Tonight was a special town council meeting regarding two items. And the meeting still lasted more than 2 and a half hours…..two items. For those of you who watched the meeting live, good for you. For those of you that did not, I strongly suggest that you watch the recording. Some true colours shone through bright and clear.
PRESENTATION
Service Delivery Review, Interim Report – Lauren Wyman & Yael Boyd, Strategy Corp
This is an extremely comprehensive report about Amherstburg and our service delivery. There were several people from Strategy Corp that presented their findings to council. I didn’t catch all of their names but they were very well versed on what they had studied and the possible next steps. They had several members of their team available since they explained that it took a big team to prepare a 140 page report. They presented their findings and assessments as well as the various possible opportunities for improvement.
They explained that there were three phases. The first being initiation with mobilization and data. The second was assessment, such as reviewing documents, peer benchmarking and observations. The third was finding improvement opportunities for costs, savings, recommendations and feedback for the next phase.
In the comprehensive report there were 37 potential improvement recommendations. The strengths, weaknesses and challenges were analyzed and looked at for possible solutions. There were deep investigations of the services provided as well as financial analysis, benchmarks and peer comparaters. In my pre-meeding blog I listed off many of these. As well, their report is available at this link, if you’re interested in reading it all in detail. (It’s truly fascinating.)
One of the presenters said that there were five key takeaways :
- Amherstburg has been rebuilding financially since 2014 and the past financial crisis has left a long shadow over the town including an effect on staff morale.
- Amherstburg needs a plan to grow the population to spread out the costs.
- Amherstburg is aggressive with debt but needs to build reserves.
- Amherstburg is not alone, there are resource constraints in other municipalities, including financial and staffing constraints and there is a need to balance that.
- The relationship between Council and administration needs strengthening. It seems everyone needs a better understanding of their roles to improve communication.
They suggested that council needs to look at where does Amherstburg want to grow and how to get there….to look at the people and culture, leadership and it’s workforce….to look at the service delivery, for example what are the core services, and to find the right mix of in-house and contracting out services and the processes and technology and to search for efficiencies.
For the purpose of the presentation, they regrouped the 37 potential improvement recommendations into subcategories. I did my best to take notes and I hope I got it right. If not, refer to the original entire document to have all of the information.
- Governance and Strategy : This involves looking to the future and setting a strategic foundation. Amherstburg does not have a corporate strategic plan. The town is currently using the 2014 Deloitte report, which is a good guide, but it’s not a road map. The Official Plan is 10 years old and should be prioritized. Amherstburg is a bit behind with growth and this increases the burden on the existing tax base. As well, council has not adopted the reserve policy and Amherstburg has more assets than our peers, with many in poor condition. There needs to be a plan to take care of our assets as well as ensure our financial health long term.
- Setting Governance Foundation : This relationship must be based on an understanding of roles, responsibilities and boundaries. (This seems to be an issue for some on our council…..they seem not to understand the complexity and multi-faceted role as a Councillor…..)
- People and Culture : Human Resources provides training, which is good but needs a more consistent approach. As well, there is a lack of succession planning and we need sufficient talent to replace existing staff. The town is also under resourced in Full Time staff and we spend less on salaries than our peers. As well, we need an enhanced communications process. Our peers all seem to have a communications framework but we don’t.
- Service Delivery : There seems to be an inability to track information since there is no data base. For example, a resident called a Councillor about a problem but the town needs to be able to capture data and have an “inventory” on issues to help ensure service delivery gets met. As well, a review of the recreation fees should be done since they’ve decline in the past 10 years and Amherstburg is subsidizing more than it’s peers. Amherstburg should be looking at sharing resources and increasing the number of programs offered. The water and sewer rates were mentioned as being low in cost recovery.
- Processes and IT : It seems that many things are still paper based and “in person” services, which are not convenient.
In the risk analysis portion of their presentation, the representatives spoke of declining commercial growth in Amherstburg. It seems we should have a growth plan or it will increase the tax burden on the smaller tax base. We seem to have a lot of infrastructure, with much of it in poor condition. It was also said that Amherstburg should approve an Asset Management Plan, increase reserves, grow the municipality, look at water and sewer rate recovery, look at the staffing complement (since we are well below our peers in Full time staff) and invest in training.
They they ask if any members of council had any questions.
Deputy Mayor Meloche wondered about the staffing numbers. It was explained that for some reason we have fewer full time staff than our peers but more part-time staff than our peers. This would require further investigation to possibly realign and find productivity enhancements. Deputy Mayor Meloche also wondered about the part of the report that addressed the debt. It seems that the town needs to strive to find balance between retiring the debt and spending. It was again mentioned that we need a clear reserve policy. It seems that the presenters watched the last meeting and the discussion that ensued about the surplus money. (Some members of council wanted the money thrown into the general reserve while administration was recommending separate reserve accounts for various amounts……and one Councillor found the reserves “confusing”…...) The presenter made it clear that we need to build our reserves.
Mayor DiCarlo asked about the finance department and how deep they had studied, if it was in detail. They said that looked at what they’re responsible for and their structure but that they’ll need to dive deeper into that department and even look at the technology that is being used.
Councillor Prue wondered about the time line for the next report. It seems they had said September and he wondered what was expected of council and if there would be public input. It was explained that tonight was to share the findings of their study of the town’s service delivery and look at the areas to delve deeper. It seems that the Ministry had put these time lines in place but they have been extended to December due to COVID. Councillor Prue wondered if they were expecting staff to come back with a report and then council would debate it and seek public input. The presenter explained at the time of their final recommendations council would then debate the recommendations. (No mention of public input. GASP! Council will have to debate and make a decision all by itself! Oh my! It’s like that’s what they were elected to do! Can’t try to deflect it! uh-oh.….) Councillor Prue mentioned that the report was recommending a Communications Officer and an Economic Development Officer.
CAO Miceli felt that the reality of this exercise was that the province is expecting to see a realignment of services. He pointed out that administration has brought forward various positions at each budget session with the merits for each positions. Some areas require very specific qualifications. For example, a finance position can be challenging to attract the right person and often the town is unsuccessful when recruiting staff since municipalities tend to compete with each other. He felt it would be necessary to look at the South Shore Service Delivery since we are facing a crisis to find qualified staff and it will get more difficult.
Councillor McArthur spoke that the town has been lacking a Communications Officer and when staff were redeployed during the pandemic, our communications picked up steam. He pointed out that Tourism is a strategic pillar and so is Economic Development. He pointed out how the open air streets paired the two together, which created an opportunity to strategize and explore. He also agreed that on line payment options should be looked at and that the complaints are fragmented and we need data to organize it. He felt that the over riding message of the study was grow or die. He pointed out that within the report there is a portion that he quoted stating that our future as an independent municipality is at stake.
The presenter explained that they are doing dozens of these studies province wide. It seems that there will be some quid pro quo from the province in that those that exploit the efficiencies to make their municipality sustainable will continue on…..but those that do not will become low hanging fruit and could possibly be forced into amalgamation with other municipalities. He explained that this was not a free study, it has a price attached and that the town should do everything to make themselves efficient.
Councillor McArthur asked about the reserves and wondered if we were putting away less per household than our peers. In short, yes we are…..again it was stated that we need to build reserves and have a clear policy. Councillor McArthur also wondered about the water and wastewater systems since our expenses are high compared to the revenue. The presenter said that the costs are outstripping the revenue and that we need to find a way to smooth out revenue.
Deputy Mayor Meloche pointed out that we need to understand our demographics and look at the number of houses VS the number of people.
Councillor Renaud wondered if the user fee guide had been reviewed for the Parks and Recreation Department. It seems it was somewhat but it will be analyzed more in depth in the next steps. Councillor Renaud also wondered about the South Shore Shared Services, since it made mention of fire services and council had just approved a Fire Master Plan. The presenter explained that it would involve various sharing possibilities, shared purchasing, shared training, sharing utilization of assets etc.
The CAO explained that getting others to agree to shared services will take time. He felt that the bigger task will be to gain political capital for shared services will be paramount. It will be important to take a leadership role. He pointed out that many residents have expressed that they don’t want to lose their identity. He reminded council of their three roles…..representative, stewardship and policy making. (I think some on council forget about #2 and #3 most days…...)
Councillor Courtney wondered how many others participated in this study. It seems that Essex, Kingsville and Leamington did. Councillor Courtney thought that emergency services weren’t on the table for shared services but it was explained that the fire department came up repeatedly. Councillor Courtney mentioned our infrastructure of having our own water plant to maintain, repair and replace. And yes, that is an issue….the presenters said it can be a challenge for Amherstburg to try to match the costs of Windsor, since they offer water services to other municipalities, but it could be a potential opportunity. It seems we have an oversize facility and need to look at ways to share the costs. Councillor Courtney also questioned our staffing numbers but it was explained that we are on the lower end of staffing numbers but they need to further explore why we have so much part time staff vs full time in the next phase.
Councillor Simone wondered why the report recommended moving the Clerk’s office out of the CAO’s office in the organizational chart. There was some discussion about it and then finally, council adopted the report.
When the next portion of the study comes before council again in a few months they’re going to have work to do…..it’s do or die time……this council has a tendency to be wishy washy with decision-making……if they don’t change that, well…..our fate is sealed. 😦
Site Plan Control Agreement 265 and 349 Concession 3 North – Council Questions & Concerns
And it’s back. Does everybody remember the July 13, 2020 meeting where council only approved the 1st and 2nd reading for the Site plan control agreement for the new greenhouse? By not approving the 3rd reading at the same time, as per normal practice, council essentially put the entire development on hold. Council wanted reports from the province for such things as the Building Code and Working conditions for employees…..(um, yes, these are definitely not a municipalities purview..…)
I had hoped for a quick and apologetic 3rd reading for this development but I received a drawn-out litany of excuses for not having done the 3rd reading as per normal procedure at the last meeting.
Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion immediately to do the third and final reading. He asked for a recorded vote too (I love those but you know that!) and Councillor Renaud seconded it. (I thought this is great! Awesome! They’re going to approve this, apologize and help Amherstburg save face…..but no……) Mayor DiCarlo pointed out that a representative of the developer, Mr Ondeyko, was on the line for questions.
Councillor Prue was the first out of the gate for “question time”. He said he had read the documentation from the government from the Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs regarding physical distancing and wondered if there was any comment regarding this. The CAO said he had received the information from the Premiers Office that there is a government program regarding the availability of PPE and that $15 Million had been put aside. He had provided the government’s response to council. Councillor Prue then went on regarding the Ministry of Housing and the present guidelines regarding bunk houses. He was surprised at the limits of the Ministry guidelines and felt that Amherstburg was adopting the Ministry Guidelines. (Seriously……this guy was an MPP? How could a municipality be adopting a provincial requirement? This was beyond ridiculous). The CAO explained that the bunkhouses must follow the requirements of the Ontario Building Code. The development is adhering to the provisions of the province’s requirements. The government has advised there won’t be any changes and that council will not be superseding the building code. The CAO explained that council is simply adopting the location of a specific site for this development. (I think I cringe out loud at this point……here we go……what an embarrassment for our town……just adopt the site plan.) Councillor Prue then went on and on and on…..about the bunk houses, the number of showers per person, the number of washing machines per person, the number of square feet per person……AGAIN, the CAO explained that the development will meet the requirements of the Building Code and that council could not change the Ontario Building Code. AGAIN, the CAO reminded Councillor Prue that council was there to approve the site and that these other issues are decided on by senior levels of government. (Seriously, this was embarrassing that a Councillor would question things way beyond council’s jurisdiction.) Councillor Prue then felt that the community needs to know and he asked the representative if they will do better than the building code.
Mr Ondeyko spoke and said he understood the level of concern since they had just completed a 57 acre development. He said that they can build bricks and mortar but they can’t build workers. Their businesses without employees would be non-existent. He said the bunkhouses were designed to give a bit more space but that it’s important not to paint everybody with the same brush. He pointed out that this developer had ZERO cases of COVID-19 at his 2 largest farms. He said that this development is one of the most responsible greenhouse growers and that he is fighting to come to Amherstburg and he is fulfilling ALL of the obligations. The developer is spending $100 Million dollars and will be contributing to the tax base and buying a lot of water in Amherstburg. (One would think after this, council would have graciously said Welcome to Amherstburg and passed the third reading……but no……the minutia and question period droned on..….)
Councillor Prue said he had received a number of calls, emails and people stopping him on the streets with questions about this development. He received one email in support. He wondered if the develop would be subject to all changes in the law. Mr Ondeyko said there was no way around not complying with the federal and provincial governments. Councillor Prue asked if they would be amenable to changes since no doubt the government would be looking for changes…..Mr Ondejko replied that they would be required to comply with any changes……(side note it was now 6:57…..)
Councillor Prue then changed tactics and questioned the fire report from the Fire Chief. He referenced a July 17th report that spoke of a fire in St. Catherines. The Chief pointed out that the developer here had amended his site plans and he looked forward to working with them. Councillor Prue wondered how there was now access to the greenhouse since the first report. The Fire Chief explained that the situation has improved and he’s optimistic for further discussion and will be satisfied. They have added access routes and are working with the Fire Department. Mr Ondeyko pointed out that they want to cooperate. He said their structure will be steel and glass, housing plants and fruit, with a lot of water, which minimizes risk….it seems the greenhouse in St. Catherines was made of plastic and another material (I didn’t catch the name).
Councillor McArthur then spoke. He thanked Councillor Prue for his questions. (My jaw hit the floor. Thanked him? I felt embarrassed at the line of questioning to the developer…..the developer had complied with everything yet was being treated like he was on trial…..shameful….) Councillor McArthur felt it was important to have the developer there to answer questions. He asked about how the developers workers had been tested for COVID-19, since few have had their workers tested.
Mr Ondeyko explained that for the two larger facilities the workers were tested on site. It was locked down and food was brought in to take care of them. Often, transmission happened with the risk of people bringing the virus into the work environment. He wasn’t sure about the numbers for the third, smaller site but they were not able to test on-site, since resources were overwhelmed and the government wanted people to go to the hospital sites to be tested. That would create problems with putting people together on a bus and risking possible transmission of the virus in-line at a testing site. He again explained they were willing to cooperate.
Councillor McArthur asked about the grow lights and what would be grown in the greenhouse. Mr Ondeyko said that they would be growing grape tomatoes and would not have lights and there was no plan to add lights in the future. They have not even put in the proper infrastructure at this site to have lights and it would not make any sense to add them. (OK. Great. Again, time for Thank you for bringing your development to Amherstburg! We’ll vote now and move on…..but no……it was not to be..…) Councillor McArthur wondered about the other greenhouses, if they were the same. Mr Ondeyko explained they grow tomatoes as well and don’t need lights.
Councillor Courtney then spoke. He seemed to take offence to an AM800 news story that said that Amherstburg had shot down the greenhouse development. (Here’s the link for reference if you haven’t read it : https://www.iheartradio.ca/am800/news/amherstburg-shoots-down-site-plan-for-new-greenhouse-operation-1.12967408 ) He felt that that is not what council did. Councillor Courtney then went on that they are good hearted people, intelligent people. (WOW! Whatever character traits Councillors have or don’t have do not matter one iota. Members of council made a decision – a poor one in my opinion – and whether they are good-hearted, kind, mean, funny, sassy, intelligent, gifted, a good dancer, loyal, honest or frugal that has ZERO to do with anything. It seems that Councillor Courtney took the article personally? Time to re-think a career in politics I think……) Anyway, Councillor Courtney felt they needed questions answered but they’re not opposed to development. He then asked if there were any possibility of the developer changing from tomatoes to marijuana. He mentioned a smell the comes from the marijuana greenhouses. (Hold on to your hats it’s about to get good…..shows the level of understanding or lack thereof of our decision-makers…..)
Mr Ondeyko explained that one needs to look at Amherstburg’s municipal bylaws. The developer could have built a marijuana plant on an industrial zoned property. The developer spent money and even went to the LPAT to get the zoning changed to agricultural so that they could grow tomatoes! (Let that sink in……they asked and paid money to get the zoning changed to agricultural to grow tomatoes…..they couldn’t grow marijuana on agricultural property – which council approved the zoning change……hmmmmm) Mr Ondeyko said they entered into agreements with the CAO, administration and lawyers going back and forth so that the developer could meet all of the criteria that Amherstburg wanted. He felt that it was almost like a developer wants to come to our town and he was being pushed away……(I would say that feeling seems pretty darn justified……council was pushing him away tonight……just like they did 2 weeks ago…..unbelievable……the developer wants to spend $100 Million dollars, pay taxes, employ people, buy lots of water…..and this is what happens…..again, I was embarrassed and ashamed…..if you think I’m exaggerating, please take the time to watch the video of this meeting…..)
Councillor Courtney felt they weren’t shunning development, they just had questions. Councillor Renaud said he had spoken with the developer and they had had a good discussion. He said he was in favour and ready to move forward. Councillor Simone thanked the developer for his time.
Councillor McArthur had a question for administration and wondered about the potential tax impact for Amherstburg. Ms Horrobin, Director of Corporate Services said they were getting an estimate from MPAC about the development and it was still pending. Councillor McArthur pressed for a ball park but Ms Horrobin said it was an evolving development and MPAC determines the assessment and she does not yet have the details. (Does it matter if it’s bringing in $100K in taxes or $130K? Will it really affect how you would vote for this? I just shook my head again and could not believe what council was doing…...) The CAO said the water usage would be significant and that perhaps $130,000 of taxes could be generated. He also pointed out that it is beneficial with diversification and additional revenue for the town. (Yes! Just approve this already! but no.….)
Councillor McArthur then said he was in favour of the development but felt there was misinformation from the last meeting and he was glad that they brought the developer to the table and that it was important for the town’s future. (After just hearing a report that told council to “grow or die”, they certainly didn’t seem ready to grow…..just sayin’….remember tonight if/when another amalgamation looms..….) Councillor McArthur wondered about the time line. Mr Ondeyko said it would be immediate and that they were almost a year delayed now as to when they wanted a crop planted. They had looked at not coming to Amherstburg, since the water rates are high, however this project would be away from other greenhouses. He also explained that the cost of this project was higher than last fall and was up almost $3.5 Million due to exchange rates, LPAT expenses, extra legal fees and they have taken a significant hit. He was looking to get the project rolling ASAP. (So, yes even the two week delay hurt it seems....)
Councillor Courtney asked about the 400 jobs and how many would be local, he also wondered if the workers would be site specifics. It was clarified that yes, they are site specific, even greenhouse specific and warehouse specific. They are still unsure how many jobs will be for migrant workers or local workers.
Deputy Mayor Meloche spoke about how beneficial this development was for Amherstburg, for our tax base, our water income, jobs, and the economy of Amherstburg. (The one and only ray of hope, welcoming and positivity right here….)
Then Councillor Prue spoke……and spoke and spoke…..I have over two pages of his speech, since well, that’s what it was……. He started out that this was an easier decision tonight than it was a few weeks ago. He said that the site plan agreement was all in place and that they as a council were limited with what could be done and they can’t stop it. (Um, so why at the beginning of this item on the agenda was he questioning conformity to provincial law????? Everything wasn’t in place an hour ago but it is now? What the what?) He then spoke of it being a new facility but when you jam a few people into small spaces there are problems and he thinks that the provincial and federal governments will look at this. (Um, ok……but that’s out of council’s purview). He was also happy that they’ll be working with the Fire Chief. He also felt that council didn’t refuse the development, like AM800 said, but it had been before council for the first, second and third reading. Councillor Prue explained that when he was in the legislature the first reading was an introduction, the second was approval in principle, which council did to then get questions answered and then the third reading is to finalize it.
Well, this isn’t the legislature. Council isn’t making law. They were approving a site plan agreement. According to municipal practices, all three readings are done at once. I think Councillor Prue may need to work on remembering that he is a town Councillor and not a MPP. The processes are quite different. And just for fun, I looked up some recent provincial legislation…..low and behold Bill 195 received a second and third reading all on the same day in the provincial legislature…..here’s the link if you don’t believe me…..https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-195/status
And, further, bill 197, same darn thing!Second reading, third reading and royal assent all on the same day…. again, here’s the link….https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-197/status
So, if the province can break their procedure and do two readings on the same day, why couldn’t council follow their own procedure and do all three readings on the same day? The list of excuses I had anticipated came to fruition. What a shame.
Councillor Prue then continued that the Economic Development Committee supported the greenhouse development. He felt that nobody voted “no” they just asked tough questions to ensure the proposal was sound. He felt that they only get one shot to get it right and he wanted to be sure that it was all done right. (Ask yourself this…..did anything change from July 13th to July 27th? no…..? so why delay it? Just to ask questions? To embarrass Amherstburg and make it look like we don’t want development? ) I stopped taking notes after this since quite frankly I was somewhat disgusted. I can not see any good reason that this development got put off for two weeks.
It went to the recorded vote and everyone voted in favour.
I can only hope that some way, some how, council hasn’t turned off this developer and other developers from coming to Amherstburg.
Then Councillor Prue said something about the Clerk sent an email to council and he wanted to make a motion about a waiver and water and that today was the last day to discuss it…..He had to make a motion first to waive the rules of order, since this was a special meeting and it was supposed to be adjourned. Councillor Courtney seconded the motion to waive the rules of order…..but, the others were all opposed…..So, whatever it was, was not discussed.
Mr Ondeyko thanked council for their interest and for having him and said he appreciated the questions. Then it was 7:37 and the meeting finished. Just over 2.5 hours……
After a report about the importance of growth in order to survive, council spent an hour and a half grilling a solid development with “questions” and things outside of their purview……tonight did not instill confidence in me that we have a council that knows what they’re doing……..the service delivery review summed up is “grow or die”……with this attitude, it looks like it may be the latter……remember this when October 2022 rolls around……
amherstburg2 