Summary Monday April 27th regular town council meeting

Well, I’m going to try something a little different. Since I had many technical difficulties listening to last night’s meeting on line……I’m going to watch the recording of last night’s meeting AND try to type and blog it at the same time……we’ll see how this goes….

The meeting was held on the Zoom platform due to the current pandemic. There was a short delay to getting the meeting started due to technical difficulties outside of town hall. The meeting lasted only slightly more than half an hour so it wasn’t too bad. The Deputy Clerk then did roll call and each member of council had to confirm that they were present.

Final Tax Rate By-Law 2020-23

Deputy Mayor Meloche moved the recommendation  regarding the final tax rate. Councillor McArthur seconded the motion.

Councillor Prue had a few questions. He wondered if he was correct that the tax levy which was 0.81 will now be minus 1.64.  Ms Horrobin, Director of Corporate Services explained that there has been a small reduction in the town’s tax rate with what was collected. It seems that there is no impact to the town. The way it is spread out to the rate payers, is still spread out but all is equal to last year. The town will collect exactly what council approved. Councillor Prue wanted to know if they had any options…….example, put money in reserves, fix infrastructure, or put $ against next year’s taxes. He wondered if any of this was doable or feasible. Ms Horrobin pointed out that council has already adopted the budget for 2020 and if council wanted to amend the budget, they would need to change bylaws to do so. Ultimately, the take away seems to be that the services that the town provides and the dollars to fund them are all there.

Deputy Mayor Meloche wondered if the shift from 0.81 to negative 1.64 was brought on by the increased assessment. The short answer was yes.

Then the motion carried to approve the final tax rate.

It seems to me, that overall, this was good news for the tax payers.

I took this from the financial matters of the report :

“On a home with an assessment of $250,000, the municipal portion of taxes including
capital reserve and capital replacement levies for 2020 will be $2,454 compared to
$2,496 in 2019, which represents a total municipal portion tax decrease of $42 or a
(1.68%) decrease from the prior year.
The reduction to 2020 tax rates outlined above does not affect the levy approved at the
time of 2020 Budget adoption. The levy is the amount of money required to fund the
Town’s 2020 operating and capital demands in the approved budget, which will be
collected through taxation.”

Roster for Engineering Services for Drainage Works (2020-2022)

Here is the recommendation from administration regarding engineering services for drainage works :

1. The Proposals from the following respondents to the RFP for Engineering Services for Drainage Works BE ACCEPTED :
i. Rood Engineering Inc.
ii. N.J. Peralta Engineering Ltd.
iii. R. Dobbin Engineering Inc.
iv. Dillon Consulting Ltd.
v. RC Spencer Associates Inc.
vi. M. Gerrits Consulting Inc.

2. These proponents BE INCLUDED in the Town’s prequalified Engineering
Services Roster for Works under the Drainage Act until December 31, 2022.

Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion and Councillor Renaud seconded it.

Councillor Courtney had some questions. He mentioned that the RFP went out and came back with various amounts. He wondered how a new drainage project would work and why there were so many companies on the roster. Ms Giofu, Director, Engineering and Public Works said that RFP goes out every few years to create a roster. She said that the companies all fall in the same relm for prices. She went on to explain that in the drainage field there are limited companies that can do the work. When a project comes up, then administration looks at the type of work required, the experience and the availability of the company to then chose the appropriate company from a prequalified list. Councillor Courtney wondered if the town re-tenders when a new project comes up. Ms Giofu explained that a RFP is about qualifications, experience and proposals. The project is awarded to the most qualified company. If they’re not available, then it’s offered to the next. It seems that this roster helps the town get the work done in a more timely fashion than issuing tenders for individual projects.

Councillor Courtney wondered if amounts would vary and if projects could be stalled or halted for lower prices. Ms Giofu said that generally that is not done due to deadlines and other items. The best company is chosen for each drainage project.

Building Activity Report for Months of January, February and March 2020

Coucillor Prue wondered about the last two lines of the report, regarding increased development charges. Councillor Prue made a motion to see how many more houses came and what were the costs to the municipality due to the motions that were made.

CAO Miceli outlined some numbers in the report. He asked if council would want an email or a report for the information. Councillor Prue felt that he wanted to know what the costs were to the municipality for the motion that was passed some months ago. The CAO said that it is revenue that was not recognized, it was not a cost. It was explained that it is an incremental difference. Councillor Prue wondered what money the town had foregone had they increased the amounts based on the consultants recommendation rather the motion that council adopted some months back about deferring development charges.

Council then came back to this item….Councillor Prue wanted a report or an email outlining the difference in the amounts of money that were collected using the old formula VS using the formula that was used by the consultant. Councillor Prue wondered how much did council lose by doing what they did……The CAO provided an estimate of about $73,0000. Councillor Prue felt fine with that, since it was part of the meeting and was now made public. Councillor Prue felt it had been a contentious issue and had been decided by one vote…..he was puzzled by the decision but acknowledged it was democratic but wanted to know how much money council went without based on the position of some of the developers and the decision made by council.

(Side note here…..I’d have to go back and dig through my notes but I do remember quite a debate in the fall about deferring development charges……it looks to me as if Councillor Prue was indirectly trying to point out that council made a “bad” decision in the sense that he wanted a dollar value presented of how much money council did not bring in for the town…….hmmmmmm………that doesn’t seem to show respect for a decision that was made, but seems more of an “I told you so”…….at a public meeting……interesting.….)

Monthly Fire Department Activity report

Councillor Courtney had some questions for the Fire Chief. He noted that training had been halted, which is understandable due to physical distancing guidelines during the pandemic. He wondered if regular maintenance would be impacted by this change. Chief Montone explained that weekend maintenance has been suspended. However, maintenance is now done after a call. Any staff that remain at town hall, do the required maintenance. He said that minimum levels of maintenance are maintained at all times.

Councillor Courtney then wondered about fit tests (I think to do with face coverings?). The Chief said that it had to do with APR’s that were procured for the pandemic in order to relieve the need for N95 masks. It seems the staff needed more FIT testing for these. The Chief assured that all is being done. The APRs are a respiratory protection piece of protection, which is like a cup that fits over the nose and mouth of the firefighter. They come with a replaceable cartridge. They have the same rating as the N95s but were not in as much depend so the staff is more than adequately protected.

Councillor Courtney wondered about numbers and costs. The Chief said he’d bring it back in a report but that they were not excessive in cost. Councillor Courtney pressed on for a number. The Chief confirmed that 72 were purchased with 68 staff requiring these masks. Councillor Courtney said that he had concerns but that he’d wait for the report.

Councillor Courtney requested a report or an email about the masks but then said he could just talk to the Chief at a later date.

Mayor DiCarlo pointed out that all costs for the pandemic are being tracked.

Falun Dafa Month – May 2020

It is recommended that:
The correspondence from Falun Dafa Association Canada dated April 16, 2020, BE RECEIVED; and,

May 2020 BE PROCLAIMED as Falun Dafa Month in the Town of Amherstburg.

Briefly, from the correspondence is that Falun Dafa is a peaceful self-improvement practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture and centers around the universal principals of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

Councillor Prue expressed his pride in the town at recognizing this group and their suffering. Councillor Courtney seemed to be confused regarding the date, if it were a date or the month and wanted confirmation. Mayor DiCarlo said that the proclamation is the whole month for the town, even though they have their own specific day.

This carried.

Unfinished business

Councillor Prue asked about a report for Boblo Island for the third quarter and wondered if it was still on track. The CAO said they’re working on meeting that deadline.

Councillor Prue’s next question was about the Environment Committee. He said he had been reminded “yesterday” (which would have been Sunday) that it had been 14 weeks since the Environment Committee had been established. (seriously? Somebody knew it was 14 weeks ago that this committee was approved??? Well, I guess we all have nothing but time on our hands right now…..) Councillor Prue wondered why the new committee positions had not yet been advertised. (um…..we’re in the middle of a pandemic…..priorities have changed perhaps? …..)

The CAO explained that the Clerk is off on modified duties and has not been at work for an extended time period. It will be looked into with her return to work. It seems that the Clerk’s department is running short staffed at the moment. It seems that two more staff have been lost and that the Deputy Clerk, Tammy Fowkes is the only full time employee at the moment in the clerk’s department. Councillor Prue said that he understood about the pandemic but that there are people anxious to proceed with this new committee. He felt it would be nice to have the committee up and running. (It’s funny how there are a few people that seem to think that town hall has too much staff…..yet, here we are…..not enough staff……down to one staff member in a department…….maybe we have the opposite problem and don’t have enough staff???? We’re in an state of emergency and are short staffed…… and 33 have been laid off…….Just my thoughts…...)

Then Councillor Prue wondered about the noise bylaw in regards to the Legion and the Model Airplane Club. He wondered about the report from the consultant and where things stood. Ms Rubli, Manager, Licensing and Enforcement…… said that the noise bylaw would need public consultation and that they are waiting for the pandemic to be finished.

Councillor Courtney also spoke about the Environmental Committee. He felt that potential candidates would like to speak to it but then said that since Councillor Prue addressed it, he was fine with it.

(Side note again……while I can respect some follow up for unfinished business, the two issues brought up seemed pretty odd to me……town hall is closed to the public, we’re in the middle of a pandemic where no more than 5 are allowed to gather, council is having on line meetings on the Zoom platform, we have to keep 6 feet apart from others, businesses are closed, people have to stay home or work from home yet two members of council are wondering why the Environmental Committee hasn’t been formed yet? What? What’s to wonder about? How is the new Environmental Committee even a priority at the moment? We’re under a flood Emergency alert too…….We have two pressing emergencies on our door step but we’re worried about a car that drove by our house 3 hours ago? And then the noise by-law………businesses are closed, nobody is going out……clearly administration can’t do public consultation right now and will be unable to keep the aforementioned time line…….I’m not even sure why it would be questioned……Everybody’s timelines for everything is all over the place right now……we’re in the middle of an international pandemic and a Flood Emergency locally……I guess maybe I see priorities differently…...)

And that was that. I typed and listened at the same time while I wrote up this blog. It was different than taking notes and typing later. It was okay I guess. And I guess I’ll have to do the same thing going forward if I can’t get a good connection to the online meetings……so for my followers, if my blog is not up the night of the meeting, I will post it the night after, once I’ve watched the recorded version. Thanks for your patience. Or in the meantime, you can always watch the recorded version too. The bonus of that is that you can fast forward through parts if you’d like LOL.

Anyway, stay home, wash your hands and stay safe Amherstburg !

 

 

Monday April 27th Regular town council meeting

Well, tonight’s meeting was cutting in and out constantly……It was very hard for me to follow……I took some notes but it’s choppy at best. So…..I hate to do this…..but I will re watch the meeting tomorrow once it gets posted on the town’s web site and then I will blog from that saved video copy. The live streaming is too choppy on my end…..I don’t think it’s an internet issue at my end, since everything else that I use the internet for seems to be fine. If any of my readers watched it live, was it ok? Or was it cutting in and out constantly for you too?

Anyway, I’ll be back later in the day or evening tomorrow with a summary of tonight’s meeting. It only lasted about half an hour or so so that’s not too bad. See you then. 🙂

In preparation for Monday April 27th Regular town council meeting

Well, the agenda is a slim 35 pages this week. Council will be meeting on Monday night but I’ll be watching on-line…..fingers crossed for a solid internet connection and no cutting in and out like the last time…….Town hall is closed to the public due to the pandemic.

There’s really not much on the agenda, so I am guessing if there is anything of interest, it will be brought up under “New Business”.

Here are the agenda items :

Final Tax Rate By-Law 2020-23

It looks like council has to pass the final reading for the tax rate for 2020. It seems that MPAC assessments have changed since they were generated in October, which seemed to have an overall effect. I took this from the financial matters of the report :

“On a home with an assessment of $250,000, the municipal portion of taxes including
capital reserve and capital replacement levies for 2020 will be $2,454 compared to
$2,496 in 2019, which represents a total municipal portion tax decrease of $42 or a
(1.68%) decrease from the prior year.
The reduction to 2020 tax rates outlined above does not affect the levy approved at the
time of 2020 Budget adoption. The levy is the amount of money required to fund the
Town’s 2020 operating and capital demands in the approved budget, which will be
collected through taxation.”

Roster for Engineering Services for Drainage Works (2020-2022)

Here is the recommendation from administration regarding engineering services for drainage works :

1. The Proposals from the following respondents to the RFP for Engineering Services for Drainage Works BE ACCEPTED :
i. Rood Engineering Inc.
ii. N.J. Peralta Engineering Ltd.
iii. R. Dobbin Engineering Inc.
iv. Dillon Consulting Ltd.
v. RC Spencer Associates Inc.
vi. M. Gerrits Consulting Inc.

2. These proponents BE INCLUDED in the Town’s prequalified Engineering
Services Roster for Works under the Drainage Act until December 31, 2022.

Building Activity Report for Months of January, February and March 2020

This is a quarterly report that council receives from the building department to keep them up to date with what’s going on at the Building Department. It outlines how many permits were issued and a dollar value based on those permits.

Falun Dafa Month – May 2020

It is recommended that:
The correspondence from Falun Dafa Association Canada dated April 16, 2020, BE RECEIVED; and,

May 2020 BE PROCLAIMED as Falun Dafa Month in the Town of Amherstburg.

Briefly, from the correspondence is that Falun Dafa is a peaceful self-improvement practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture and centers around the universal principals of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

And this is it for the agenda items.

After this, if any members of council have items they want to bring up in New Business, they will do that at the end of the meeting.

Here’s to hoping for a good internet connection, not much cutting in and out and clear sound on Monday night as I watch the meeting from the comfort of my couch. 🙂

 

Tuesday April 14th Regular town council meeting

As much as that idea of watching a town council meeting from the comfort of your own couch may seem appealing (to some I guess LOL)….tonight was an exercise in pure frustration. The entire meeting kept cutting in and out…..sometimes I’d get a couple of complete sentences, sometimes partial sentences….sometimes nothing at all…..Not sure if it was an internet issue, an issue with the town’s system, an issue with my connection…..I don’t know, but boy it was super frustrating. I am going to do my best to sum it up and I do sincerely apologize if I get anything wrong. (Let me know and I will fix it.)

When I was able to connect at around 6:10, council was receiving the minutes for previous meetings.

DELEGATIONS
Request to Remove Water Charges – Walter Afanasiew

Mr Afanasiew was able to delegate to council from the comfort of his home. I could see him, the same as the other members of council. When he began speaking, it was cutting in and out. As best I could understand this, there were unpaid water bills dating back to 2012 when Mr Afanasiew purchased a property on the Second Concession. He said he had paid all of his bills and had never had an over due notice. The previous owner of the property was a company and he bought the property from a Crown Corporation. It seems that last year, an amount of around $10,000 was added to his tax bill to cover these unpaid water bills. I think he said the previous owner of the property was Vidmar Fungi. It also seems that the water bills were accruing interest for many years. Mr Afanasiew said he had never received a bill and that he was asking council to remove this amount from his tax bill.

The CAO said that the charges were the base water charges that applied to the account and he found it concerning that the charges continued for 7 years. He said the choice to write off the account rested with council.

Ms Horrobin, Director of Corporate Services explained that when the water is set up, it is the property owner’s responsibility to keep the information up to date and that the bills rest with the property. It seems these bills apply prior to 2018 and were for the base water charge. The base water charge is applied to all properties whether the owner chooses to use water or not. She said she had verified with Essex Powerlines and that the bills had been sent regularly. She recommended that the bills be collected.

Mr Afanasiew said that he does have an account and that it is up to date and was not aware of a second service. He wondered if either the lawyer or the Crown Corporation may have been remiss.

Mayor DiCarlo said that at the time of purchase, all should be disclosed if there were any outstanding bills.

Councillor Courtney said he was on the fence with the “evidence”. (Yes, he did use that word…..maybe he thinks council meetings are like court, like Law and Order or Judge Judy, I don’t know….) He wondered when the property owner became aware of the charges and also when the town became aware of the situation.

Ms Giofu, Director of Engineering and Public Works explained that adding the amounts to the taxes was easier than past practices. She also explained that this property is significantly large and the base charge is higher. She also explained that for many years the bills were sent to the same address on the Second Concession.

Mr. Afanasiew said that the bills were not addressed to him or the numbered company that he owns or his tenants.

Councillor Courtney wondered why the town wouldn’t add the bills on annually.

Ms Giofu explained that up until recently the town did not have a water bylaw and that past practice was to give notice and shut off the water. She pointed out that council approved the current bylaw to add the amount owing to the tax roll.

Deputy Mayor Meloche wondered if the house and the farm were registered as one or two entities, but the delegate cleared up that it is one entity.

Councillor Prue asked if everywhere has to pay base water charges whether they use it or not. And yes, Ms Giofu confirmed that everybody has to pay base water charges. She went on to explain that even seasonal properties pay base water charges while they’re away in Florida, for example.

Councillor Prue asked to confirm that one would literally have to remove the pipes on their property to not pay base water charges and yes, Ms Giofu confirmed that would be correct and the only way to not pay base water charges.

Basically, from what I could gather, it seems that the property changed hands in 2012 but that the name for the bills did not get changed for this one particular bill. I believe it was said that the property had two water meters…..this bill was about the second water meter and although the water meter was removed (I think?) the pipes were still there and therefore the bill applied.

Councillor McArthur asked about where the correspondence was going, if it were going to the address on the Second Concession.

The delegate said that in 2013 he received a lot of mail addressed to Vidmar Fungi (I think that was the name?) and that he would return it to the sender through Canada Post, since it was not addressed to him.

It cut in and out a lot here……a lot…..so I missed quite a bit here….

When I got reconnected, Councillor Courtney was saying something about the owner acknowledging he had received mail but was doing a return to sender.

From what I could gather, it seems that the bills for the base water were for 2013 to present, but had been sent in the name of the previous property owner since the information was never updated.

There was a motion made to receive the delegation and to waive the interest for the past year but that the rest was due and payable. There was a lot of back and forth about maybe extending the payment due date to 24 months instead of 12 months.

Of course, the internet or whatever continued to cut in and out……which made it very difficult to follow exactly what happened.

It seems that as long as pipes are there for water, the base water charge must be paid.

I THINK that the final motion that was agreed upon was the bill is payable within a year but without interest accruing for this past year…..(I think??) It seems that it is a numbered company that now owns the property.

CONSENT CORRESPONDENCE

Annual Show Book – Essex County Steam & Gas Engine Museum Inc.

This appears to be a request for a half page ad for the town in the Annual Show Book of the Essex County Steam & Gas Engine Museum.

Again, my connection was cutting in and out….I think council approved spending $115 for an ad.

Request for Direct Payment of Federal Funds to Municipalities to Waive Property Taxes for the Year 2020 – Town of Midland Resolution

This is a letter that has been sent to council from the Town of Midland. It appears that the Town of Midland has proposed to the Federal government that the Federal government transfer to the town, the monies that would have been collected for taxes in form of a grant for the year 2020.

I believe it was Councillor Prue who said he disagreed with this letter (ME TOO!) and council simply received it.

More cutting in and out…..Mr Roberts, Director of Parks, Facilities, Recreation and Culture was talking about a transformer, but I couldn’t catch more than that.

Then there was some discussion about if the Economic Development Committee could do anything to help small businesses during this pandemic. It seems that not much can be done until the government lifts conditions. I think it was Councillor Prue that mentioned wanting to partner with groups like the Chamber of Commerce to do something to help the businesses after the restrictions are done. (I have an idea of a way council could help these businesses…….get rid of the restrictive sign bylaw and let them advertise like crazy when this is over! But that’s just my idea……if any members of council are reading, you’re free to consider it…..it would be a very easy way to help our small businesses once they can open their doors again…..)

Councillor McArthur then spoke about a letter to the editor that was written with the idea of laying off town staff to provide a 5% across the board tax deduction for residents. Councillor McArthur was looking for a public response to this letter either by the CAO or the Mayor. He asked if we had laid off any staff so far.

The CAO confirmed that the town has laid off 33 staff members due to the pandemic. Many employees have been redeployed and that communication has been ramped up. Staffing needs for the pandemic are in phase 1 and we are moving to phase 2 since resources must be redeployed to also deal with flooding. We could have two emergencies running simultaneously. (oh my…….I sincerely hope not, but the possibility is real…..)

Mayor DiCarlo stated that he had addressed the letter but had no problem making it official. He said that the situation is far more complicated than the letter writer makes it out to be. It is all hands on deck. He expressed concern not with having too many working but with the possibility of not having enough working and that staffing is very tricky.

Councillor McArthur made a motion that a rebuttal letter be submitted to the River Town Times. Councillor Courtney felt it shouldn’t be a rebuttal letter but a more factual letter to get information out there.

(Here’s where I have to interject…..call it what you want…..a letter was written with an idea and a proposal…..it takes a rebuttal letter to refute why the idea or proposal is not a good one or may not be feasible…….as for factual information……the town has ramped up their communication system big time during this pandemic. The Fire Chief takes weekly questions, Mayor DiCarlo does weekly videos with information and is constantly sharing pertinent information on social media. Councillor McArthur’s social media has been full of informative posts too. The Town of Amherstburg’s social media is extremely active with posts all the time. The facts and the information are out there…….the original letter I do not believe mentioned that we had already laid off 33 staff members and simply proposed laying off staff to reduce taxes…..it needs to be rebutted. I’ll be watching for it. )

The motion for the letter carried.

Councillor Prue inquired about a full accounting of costs at the end of the pandemic. (I believe at the last meeting that the Treasurer, Mr Rousseau, had said he was keeping track separately of all pandemic expenses.) Mayor DiCarlo confirmed that all is being tracked separately and will be released publicly when this is over.

Councillor McArthur gave a shout out to the Facebook page, Masks for All Amherstburg that are making masks from their homes.

Councillor Courtney then talked about the construction in Kingsbridge and felt it was non-essential. He said that residents were concerned with the big trucks driving down Texas Road. The CAO said that the ongoing construction is legal and allowed. Councillor Courtney wondered about the mud on the road and who is responsible for cleaning it up. I believe it was stated that the developer is responsible for that.

There was once again, a lot of cutting in an out……

Councillor Courtney wondered about using County Road 20 instead of Texas Road. Ms Giofu pointed out that Texas Road is a collector road and truck traffic is allowed. Councillor Courtney seemed to feel that the truck traffic would ruin the road and that we should protect our assets. (Um, they’re roads…..they’re meant to be driven on, no? I think he even said something about legal in regards to this……oh my…..but it was cutting in and out…..I hope I misheard…..) Ms Giofu pointed out that the roads are meant to withstand this type of traffic. CAO Miceli referred to the developers agreement and article 20, many times, which outlines the developers responsibilities for any damages they incur. Councillor Courtney seemed concerned that our roads were taking a beating with all the construction traffic……(I digress……that construction traffic also helps fill our bank account with taxes and helps the economy keep on moving more important than ever, especially right now…….let’s look to the positive 🙂

Councillor Courtney then inquired about the name of the Amhersburg Cannabis Co, which is a new store in town that will be selling cannabis. He wondered if we have a copyright to limit use of the town’s name. The CAO said that there is not trademark but that he will look into it.

With that, it was 7:55 and the meeting was over.

On a personal note……for those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you may remember that I used to complain about how awfully uncomfortable the chairs in town hall are. I talked about it so often that somebody even made me a seat cushion with a handle to bring to council meetings. Well, after tonight, sitting at a computer, listening to the meeting cut in and out constantly for almost two hours……I really miss those chairs. I really miss sitting in the meeting “live” to watch the dynamics and to be able to actually hear exactly what is being said. Tonight was a pretty frustrating experience. I’m not sure if anybody else that was watching live experienced the same technical difficulties or if it was just me. Either way, all this to say, I’m actually looking forward to the day when I can actually go to town hall for a council meeting. Quite frankly, I guess I am actually looking forward to be able to go anywhere really. LOL A year from now, if I complain about a council meeting, please remind me about tonight. LOL

With that, stay safe Amherstburg and stay home.

 

In preparation for Tuesday April 14th regular town council meeting

Well, council is set to meet again on Tuesday evening. Monday is Easter Monday, therefore the meeting is pushed back to Tuesday. The agenda is a very, very light 31 page document. I suppose that’s probably because we are currently in a state of emergency due to the pandemic.

Here’s what’s on the agenda :

DELEGATIONS
Request to Remove Water Charges – Walter Afanasiew

Since town hall is closed to the public, I am not 100% sure how this delegation, will be heard. I’m not sure if he will be able to communicate electronically to council or if council will simply hear the delegation form that Mr Afanasiew filled out. It appears that the delegate is asking for water charges to be waived in the amount of $10,829.91 for a property on the Second Concession. It appears that over $9,000 was owed for water in 2018 before the house changed hands. The new owner was advised, from what I can see, in 2019 of this issue and Essex Power Lines is involved. I’m not sure what council will do about this.

CONSENT CORRESPONDENCE

Annual Show Book – Essex County Steam & Gas Engine Museum Inc.

This appears to be a request for a half page ad for the town in the Annual Show Book of the Essex County Steam & Gas Engine Museum.

2020 Amherstburg Policing Activities – First Quarter

This is a report from Windsor Police service regarding services in Amherstburg for the first quarter of this year. The report compares such things as reports, arrests, liquor offences, traffic offences etc for the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.

Request for Direct Payment of Federal Funds to Municipalities to Waive Property Taxes for the Year 2020 – Town of Midland Resolution

This is a letter that has been sent to council from the Town of Midland. It appears that the Town of Midland has proposed to the Federal government that the Federal government transfer to the town, the monies that would have been collected for taxes in form of a grant for the year 2020.

This is from their letter :

“Proposal:
1. Residential Properties (primary residence only)
a. Waive 100% of the 2020 property taxes for all residential properties currently
assessed at or below $ 500,000.00 by each governing provincial property
assessment body; and
b. Waive 50% of the 2020 property taxes for all residential properties currently assessed
below $ 1,000,000.00; and
c. Waive 25% of the 2020 property taxes for all residential properties currently assessed
above $1,000,000,00.
2. Industrial, Commercial and Farm Properties
a. Waive 100% of the 2020 property taxes for all; industrial, commercial and farm
properties currently assessed at under $ 10,000,000.00; and
b. Waive 50% of the property taxes for the year 2020 for all industrial, commercial and
farm properties currently assessed between $10,000,000.00 and $ 50,000,000.00; and
c. Waive 25% of the property taxes for the year 2020 for all industrial, commercial and
farm properties assessed above $50,000,000.00.

3. Federal Transfer Payment to Canadian Municipalities
a. In lieu of the annual municipal property taxes, the Federal Government transfers
funds to municipalities across Canada, as a one-time grant.”

As far as I am aware, the town of Amherstburg is currently waiving fees and interest on property taxes through June 2020.

I’m going to weigh in here……I’m not sure about the state of affairs in the town of Midland, but I personally feel that an across the board waiver of taxes isn’t necessarily the most fair and equitable way to handle things. I think it’s important to note that some people are still able to work during the pandemic (or are retired) and are therefore still receiving their full income. These people would be able to continue to pay their bills as usual. For the federal government to give such a grant to all municipalities……well……I’m not quite so sure that is the way to go to keep things as fair as possible. This seems to me that it would just be giving the municipality money (to pay our taxes) and we in turn, would have to pay more taxes next year to the federal government to make up for this grant. I’m thinking we would still have to pay our taxes, just in a different way next year. And again, I know that there are residents still earning their regular income (very, very fortunate people) and would still be able to pay their taxes as planned. Anyway, we’ll see what council has to say about this.

And that’s about it for Monday night’s agenda. I will be sure to get set up on my computer a little earlier than usual, to (hopefully) avoid technical difficulties.

I want to give a big shout out to our town administration and council for the great job they have been doing during the state of emergency.  Our Emergency Preparedness Team has shown great leadership during the pandemic to keep us informed and to lead us through this stressful time. The Fire Chief has made himself available weekly on social media to answer any questions. Mayor DiCarlo has been making weekly informative videos to answer questions or pass along information. As well, his social media is filled with pertinent information for all residents. And speaking of social media…..Councillor Donald McArthur is also an expert on keeping information out there on social media AND he has been singing on his front porch (every?) evening to participate in showing appreciation for our front line workers. I especially enjoyed his rendition of The Gambler. Thank you to all of you for showing true leadership at a time when it is definitely needed!

This past week or two I have never been more proud to live in Amherstburg! And definitely I have never been more proud than I am right now to be Canadian! We are truly fortunate to live in such a wonderful country. Stay safe everybody and stay home.

 

Monday April 6th Special council meeting

Tonight, council had a special meeting to discuss two items. They were meeting electronically and using the Zoom platform, due to the current pandemic and state of emergency.

OK, so here’s where things went a little bit south for me…..I was all set up, comfy and happy……it was 4:55……and I started having internet problems……5:05 rolled around……still no luck…..was it the internet? Was it my computer? Was it the user? I tried using an internet hot spot……no luck still…..around 5:15, I tried another computer……and finally…..at 5:23 I was able to see the meeting…..to catch the last 10 minutes of it. GRRRRRR……I love technology but when it doesn’t work, it really lets you down. LOL

Ah well, I will make due with what I was able to see.

Electronic Meeting Participation – Amendment to By-law 2014-91

This is from my pre-meeting blog.

From the report :

“On March 16, 2020 Council considered By-law 2020-025, a by-law to allow for the
electronic participation in meetings during a pandemic emergency. This by-law was
brought in consideration of COVID-19 and was prior to the passing of Bill 187 and the
Town’s declaration of a State of Emergency.”

Basically, council will be passing this bylaw to allow for electronic meetings for council and/or allow some members to participate electronically if necessary. Since the risk is real that a member of council could fall ill, or be in self-isolation or quarantine, this would allow the members to participate electronically and still have a quorum.

“The Municipal Act, section 238 indicates that every municipality shall have procedures
for governing its meetings of Council, Committee and Local Boards. Bill 187 now allows
for full electronic participation in meetings in a declared emergency. The Town’s
Procedure By-law 2014-91 does not include procedure specific to electronic meetings
under the newly amended Act. Therefore, Amending By-law 2020-029 should be
considered by Council in order to maintain business continuity during the COVID-19
pandemic and other emergencies.”

Obviously, I was not able to see this part of the meeting, so I’m not sure what happened. I’m going to guess that council passed the bylaw. I guess I could check the video tomorrow, once it’s posted, but we’ll see if I have time tomorrow….or if I even remember.

When I finally joined into the meeting, the Fire Chief was talking about :

Emergency Preparedness Information Report

A bit of background from my pre-meeting blog :

Fire Chief, Bruce Montone wrote a comprehensive report about emergency preparedness in Amherstburg. Why was such a report necessary? Here’s part of it :

“This report is provided to answer questions asked by members of Council and the
public regarding the Town’s state of emergency preparedness, the status of past
committees of the Emergency Program, and to correct misinformation and rumours
currently in the public forum, by providing factual information regarding the past and
current status of community preparedness. This report is in follow up to the question
asked on March 23rd at the regular meeting of Council.”

When I joined into the meeting, Chief Montone was talking about the group was not referenced or utilized, that there is new technology now and that they do not exist. (I’m not sure exactly what he was talking about here for sure, but here’s a link to my pre-meeting blog with the summary of this report : https://amherstburg2.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/in-preparation-for-monday-april-6th-special-town-council-meeting/

Councillor Prue went on to speak that he felt it would be appropriate to advise the group if it were an oversight, with an explanation of how the group used to exist. He said that he feels that currently everything is in excellent hands. He mentioned that the Chief should send a letter to the former committee to assuage feelings, that everything is fine now. It seems that this all stems from 8 years ago…..?

Councillor Courtney questioned if the former committee had come into existence due to Fermi II.

Fire Chief Montone said that he believed so. He said the role of the committee had been outlined in the CAO’s letter and that the former committee existed to answer questions and pass on answers. He felt it was necessary to deal with rumours, since they are a destructive force. (Sing it loud and sing it again!!!!! The rumours need to stop!!!!!) He said that the group was useful with providing the public and the media with information regarding Fermi II and that they were a good committee. He felt it was unfortunate for the way things may have happened and that if he could do something to correct it he would. Chief Montone also pointed out that these things happened long before any of the people currently around the table were in fact, around the table.

(If you read my pre-meeting blog, you will see that many of the “questions” that were asked were based on a committee from 8 years ago…)

Councillor Courtney then asked if council could reach out to the people on this former committee to utilize the resources from their training. (from 8 years ago…..this was a real stretch to me…..seems like the councillor was really reaching on this…..and he was…..)

Fire Chief Montone went on to explain that those people had the basic emergency management training, which is a 2 day course. Every single member of the new team has this same training. As well, the Chief provided an exhaustive list of training and courses that other members of the new team have above and beyond the basic training. He also said that every single member has participated in all exercises.

Councillor Prue then made a motion to receive the report and send a letter to former participants and thank them. He felt it was time to move forward with the new committee that we now have.

The Mayor pointed out that perhaps the Chief could explain the “why” for the changes, including technology changes even since he came into office in 2014. Chief Montone said he’d be happy to do that. He mentioned one huge advantage of technology is that no one single location is necessary for everyone, as could be seen by tonight’s on-line meeting.

There was a motion to adjourn. Then Mayor DiCarlo reminded us all that Easter is coming but that we should not physically get together with our friends and family, due to the pandemic and physical distancing. We should only see each other electronically. He then wished us all a Happy Easter and reminded us to stay home.

By now it was 5:33, so I caught a whole 10 minutes of the meeting. Regardless, I got enough information to gather that…..the Chief’s report was written to dispel rumours and misinformation and to put an 8 year old issue to rest. I can only hope that everyone can now let this rest and we can all move on. The town is in very competent hands regarding this emergency and we must move forward. Together.

Here’s the link to the report if you’re wondering what rumours and misinformation that the Chief had to dispel :

https://calendar.amherstburg.ca/council/Detail/2020-04-06-1700-Special-Council-Meeting-Electronic-Meeting-Council/b0415e8e-e0b9-4b4d-bd6f-ab9500e91d28

And with that everyone, stay safe, stay home and stay healthy. The next meeting is next week on Tuesday April 14th. I plan to watch it from the comfort of my own home. I’ll try to get logged on earlier next time though. Lesson learned.

 

In preparation for Monday April 6th special town council meeting

Well, this coming Monday, town council has a special meeting scheduled for 5:00. It seems that the meeting will be done electronically but will still be live streamed to the public. That’ll be interesting for sure.

There are only two items on the 24 page agenda, so I would guess and hope that the meeting won’t last too long. At least I can watch from the comfort of my couch LOL

Electronic Meeting Participation – Amendment to By-law 2014-91

From the report :

“On March 16, 2020 Council considered By-law 2020-025, a by-law to allow for the
electronic participation in meetings during a pandemic emergency. This by-law was
brought in consideration of COVID-19 and was prior to the passing of Bill 187 and the
Town’s declaration of a State of Emergency.”

Basically, council will be passing this bylaw to allow for electronic meetings for council and/or allow some members to participate electronically if necessary. Since the risk is real that a member of council could fall ill, or be in self-isolation or quarantine, this would allow the members to participate electronically and still have a quorum.

“The Municipal Act, section 238 indicates that every municipality shall have procedures
for governing its meetings of Council, Committee and Local Boards. Bill 187 now allows
for full electronic participation in meetings in a declared emergency. The Town’s
Procedure By-law 2014-91 does not include procedure specific to electronic meetings
under the newly amended Act. Therefore, Amending By-law 2020-029 should be
considered by Council in order to maintain business continuity during the COVID-19
pandemic and other emergencies.”

I would think and hope that council will embrace this bylaw amendment to allow for electronic meetings. (embrace from a distance though LOL).

Emergency Preparedness Information Report

Fire Chief, Bruce Montone wrote a comprehensive report about emergency preparedness in Amherstburg. Why was such a report necessary? Here’s part of it :

“This report is provided to answer questions asked by members of Council and the
public regarding the Town’s state of emergency preparedness, the status of past
committees of the Emergency Program, and to correct misinformation and rumours
currently in the public forum, by providing factual information regarding the past and
current status of community preparedness. This report is in follow up to the question
asked on March 23rd at the regular meeting of Council.”

The way I see this, we are in a state of emergency and there are a handful of residents spreading misinformation and rumours and now the Fire Chief had to use valuable time to write a report to dispel their misinformation and rumours. WOW!

Clearly, like anything, the emergency response committee, team, whatever you want to call, it has changed. Years have gone by, change happens. Unfortunately, a handful in the community either don’t want to accept the changes or are trying to drive some political agenda of division. We are in a state of emergency people, the agendas and ax-grinding have got to stop!

The report goes on to outline the various committees, teams, groups involved at different levels of emergencies. How they existed in the past and how they exist up to present day are all explained.

The report goes on to answer some of the following “questions”…..and I put questions in quotes since I feel these “questions” are being asked simply to drive division at a time when our community should be striving to work together and create a sense of unity and safety:

What happened to the Emergency Information Committee?

(short answer, it never existed)

Why was the Emergency Preparedness Committee disbanded?

(short answer, it was renamed in 2017 as per legislation and the report includes the members….)

Does the Town have an Emergency Plan? And if so, why is it being kept
secret? 

(yes, seriously! That is a question that was asked!!!!! The short answer is, there is no secret and all of the information is in the report)

What does the Town have in place to ensure the safety of the residents and
their families?

(again, are you kidding me? This question infers that the town isn’t doing anything for our safety! WOW! Short answer the town keeps the safety of their residents as a top priority and has all sorts of measures in place for us and is compliant with all regulations….. )

Has the Town Amherstburg established an Emergency Operations Centre and is it as prepared for emergencies in comparison to the Town of Essex and other surrounding municipalities?

(short answer, yes!)

How come the list of members of the Community Control Group is being kept
secret from both the Public and Council?

(ugh! Here we go again! “secret” For goodness sake! There is no secret! Here they are: )

The Community Control Group consists of the following officials and their roles:

•  Mayor or Acting Mayor
• CAO or Alternate
• Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC) or Alternate
• Police Chief or Alternate
• Fire Chief or Alternate
• Director of Engineering & Public Works or Alternate
• Director of Parks, Recreation, Facilities & Culture or Alternate
• Director of Planning, Development and Legislative Services or Alternate
• Director of Corporate Services or Alternate
• Municipal Clerk/Emergency Information Officer or Alternate
• Manager of Information Technology/Corporate Telecommunications Coordinator
  or Alternate
• Medical Officer of Health or Alternate
• Social Services Manager Housing Support Services or Alternate
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Representative or Alternate
• Electrical/Water Utility Representatives (Essex Power/Hydro One) or Alternates

Additional personnel called or added to the Community Control Group, at any time, may include:

• The Emergency Telecommunications Coordinator
• Tourism Coordinator
• CEMC Administrative Assistant
• Town of Amherstburg Departments & units required
• OFMEM Ontario Representative;
• Ontario Provincial Police Representative;
• Liaison staff from provincial ministries;
• Any other officials, experts or representatives from the public
• Private sector as deemed necessary by the CCG.

Does the Tourism Division, and other divisions, have a role in Community Emergency Management?

( How sad that there are members of our community that seem to constantly harp on our tourism department. We’re living a pandemic and a state of emergency and this is what people come up with….)

Here’s the Fire Chief’s full answer to this “question”:

“Yes, All municipal departments/divisions have a role in community emergency
management. When an emergency is declared all municipal staff may be called upon to
perform regular or non-traditional duties during an emergency. For example, the town
Tourism division is staffed by trained professional communicators and large event
planners. They can be utilized as the Emergency Information Officer, as members of the
Emergency Information Centre, and in charge of Public Shelters and site planning. The
Town of Amherstburg does not have multiple staff in a single role but it does have a
diverse staff capable of filling many roles within the Emergency Operations Centre.”

Does the Community Emergency Management Program Committee (formerly
known as the Amherstburg Emergency Preparedness Committee) have a role
during an emergency?

(short answer no and the Chief goes on to explain why and their roles)

Are the individuals involved in the Emergency Response Plan trained
appropriately, do they have the equipment required to perform their duties, and
are regular exercises conducted?

(short answer yes!)

Where will the Media congregate during an emergency?

(Unless you’re a member of the media, why would you need an answer to that? Short answer, Libro Centre….)

Are we in compliance with the Provincial Emergency measures mandate?

(short answer yes!)

Who created these committees? Who approved it and are members being
paid?

(short answer, they’re provincially mandated, council approves them annually and nobody gets paid for these committees)

Is Amherstburg eligible for Ontario Disaster Relief based on its current programs?

(short answer yes)

As well, included are the minutes from the October 15, 2012 council meeting. (Yes, 2012, that is not a typo).

Here are a few items from those minutes :

“NEW BUSINESS
Councillor Pouget sought Council intervention regarding her removal from the Emergency Information Center Volunteer Committee. Kristina DiPaolo, Acting CAO stated that a report would be brought to an upcoming meeting.”

Then, an October 29, 2012 report to council states :

“Councillor Pouget’s 19 years as a volunteer for the EIC are commendable. However, a
conflict has been identified and it is the responsibility of the CEMC to advise the CAO
and Council of any liabilities or potential liabilities. Consultation was done with the Office of Emergency Management Ontario, and field advisor Steve Beatty, has advised the Amherstburg CEMC of responsibilities, mandates, and potential conflicts for the same.
The previous years spent on both the EIC and Council does not mean that this was the
best practice and acceptable and that it should remain. Councillor Pouget has not been
removed or “kicked off” this volunteer group; however the conflict has been brought to
her attention.
Councillor Pouget, in the role of Council member, may be required to be a part of the
EOC should the Mayor and/or Deputy Mayor deem it necessary during a declaration of
emergency. Also, should the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and/or other Council members not be available during a declaration of emergency Councillor Pouget may need to be in the
decision-making role on the EOC and as such this would place her in conflict with her
volunteer role on the EIC.”

Here is the link to the report for Monday night’s meeting, it starts on page 10 :

https://calendar.amherstburg.ca/council/Detail/2020-04-06-1700-Special-Council-Meeting-Electronic-Meeting-Council/4f1fa904-e8a6-4049-8c1a-ab910101a399

As a resident and a taxpayer of Amherstburg, I am floored and disgusted that during a state of emergency when we need to be drawing together as a community and have an all hands on deck approach, there are a few people spreading misinformation and rumours about our town’s emergency preparedness. This has to stop. To think that our Fire Chief spent how many hours writing that report when his time is valuable and could have certainly been used doing more important tasks than correcting misinformation. I would hazard a guess that these few people are probably inundating our town’s administration with their “questions” during this crucial time. These “questions” to me, seem to be more about either fear mongering or trying to grind old axes. It’s time to set politics and games aside, come together and support our town leaders. I have noticed at the provincial and federal levels, this has been handled exceptionally. People are setting aside their politics in order to come together as Canadians. Most residents in Amherstburg are doing the same, except for a very few who are costing us time and money. I hope these few can set it aside for the good of our community for at least a few months……then they can go back to grinding their axes in a few months when the pandemic is (hopefully) over. The sooner it’s over, the sooner we can all go back to going out and enjoying the company of our friends! And then I guess those few can go back to driving political agendas if they chose to. All I know is that for now, it really needs to stop.

Stay safe Amherstburg! We will get through this together!