re-branding initiative, which included a new logo, a new website geared to tourism, a communications plan etc. The RFP went out, Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc was selected. This summer, they came and did two public engagement sessions (I attended one)  to get feedback and feelings about what Amherstburg is and where we are going. They came before council with the new proposed logo, and well, council wasn’t thrilled by the proposition. They requested that Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc present the other 2 logos that had been rejected, simplify the logo that was presented and also do a survey to solicit more feedback.

Ms Mondoux re-explained the process again for council and the rest of us. She did clarify one thing that is important…..the Town’s Crest has existed since 1982 and will NOT be replaced. The new logo is for the website and tourism. She presented the survey results…..558 respondents total, of which 80 were “non residents”, therefore possible tourists. 47% of the residents preferred the fancy “A” and 37% of the tourists preferred the original proposal. (Pics available on previous blog for those who haven’t seen the proposals.) Ms Mondoux was recommending the original logo that was presented last month.

The Heritage Committee felt that Option A (the original proposal) was most unique and not like the others. She felt that we need to be the brand ambassadors and remain positive and wear it with pride. She mentioned some concern about the modification of adding the North Star since it could be seen as a religious connotation.

Councillor McArthur then spoke and asked what happens next in terms of the logo and the existing website. (Please…..I can answer that! What happens next? Council picks a logo!) Ms Mondoux explained that the logo would be used to build the website and attract tourism. Councillor McArthur felt it would be confusing to have the crest and a logo. He then wondered about social media, which one would they use. Ms Mondoux spoke about Instagram being targeted for tourism. Councillor McArthur then asked what if there is no logo. (I think I died a little bit inside……so disappointed……pick a logo!!!!! I wanted to scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Ms Mondoux explained that at the moment we don’t have a logo. There is nothing on our website and she did not recommend not choosing a logo.  Councillor Simone asked if there were a penalty if council decided not to move with any logo. (And I died even a little bit more inside…….so, so, so disappointed…….) Again, Ms Mondoux said she does not recommend building a website without a logo.

Councillor Prue then started talking about the tag line and how he really disliked “Born to make history”. (UGH!!!!!!!!!) Ms Mondoux pointed out that the “history” component was the most important to the residents. There were a few other tag lines offered using the word “history” that could be chosen. She said that “You’ll love it here” could be used anywhere. ( I agree 100% with that!). Councillor Prue then shared his personal feelings about the tag line and why he did not like it……something about in history people were “born to be king” etc….and that there is a connotation to that. Deputy Mayor Meloche agreed with him. (I was screaming inside…….)

Councillor Courtney expressed concern that since so many various types of intel were used, all of the information was different…..different committees recommending different things……varying results from tourists and residents etc….. (Reminder…..THIS is what council had asked for a month ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Council wanted everybody consulted about the logo…...)Ms Mondoux explained that had it been up to her she would have never brought it to a survey. The survey results don’t even represent 2% of the entire town and that this is a very subjective process.  She felt it’s not best practice to go to a committee and when logos get sent out, some people get very vocal.

Councillor Courtney then said he was googling rebranding and doing some research about it. (I started to wonder if the window behind me could open, so that I could just open it and leave…..) Councillor Prue said he was perplexed about the railway.  He felt it doesn’t represent Amherstburg. Deputy Mayor Meloche said something about having 2 logos. Ms Ibrahim explained that the Gibson Art Gallery was a train station and it predates the Essex Railway. Councillor McArthur said the fancy “A” is sporty and “feel good” and that it doesn’t promote history. ( I agreed with that.) He then said he wants to be positive and move the town forward (I got hopeful for a minute...). Councillor McArthur said they’ve gotten emails saying that rebranding is a waste of money, but that previous council took on this initiative. He started to talk about instead doing a marketing campaign instead of rebranding and backing away from the logo…..(Oh my…….soooo disappointing……)

CAO Miceli spoke. He said that the messaging had been misinterpreted. (Hmmmm……remember when council turned down a Communications Officer? This year and last year too……hmmmm….) He said that the RFP had been created to support tourism and it stemmed from a 2009 plan for Economic Development. Amherstburg doesn’t have an identifier for tourism. He said that on social media people were saying the town is changing the logo but that in reality the crest will still be used and will still exist. The new logo will be a tool for tourism. He said that the town engaged professionals for this rebranding initiative and that Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc was selected. He said the rebranding is to build an industry to support this town and it’s tourism. He said that the residents aren’t happy because the messaging was wrong from the very beginning. He said the primary thing is the logo and the rest is for the website and marketing program. He said that council put money in the budget to support tourism and should continue to support it with this rebranding initiative. He explained that the town gets professional recommendations from engineers and lawyers and now they’re getting one from a marketing expert. (But I guess why bother consulting any experts about anything? Maybe council can just sit and google everything for us every two weeks…..)

Councillor Renaud felt that we should get the website up and running. Councillor Simone said she did not feel confident with the recommendation of the new logo since tourism has increased without this endeavor. She felt that the residents wanted the North Star and that the residents should all like the logo.

Over and over, I heard council members personal opinions about the logo. Deputy Mayor Meloche made a motion for a modified logo but nobody seconded it.

Then Councillor Prue made a motion for this logo with modifications :

Councillor Prue made the motion to remove the tracks from the above logo and make the house bigger. Deputy Mayor Meloche seconded it.

Councillor Courtney then said that the residents aren’t happy and that there was no resident involvement, that the ideas were “her” (Ms Mondoux’s) ideas. (I thought I was going to scream…..so I will type in capitals……THERE WERE 2 PUBLIC CONSULTATION MEETINGS THIS SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!! I WENT TO ONE OF THEM. THEY WERE HELD IN WORKSHOP FORMAT IN ORDER TO GATHER TONS OF RESIDENTS FEEDBACK!!!!!! TONS OF IT!!!!! THERE WAS ALSO AN ONLINE SURVEY TO FILL OUT IF PEOPLE WERE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE PUBLIC CONSULTATION MEETINGS SO THAT ALL RESIDENTS COULD PROVIDE THEIR FEEDBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ABOUT 30 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR THE MEETINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I THINK AROUND 300 PEOPLE FILLED OUT THE ONLINE SURVEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND NOW THOSE THAT DIDN’T ATTEND THE WORKSHOPS OR FILL OUT THE SURVEYS ARE UNHAPPY??????????????????????? I AM BEYOND FRUSTRATED!). Councillor Courtney felt with a rebrand that “we” should have a say. (WE DID HAVE A SAY!!!!!!!!!!) Councillor McArthur said he’d support the motion and that the town needs to double down on tourism. Although he did say he liked the “A”. Deputy Mayor Meloche spoke and said that the public was involved with the process with meetings and surveys and that administration has gotten the public involved. Again, Councillor Courtney insisted that the residents were not involved and that they were “her” ideas. Deputy Mayor referred to the workshop he attended, with the pictures on the wall…..(Yup. That would be the public consultation workshop from this past summer……you know, those PUBLIC consultation workshops that the residents could attend to share their ideas??? Yes, those…...)

Anyway, the motion carried for the above logo, minus the train tracks and a bigger house…..they’ll have to rework it again, to fix the big empty space up top now……

The tagline

Again, much debate. There was one tag line mentioned that people seemed to like, but it’s being used by another community. Finally, Councillor McArthur made a motion for :
“Every Day History”. Councillor Simone seconded it. It passed.

It was 9:15. I left. I could not take another minute.

This meeting will go down in history…….the day the honey moon ended. I had high hopes for this new council. After some of what I heard tonight, my hope has waned. But, I won’t give up. Maybe it was just a blip.  Maybe they’re still there debating the budget all over again? LOL

 

In preparation for Monday February 25th Regular town council meeting

Well, it’s that time again. Another council meeting coming up. The agenda is only 239 pages but there are a few issues coming up Monday night that I think will garner a lot of discussion. Here are the highlights as I see ’em:

DELEGATIONS

Inconsistency between Marsh Court and Marsh Drive – Richard Harvey 

It appears that Mr Harvey will be delegating to council regarding confusion between Marsh Court and Marsh Drive. It seems that emergency vehicles are often showing up on the wrong street. As well, mail, deliveries and other services are also often making mistakes with the two roads.

It seems that Mr Harvey has two suggestions :

1. As Marsh Court existed first, change the name of Marsh Drive to something else. This would deal with all of the concerns including miss-directed mail.
2. Make street signage larger, show street names with arrows pointing to the direction of Marsh Court and Marsh Drive.

There is also a report being presented to council on this issue:

Marsh Drive and Marsh Court Naming Discrepancy

It seems that in the report, there is a request for direction to Administration to enhance the signage on Marsh Drive and Marsh Court, to monitor any complaints and/or issues post-implementation of the enhanced signage and to report back to Council after six months.

Changing the name of the street would cause some inconvenience for residents (government forms, change of address etc.) As well, choosing a new street name could be problematic. It seems the residents are in favour of enhanced signage, which includes larger print size of “court” and “drive” as well as arrows to indicate the direction. I found this in the report from administration too :

“The County of Essex EMS was consulted and advised that a caution note will be added to the dispatch system to prompt the call receiver to confirm if the caller lives on Marsh Court or Marsh Drive. EMS stated that a name change is not necessary for their purposes and that clearer signs would be beneficial.
Amherstburg Fire Department and Amherstburg Detachment of the Windsor Police
Department were consulted on this report and recommended that the changing the name would be the only way to stop confusion, but did not take issue with the changing of the signs and monitoring instances of further confusion.”

So, council will have to decide Monday night what to do…..go with the enhanced signage or change the name of one of the streets.

Request to Waive Rental and Equipment Fees for Rib Fest – John Sutton and Steve Butcher, Rotary Club of Amherstburg

It appears that Mr Sutton and Mr Butcher will be delegating on behalf of the Rotary Club. It looks like they’re requesting that the rental fees and equipment fees be waived. It also appears that they want the fencing to be purchased by the town. (Since there is alcohol served at the event I believe it is necessary to have that area fenced in.) The delegation form is in point form, but it appears to me that they are also looking for the town to grade the gravel and roll it, remove a dirt pile and berm, provide water hook up and cover any related facility expenses. There is no dollar value that I could find to account for how much all of this would cost. I’ll have my ears wide open on Monday night to see how this is received and voted on.

2019 Draft Budget and 2018 Annual Report – Richard Wyma, Secretary  Treasurer/Executive Director,ERCA

Each year, ERCA presents their annual budget and report to council. This is standard procedure. ERCA will present how they’ve spent their money (a chunk of it that was our tax money).

Amherstburg Branding Strategy, Logo Design – Bronwyn Mondoux and Andrea Dyer, Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc.

And it’s back! Just a brief history. Last year, the previous council voted in favour of a re-branding initiative, which included a new logo, a new website geared to tourism, a communications plan etc. The RFP went out, Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc was selected. This summer, they came and did two public engagement sessions (I attended one)  to get feedback and feelings about what Amherstburg is and where we are going. They came before council with the new proposed logo, and well, council wasn’t thrilled by the proposition. They requested that Cinnamon Toast New Media Inc present the other 2 logos that had been rejected, simplify the logo that was presented and also do a survey to solicit more feedback.

As I was reading through their presentation that they will be making to council, I noticed that they included pictures of the homepage of other town’s for which they did re-branding initiatives. I believe the new logo is simply a very small piece to a bigger puzzle to attract tourism and help spur economic spin off.

Before I get into the various options, it clearly states in the presentation that the town’s current crest will not be replaced. (I’m somewhat disappointed about that, as I do feel the crest is dated, however, it would have been fairly expensive to repaint town vehicles etc if we were to have completely done away with the crest.)

To avoid bombarding you with many photos, I’ll provide those that seem to be the ones that are up for final consideration.

Here is the original logo that was presented to council and to the public :

This is the logo that Cinnamon Toast Media Inc is recommending. It was not the most popular choice among the residents, however, it was the most popular choice among people that took that survey that were non-residents, i.e. tourists.

Here is the original logo with some modifications by the Heritage Committee :

This is essentially the same logo, however the lighthouse was replaced with a buoy and the sunrise was replaced with the North Star. (I will admit, this one is my new personal preference.)

And, finally, here is another option, Option B, which is the fancy “A” that the residents preferred, with a small change by the Parks and Recreation Committee.

The Parks and Rec Committee made one small change by adding the North Star to this logo as well. Of note, while most of the residents preferred this option (minus the new proposed addition of the North Star), they also recognized in the survey that this logo did not stand out compared to the logo of our surrounding municipalities.

And then, as if choosing one logo won’t be difficult enough, there are a few tag lines to chose from too! Here they are :

• Born to Make History
• History’s Calling
• Everyday History
• Modern History
• Building on History
• You’ll love it here

As far as tag lines, I believe there was a really good one that was presented by somebody, however it already belongs to another community. I guess this whole logo/tag line, branding stuff can be fairly complicated when it comes to copyright laws. While some great tag lines got thrown out there on social media (I saw some that I really liked), it looks like we have to make sure it doesn’t already belong to somebody else. (Don’t want to start racking up legal fees…..)

So, all this to say, what will council do? Who knows…..we’ll have to wait for Monday night. I wish them luck. Seriously. This is an issue and a decision that will cause dissatisfaction somewhere for sure. I’m sure we can all agree that not every single person will agree on any one logo or any one tag line. Good luck Council! (And boy, right about now, I am pretty happy that I didn’t run for council this term LOL)

2019 Special Events Approval

The previous council had made changes that each and every event had to come before council for approval. So Monday night, four events will be before council :

• Amherstburg Rotary Ribfest – July 5, 6, 7, 2019
• Woof~aroo Pet Fest – July 20, 21, 2019
• Amherstburg Community Church Service in the Park – August 11, 2019
• Amherstburg Community Church Service and Picnic – August 18, 2019

Some of these events need bylaws waived, such as the noise bylaw or use of the Kings Navy Yard Park, for example.

Urban Design Guidelines and Commercial Sign Moratorium

Here are the recommendations regarding the Urban Design Guidelines and the Commercial Sign Moratorium :

• Administration be directed to review all applications for signage based on the policies in the draft Urban Design Guidelines until Council endorses the final version of the Urban Design Guidelines; and,
• The moratorium be lifted on all signage requests (excluding portable signs) for the areas bound by Texas Road to Lowes Side Road and from Meloche Road to the Water’s Edge.

The Urban Design Guidelines was presented in draft form to the new council and is about to be going to public consultation. Eight months ago, the previous council placed a moratorium on all signage requests, which meant that no new signs have been allowed since that time. It looks like they’ll be lifting the moratorium and I would have to think that the local businesses will be happy about that. They’ll be able to apply once again to be able to erect signs. The Urban Design Guidelines seem to be about creating a unified, historic look and fit for signage or new development. It involves, entryways, doors, facades etc. for store fronts.

Overall, it looks like a few interesting subjects will be up for debate Monday night. I’ll be sure to bring my seat cushion! I hope to see a lot of residents in attendance too. I love to see public engagement.

 

 

Budget meetings, Tuesday February 12th and Wednesday February 13th

Well, here we are. The new council has now officially debated their first budget. I will give them all a lot of credit…..there were many good questions, interesting (sometimes) dialogue and it was really nice to see each member of the new council getting into the game! Kudos to all 7 members of our new council. I will also be talking quite a bit about Ms Cheryl Horrobin from administration. Her title is Director, Corporate Services.

First budget meeting, Tuesday February 12th

Council first met in-camera at 5:30 to discuss:

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 5:30 p.m. pursuant
to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, for the following reason:
Item A – 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 or on behalf of the municipality or local board.

Item B – 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 or on behalf of the municipality or local board.

The budget deliberations started a little bit late, close to 6:20.

Presentations – Community Grant Requests

First up, a member from each group that was requesting a grant from council came forward to explain their organization’s needs and the amount of money requested.

Amherstburg Community Services – Kathy DiBartolomeo, Executive Director

Ms DiBartolomeo was requesting a grant of $5,000. She explained the services provide by ACS, including coats for kids, Jump Start, a shuttle to St Clair College, among many, many other services offered to our community.

Ms DiBartolomeo was also requesting a second grand of $5,000 to be used towards their vehicle replacement fund. ACS provides seniors with mobility issues rides in town and also to Windsor, four days per week. They offer door to door service and it is partially funded by the LIHN, however this year they were forced to cancel rides at times.

Councillor Courtney wondered how many people used their transit system. It seems it’s a few hundred, some daily or just once in a while. Deputy Mayor Meloche inquired if all funding requested stays in Amherstburg (Ms DiBartolomeo had said in her presentation that they work with Windsor), but she said that all funding stays in Amherstburg. Councillor Prue pointed out that last year council gave $35,000 to ALL of the groups and ACS was requesting a total of $10,000, which was almost a third of the total amount to be donated.

Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission – Tim McAllister

Mr McAllister spoke next. He explained that his organization is run by volunteers. They provide food and comfort for the disadvantaged.  He was asking for a grant of $3,5000 (up from a request last year of $2,000).

Councillor Renaud wondered if the numbers of people in need were increasing or decreasing. The numbers were said to be steadily increasing. Councillor Prue wanted to know about statistics, if any were available. Mr McAllister said that they’re associated with Windsor Food Bank and that people have to provide an income statement to qualify for services. Deputy Mayor Meloche pointed out that it is becoming more common to see working people that are still living in poverty.

Amherstburg Freedom Museum – Mary-Katherine Whelan, Curator/Administrator

Ms Whelan said they were asking for $8,000 this year, which was $1,500 more than last year. Their mission is to preserve black history. Their numbers of visitors are way up (35% I believe) and they are open year round. They provide programming for schools and offer concerts, educational sessions, weddings and they receive visitors from around the world.

Councillor Courtney mentioned that they seemed successful since they are hosting events and wondered if there were profits to be made. Ms Whelan explained that their operating costs are up and things are difficult and that they have not been as profitable as in the past.

Amherstburg Historic Sites Association – Stephanie Pouget-Papak, Curator/Administrator

Ms Pouget-Papak explained that she was requesting $8,500 (the same amount as last year. She explained that the Park House Museum is the oldest house in the community and was built before the American Revolution. She said they work with the town’s tourism department to provide programming at events. They offer student positions. She said they are experiencing donor fatigue but not tourism fatigue as the number of tourists is up, however they tend to attend on free days.

Fort Malden Golden Age Club – Dorothy Thrasher

Mrs Thrahser spoke and explained that the Golden Age Club is asking for $3,136.50 to waive the $3.00 per hour user charge they will have to pay to use the room at the arena. She said many members are on a fixed income. She explained that they give back to the town and use the room 5 days per week in the afternoon. She said they don’t like the idea of the surcharge and are asking to have the surcharge waived.

The CAO had to explain a bit of history about this to council. He said the user surcharges were approved by council last year. If the new council doesn’t give the grant to cover the surcharge, then the taxpayers will pay for the increase. Mr Rousseau explained that this is a process to make things transparent, allowing the grant to show up to the Libro to cover the increase. The money is going back to the town, making it whole. The surcharges are to cover the costs to provide services and will be used for future expenses.

There was a lot of animated back and forth and I was unable to note it all LOL. Let’s just say that Mrs Thrasher and the Golden Age Club are not happy about the surcharge. Not one little bit.

Skate Amherstburg – Lynn Fox, President

Ms Fox spoke and said she was requesting a grant of $8,250 to waive the fees for March 23rd to use the arena for a Synchronized Skating competition. She explained that it’s not ordinary to ask for fee waivers. She explained that Skate Ontario has changed the sections in the regions and they are moving things to London and Toronto. She is looking to attract and keep a synchronized skating event and the people that will participate. She said that it promotes tourism and minor sport.

The CAO said that the event would generate $83,000 into our community for hosting this event. Councillor Courtney said that he’s a hockey player and wondered about the fees for others to enter the competition (as in profits I believe). Ms Fox explained that all fees are shared at 50% with Skate Ontario and there is a risk for the club when bringing in events.

Christ Church

A gentleman addressed council (I didn’t catch his name and this item wasn’t on the agenda). He explained that their application was made late. He said that since 1994 the town has provided money for the cemetery upkeep.  They have been having extra events and the cemetery is used as a community park. He said last year they did not apply for the grant and it was the most expensive year for upkeep.

So, the request for grants were over and Deputy Mayor Meloche made a motion to give :

Amherstburg Community Services $3,000 PLUS $4,000 for the transit portion.

Food and Fellowship mission $2,500

Amherstburg Freedom Museum $6,500

Amhersturg Historic Sites Association $8,500

Golden Age Club $2,500

Skate Amherstburg $8,000

Christ Church $750

So the grand total of grants would be $35,750.

Councillor Renaud seconded the motion.

Councillor Courtney said that he did not like the cluster of the amounts all together. He said he agreed with most but had concerns about Skate Amhersturg. He wanted one amount at a time.

There was much debate over whether to cluster the amounts or to address them one at a time…..

Finally, it was decided they could split them up and vote individually, but still within the same motion.

So, everything went as mentioned above until it came time for the Golden Age Club. Councillor McArthur amended that to be the full amount of $3,136.50.

Then Skate Amherstburg….Councillor Prue felt that the money only goes back to the businesses and not the taxpayers. He felt that the taxpayers don’t see it and wanted to lower the amount. (Um, are the businesses not tax payers too? And employers? And the employees pay taxes as well as the business owners…….I digress.) Anyway, Councillor Prue wanted the amount lowered for Skate Amherstburg, so it was lowered to $6,613.50 and then it carried.

Christ Church got the original $750 as well.

So the grant totals were $35,750.

A recess was called after this. The meeting resumed around 7:50.

When the meeting resumed, there was a fairly lengthy debate about the page numbers. Finally, someone figured out that the page numbers on the paper document and the page numbers on the electronic document did not line up exactly. So, any page quoted going forward is for the page document.

So, they started with page 15, Council & Committees

Councillor Prue wondered why the public receptions allowance had increased from $6,000 to $8,000 and wondered what the rational was. The CAO pointed out that page 15 of the paper book provides the details and the trends. (Yes, it does….I’ve got page 15 in front of me right now……) The increase allows for the Mayor to attend more public receptions to represent the town. There is an increase in public receptions.

Councillor Courtney questioned the legal fees. Each council member is entitled to $500 to get legal advice regarding a conflict. It was noted however, that as of March 1st, Councillors can consult the Integrity Commissioner regarding conflicts of interest. Or, they can consult a different lawyer if they chose to.

Councillor Prue made a motion to remove $4,275 for training for the Drainage Committee.  Councillor Simone seconded. (Did anyone else just have a flashback to 2015 when the previous council slashed training for staff left, right and center? No? Well, I did!) Councillor Prue felt that all the members of the Drainage Committee are returning and are trained.

Deputy Mayor Meloche felt some should be left in for training, but well, he was out voted. Training money gone.

Then Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion to approve this portion of the budget in principle with the noted change. (Just a head’s up….I think Deputy Mayor Meloche made this motion for every single portion of the budget for the rest of the evening.)

Page 23, CAO’s Office

There was a very, very long discussion about some money for a study for the town’s facilities. The study would include all town buildings and the Libro centre. Ms Horrobin explained that the money has been in reserves and was set aside and that the organization needs to asses the facilities and needs. Councillor Courtney wondered if there were anyone in house to do this study or if it would go to RFP. The CAO said there was no one on staff with the designations to do it, except himself. Deputy mayor Meloche pointed out that the money for the study was coming from reserves and would not affect the tax rate.

Communications Officer

This garnered a lot of discussion. Councillor Courney said he had done some research and felt that the average rate of pay was $53,000 for a Communications Officer. He felt that there is someone in town hall posting the proper information on social media and that he is opposed to hiring a communications officer. Deputy Mayor Meloche felt that the CAO and the Mayor do a good job communicating with the public.

And then Councillor McArthur spoke. And boy did he ever speak! (I think he’s starting to hit his stride.) Councillor McArthur felt that the budget had to be trimmed but not here. He feels that Amherstburg has a great story to tell and that that was part of his campaign. He feels it’s important to promote tourism, Economic Development and to connect with the residents. He felt that the previous council made a mistake not hiring a Communications Officer. He felt this has resulted in miscommunication and missed opportunities. He felt that the town does an adequate job as it stands but with no resources. He said that communication is a soft skill. He mentioned many organizations that have Communications Officers (Amherstburg Community Services, hospitals, universities, colleges, cities etc). He said that we’re growing and that this is more than social media, it’s about promoting and connecting with residents. He said that people don’t have time to read the whole budget and that an officer can connect with the taxpayers.

Councillor McArthur cited the Town of Essex as an example. He said that their budget presentation put ours to shame since it was handled by a communications officer. He said that most people don’t read at the level of administration (um, yes!!! So true!) and that a professional communicator with critical thinking abilities could help with videos, logos, positioning the town for Economic Development etc.

Councillor Prue felt that the position cost too much and wondered how much other town’s pay. Ms Horrobin explained that the salary was $77,000 plus smart phone, benefits etc. This is middle to lower end of the pay scale. Councillor Simone asked about who handles social media. (It seems each department is on their own.) Councillor Courtney referred to looking up pay rates for this position.  Ms Horrobin explained that the pay grid is based on points, which are figured out using education, experience, duties etc. And then Councillor Courtney made a motion to strike the position.

Councillor McArthur tried to argue creating a contract position, but to no avail. It was voted down 5 to 1…..no Communications Officer. Again.

And yes, Deputy Mayor Meloche made the usual motion to accept in principle blah blah blah….

p. 31 Clerk’s Office

There wasn’t much discussion here….ultimately council decided to approve the administrative coordinator for the Clerk’s department. The person is responsible for committee work and policies. Considering council just increased the number of committees and the number of people serving on them…..and, well, many policies need updating and there are new ones coming……well, this portion of the budget was approved fairly quickly.

p. 51 Fire Deparment

There was a lot of discussion about the increase in salaries and wages. Chief Montone said that these are contractual obligations as well as a part time temporary staffing request. Councillor Courtney wondered if there were a way to get out of a $14,000 increase but the Chief pointed out it is part of the collective agreement.

There was much discussion between Councillor Courtney and Chief Montone regarding a fire vessel. It seems that there is a boat available that the APD had used at a cost of $5,000. Chief Montone felt that purchasing this vessel would enhance the Fire Department’s ability to respond to any call on the water and noted that we have 17 kilometers of water front. Councillor Courtney was considered about the costs for fuel etc.

There was talk about the part time assistant position that was in the budget which was to be for a special needs person. Councillor Prue felt that it was the socially responsible thing to do. Councillor Prue also wondered about reducing the amount required and hiring somebody mid-year.

Councillor Courtney then made a motion to strike the boat out of the budget. Councillor Simone seconded the motion. Deputy Mayor Meloche had concerns about getting to Boblo should there be a problem with the ferry. Chief Montone pointed out that if the town is going to develop the waterfront, people will expect that help is available. The Chief said the minimum response time to get to the vessel and enter it is 6 minutes. There was some talk that the Coast Guard is right there for rescue missions. Mayor DiCarlo pointed out that the Coast Guard may not be there, they do not have as many bodies and they all go out together and nobody is left behind at the dock, therefore they could be hours away. Councillor Prue asked Councillor Courtney what his concerns were regarding the costs. Councillor Courtney was concerned about the spin off costs, increase in service and fuel and cited that Windsor Fire doesn’t have a vessel for rescue missions. Councillor Prue then asked Chief Montone about the costs. Chief Montone said that the $5,000 includes a budget of $3,000 for maintenance and fuel, including winterizing and wrapping. He said these numbers are based on APD’s previous use of the vessel.

Councillor Prue then announced he’d have to part ways on this one with Councillor Courtney since he did not want to see a tragedy happen and an “if only” we’d had a boat become an issue. The motion to strike the boat from the budget failed 5 to 1. So, we’re buying a boat!

Then Councillor Prue made a motion to reduce the amount for the part time fire assistant from $25,000 to $15,000 and this carried.

p. 73 Corporate Services

There wasn’t much discussion here and I believe this part carried as is.

However, Councillor Simone asked about the take home pay for council……so, back to page 14, we went…..this had already been voted on, but it seems council did not realize it….

back to page 14 Council & Committees

So, it seems that when council had passed this part of the budget earlier in the evening, they had passed Option 1 of 2 options….

Last year, the previous council gave themselves a pay raise at budget time. Because of that it has changed the tax brackets for the members of council. In order to maintain the same take home pay, an increase of $37,000 has to be added into the budget. This is due to a change of legislation that happened this year.

Councillor Courtney wanted to remove it all…..Councillor Prue felt that the change is making Councillors pay more income tax. He felt option 1 allowed council to take home the same amount of pay and option 2 would be a cut in pay for council. Deputy Mayor Meloche pointed out that each member would be hit differently based on their tax bracket. He wondered if they went with option 2 if they would be able to declare expenses, for example, going to see a resident. Councillor Courtney then removed his motion in order to allow a member of the public to speak.

Gregory Moore addressed council. He wondered when council gave themselves a raise. (I knew the answer! I was there! LOL….last year at the budget deliberations November 2017). He felt that this is costing the taxpayers money. I was unable to write down most of what he said as it was quite animated.

Councillor Prue made the motion to adopt option 1 and take home the same pay. It was seconded by Deputy Mayor Meloche. Councillor Renaud pointed out that for years council was behind in their pay and that this keeps them in the 65th percentile. Deputy mayor Meloche pointed out that at the time the salaries were reviewed, this was not an issue, that the government made the changes after the wage re-evaluation.

In favour of maintaining take home pay : Councillor Prue, Councillor Renaud and Deputy Mayor Meloche.

Opposed to maintaining their take home pay : Councillor McArthur, Councillor Simone and Councillor Courtney.

The Mayor had to break the tie…..he was in favour…..so council will maintain their take home pay at a small cost to us. (Personally, after having followed the previous council and now this one, they earn it……but that’s just my opinion.)

Then Tuesday night’s meeting wrapped up.

The following is a guest blog from Lori Wightman regarding the budget meeting on Wednesday morning (I was unable to be there.) Lori ran for council in the 2018 election and came in 6th…..I’m hoping she’ll run again in 2022 and I think she’d be a fantastic councillor! I think she’s a pretty darn good blogger too!

They started right on time and I was the only one in the gallery other than our intrepid RTT reporter. I kind of thought there would be others but this allowed me to spread out my stuff and get comfortable for the next 3 hours.
And here we go….

p. 80 hard copy, p. 96 electronic  – Human Resources

Long back and forth between Councillor Courtney and  The Director of Corporate Services about what the HR Coordinator position entails. Councillor Courtney questioned whether the software needed can be taught by the IT department, haven’t the Health and Safety responsibilities included in the position already been put in place and is the position to help see how resourceful the software is. Corporate services said that it’s not a matter of teaching the software but of using it, this position was a contract position put in place to help with the implementation of a software system that was delayed in purchase and then after more research administration went with another software which was a better fit and less expensive.  Some of the responsibilities in this position regarding Health and Safety are as a result of legislation. Also this position is not for testing software but for assisting in the day to day running of the towns – HR demands such as recruitment, illness, retirements, policies and procedures etc.

Councillor Courtney then questioned why these responsibilities can’t just be included in HR.  Ms. Horrobin explained we couldn’t really do that as it would affect HR’s ability to do the work they do across the organization. Councillor Courtney talked about some research he had done that showed most organizations have 1 HR for each 100 employees and since we have 200 and something employees why can’t our 2 full time employees do this instead. Ms. Horrobin explained that this is a contract position and once we have the policies and software in place we should be able to get the job done with just the two and that HR is a different task now with a more transient workforce everywhere – there are more tasks that need to be accomplished.

Councillor Prue asked if it maybe wouldn’t take the whole year contract to complete the responsibilities and if the government offered any funding since a lot of these new tasks were a result of legislation. The answer to both those was no – it’s already February so we are looking at less than a year already and the government offers no money.
Bottom line is the previous council approved  this, the software after further review was inadequate so admin went with a different one (better and cheaper) and this was done to fulfill legislation in a timely fashion and to get ahead of the demand and to let admin operate more efficiently in the long run.

Councillor Courtney asked if the pay quoted is the pay we have to pay them.
Ms. Horrobin explained that was the pay rate as it fell into the pay grid after the position was evaluated and that a person is already in the position from last year. Councillor Courtney felt the pay was too high according to his research and moved to strike this position.

The CAO said that council had approved the comparator group and he asked where Councillor Courtney was getting his references for comparison. It seems Councillor Courtney was googling the job title and using those results to determine what is an appropriate salary.

 

As an aside – The way that these pay amounts are worked out is due to Job Evaluations which is government mandated. In essence each job is broken down into its components –  the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions of job classes –  these  are each assigned a point value. For example if a job requires a bachelor’s degree it gets less points than one that requires a Masters. There are a number of different criteria all producing a points value.  Once you have the total points for a job, it is plugged into an evaluation tool and that will show where the job sits on a pay grid as determined by, among other things, a comparator group. There isn’t a ton of leeway here. It’s the way it is done in many organizations.

In the end the motion to strike the position was not seconded so the position stands for another year.
Councillor Prue did make a point of saying he did not want to see this ask again in November.
————————————————————————————————
P 84 Recruiting expenses

Councillor McArthur questioned why we can’t use free job site recruitment like LinkedIn or Facebook.

Ms. Horrobin explained that municipal work is very different than regular corporate work and someone may have many years corporate experience but that doesn’t always translate to municipal work so it’s better to go directly to where those with the experience you are looking for are, making them successful early and often in the job they do for us.

Councillor Prue asked why such a budget number if we can just advertise on the AMO website and most municipalities just pilfer employees. Ms. Horrobin said that there is generally a fee for posting on any organization website and that we don’t go to “pilfer” directly from another municipality
————————————————————————————————
p 90 Professional fees for contract negotiations

Councillor Prue questioned why we would have professionals in the budget when we could conceivably come to an agreement with no issues and no need for professionals – since council usually does the negotiating or agreeing on the negotiating.

It was explained that it’s prudent to have professionals, including a labour lawyer, present from the beginning rather than have them come in when things go to arbitration
———————————————————————————————
p 86 Employee Recognition

Councillor Courtney asked why we are budgeting for retirements when we haven’t before, the response was that it’s better to budget than to have a shortfall like we have in the past.

Councillor Prue stated that he received a flurry of emails from residents about money spent on a Christmas party for employees. The response was that out of the $10,000 spent on employee recognition, $7800 was for a staff Christmas party. While this was tagged as a Christmas party it was, in reality, an employee recognition event that happened to take place at Christmas time.  The Fire department gave out their awards, council thanked employees – it was not just a Christmas party.

It was pointed out that in a negotiation year it may not be a good idea to cut out the only employee recognition event for the year.

Deputy Mayor Meloche said many corporations hold employee recognition events and that it is part of attracting and retaining employees.

Councillor McArthur stated its a good idea as a happy worker is a good worker, it boosts morale and that benefits taxpayers

Motion by Councillor Courtney to leave the amount at $10,000
—————————————————————-
Councillor Prue asked if the town price shops for cell phones.
They do, they did last year and switched carriers and saved a lot. Ms Horrobin said we are still under contract and that some budget changes we see here are moving the phones from the IT budget to the particular departments they are used in. So the price is offset by the reduction in the IT budget.
The HR section of the budget is adopted in principle.
———————————————————-
Then we had a break, that I thought was too long but that may be because I knew I had to leave at noon and I wanted to get through as much as possible.
——————————————————-
p94 Corporate Services IT

approved in principle with very little discussion about the reserve transfer.
———————————————————-
p 100                             electronic p 116   Non Departmental 
DM Meloche questioned the contingency allowance (p 109) and why, if it’s been $47000 for the last 4 years, we would need to increase it now.
Ms. Horrobin explained it is to give council room to allow for what we don’t expect. (a contingency, if you will. LOL)
DM Meloche suggested keeping it at $47,000 as we have other reserves. He moved that this section is approved in principle with a reduction of the $56400 ask. Councillor Courtney asked if we could just round that number off. That’s not how it works though so it’s $56400 cut out of the budget. Woohoo!
————————————————————-
p123 hardcopy   p139 Planning and Legislative

DM Meloche – asked what all these studies are that are being done. p. 134

Mr. Galvin said we have bylaws that are expiring (at least I think that’s what he said, but I didn’t realize bylaws expired) and need to be updated. Updates are to be done every 5 years. The finance dept spearheads it to make sure what needs to be done gets done.
Councillor Prue asked about the Assistant Planner who’s been there 7 years and on contract. p. 125-128

Mr. Galvin explained that we had someone on contract for 3 years, they left and then a new person has been in the position for the last two years. He suggested that it is important to keep this person on as our Planning Manager is leaving and this would afford us some continuity and the new Planning Manager can make an assessment and decision on continuing that position.

Councillor Prue said that with all of our development, he believe the planning department is understaffed.

Mr. Galvin said admin will look at the department and reassess later in the year.
———-
Councillor Prue questioned the membership fees for the law society, does Mr. Galvin need a Law Society membership to fulfill his duties. p. 129

Mr. Galvin explained that he works in the capacity of town solicitor, he does legal work every day for most of the day. If a decision needs to be made with specific knowledge then an outside lawyer, like a labour lawyer, maybe asked but other than that he does it – drafting legal documents or agreements. We have significantly reduced our legal fees because of this.
——–
DM Meloche asked what the C.I.P study was p 134

C.I.P  plan allows the town to give incentives for facade improvement, infills, development. Sometimes these funds get used up quickly and a lot as it has a snowball effect. One facade improvement leads to another and another. (I think, there are definitely buildings in town that could use a facade improvement so as to keep the look and feel of our town cohesive)

There was a motion to move the C. I. P. program funds into reserves and pull as needed.
Councillor Courtney questioned the D.C. study charge – can’t we leapfrog onto other municipalities and use the results of their D.C. plan.

No, we can’t as the government requires a study every 5 years and it is to be specific to each municipality.

Heritage District designation allows the town to be able to maintain it’s look and we can’t have one without the study.

DM Meloche said we have to put our money where our mouth is or buildings will end up demolished by neglect.
——————-
p 137 hard copy p153 electronic Building Services

approved in principle.
———————————
p140 hardcopy p156 electronic  — Licensing and Enforcement

Councillor Courtney pointed out that Lasalle is bigger why do they only have one bylaw officer and we have more

Mr. Galvin said that he can’t speak to Lasalle’s model but that we are not robust in our staffing and our staff is busy.

The CAO said that we tried for a hybrid Building/Bylaw inspector position but did not get any applicants.

DM Meloche pointed out that 40% of our population is rural and that our sq km is very large – both those are larger than Lasalle

The mayor pointed out that in his conversations with Lasalle that our admin gets far more bylaw complaints.

It was also pointed out that Lasalle does not have a Property Standards by law and we do. It would seem to me that all these easily explain why our bylaw department may need to be slightly bigger than Lasalle’s as population is not the only defining factor in this case.

This section was approved in principle with no change.
——————-
p 152 hardcopy   p 168 electronic     Police Budget 

Their are transfers from reserves that will allow the transition costs (over and above the savings) to be paid without additional burden to tax payers.

There will be a report to show actual outcome vs. the business plan regarding the police switch.

Councillor Prue asked when we can expect to see savings as there will be none in  2019 due to transition costs.

Ms. Horrobin says there will be $161110 borrowed from insurance to cover the balance of costs in transition, we should see net savings in 2020.

Police Budget approved in principle.
———————————-
p 159 Facilities

Councillor Courtney asked about the loss of revenue from River Lights renting a room in the Gordon House since the town took it over. ( Seemed inconsequential to me but I guess it is revenue that won’t be coming in anymore)

Councillor Prue asked if we have a timeline for the new school and is there any chance that the pool can be used this summer and how much would that be.

CAO said it is a possibility and he will have a report at the next meeting. The town removed salvageable items from the pool but still have them so they can be reinstated but that there are other costs.

There was a discussion of what these costs might be with a number of figures thrown around $35000 – 60000 just to get the pool running and maintained.

They decided to hold this budget package until after lunch giving admin time to get a ball park figure of what is involved to get the pool usable for summer.

And with that, I had to go …just when it was all getting good.

And now I’m back (Sarah)…..

A huge shout out to special guest blogger Lori Wightman. You nailed it! Thank you for stepping in for me since I was unable to be there.

I don’t know what happened this afternoon so I will be waiting to read the newspapers to get the scoop. I have heard that council whittled down the initial increase from 2.65% to 1.82%. Overall, for their first budget deliberation, I think it went quite well and smoothly. Good job new council!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday February 11th Regular Town council meeting

It was nice to see about 25 (or so) people in attendance tonight for the meeting.

Council was scheduled to meet in-camera at 4:30 to discuss :

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 4:30 p.m. pursuant
to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, for the following reason:
Item A – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege,
including communications necessary for that purpose.

Then, there was a planning meeting scheduled for 5:00.

The regular meeting started at 6:00.

DELEGATIONS
Request to Install Ten (10) Road Signs – Chaouki Hamka, MADD 26 Windsor & Essex County

Mr Hamka addressed council on behalf of MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving). He expressed that driving while intoxicated has been a serious problem but that their organization has helped to save tens of thousands of lives. MADD continues to work with communities and encourages members of the public to call 911 if they view someone driving that they feel could be intoxicated.

Their “Campaign 911” encourages and empowers the public to report suspected impaired driving and allows police intervention and prevent tragedies. He was looking for council’s support for 10 signs that are 24 X 30 to be erected in town. He said that larger ones are also available.

Deputy Mayor Meloche said that he really supports this program and asked about costs for the signs. Mr Hamka explained that there is no cost for the installation, since they have received a grant from Ceasar’s Windsor. Councillor Renaud asked if the signs would interfere with the sign by-law that the previous council amended. Administration said that if council wants the signs they would have to include an exemption for these signs and also an exemption should the signs be erected on a County Road.

Councillor Prue admitted that the sign by-law was contentions and wondered if this would set precedence to revisit the bylaw. Ms Rubli explained that other other organizations have had exemptions to the bylaw. Councillor McArthur wondered where the signs would be located. Mr Hamka said that would work with the town’s administration but ideally want them in visible locations throughout town, often near stop lights. Councillor McArthur also inquired about who would be responsible for any damage or wear and tear to the signs. Mr Hamka explained that MADD covers costs for any maintenance or replacement.

Then Councillor Simone made the motion to allow the exemptions and allow the 10 signs etc etc …..and bada bing bada boom, we’re getting the signs! (Personally, I think this is a very good initiative and I’m glad that council supported it.)

Request for Cat Control By-law – Doug Patterson

Mr Patterson addressed council next. He said that there is a serious issue in his neighbourhood with feral cats. He felt his purpose for presenting to council was to get rid of feral cats due to the smell, noises and health issues that they cause. He said that kids can’t play in his backyard due to the feces. He said that there are neighbours feeding them and it is drawing skunks and other animals into the neighbourhood. He also felt that the trap, spay/neuter and release program is not working. He wanted something done to trap the cats and get rid of them.

Mr Patterson showed many pictures of the cats and feces from around his yard and his neighbourhood. He also mentioned that his neighbourhood does not have any birds due to the feral cats. Mr Patterson had researched other municipalities and their bylaws and had a lot of paperwork. He was requesting that council create a bylaw about cats to keep things cleaner and safer. Among other things, he wanted the bylaw to include :

• request that Council Direct Administration to develop a By-law to address the
  nuisances and health hazards caused by residents feeding feral cats and wildlife.
• Restrict number of cats per household.
• Restrict cats from running at large.
• Regulate that people must remove excrement from their private property and
  neighbouring properties affected by their animals.

**Disclaimer before we go on…..I am a cat lover….I have 2 cats that we adopted from the Humane Society…..they are indoor cats and they stay indoors….I can see both sides of this issue, I think…..*****

Deputy Mayor Meloche spoke and felt that the spay and neuter program was not working well. He cited some research about overpopulation when it comes to cats. Councillor Prue had some questions in general, about what Mr Patterson was requesting. He wondered if Mr Patterson was simply requesting about feral cats or cats in general. Mr Patterson said he doesn’t care about inside cats, but did say some people let them out and he wanted to see a limit of 2 or 3 cats per household. Councillor McArthur had a couple of questions and then the floor was opened for members of the public to speak.

Ms Sinasac spoke. She is actively involved with one of the Trap, Neuter and Release programs. She said there are feral cat colonies around town and she gives people credit for trying to help the cats. She felt that the colonies are monitored and they work. She also expressed that sometimes people dump their cats and they end up in these colonies. (That breaks my heart.)

Deputy Mayor Meloche felt that Mr Patterson is saying there is a problem and it should be dealt with. Councillor Courtney said this seems to be another contentious issue. He seemed interested in looking to put a bylaw in place to deal with the cat problem.

Ms Leardi, also actively involved in the Trap, Neuter and Release Program also spoke. She felt continuing funding to the existing program would cost less money than implementing and enforcing a cat bylaw. She felt that people need education (for example, only feeding at dawn and dusk and then putting the food away).

Ms Lajoie spoke and said that the Humane Society prefers the Trap, Neuter and Release programs since euthanizing the cats just creates a vacuum and more cats just come back. She said that removing cats and euthanizing them will not solve the problem.

Councillor McArthur spoke about the Humane Society and that they support the Trap, Neuter and Release program. He also mentioned that it seems that not all of the vouchers that the town supplies for this program are being used. He said he has 2 dogs and one cat and that while it’s not pecuniary interest, he felt he should declare it. (LOL! That made us all laugh…..hence my disclaimer at the beginning of this discussion LOL).

Finally, Councillor Prue made the motion that administration be directed to draft a by-law for council’s consideration to address the feeding of wildlife and feral cats…..the motion passed…..so, the cat discussion will return sometime in the future when a possible bylaw is presented to council for their approval or rejection. It was now 7:12. While I really love cats, even I was tired of talking about them after almost an hour.

2019 Fees By-law

It looks like some of the fees that are charged to the residents for various services, are getting updated. Some fees stayed the same, some went up marginally  and some went up quite a bit….I didn’t notice any that went down…. Some examples of fees, open burn fees, water pit meters,  water service connections, rental fees at the arena and parks etc.

2018-2022 Committee Appointments – Second Call for Applicants

As you may recall from one of the previous meetings, there was a lack of applicants for certain committees. So, now it seems that council now has enough applicants for some of the committees. Tonight, like last time, they appointed one person at a time to each committee. Again, I apologize in advance if I misspelled any names.

Appointed to the Co-An Park Committee were Richard Lawrence, Murray Sellars and Jennie Lajoie.

Appointed to the Fence Viewers Committee were Chris Drew, Murray Sellars and Tony Pietrangelo.

Livestock evaluators Committee

Councillor Prue asked why only two people were being appointed to this committee since in the past this committee had 3 people. The Clerk explained that the committee could be done with two people and that there had been a private and confidential memo with the reasons why the 3rd person who had applied was not being recommended for the committee.

Councillor Prue said that he can’t support that and that people are entitled to make a mistake without being blackballed for it. He then made a motion to appoint 3 people to this committee. It was seconded by Councillor Courtney. However, nobody else on council supported their motion, so the motion failed. It was back to appointing two people.

The Livestock evaluators committee consists of Roxane Quessam and Murray Sellars.

Property Standards Committee

This committee has 5 spots and only had 5 applicants. The 5 applicants were named very quickly, so I did not catch the names. So, if you were one of the 5 applicants for the Property Standards Committee, you made it! Congratulations!

Seniors Advisory Committee

This is a new committee for council this year. There were supposed to be 5 people appointed to this committee but Councillor Prue wanted to increase the number to include all of the applicants. His motion passed, but the 9 people were not named. So, if you applied for the Seniors Advisory Committee, congrats! You made it!

Audit Advisory Committee

It seems that communities that have an Audit Advisory Committee tend to be larger in size than Amherstburg. It also seems that in most communities the committee is made up of only members of council, or there are more members of council than lay persons. (The layperson must have a CPA or CA designation.)

The format recommended was Councillor Prue and Councillor Simone (to represent Council) and only one lay member.

So, since it is Council that is elected and has the responsibility to provide oversight and stewardship for the Town under the Municipal Act, administration is recommending that only one lay person be appointed to the Audit Advisory Committee.

Councillor Simone made a motion to appoint 2 lay members but 3 members of council, therefore adding 2 people total to this committee. She was basing that off of the administration recommendation. Councillor Prue felt that people in town are skeptical of the town’s finances and that appointing more members of the public (3 and 2 members of council) would help assuage the concerns he’s been receiving by email. So, Councillor Simone withdrew her motion and Councillor Prue made one to appoint 3 lay members and stick with 2 people from council.

Councillor Courtney made a motion to the terms of reference for the audit committee, something along the lines of “to advise council on financial issues as directed by council”.

So, appointed to the Audit and Finance Committee are John Purdie, Jillian Hunt and Gordon Moore.

Unfinished Business

Councillor Prue brought up the investigation of administration regarding “the leak” and wondered why it wasn’t on the list. The Mayor said the investigation is on-going but it was noted.

Councillor Prue also inquired about the Amherstburg Foundation and an expenditure of money that was paid to hire somebody to make a report. That was also put on the list.

And then, that was it! Meeting over!

Tomorrow night will be the beginning of budget deliberations. Council will be deliberating from 6:00 until 10:00 Tuesday night. The deliberations will continue Wednesday from 9:00 until 4:30. And, if needed, they will continue Thursday from 2:00 until 8:00. I probably won’t blog about the budget meetings until Wednesday or Thursday evening…..way too much work to do blogging every night back to back. This lady needs her beauty sleep.

I’ll be back in a couple of days with the low-down on the budget deliberations.

In preparation for Monday February 11th Regular town council meeting

Next week will be a busy one. There’s a regular council meeting Monday night. Then, the budget meetings start Tuesday night, continuing into Wednesday and even Thursday if necessary. Monday’s agenda is 221 pages as well as a 10 page supplementary agenda, not too bad. Here are the highlights:

First, council will go in-camera to discuss:

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 4:30 p.m. pursuant
to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, for the following reason:
Item A – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege,
including communications necessary for that purpose.

Then council has a planning meeting at 5:00.

The regular meeting is supposed to start at 6:00.

DELEGATIONS
Request to Install Ten (10) Road Signs – Chaouki Hamka, MADD 26 Windsor & Essex County

It looks like the delegation will be requesting to put up 10 road signs (locations to be determined) to promote reporting drunk drivers. This looks to be an initiative between MADD, the police department and they’re looking for Amherstburg to join the initiative. The previous council was not a fan of signs…..we’ll have to see how the new council feels about them.

10.2 Request for Cat Control By-law – Doug Patterson

It looks like Mr Patterson has a feral cat problem at his neighbour’s house. He’s asking council to :

• request that Council Direct Administration to develop a By-law to address the
  nuisances and health hazards caused by residents feeding feral cats and wildlife.
• Restrict number of cats per household.
• Restrict cats from running at large.
• Regulate that people must remove excrement from their private property and
  neighbouring properties affected by their animals.

I’ll be interested to hear what council thinks. Mr Patterson has photos and wrote up the difficulties that he is experiencing.

Later, in the supplementary agenda, there is a report :

2019 Cat Control Program and Service Agreement with Humane Society of Windsor-Essex for Cat Intake

It looks like administration is recommending that council have a bylaw drafted about feral cat control.

2019 Fees By-law

It looks like some of the fees that are charged to the residents for various services, are getting updated. Some fees stayed the same, some went up marginally  and some went up quite a bit….I didn’t notice any that went down…. Some examples of fees, open burn fees, water pit meters,  water service connections, rental fees at the arena and parks etc.

Drinking Water Quality Management System 2.0 Issuance – 2019

It looks like council has to approve and endorse this in order to retain our accreditation for safe water. I would guess this will fly through.

Rapid Drainage Joint Use Agreement

Even though this is an issue about drainage, it’s pretty dry. haha

I pulled this from the report : “Rapid Drainage has recently approached the Town to discuss possible areas for the creation of a hydro excavation disposal site for their services similar to the agreement the Town entered into with Heaton Sanitation in 2014.”

It looks like the town can make a little bit of money from this…..Rapid Drainage could use the Edgewater Lagoon site for disposal of non contaminated materials.

Development Agreement with 1710791 Ontario Ltd. for 35 Renaud 95 Street – Home Hardware

It looks like the applicant wants to build a lumber storage building on an already existing gravel portion of their property. This seems to simply be a change of the development agreement.

2018-2022 Committee Appointments – Second Call for Applicants

As you may recall from one of the previous meetings, there was a lack of applicants for certain committees. So, now it seems that council now has enough applicants for some of the committees. They will be appointing:

• 3 lay members to the Co-An Park Committee.
• 3 lay members to the Fence Viewers Committee
• 2 lay members to the Livestock  Evaluator Committee
• 5 lay members to the Property Standards Committee
• 5 lay members and 1 stakeholder member to the Seniors Advisory Committee

But, even with the second call for applicants, two committees still did not garner enough interest….”The Accessibility Advisory Committee and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee failed to attract the required number of candidates under the Terms of Reference. The municipality is required by legislation to have an Accessibility Advisory Committee; therefore Administration will endeavour to advertise again. Administration also reached out to area schools to seek interest from students however the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee has not attracted the interest Council desired.”

Audit Advisory Committee – Terms of Reference and Appointments

It seems that Councillor Simone and Councillor Prue will be appointed to the Audit Advisory Committee. It seems that communities that have an Audit Advisory Committee tend to be larger in size than Amherstburg. It also seems that in most communities the committee is made up of only members of council, or there are more members of council than lay persons. (The layperson must have a CPA or CA designation.)

So, since it is Council that is elected and has the responsibility to provide oversight and stewardship for the Town under the Municipal Act, administration is recommending that only one lay person be appointed to the Audit Advisory Committee.

And that’s about it…..overall, not a big agenda….considering that council has to get to work on Tuesday and Wednesday (possibly Thursday) on the budget, I guess it’s good that the agenda isn’t too heavy. See you Monday! 🙂

 

Podcast announcement :) again :)

Hello to all of my readers and followers!

I have some pretty exciting news!!!

I have been invited once again to participate in a Podcast with Rose City Politics on Thursday February 7th, from 8 PM until 9 PM. Myself and local lawyer, Anthony Leardi will be discussing all things Amherstburg politics! (one of my favourite topics!)

Here’s the link to their web site :

https://www.spreaker.com/show/rose-city-politics

If you are unable to listen live on Thursday night, the organizers always post the recording after the show. Rose City Politics also have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. You can tune in there as well if you prefer.

It’s a pretty exciting opportunity and I’m really excited to have been invited back to their show!

I hope you’ll be able to tune in on Thursday night and take a listen!

Budget public consultation meeting, Saturday February 2nd

So, I went to the public consultation meeting about the budget this afternoon. I sort of wish I had used my time on this Saturday afternoon more wisely, but well, I went, I listened, I took notes. Here it is in a nutshell.

There were about 30 people in attendance at the beginning and more trickled in throughout the meeting. Probably around 40 people in total attended.

All members of council were present although I believe one left early. Many members of senior administration were up front to offer us the presentation.

I can’t help but note that last year, we were looking at an approximately 2% tax increase and 8 people showed up at the public consultation meeting……this year, again, we’re looking at an approximately 2% tax increase yet 40 people showed up, with many clapping at times or guffawing at others. I don’t quite understand the shift.

Anyway, administration spoke first and explained that the budget had already been tabled by council and that council will be debating the budget the week of February 11th. Ms Horrobin, Director, Corporate Services explained that there is an allowance in place in the budget for the transition with the police department. She explained that the budget was compiled by department. She explained that the risks have also been analyzed for the budget, for example, changes in the economy, interest rates, fuel costs etc.

Then Mr Rousseau, the Treasurer took over the presentation. He explained that the overall tax increase, while proposed at 2.6%, will be around 1.93% when blended with the county. (I‘m not sure I understand that completely or even if I got that right exactly….I did my best….I take my notes by hand and I’m not an accountant.). He said that works out to $78.00 per year for a house valued at $250,000. He also said that there is a proposed 2.5% increase to the water rate and 1% to the waste water rate and this would equate to about $18 per year for the average home. Also, it is recommended to continue both of the levies. Mr Rousseau pointed out that the town has big needs in regards to infrastructure. He said that Amherstburg has the highest amount of infrastructure per person compared to other surrounding municipalities. Which means that while we have a lot of infrastructure to enjoy, we also have the highest cost and burden to maintain all of that infrastructure.

The microphone was opened up to the public around 1:20 for questions and comments. There were many comments, not many questions. I’ll summarize as best I can, but there was quite a bit of repetition in statements, in my opinion.

Also, on a personal level, I find it disrespectful when people speak harshly in meetings…..for example, cutting people off, guffawing or making comments toward them or about them. Frankly, it’s not very polite. Unfortunately, many people in attendance at the meeting treated the people from administration in this fashion. That is my opinion on the public behaviour.

One gentleman spoke and said he was angry and couldn’t finish reading the budget. He had questions about the debt load and reports from 2015 about comparative salaries. He wanted to know about job ratings and job evaluations and how people were assigned a rating for their job. He also felt that there was no belt tightening done with the budget and was not happy with what he felt is a “tourism push”.  He seemed to feel that volunteers and service clubs could run the festivals and not the town.

Another gentleman spoke and had specific questions about summaries and line items. (Again, I’m not an accountant—I did my best). Administration explained that as the town grows, each home has a service demand and the town is obligated to provide those services. The town is a not for profit organization. The Treasurer pointed out that on page 10 of the budget it shows a 6.14% growth over last year’s assessment. The gentleman that was speaking had a whole bunch of number comparisons dating back to 2014 and I could not catch them all. The CAO said that if the resident was looking for a summary, that that could be provided to council for their debate. He said that the previous council had wanted a line by line budget, so that is how the budget is currently delivered. Should the new council want to change the format, they are certainly able to do so. The CAO felt that the budget is presented in the same fashion in each municipality. Ms Horrobin pointed out that the town is a 40 Million per year corporation with hundreds of millions in assets.

Two more ladies spoke about the loss of the Lion’s Pool. They asked what the plans were on replacement. The CAO said that there is no pool in the 2019 budget. Council has asked him to cost an indoor and an outdoor pool and he is looking at options for pool access for the residents for 2019. He will bring that back to council when it’s ready. He said the short term plan is to provide access to swimming. He said an outdoor pool would cost anywhere from $1.5 Million to $3 Million. An indoor pool would be in the $5 Million to $8 Million range. The ladies felt that a new pool has to be high priority. The CAO pointed out that there were 913 users of the pool this past summer, which is about 13 people per day. He also added that the seniors seem to want an indoor pool. And obviously, there would be costs to maintain a pool…..an indoor pool would add between $300,000 to $500,000 to the budget per year for the Libro Centre. The speakers felt the land for the new high school was sold for too little. The CAO said it was sold at fair market value. Everybody seemed to agree that the pool had well surpassed it’s useful life. Same thing for the track. (That would be brought up later.) The CAO pointed out that when he arrived in 2014 that there was no Strategic Plan, no Parks Master Plan, no documents, no plans really for much of anything. He assured the ladies that if council wants a pool, they will find a way.

Another gentleman spoke and felt that the budget was not well thought out. He felt that council should reject the budget and send administration back to redo it. There was a discussion about tourism and how it helps the area. (Many speakers seemed to feel that tourism does not help Amherstburg or them as individuals.) The gentleman speaking felt there wasn’t any value in tourism.

A lady spoke also about tourism and wondered why the tourism department is running festivals when they are of no benefit to the town’s revenue, that only the businesses make money.

A gentleman spoke about being on a fixed income and he feels the water and sewage rates are too high.

The Treasurer said that the debt in 2014 was $46.8 Million. The debt currently sits around $35.6 Million.

The meeting wrapped up around 2:30 or so. Overall, my personal opinion…..there didn’t seem to be many questions asked at the meeting…..more so statements of discontent were offered. I think a 1.93% proposed increase isn’t of much concern personally. I know that our council will be able to whittle that number down, which would be nice for sure. It’s all about balance to me. Council needs to balance our amenities and the tax rate. The proposed increase is not astronomical. We’ve had increases for the past 3 years in the 2% range……I think everything will be okay.

Now I’m off to enjoy what is left of my Saturday. I read through a good portion of the budget last night. Maybe I’ll look at the rest tomorrow…..or maybe I won’t.