August 27, 2022August 27, 2022 amherstburg2

Candidates responses to how residents can reach them and how they will use social media if elected

Hello to all of my blog followers and readers!

For those of you that have been following Amherstburg politics for a while, you may remember that during the election in 2018, I asked questions to the candidates on behalf of my readers. The blog Q&A was wildly popular at the time, so I decided to do it all over again this election cycle! 🙂

Once again, I decided to use my blog as a communication tool for our current municipal election. I have sent all of the candidates (Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillor) two questions. Below you will find the questions I asked for you and I have then directly copied their answers from their email replies into the blog. I hope that this will be informative and will help people get a better sense of who their candidates are in order to help you with your voting decision. Should you have any questions directly for the candidates as individuals, I encourage you to contact them directly. I have several more questions ready (that have come from my various conversations with you, the residents), however, should you have any ideas for future questions, feel free to message me, email me or talk to me, as you’ve already been doing. I am hoping for this to be a positive experience for the candidates and for us, the residents and voters.

Here are the first two questions that were asked to the list of candidates and their answers (in alphabetical order by position) :

Question number 1 :

During your election campaign, how do you intend to use social media if at all? (examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog, web site etc….) How can residents reach you or get information about you?

Frank Cerasa (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

John Laframboise (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Michael Prue (Candidate for Mayor)

I can be reached by

email – Michael @prueworkingforyou.ca

Website- www.pruworkingoryou.ca

Facebook – ww.facebook.com/Michael Prue Working for YOU

Phone numbers – 519-736-7586

and 519-992-5075

Bob Rozankovic (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Nancy Atkinson (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Chris Gibb (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

During the campaign, I intend to use Facebook as my main social media tool. I find that it is the most popular and easy to use social media platform for most voters and has the features most residents are comfortable with.

I will strive to be very easy to reach with my campaign phone number being 519-981-7559.

My campaign email is gibbfordeputymayor22@gmail.com

My campaign Facebook page is Chris Gibb for Deputy Mayor of Amherstburg 2022

And my campaign website is https://gibbfordeputymayor.wixsite.com/gibbfordeputymayor22

I certainly hope that anyone who has questions or would like to get a hold of me feels comfortable reaching out in a way that is most convenient for them.

Gregory Moore (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Dennis Sanson (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No contact information provided

Joe Shaw (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Molly Allaire (Candidate for Councillor)

I have two social media sites up and running. Facebook and Instagram. I post a few items in “Nextdoor” neighbour app. It’s a great way to know the people around you, but I also do not want to flood it with my campaign. I want my neighbours to still like me after this! Residents can reach me at these social media outlets, by email: mollyallaire@outlook.com, or text or call at 519-796-9155. I am honest when saying I am here for the people. I genuinely want to hear their ideas because I’m one person. We all know working together provides better outcomes.

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084568360490&_rdr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyallairecouncil/

Larry Amlin (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Lucas Anderson (Candidate for Councillor)

No contact information provided

Andrew Argoselo (Candidate for Councillor)

No contact information provided

Peter Courtney (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Linden Crain (Candidate for Councillor)

During the election campaign, I will be using my 5 social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok), as well as my website, to share my platform and solicit feedback from Amherstburg residents about a variety of issues/topics. Below are links to my social media accounts:

I can also be reached any time at (519) 560-1254 or crainforcouncil@gmail.com.

Frank DiPasquale (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Bill Fryer (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Tara Kearsey (Candidate for Councillor)

Social media is the most accessible and immediate method of keeping constituents engaged and informed. The Tara Kearsey Campaign will be updated daily on social media regarding platform issues, current events, fundraisers and meet and greet events, candidate profile information, as well as my position on community issues. The Facebook page is named “Vote Tara for Aburg Council” and is found here https://tinyurl.com/4bty8ue3 . The website is www.VoteTara.ca; Instagram is @votefortara_aburg; Twitter is @tara_for_aburg, LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-kearsey/; and TikTok is @votetara_aburg. My website contains a suggestion and comment box to send questions and comments. You can also view and listen to radio ads and media interviews from previous municipal campaigns on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/tarakearsey

Holger Kretschmann (Candidate for Councillor)

I can be reached on Twitter @CanadaHolger, email: hkretschmann@sympatico.ca and phone 519-567-4178.

I hope that I will receive some questions and also will reach out to people.

Donald McArthur (Candidate for Councillor)

Thank you for the opportunity to share my vision and connect with the residents of Amherstburg!

Social media is an excellent platform to get my message out, but, more importantly, it’s an exceptional vehicle for residents to connect with me, to ask me questions and let me know how they feel about the issues.

I’m active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Residents can follow my campaign Facebook page at facebook.com/GoAburg. On Twitter and Instagram, my handle is @captainbyliner, a tip of the hat to the two decades I spent as a journalist covering the stories of Windsor and Essex County. Please give me a follow!

I have a campaign website located at www.donaldmcarthur.com. Voters can volunteer and sign up to receive email bulletins. I will update my website throughout the campaign with posts about my platform and community issues and share those posts on my social media channels.

I believe very passionately in the people and potential of Amherstburg. We have a storied past and a boundless future. We need to build the buzz and share our amazing story on as many social media platforms as we can.

Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram and please visit my website at www.donaldmcarthur.com. Residents are also free to phone me any time at 519-981-4875. Thanks! Go Aburg!

Diane Pouget (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Marc Renaud (Candidate for Councillor)

I have the following media tools for residents to reach me. I have a cell phone 519 919 7633 to be reached at any time. The next media use is Facebook to reelect Marc Renaud at Amherstburg councillor. I follow twitter to keep in touch with residents and their comments.

Patricia Simone (Candidate for Councillor)

During the campaign, residents can reach me via:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.simone.927

Candidate Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Simone4Aburg

Twitter: @PatSimone_

Candidate Twitter: @Simone4Aburg

Instagram: pdsimone

Website: simone4aburg.ca

Cell: 5195661771

Gerry Theriault (Candidate for Councillor)

I am using social media to communicate and promote my campaign. Also if elected I will develop a social media location to keep all residents informed of the happenings at town hall and not the gossip that seems to be all over the social media networks at this time.

Lori Wightman (Candidate for Councillor)

I believe it’s important for residents to be able to get in touch with candidates in order to be able to ask questions and make an informed decision. I have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Each of these are open to anyone who wishes to comment, message or interact. I have a website as well. It’s important to remember that a lot of people get their news and information from social media and the internet so we need to put ourselves where the people are. And as always I’m available for a face to face chat, an email lori.wightman.amherstburg@gmail.com or a phone call at 519-890-1932.

Question number 2 :

If you’re elected, how do you intend to use social media, if at all? How will you communicate with the residents?

Frank Cerasa (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

John Laframboise (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Michael Prue (Candidate for Mayor)

In the current Amherstburg Administrative structure the Mayor and CAO share an Executive Assistant

Inasmuch as the Mayor is the spokesperson for Council and the Town I would provide the Executive Assistant with information to be sent out on social media on a daily basis.

I would also make myself available to the media- radio, television, and print to make sure that veryone has the necessary information to make an informed decision,

My telephone numbers are also publicly available..

Bob Rozankovic (Candidate for Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Nancy Atkinson (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Chris Gibb (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

Again, I believe Facebook is the most popular social media platform for most residents of Amherstburg so I intend on continuing to use that as my main method of social media outreach.

I am committed to setting up a specific Deputy Mayor Facebook page, if I am fortunate enough to be elected, on which I will keep residents informed of my voting record on major issues and allow them to provide feedback and opinions on issues that most affect their lives.

I have already spoken to many residents who find it difficult to access information about town situations and I feel that deploying a strong social media presence will help in keeping people well informed on local issues.

I also intend on keeping the same phone number (519-981-7559) throughout my term.

I really look forward to trying to be as available as possible to the residents who elect me as their representative.

Gregory Moore (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

I absolutely intend on using social media such as Facebook or any other social media platform to communicate ideas and town issues in order to keep residents informed.

The last 9 years have left residents in the dark and unaware of issues pertaining directly to them. I intend on changing that as Deputy Mayor.

Dennis Sanson (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No contact information provided

Joe Shaw (Candidate for Deputy Mayor)

No response provided to this question.

Molly Allaire (Candidate for Councillor)

If elected I will most likely use these exact same social media outlets and maybe create a website. I am a transparent person and want to have a close connection with the public. The friendly atmosphere is why Amherstburg is so great.

Larry Amlin (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Lucas Anderson (Candidate for Councillor)

No contact information provided

Andrew Argoselo (Candidate for Councillor)

No contact information provided

Peter Courtney (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Linden Crain (Candidate for Councillor)

If elected, I will continue using all of my social media platforms to share important Town updates, community events, and gather feedback from residents. I also plan to start a monthly email newsletter to share additional updates and recap exciting initiatives/projects being led by the Town and Council.

Frank DiPasquale (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Bill Fryer (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Tara Kearsey (Candidate for Councillor)

If elected, these social media sites will be active and monitored closely to provide residents with up-to-date information about council business, town activities, and scheduled events. There will also be regular blog posts on my website. For those residents who do not use social media, I will host monthly constituency meetings at local establishments so that every person has an opportunity to meet with me. For those with accessibility limitations, phone calls, zoom meetings and house calls are all possible alternatives that can be arranged. Open, transparent and frequent communication is a key responsibility for all elected officials. I promise that I will be available to listen and respond to your concerns.

Holger Kretschmann (Candidate for Councillor)

I will continue with my Twitter account but in addition have regular coffee shop meetings to reach out to all people to discuss any issues face to face. The lack of communication has been mentioned a lot during public meetings.

Donald McArthur (Candidate for Councillor)

I celebrated this community and engaged and informed voters using social media and my website during my four years on council and will enhance those communication efforts if I’m elected again.

I was active on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and used those social media platforms to support and promote community groups and Town businesses and events.

I also maintained a website dedicated to my Council activities at www.donaldmcarthur.com. I regularly blogged about Council decisions and I also sent out quarterly digital newsletters to all the residents who signed up to receive them.

The author of this very blog, who has attended nearly every Council meeting since 2015, praised me for those outreach efforts in a post on March 8, 2021: “He’s the only member of council that has a webpage, a blog and a regular newsletter. He is on social media getting facts out there more than the rest of council put together. Councillor McArthur is probably one of the hardest working members of council that I have seen (last term and this term).”

I wouldn’t have had any content to post to my social media channels, of course, if I didn’t make a concerted effort to consistently attend community events and participate in Town functions and charity fundraisers.

But I believe very strongly that political representatives need to be present and accessible at community events and use their platforms to support the volunteers, non-profit groups and small businesses that are the lifeblood of our community.

I was out in the community as much as possible during my first term of Council, making myself accessible to residents and supporting our community pillars, and I will bring this same sort of dedicated and responsive representation to my second term.

Diane Pouget (Candidate for Councillor)

No response provided to this question.

Marc Renaud (Candidate for Councillor)

If elected i will use facebook and twitter to communicate with residents.The towns website promotes emails for the council elected.

Patricia Simone (Candidate for Councillor)

For the past four years as councillor, I have used social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), and the River Town Times to communicate with residents.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patricia.simone.927

Councillor Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimoneAburgCouncil

Twitter: @PatSimone_

Instagram: pdsimone

Cell: 5195661771

Gerry Theriault (Candidate for Councillor)

Lori Wightman (Candidate for Councillor)

Social media is a wonderful tool for informing, promoting, educating and communicating. I’d like to keep residents in the loop of the goings on of council through any or all of my social media and the sharing of those of others. My social media, as always, will promote our town and all it has to offer, our local businesses and our accomplished citizens. It’s one easy way to attract people and business to Amherstburg. I’d also like to use it to ensure that the correct information is put out to the public and that residents understand the how and the why of council decisions and know that they can contact me through whatever medium and expect an answer in a timely manner – whether it be social media, email or phone.

August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 amherstburg2

Monday August 15th Special town council meeting

I am deeply and profoundly disappointed. This council couldn’t make a decision about the Libro Master Plan two years ago because they felt it was too much money and they didn’t want to plan for developing and using that park/property. This council couldn’t make a decision about the Duffy’s property two weeks ago ($2 Million) and dumped it all to the next council. This council couldn’t make a decision about a new fire hall tonight when the Fire Chief laid it on the line that it is a NEED. But this council did not even question dumping $6 Million dollars into two parks in their final hours before they go lame duck. Had they at least deferred these two parks too I could have at least given them a pass for being consistent. But the one “extra” project gets passed without even really talking about the money! They also received a report tonight about the province forcing municipalities to have asset management plans (our asset management is very underfunded) and then they added $6 Million MORE in assets for the next council to deal with. I think they made the wrong decision and worse than that, they made a wrong decision for all the wrong reasons.

There were about 30 vocal residents in the gallery that clearly did not want the new fire hall approved (clapping etc.). Even after the Fire Chief spoke about the health and safety of our firefighters being in peril. Firefighters can go home with toxins on their bodies because there are no shower facilities, but council wouldn’t spend the money to have proper facilities? Yet, these same residents clapped and cheered when council committed for the next council to dump $6 Million into two neighbourhood parks. I heard one of them say “This is a real win!” For whom? Not our firefighters. Not our taxpayers. Not the next council. Not for our town’s future.

Here’s the recap. And yes, the meeting lasted over three hours. With a couple of breaks and some technical issues. I’ve never been so thankful to see a council go lame duck as this one. If 200 people in Amherstburg “wanted” them to buy swampland in Florida, they probably would.

How many times have I sat through Councillor Courtney going on and on about “wants” and “needs”. Wouldn’t a new fire hall be a “need”? Wouldn’t redeveloping two parks be a “want”? This council has deferred so many decisions for 4 long years, but just as I thought, they rammed those two parks through in the final hour and they seemed indifferent about the cost! They’ll probably try to say “Look! We made a decision! We did something! We invested in these two parks!” But did they really? Think about it…..who will have to figure out a plan and where to find $6 Million dollars to invest in these two parks? The next council will…..This council really did nothing at all. Again.

Tonight’s meeting was brought to you by the letter D for disappointing and disheartening and the letter P for pontification and pandering. For those of you who watched the show, I mean the meeting, you’ll know that it was chock full of pandering to the crowd.

**Deputy Mayor Meloche was absent tonight**

DELEGATIONS

Proposed Gymnasium – Joseph Thachen-Cary, Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association (AISA) (Supplementary agenda)

Mr Thachen-Cary addressed council. He spoke about the need for the gymnasium that was proposed to be attached to the new fire hall. (But since the fire hall isn’t happening, well……but he / we didn’t know that yet I guess….) He said that the price that was quoted for the gymnasium in the report was unaffordable. However, he wanted to continue to work toward the project. He was asking council to provide clear direction for administration to continue to work with the Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association. He said that they had a business plan to contribute to the gym and wanted to be a responsible organization to the community and a vibrant party of the Libro. (That really stuck with me! How awesome!)

He felt that they would be able to contribute around $170,000 to $200,000 per year in user fees which would cover costs such as hydro and maintenance. Councillor McArthur felt that the price was sticker shock (I would agree, it was $7.9 Million for the gymnasium). Councillor McArthur also felt that the gymnasium was a need and wanted administration to work with the organization. (Strange that he later voted down the fire hall to which the “needed” gymnasium would be attached…..?) However, Councillor McArthur was prepared, at least for this part of the meeting and had a motion ready. He made a motion for administration to continue to work with the group to find a resolution. As well, he directed administration to work with a third party about costs of the gymnasium and to use the remaining balance previously approved to explore possibilities at the Libro Centre. He added that the funding for the 2023 budget include consideration for the gymnasium. (I was quite impressed but it was very short-lived. The meeting started off up-beat, Councillor McArthur seemed prepared to move this along, little did I know how low it would all sink….)

The motion carried.

Then, the rules of order were waived to allow a resident to speak who had not prepared a delegation form in advance. And the disorder and chaos began.

Mr Theriault spoke, at length, about each item in the evening’s agenda. He was concerned about all of the spending items. (At least he mentioned the spending on the parks and not just the rest of it I guess.) At one point though, he was interrupted by Councillor Simone since the people at home were unable to hear him even though he was at the podium and speaking into the microphone. At this point, Mr DiPasquale stood and called a point of order since he felt that Mr Theriault was grandstanding since he is a candidate and is seeking to be elected in October. Mr Theriault felt otherwise and a brief back and forth ensued. The Mayor suggested that they take it outside…..

After about a 15 minute recess to fix the technical difficulties, Mr Theriault continued. I’m not going to quote his numbers since several of them were corrected later during the meeting as it progressed.

At least when he finished speaking, council simply received the delegation and moved on. I guess if I have to dig for a bright side, that’s about it.

PRESENTATIONS

2021 Asset Management Plan – Jordan Gonda, Senior Asset Management Consultant, PSD Citywide

Mr Gonda presented the Asset Management plan to council. He explained that having an asset management plan is an Ontario regulation for all municipalities to have in place. The plan he was presenting satisfied the needs for 2022 and for 2024. He mentioned that for 2025 that council would need to look at proposed levels of service and that having an asset management plan is generally good practice.

It seems that the town has a replacement asset portfolio of $1 Billion. (Let that sink in for a minute). It costs money to maintain these assets. As we have seen over the last several years, money has not been invested in maintaining our parks, roads etc….and here we are. According to the report, there is a backlog of $79 Million and yeary capital requirements of $24 Million. If I understood correctly, it seems that there is about $100,000 cost for assets per household in infrastructure. Mr Gonda mentioned that overall, 71% of our assets are in fair or better condition and do not require immediate need…. (but 29% do ?) Mr Gonda also noted that there is a significant backlog of $79 Million in infrastructure needs. (But hey, great idea council…..add $6 Million more in infrastructure as your last hurrah on your way out the door…..) Basically, the way to close the gap is to have a certain level of tax increases per year just to cover the infrastructure costs. Looks like the provincial government has to force the municipalities hand since they continue to pander to tax increases that are just simply too low in order to maintain our infrastructure.

It was noted repeatedly that the asset management plan would be a live document that would be modified continuously.

At this point, Mayor DiCarlo brought forward that report associated with this presentation.

2022 Asset Management Financial Strategy

Councillor Prue noted that according to the presentation an annual tax increase of 1.5% was recommended just to cover infrastructure costs. However, administration’s report recommended a 2.5% tax increase annually to cover infrastructure costs. There was some back and forth but ultimately it was decided that the number was to be 1.5%…..(But later when council decided to add another $6 Million dollars in infrastructure for two neighbourhood parks…..maybe 2.5% will be necessary??) Councillor Prue felt that with more houses being built, that would increase the town’s revenue, so perhaps the increase in taxes wouldn’t be necessary. (I always enjoy how certain councillors try to twist things….) However, Mr Gonda pointed out that while more homes increase the tax contribution, it also increases the infrastructure needs (roads, water, parks, sidewalks etc.)

Councillor Prue felt that this whole Asset Management Plan was happening because the provincial government passed legislation making this a requirement. He seemed, to me, to feel this was unfair? (Maybe the province saw how awful this current council is at planning and making decisions? Only way to make them plan was to force legislation? I dunno…..) CAO Critchley confirmed that it is a government requirement and that the provincial government then uses the document when they are allocating grant money to the municipalities. (i.e. if the town is going to ask for grant money, they need documentation to prove that they have their house in order….)

Councillor McArthur noted that the province was recommending a 15 year plan but that the staff report was recommending a 10-year plan. (At this point, I was happy to see a plan of any type quite frankly….)

I missed the next few minutes of the meeting since someone in the gallery did not turn off their ringer and their phone was ringing. Out loud. During the meeting. How distracting.

Councillor Courtney then spoke about compound interest. He seemed to take a shot at previous councils for having built a water facility that can serve 50,000 residents when we are only 23,000 residents. He felt that we have to stand alone to fund it and that other municipalities share costs. (Later in the meeting, Councillor Courtney would fully support building a track and another splash pad…..guess who’s going to come to Amherstburg to use them? People from other municipalities…..Just a thought….)

After some hemming and hawing and pontificating…..Council approved the recommendations. We will have an asset management plan in place. (Quite frankly, it’s necessary. Why the pontificating? Oh wait, it’s silly season…..)

South Fire Station Design – Reema Masri, Masri O Architects

Ms Masri presented to council via Zoom. It was difficult to hear her presentation. However, I had read the report about the new fire hall and gymnasium that had been included in the agenda, so I was able to follow along well enough. Mayor DiCarlo told her that council would not be moving forward with the concept with the gymnasium and that she could simply present the concept for the new fire hall to be built at the Libro.

South Fire Station – Design and Funding Approvals

In August of 2021, this current council directed administration to proceed with a plan for two new fire halls. Currently, there are three fire halls. The plan in front of council was to build a new fire hall at the Libro Centre which would consolidate the fire hall attached to town hall and the fire hall currently in Malden. Council approved this direction one year ago. But tonight, as per their usual decision-making abilities, they were all over the map and then decided to do nothing. Hang on to your hats.

The price for this new fire hall is around $11.6 Million. (Pre-Covid it was estimated to be around $8 Million). Councillor Simone felt that the price was sticker shock and wondered if there would be a way to build the fire hall for less money.

Fire Chief Montone said that the cost estimate is the worst case scenario. He said that certain costs could be reduced based on how the tendering document is written.

Councillor Courtney said that when he saw the 360 degree view that he thought it was a ski chalet. He wondered if the town had given an upset limit for the building. (Councillor Courtney didn’t have an issue adding a SECOND splash pad and a SECOND tobogganing hill later in the meeting to another park….why any issues with a nice fire hall? )

Fire Chief Montone said that there had been no upset limit since this was a conceptual plan. It was a modest structure with all of the basics of a fire hall. Chief Montone said that they had looked at the market. The newest station in Windsor, built in 2016 cost $7.2 Million and that Amherstburg’s proposed structure was nothing compared to it.

Councillor Courtney then started firing off costs incurred in other municipalities for fire halls even dating back 10 years to 2012. Fire Chief Montone was able to easily justify the numbers and the costs for this building and reminded Councillor Courtney that it’s important if comparing costs to compare apples to apples. The Fire Chief explained that our fire hall would only have one bedroom and one kitchen and it would be saving 3000 square feet in space and maintenance. It would be eliminating at least $25,000 in operating costs annually by having the same number of vehicles in two properly placed locations.

Councillor Courtney asked if this was the opportune time to build a fire station. (For any of you that read the report…..the roof is leaking badly, contractors won’t even walk on the roof, the facilities are old and outdated and do not meet health and safety requirements……council approved the plan to move in this direction and build a new fire hall, but okay, let’s not follow through on it…..but let’s build another splash pad and another sledding hill…..who NEEDS a new fire hall?)

Chief Montone explained that this is step one. There had been a previous report about the current fire halls and council gave direction to move to a two fire station model. He said that the design phase had been done tonight and included a cost estimate. He said that if council was happy with the design, then develop a tender document to get some pricing in place. He mentioned that they could put a dollar figure as a cap in the RFP. They could then modify and look for savings with the proposals. If any bids were to come in under the cap, then the next council would need to approve one of the bids. He said that it would likely be late 2022 or early 2023 before any of the bids would be in. CAO Critchley explained that if council puts a cap on the project and any of them come in under budget, then they have to be approved.

Councillor Courtney then asked the Fire Chief if he felt that this was fiscally responsible and good sound business when they were told a new fire station would be $8 Million. (Last meeting before going lame duck and a member of council still doesn’t understand that council is responsible to make the decisions……and that council had directed administration to come back with a plan for the fire station…..and here was the plan…..nothing like trying to deflect your responsibilities?) Councillor Courtney then fired off a bunch of questions to the Fire Chief.

Fire Chief Montone mentioned that the initial estimates were based on similar fire stations from 2018 and 2019. He said that the reports were clear that they were based on 2018 dollars. He noted that since that time 5 years ago, construction costs in housing have more than doubled. He explained that this new facility would be the main facility and would also house administrative staff. He noted that two of the fire halls are 60 years old and the main fire hall in town is almost 30 years old. He noted that water runs down the walls when it rains and that the costs to repair it are excessive. He noted that there is no space for staff at the current fire hall. He also noted that if council were to change direction and add on to the main fire hall, that there would be a significant parking loss, when there is already a lack of parking at town hall. He noted that the construction costs were $375 per square foot and that is today’s cost to construct such a facility. He noted that a renovation would cost $1.9 Million for the existing fire hall and the roof repairs would be another additional $1.5 Million…..

Councillor Courtney then interrupted the Chief and started arguing with him. The Mayor used his gavel and it calmed things down a bit. Temporarily.

Councillor Courtney said that he would not support the new fire hall since it was “nowhere near” what this council had budgeted for. (Did this council actually budget at all for this?)

Fire Chief Montone went on to explain that the fire halls that we currently have are in dire straits. He noted that pages 2 to 5 of the report clearly shows the inadequacies and the lack of maintenance to the building for 30 years. (Remember that report about how we aren’t properly funding and maintaining our assets? That report from 5 minutes ago? Remember that one? LOL) Fire Chief Montone explained that council asked him to come to Amherstburg and help fix the problems. He noted that the Malden Fire station does not have shower facilities, so the firefighters can not wash the toxins off of their bodies – like Mr Courtney can in Windsor – and then have to go home with toxins on their bodies. Chief Montone continued on and on about all of the things that are lacking, such as separate washrooms for female and male firefighters. The list went on and on. He noted that he was hired to address health and safety needs and that the town NEEDS this new facility.

Councillor Courtney grudgingly admitted that showers are needed but that this fire hall seems too grandiose and that a simpler model with a better price point would be better. (Then make a motion and set an upset limit!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to yell it out! It was so painfully obvious. But I’ve learned that only certain people can break the rules of order during a meeting….I wasn’t going to risk getting kicked out…..)

Fortunately, Fire Chief Montone just said it. He told council AGAIN to get it to the next step to just put a cap on it and then let them design a tender document.

Councillor Simone asked if $5.6 Million was the correct number just for the necessary upgrades to the existing facilities. Fire Chief Montone confirmed that yes, $5.6 Million would be necessary but that the town would still have two 60-year old buildings and one 30-year old building. (Did she forget that council directed administration to move to a two-station model? Why did we seem to be moving backwards to suddenly just try to repair and patch failing structures?)

And then, just as I had predicted, Councillor Prue spoke. He wondered why council should have to deal with this tonight. He felt that what is council losing by waiting a few months?….. (Funny it’s okay to wait a few months for a fire hall, but not two neighbourhood parks? Seems like odd priorities to me…..) The Fire Chief explained that if the plan is shelved, they would have to start over and that construction even now would be one to two years away. (Don’t forget folks, this council had no problem shoving the Libro Master Expansion Plan in a box and throwing it on a shelf somewhere…..looks like the same thing was about to happen to our fire department….If you fail to plan, you plan to fail…..pretty dangerous game to play with a fire station…..)

Councillor McArthur was disappointed in the $12 Million price and felt he did not want to commit future councils to this debt. (But two parks for $6 Million is okay? Because it’s half the price?)

Councillor Courtney then made a motion simply to receive the report. (My jaw hit the floor.) Thankfully nobody seconded it.

However, the next option wasn’t much better…..Councillor Prue made a motion to defer the report and the decision to the next council for their first meeting December 5th. And that carried. Unanimously. Unbelievable.

It was now 7:10 PM…..we had been there for over two hours….

Salary Market Compensation Review

I have read way too many reports over the last 8 years about how Town of Amherstburg staff is underpaid compared to others in municipalities of the same size. Well, here’s another one. Interesting how there has been a lot of concern about the staff turnover in town hall…..yet some don’t feel that “poaching” is a viable reason? Well, it’s pretty clear, everyone else is paying more money…..

The firm that did the study used multiple other municipalities as comparators.

The report recommendation was to implement a salary grid to the 65th percentile in order to keep staff wages competitive.

There were a few questions but ultimately Councillor McArthur made the motion to proceed as recommended in the report. He noted that staff is valuable and that with staff turnover there were projects that weren’t done and services not offered. He noted that there are multiple studies about the high cost to staff turnover in any organization. He noted that this was no Cadillac policy and that it was just a solid pay grid that put our staff in the middle of the pack. Councillor Simone seconded it and it passed.

Jack Purdie and H. Murray Smith Centennial Park Master Plan Approval

Mayor DiCarlo declared a conflict of pecuniary interest since his home is 60 meters from Jack Purdie Park. Both parks were mentioned in both reports.

Since Deputy Mayor Meloche was absent, council had to choose someone to chair the meeting. Councillor Courtney felt that since Councillor Prue is running for Mayor, it should be him. And so it was. (Interesting glimpse into what type of chair of a meeting he may be, if elected…..rules of order were waived multiple times, people spoke, sometimes with disrespect, one person even used a foul word and that was laughed about…..this part of the meeting wasn’t very orderly at all and involved a lot of pandering to the crowd, in my opinion…..is that what the future of Amherstburg will look like?)

As I said, the rules of order were waived immediately. And when rules of order get waived, that means, well, there is no order, or very little….

Mr Smith spoke first. He said that he represented “his dad’s park”. He felt that his family was not informed that Centennial Park would be sold to the school board. He noted that he is the only one of the children left in Amherstburg. He said that he felt ashamed of this town (Amherstburg) and that it is only an address to him now. He then left the meeting angrily.

Councillor McArthur noted that there is currently no money for those two parks and wondered why it was important to commit to a vision and then go budget by budget.

Ms Baillargeon, Director of Parks, felt that the design approval was the first step. (Sound familiar after the fire hall fiasco?) She noted that without design approval that the parks cannot move forward. (Do you see where this is going? Council couldn’t approve a design for a NEEDED fire hall but could approve two designs for two parks that don’t even line up with the Parks Master Plan? All political games here folks…..)

Before I continue, note that both projects will have to be financed and figured out in the 2023 budget, when some of the current council or maybe none of the members of the current council will be present to make it all happen.

The Master Plan for Jack Purdie Park includes a new play structure (fall 2022), a splash pad, pavilion with washrooms and change area, trails, sports court, trees, benches, a sledding hill and the list goes on. The price tag is $3,036,330.00

The Master Plan for Centennial Park offers two “possibilities”. Concept Plan 1(no track) with a price tag of $2,953,000.00 OR Concept Plan 2 (track) with a price tag of $3,381,085.00.

Based on about 220 people filling out a survey, the following is on the table : Refurbishing the old ACS building on the corner for washroom use for the public (2023 budget of course) and no long term care facility or affordable assisted living facility. But the plan would include a multi functional sport court, tennis courts, walking paths, lighting, outdoor fitness stations, retention of the tobogganing hill, trees, site furnishings and open passive park space. Both options include these amenities but option 2 includes the track on top of the rest of the amenities. (Just a side note….this council put the skate park just across the street from this location and had no end of trouble with vandalism and even many issues with people using the washrooms in the Hub. Is it logical to invest money and refurbish washrooms in an abandoned building? Toddy Jones washrooms have also fallen victim to vandalism. You know which washrooms have never fallen victim to vandalism? The Libro. I wonder why? Maybe because the Libro is a mecca of activity, filled with people and staff. It’s such a shame that this council can not recognize the asset that we have at the Libro and build on that, rather than try to piece-meal things all over the place with very little planning. And no budgeting.)

Note these recommendations from the Parks Master Plan that was approved by the previous council :

Recommendation #63.Replacement of the Centennial Park outdoor running track is not recommended.

Recommendation #66. Examine options for the remaining portion of Centennial Park, including community consultation.

Recommendation #73. Relocate many major outdoor recreation amenities currently housed at Centennial Park to the Libro Credit Union Centre. This may include: skateboard park, ball diamonds (4), tennis courts, and basketball courts. Future considerations for the Libro Centre Credit Union Centre (in addition to the re-location of Centennial Park amenities) include development of a second splash pad and installation of interpretive signage and features to promote appropriate access to Big Creek. A concept plan should be developed to guide investment.

So it looks like recommendation #66 was done, but #63 and #73 were blatantly ignored?

Councillor McArthur had questions about changing the track. The rules of order were waived again to allow someone from the gallery to speak. She seemed to be a member of the parent council for the high school. Ms Sharman (I think?) said that the board does not have money for a track and that the parent council would have to raise the money if they wanted one on school property. Councillor McArthur wondered why the track only had a cost of about $300,000 when the board had mentioned $2 Million.

****Ms Baillargeon explained that it wouldn’t really be a track (as in a track and field track) that they would just shift it using the base. It would simply be resurfaced asphalt and not rubberized. A track would be in the millions of dollars – as in a track and field track.***** Please note that the word “track” was used all evening long, but it does not mean a full service track and field track.

Councillor Courtney said that he was very excited and that this will give direction and fulfill what the residents wanted. (All 200 ish of them…..but I digress….) He went on about how he is “old school” and so proud. He had reached out to the Purdie family and the Renaud family and they were pleased. Then he went on about how we’re losing the historical features of this town…..(Considering that Councillor Courtney has not been a big proponent of historical buildings in Amherstburg, I almost got the feeling that he meant that there’s just too much change going on in Amherstburg…..that he seems to like things how they used to be? I’m not sure….) Councillor Courtney then wondered if it would be possible to put a time limit for fundraising for the track portion. (Did ANYBODY read the Parks Master Plan? Anybody? Bueller? Bueller?….Who needs a council approved Parks Master Plan when you will just randomly duplicate things and spread them out all over town?....)

Councillor Simone wondered if the School Board had mentioned the need to acquire more land. She also wondered about the status of the old ACS building.

Ms Baillargeon explained that the former ACS building needs some TLC but that the bones are good. She felt that it could be an asset. She said that there may be further dialogue with the school board.

(I want everyone to take a step back for a minute. Put ALL of your emotion aside and just use the logical part of your brain. There are 1,400 family homes that will be built within the next few years – construction is underway – one to two kilometers away from the new high school. The new high school is being built based on their EXACT enrollment at this moment. The odds that enrollment will increase are pretty high based on how the town is growing and how it is growing out towards the Libro Centre….Does it make financial sense to dump money into property that the town will likely need to sell to the school board for an expansion in the future? The old General Amherst building had two (maybe 3?) additions….many new schools require portables and additions shortly after construction……Now think about the old ACS building. It is COVERED in graffiti, on the brick, on the siding, on the windows….I could post pictures but the graffiti is far too vulgar. Should we really dump money into a building to have public washrooms available for a community park? Just one year ago we had to foot the bill for a lot of vandalism right across the street at the HUB when the skate park was located there. Hmmm…..washrooms in an unoccupied building…..what could possibly go wrong? – sarcasm clearly – It’s like this council is trying to move the town backwards to 1955 to what Centennial Park USED TO BE! The town has changed, children have changed…..there is a Parks Master Plan to guide council, yet it is blatantly ignored. Council cast aside the Libro Master Plan, yet is putting the brakes on moving forward…..it is mind boggling…..all to pander to a few vocal people???? I just don’t get it…..I hope that the voters are watching and seeing what is really going on here…..)

The rules of order were waived again. Ms Thrasher spoke on behalf of the Golden Age Club. She requested to have the old ACS building back for their use. She felt that the building had been given to them and now they are being moved from room to room at the Libro Centre. She said that there are so many rumours that the town is selling that property.

Councillor Prue clarified that the property has not been sold. (I knew that already. It’s sad that there are people that blatantly spread rumours and misinformation to create unrest…..)

Councillor Renaud felt that council needed a vision about the two parks. (The time was two years ago, not in the final hours of your term….)

Councillor Prue was chairing the meeting and felt that council should declare that the two parks will not be declared surplus and will not be sold. He also wanted a motion that the old ACS building be refurbished for washrooms and senior use. He also said that should there not be any interest in fundraising for a track that the McCurdy name be placed on the old ACS building. The Smith name would remain for the remainder of the “park” and the Renaud name for the hill. He felt that we shouldn’t lose history. (Seems like this is more about naming rights than history, but I digress….)

And again, the rules of order were waived. Larry Amlin then addressed council. He noted that the assets inside the old ACS building were auctioned off. (FYI, that was a decision made by this current council.) He also felt that the Economic Development Committee had been told that the old ACS building had been sold. (Well, whoever told them that was not telling the truth I guess.)

And then finally, there was a motion. Albeit, a regressive motion that the next council will have to deal with…..And again, note that this council couldn’t make a decision about the need of a new fire hall, but they sure seemed well prepared to jam through a decision about two community parks…..that the next council will have to figure out how to fund….just wow.

So the motion was made to move forward with the Jack Purdie Park concept as presented and to move forward with the concept for Centennial that includes the “track” if funds can be generated within the community within 18 months. If that is not possible, then to proceed with option 1 for Centennial Park which does not include the track. Also a motion was made that both parks would not be declared surplus, the old ACS building would be refurbished for washroom use and community use and the the names Smith, Renaud and McCurdy would be retained – McCurdy would go on the old ACS building should the track not proceed with fundraising.

And all 5 members of council at the table raised their hands in support.

Political pandering at its finest. They should be ashamed.

But just remember everybody…..what they “decided” in order to make themselves look good, is not guaranteed. The only way it would have been guaranteed would have been if they had made these decisions in years one and two and followed through on them in years three and four. But they didn’t. The next council will be under no obligation to follow through on any of this spending. And this current council knows it. Political games at their finest.

There was a brief recess.

The rest of the meeting continued through quite quickly and adjourned at 8:11 PM.

I am still in shock one day later. Many that I have spoken to are as well.

I will give credit to the previous council right now…..they made decisions…..they approved a Parks Master Plan just to have it ignored by this council. Three members of the previous council did not cave to a small vocal minority about the police switch and they made the right decision based on the needs of the entire town.

This council has left us with a legacy of indecision. And then the one decision they pushed through in the final hour was simply pandering to a small vocal minority. This council lacked vision and they did not plan. And here we are. No plan for a NEEDED fire hall and $6 Million dollars to be spent on two community parks….oh but that’s okay. The next council can figure that all out I guess…..

August 12, 2022August 13, 2022 amherstburg2

In preparation for Monday August 15th Regular town council meeting

Well Monday night’s agenda is a mere 347 pages BUT is jam-packed with last minute spending “decisions”. This council didn’t approve the Libro Master Plan two years ago but suddenly has to jam through a last-minute decision about Centennial Park and Jack Purdie Park??…..and then let the next council finance it?? They couldn’t approve any work to be done at Duffy’s either just a few weeks ago and decided to let the next council deal with that too. But here we are, in the final hours before council goes lame duck and then they won’t be able to make any decisions that have to do with spending…..and I bet they’re going to railroad through a bunch of projects that they will never have to even deal with. So much for vision! Here’s our “vision” 5 days before we’re lame duck and somebody else can deal with financing all of it. All in the name of politics and trying to make it look like they’ve done something it seems.

DELEGATIONS

Proposed Gymnasium – Joseph Thachen-Cary, Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association (AISA) (Supplementary agenda)

This delegation was added to the agenda as I was typing up the pre-meeting blog. It has to do with the last item on Monday’s agenda which is the new fire hall. It seems that Mr Thachen-Cary will be delegating and requesting council to revisit the original business plan that the Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association had submitted for this new gymnasium.

PRESENTATIONS

2021 Asset Management Plan – Jordan Gonda, Senior Asset Management Consultant, PSD Citywide

Speaking of planning (or lack thereof), the first presentation to council on Monday night is an Asset Management Plan. According to the report, the town has a replacement asset portfolio of $1 Billion. (Let that sink in for a minute). It costs money to maintain these assets. As we have seen over the last several years, money has not been invested in maintaining our parks, roads etc….and here we are. According to the report, there is a backlog of $79 Million and yearly capital requirements of $24 Million.

They key considerations in the report are :

“● AMP is a snapshot in time; state of infrastructure is constantly changing

○ EXAMPLE: recent decision to reduce 3 fire halls down to 2

○ EXAMPLE: recent assessment of parking lots estimates an addition ~$8 million replacement cost

● AMP provides high-level; long-term insights to managing infrastructure assets

○ EXAMPLE: large backlog of $79 million. Need to prioritize

○ EXAMPLE: long-term financial strategy to close funding gap

○ EXAMPLE: Condition assessments and whole-life activity planning key to understanding infrastructure needs.

● Roads and Bridges renewal follows recommendations of third party assessments. All other assets assume replacement at end of life. A suitable backlog and risk tolerance needs to be assessed to determine a more realistic capital needs

● Operating costs excluded from this analysis. A detailed study may be required to understand the true operating requirements to maintain service levels.”

To sum it all up, the town is going to need MAJOR amounts of money just to maintain the infrastructure that we already have….but I guess the next council will have to deal with that too and figure out a plan.

For those who are interested, here’s the link to the full presentation. It’s a fairly easy read, and it’s a real eye-opener. https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=8596

South Fire Station Design – Reema Masri, Masri O Architects

For this portion of the agenda it says “Presentationt to follow”. However, there is a report to council further down in the agenda about the new fire station design.

2022 Asset Management Financial Strategy

To coincide with the report above, about asset management, the firm is also providing a financial strategy. Once again, it looks like the next council will have to deal with it. Here’s a portion of the report :

“Recommendation as stated from the Asset Management Report Presentation:

a) Financial Strategy Recommendation – Tax Funded Infrastructure:

Recommendation of the 10-year option. This involves full CapEx funding being achieved over 10 years by:

a) When realized, reallocating the debt cost reductions of $22 thousand to the infrastructure deficit as outlined above.

b) Increasing tax revenues by 2.5% each year for the next 10 years solely for the purpose of phasing in full funding to the asset categories covered in this section of the AMP.

c) Reallocating appropriate revenue from categories in a surplus position to those in a deficit position.

d) Increasing existing and future infrastructure budgets by the applicable inflation index on an annual basis in addition to the deficit phase-in.

e) Allocating the current gas tax and OCIF revenue as outlined previously.

f) Allocating the scheduled OCIF grant increases to the infrastructure deficit as they occur. “

Here is the recommendation from administration :

It is recommended that:

1. The report from PSD for the 2022 Asset Management Financial Strategy BE RECEIVED;

2. Council ADOPT the recommended Financial Strategy as proposed in the report; and,

3. Council DIRECT Administration to include these recommendations in the 2023 – 2028 Capital Budget.

Notice how #3 includes the budget for the next 5 years (long after this council’s term is over?). For anyone interested in the full report, here’s the link : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=8579

Salary Market Compensation Review

The firm that did the study used multiple other municipalities as comparators. Here it is, from the report, in black and white :

“A review of the market analysis reveals that:

On aggregate, Amherstburg currently pays below the 50th percentile vis a vis its municipal comparator group
The majority of positions on the current wage grid are paid below the 65th percentile which is the Town’s established pay target

Further, the factors that have led to this result include:

The fact that many of the comparator municipalities have completed a salary review in the last 5 years and have adjusted their salary grids accordingly;
Many of the comparators have revisited their compensation policies and have adjusted their comparator pool and/or increased the target market percentile above the 50th percentile to achieve competitive job rates; and
Locally, all municipalities within the County have established their compensation policy to target between the 55th and 75th percentile.”

And from the risk analysis of the report, read closely : “Failing to maintain the existing compensation program at the 65th percentile and acting quickly to implement the associated recommendations leaves the Town vulnerable to worsening discontent of existing employees who have been patiently awaiting the outcome, erode credibility for newly recruited employees in key positions who were advised that the review was well underway and may have positive impacts on their compensation as well as our ability to effectively recruit and retain going forward. Should Council wish not to adopt the proposed salary market adjustment for nonunion/management staff there is a SIGNIFICANT operational risk to the Town as we move forward. Staff are beginning to fall below market comparisons within the region and will continue to fall below compensation levels of comparator municipalities which will be further compounded by maintaining what is coming to be seen as a protracted 5- year review cycle.”

Needless to say, the recommendation is to implement a salary grid to the 65th percentile in order to keep staff wages competitive.

I’m putting the link to the whole report for any of my readers who continue to think (and say) that our town staff are overpaid. : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=8592

Jack Purdie and H. Murry Smith Centennial Park Master Plan Approval

And here we are. Plans are ready for council to make a “decision” for a Master Plan for Centennial Park and a Master Plan for Jack Purdie Park. Don’t forget folks, that this council shelved the Master Plan for the Libro Centre two years ago. Why the big rush now to approve plans for these two parks? I suspect it’s political games at their finest. Think how good they’ll look when they “decide” on a plan for each of these parks (at a cost of $3 Million dollars each) and then the next council has to figure out how to budget for it all!!!! Will the next council have to impose a massive tax increase for this to actually make it happen? Can the next council even afford to make any of this happen? There’s no money for it now, how will there be money for it in six months? Oh and remember that asset management plan? This council will add yet more assets to the docket and then somebody else will have to figure out how to afford to maintain them? I think I smell some stinky electioneering in all of this.

Here are the recommendations from administration :

It is recommended that:

Council APPROVE the Conceptual Master Plan for Jack Purdie Park as presented in Appendix A;
Funding for the phased implementation be DEFERRED to the 2023 Budget Deliberations as this project is expected to be phased in over a number of years;
Council APPROVE one of the options presented for H. Murray Smith Centennial Park as presented in Appendix B; and,
Funding for the phased implementation be DEFFERED to the 2023 Budget Deliberations as this project is projected to be phased in over a number of years.

The Master Plan for Centennial Park offers two “possibilities”. Concept Plan 1(no track) with a price tag of $2,953,000.00 OR Concept Plan 2 (track) with a price tag of $3,381,085.00.

Note these recommendations from the Parks Master Plan that was approved by the previous council :

Recommendation #63.Replacement of the Centennial Park outdoor running track is not recommended.

Recommendation #66. Examine options for the remaining portion of Centennial Park, including community consultation.

So it looks like recommendation #66 was done, but #63 and #73 were blatantly ignored?

I read these reports, plans, attachments in their entirety. In my opinion, this is exactly why people don’t trust the government. This council is going to make a “decision” about these two parks without having any obligation to follow through, since the election will change the faces of the town council. The next council will either have to implement a significant tax increase to fund these options or they will have to un-do the decision. And this current council will have walked away. Strange that they’ve had such difficulty making decisions for 4 years and yet suddenly MUST make a decision on the two parks? The Libro Master Plan was cast aside, with no decision, Duffy’s was cast aside a few weeks ago with no decision, but suddenly now is the time to push through two plans for two parks with a cost of over $6 Million ? I think I smell something fishy going on……in a ploy to get votes? They’ll be able to claim that they did something. But did they really? Look at the big picture here folks.

Dump Truck for Water Department – Award of Tender

A new dump truck for the water department went out for tender. Here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. The Dump Truck for Water Department Tender BE AWARDED to Carrier Centers in an amount of $194,935 plus HST; and,

2. The Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to execute a Purchase Order to Carrier Centers for an amount of $194,935 plus HST.

Council had budgeted $200,000 for this truck, so it came in just under budget. Good news.

Dump Truck with Winter Package – Award of Tender

However, this dump truck came in over budget. Not so good news. Here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. The Dump Truck with Winter Package Tender BE AWARDED to Carrier Centers in an amount of $284,391 plus HST;

2. The Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to execute a Purchase Order to Carrier Centers for an amount of $284,391 plus HST; and,

3. Council APPROVE the over-expenditure amount of $64,396.28 to be funded from Development Charges.

Designation of Community Improvement Project Area – Economic Development

It is being recommended that town council designated an area of Amherstburg (it’s shown on the map in the report – a pretty big chunk of town) for an Economic Development Community Improvement Project Area.

From the report : “In any established area of the Town where there is evidence that physical and/or socioeconomic change may occur if no public action is taken, Council in conjunction with the citizens shall determine whether it is in the best interest of the area and the Town as a whole to encourage such change by directing a program of orderly transformation or to encourage the conservation of the area.

Where the effects of physical and/or socio-economic change are already in evidence, Council shall determine in a similar manner whether or not this change is in the best interest of the area and the Town as a whole and, therefore, whether or not to encourage the rehabilitation and conservation of the area or its orderly transformation.”

I couldn’t help but notice the words “Town as a whole”. Hopefully the next council is able to make decisions based on the well-being of the town as a whole. I think that has been lacking with this council.

Here is the report with the map for those that are curious : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=8590

South Fire Station – Design and Funding Approvals

Some time ago, this council decided to go with a two fire-station model for Amherstburg. Our current fire halls are not in good condition and can not physically accommodate new fire trucks, since new fire trucks are larger than when the halls were built. The report outlines in great detail the poor conditions of our existing fire halls (one is so bad that the roof leaks and contractors refuse to walk on it…..remember that report earlier in the meeting about the costs to maintain infrastructure?????? hmmmmm……) Anyway, here we are. We need to get moving on building the new fire hall. The prices and plans are in. It’s a cool $11.6 Million dollars. Administration is recommending that council take on debt to construct the new building. (Once again, the next council will have to deal with this, but I digress.) Here are the recommendations :

It is recommended that:

1) The presentation from Masri O Architects regarding the design of a NewSouth Fire Station BE RECEIVED;

2) Council APPROVE the proposed South Fire Station floor plan, which contains a total of 1858.7111 square metres (20,007 sq. ft.) of operational space;

3) Council APPROVE the South Fire Station site plan which is situated on a parcel of land on the North East corner of the Libro Credit Union Centre property on County Road 18 (Pike Road) in proximity to the Meloche and Simcoe Road intersection;

4) Council APPROVE the issuance of debt for an amount not to exceed $11,680,864, plus non-recoverable HST, for the construction of the Fire Station;

5) Council DIRECT Administration to include in the 2023 Operational Budget the cost to fund the $11,680,864 Debenture;

6) Council DIRECT Administration to bring back to Council a by-law to address the borrowing and debenture required for this project;

7) The design for the gymnasium BE RECEIVED;

8) Funding for the gymnasium BE DEFFERED to the 2023 Capital Budget deliberations for Council to consider in concert with other priorities and initiatives of the Town, and,

9) Administration BE DIRECTED to work with Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association on potential funding strategies and grant opportunities to help reduce the overall operational and capital expenditure for the gymnasium or explore other options.

There had been talk of building a gymnasium attached to the new fire hall but the price tag came in at $7.9 Million for that…..so it’s being recommended to defer that to the new council……There is a delegation that was added as a supplementary agenda item about this issue.

For those who are interested in the full report about the new fire hall, here’s the link : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=8600

So that’s it, that’s all. This special meeting of council will be special all right! LOL! Four years filled with indecision, micromanaging, lack of vision, lack of planning, will come down to one evening of spend, spend, spend and let the next council deal with it! I am anticipating pontification, electioneering and even some excuses. But just remember everybody…..whatever they “decide” in order to make themselves look good, is not guaranteed. The only way it would have been guaranteed would have been if they had made these decisions in years one and two and followed through on them in years three and four. But they didn’t. The next council will be under no obligation to follow through on any of this spending. And this current council knows it. Political games at their finest.

I’ll be there Monday night and I’ll be watching very closely.

August 9, 2022 amherstburg2

Monday August 8th Regular town council meeting

If tonight proved anything to me, it’s that the town NEEDS a communications officer. Tonight’s meeting was pretty chaotic at times, people talking, everybody up in arms…..ultimately, everything got passed…..add on top that it’s silly season and that some members of council appeared to be using the meeting to do some campaigning (even if some of them haven’t declared their intention to run yet)…..that’s how it appeared, at least to me. So, I am going to try my best not to give them a platform for their pontification and electioneering within this blog. Ultimately, the commentary really doesn’t matter, when everything just gets passed right?

First, council had met in-camera at 4:00 to discuss :

That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 4:00 p.m. pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended for the following reasons:
Item A – Labour Relations/Employee Negotiations Matter – Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations.
Item B – Contract Negotiations – Section 239(2)(a) – The security of the property of the municipality or local board; Section 239(2)(i) – A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board, which, if disclosed, could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position, or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons, or organization; and, 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 C – Update on Litigation Matter – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; Section 239(2)(e) – Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board; and, Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

DELEGATIONS

Inquiries into the Town of Amherstburg’s Finances – Nancy Atkinson, Amherstburg Taxpayers Association

Ms Atkinson addressed council. (Editor’s note : the delegation had been changed somewhat from what was submitted and what I had read in the agenda. Perhaps due to my commentary in the pre-meeting blog?) Ms Atkinson said that she was speaking on behalf of the ATA from a motion made at their June meeting. She felt that they have respect for administration but noted that they are all new employees and feel that they receive second-hand information. She felt that with the up-coming election she needed a better understanding of the “why’s” and the “why-nots”. She feels that even though she reads the reports and the agendas that she has many unanswered questions. (Speaking for myself here, I also read the reports and the agendas and find them quite clear. And if I don’t understand, I reach out to a member of council and ask my question but I digress…..) Ms Atkinson did note that the reports are all available to the public.

She then listed off 5 questions (modified from the original delegation form)

She felt that with the perceived issues during the past 12 months if the Minister of Municipal Affairs had been called in. She wondered if the Minister would be called in for the next term to help the council make the transition.
She wondered about the cost of the latest audit report from KPMG. She wondered what the main concern for the audit was since the auditors repeatedly said that there was no criminal activity. She felt that the taxpayers money had been spent without permission.
She noted that the town has two Deputy Clerks. She wondered why the town is seeking to fill the position of clerk since the salaries in town hall are “top heavy” in her opinion.
She wondered if more information could be given about discussion items for in-camera meetings.
She wondered why only residents are held to a code of conduct during the meetings yet council can disrespect others. She wondered why the option of waiving the rules of order to allow residents to ask questions was no longer allowed. (Spoiler alert, the rules of order were waived dozens of times last night and the meeting was pretty chaotic and hard to follow or understand.) She wondered why council doesn’t engage the residents. They get elected and then sit back, she felt.

Ms Atkinson felt that the group wants to learn and vote accordingly. (Is a public council meeting the place to be asking questions for or about candidates? Just a thought….is this the correct forum for such questions?). Ms Atkinson also felt that this information is needed for when she pays the biggest bill of the year, her taxes. (I pay the bills in my household…..and no, my property taxes are nowhere near the biggest bill of the year…..how about you?)

Councillor Prue felt that calling in the Minister of Municipal Affairs can be risky, in that it can mean that council is not properly managing the town’s affairs. He noted that that could risk amalgamation so he would be reluctant to do so. Councillor Prue also reminded those of us who were not aware that he sat in the legislature for 13 years and that he and Steve Clark are buddies. (I fail to see how that is pertinent, but whatever….)

Ms Atkinson mentioned that three of the top people were walked out of town hall last year under strange circumstances. She then said that 24 people followed of their own accord or for other reasons. (I’m not sure where or how she came up to the number 24 – I know there were around 12 or so, but nobody on council asked her about that number, which is a shame. Now that number of 24 employees leaving remains out there as “fact”, and it may be, but it may not be, I don’t know who was counted in that number…..and neither does anybody else that was present for the meeting…..) She felt that this was a big problem to have 24 people leave in 10 months and wondered if there may be a toxic workplace to cause this problem.

Deputy Mayor Meloche agreed that it was a problem. He said he has run businesses and loss of staff is always concerning. He felt that many municipalities have the same problem. (We are currently advertising for a Clerk position. From what I understand, the rate of pay in Amherstburg is quite a bit less than in other municipalities…..Amherstburg is not known for paying the highest wages and people will certainly follow the money….and, in my opinion, this current council is not known for treating the staff that we do have with the respect that they deserve….but I digress again….So, perhaps there is a toxic environment, but perhaps it’s not coming from the top of administration as many seem to allude…..)

Councillor Courtney wondered if the cost of the audit was available. He admitted that the audit had been open-ended from council’s end as they were deciding on the scope of said audit. (Was it open ended because it was requested 4 months AFTER council decided to get rid of the top 3 administrators? Was council trying desperately to find something, anything to justify what they did? Pretty likely….since if something was amiss, that audit could have and should have been requested immediately, not 4 months later…..)

CAO Critchley said that the town had received a bill for $55,000 in May but that they have still not received a final bill from KPMG for the requested audit.

Councillor Courtney asked about the town’s organizational chart and why the town has two deputy clerks. CAO Critchley said that that is common practice to have combined positions and that the organizational chart in place is the one that she recommends.

Councillor Courtney felt that the in-camera meeting issue could be worked on. He wondered if there was a better way to archive the meetings and to share the resolutions from those meetings.

The CAO noted that according to the Ombudsman report, council did go in-camera properly and that minutes were taken. She said that in-camera meetings and procedures are taken seriously and that giving more information can be a judgment call.

Councillor Courtney then went on about accountability and transparency. He felt that waiving the rules of order during a meeting was always good. He also mentioned the revisions to the delegation form that he had had to look at that day. (And there it was. Again. Accountability. Transparency. Just remember folks, it only applies to administration…..never to council members right? Members of council will throw those two words out there about everyone else….Still no answer to my question about which members of council received the letters of admonition and letters of caution from the Integrity Commissioner…..Members of council don’t need to be accountable or transparent about their actions?)

Councillor McArthur noted that with the previous Clerk and the previous CAO that more information had been requested to be given about in-camera meetings. He felt that it may have fallen by the wayside with everything that has happened as of late. (I do recall that discussion and the Clerk at the time adjusting that information.) Councillor McArthur noted that in the City of Windsor, it shows how members of council voted in-camera even though it may not be an open motion. He felt that it was important to at least show if a vote was unanimous and that with the departure of the employees, council was in lockstep.

Councillor McArthur noted that he is never afraid to listen. However, he noted that if people speak at the meetings that it needs to be on-topic or that it causes disengagement. He noted that most times council does waive the rules of order to allow people to speak. He also noted that council meetings were not the only place to speak with members of council. He said that he is often at events and people will speak with him there. He also receives emails, texts and phone calls. He noted that there are a myriad of ways to connect with members of council. (And I couldn’t agree more! The marathon meetings do cause disengagement. Are some members of council encouraging these public shows at council meetings? Is it to encourage these public displays of “Trump-style” politics? Some members of council ignore emails and don’t reply….Some members of council rarely, if ever attend public events….I think it’s far more engaging for members of council to go to the people, rather than force the people to come to them…..just a thought….)

Councillor Renaud also noted that council members have email, cellphones and that they are out in public. (Some of them anyway, but I digress….)

Mayor DiCarlo noted that the Minister of Municipal Affairs was contacted but that they did not believe that they needed to come to Amherstburg.

Councillor Simone agreed that some things can be done better and she made a motion to receive the delegation.

2021 Year End Reporting: Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, Building Services Annual Statement, Development Charge Reserve Funds Statement, and 2021 Parkland Dedication Reserve Statement

KPMG presented an overview of their year-end reports to council. Councillor Prue felt that overall it looked like a good news audit with positive results. The auditor from KPMG agreed and went into some detail about various items. Councillor Prue then asked administration why the report did not get sent to the Audit and Finance Committee since that was a requirement. CAO Critchley explained that with the timing, it now being August, she felt that it needed to get straight to council. Councillor Prue then went on again about the page number and that KPMG recommended that the report go to the Audit and Finance Committee. Again, CAO Critchley mentioned the timing and that out of a need for expediency, the audited financial statements went straight to council. And again, Councillor Prue said that every year the report should go to the Audit and Finance Committee and that was the intention. The CAO said that if that is the will of council, it will be up to the new council to decide if they want that procedure next term. (And I thought my head would pop off! Council will be going lame duck next week!!! There was no time to spare here! That report had to get in front of council ASAP before they go lame duck! If council so badly needs volunteer committees to look everything over before they do, maybe the job of councillor is too difficult for them? They can’t look it over themselves, especially considering the very last-minute pressure of lame-duck looming? Ironically, somebody sitting near me thought the opposite, I heard someone say “I don’t think I like her” in reference to the CAO….Personally, I thought she was doing her very best under a huge time constraint, and wasn’t being much respect for it…..Guess it isn’t just the former CAO Miceli that gets criticized publicly during the meetings….)

Deputy Mayor Meloche had some questions and comments about the report and reserve, but ultimately, the motion was made and the recommendation was passed :

It is recommended that:

1. The report from the Treasurer and the Director of Corporate Services dated July 29, 2022 regarding 2021 Year End Reporting: Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, Building Services Annual Statement and Amended Development Charge Reserve Funds Statement BE RECEIVED;

2. The Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE APPROVED;

3. The Audit Findings Report of KPMG for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED; 4. Administration BE AUTHORIZED to post the 2021 Consolidated Financial Statements on the Town of Amherstburg website; 5. The Statement of Revenue and Expenses and Accumulated Net Expense for Building Services for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED;

6. The Development Charges Reserve Funds Statement, for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED; and,

7. The Parkland Dedication Reserve Statement, for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED.

2022 Projected Reserve Balance Update

Council had a report in front of them about the balances in various reserve accounts. Included were also the amounts that have been withdrawn for various projects already approved by council. There was some Q&A, a little bit of on and on chit-chat…..ultimately council received as per the recommendation and approved the list of out-standing capital projects.

2021 Year End (Q4) Budget to Actual Summaries and Transfers

Deputy Mayor Meloche noted that this report should have been received in a more timely fashion. The report was about the fourth quarter of 2021 budget summaries and transfers. Generally, in the past, it probably would have been more timely. But since almost the entire staff at top-level administration is new…..well…….staff turnover causes delays. Anyway, council received the report and approved the recommendations :

It is recommended that:

1. The Transfers to Reserves/Reserve Funds made by the Treasurer as outlined in Appendix A to the 2021 Year End (Q4) Budget to Actual Summaries and Transfers Report BE AFFIRMED; 2. That 2022 over-expenditures and reserve transfers BE APPROVED as follows:

a. $120,000 to the EV project (May 9, 2022)

b. $300,000 to the Municipal share of Pike Road Drainage project (July 11, 2022) with the remainder of $205,345 to be included in the 2023 Budget

c. $164,300 Fire Station Design (July 2022)

d. $97,000 Gym Design (July 2022)

e. $200,000 to Employee Related Reserve to be utilized for Implementation of Compensation Review (Aug 8 2022)

f. $15,000 for the precommitment of the 2022 Park House Grant

3. That the Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to transfer the taxation-supported surplus as follows:

a. $395,705 to Building Reserves;

b. $500,000 to the Fleet Reserve; and

c. $150,000 to Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund: and

d. $147,964 (remaining) to the Reserve Fund General; and

4. That the Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to transfer:

a. $1,237,142 to Water Reserves

b. $499,631 to Wastewater Reserves

2021 Road Needs Study

From my pre-meeting blog : “Once again, the roads were evaluated and given a grade based on their condition and driveability. It seems that a report about a hybrid model for repairing roads will be presented to the new council. It looks like the study factored in life-cycle repairs required as well as worst/best conditions. The new council may want to adopt a hybrid approach, in that rather than only fixing the worst of the roads first, which causes the others to deteriorate further and delays their replacement, there could be a system put in place to fix the bad roads and also fix the other roads that are nearing the end of their life cycle but aren’t yet in deplorable condition. Either way, looks like this will be up to the new council to decide. So this council simply needs to approve the Road Needs study that is now complete. Can they do that without a gazillion questions? I guess we’ll see…..”

So, I’ll answer my own question now. No, they could not just receive this without a gazillion questions. They just had to discuss the hybrid model that will be worked on and presented to the NEXT council for a decision…..some of the councillors went on and on and on…..And this was the recommendation :

It is recommended that:
1. The 2021 Road Needs Study BE APPROVED.

Finally, after listening to themselves go on and on, they simply approved the study, which is all they had to do.

Transportation & Active Transportation Masterplan – RFP Results

Well, council asked for a RFP to be sent out in order for a company to prepare a Transportation and Active Transportation Masterplan. Well the proposals are in and here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. The Transportation & Active Transportation Masterplan BE AWARDED to T.Y. Lin International Canada Inc. for an amount not to exceed $145,785 plus H.S.T based on the proposal submitted June 14, 2022; and,

2. A pre-commitment to the 2023 operational budget – professional fees of $23,350 BE APPROVED;

3. The Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to execute an agreement with T.Y. Lin International Canada Inc. to complete the Transportation & Active Transportation Masterplan.

There was a bit of discussion and then the recommendations were adopted.

Official Plan Amendment No. 17: 51-57 Sandwich Street South

Well the plan amendment is ready for a new Dairy Queen with a drive-through!!!!!. Here’s the recommendation to council :

It is recommended that:

Official Plan Amendment No. 17, attached to this report as Appendix “A”, BE ADOPTED by Council and forwarded to the County of Essex.

It was clarified that the plan also includes a 12-unit residential complex.

There was once again, a lot of discussion, yada yada, I’m not getting into and saving myself some key strokes here….It was approved and will be sent to County Council for approval as well. Finally! Hopefully we will all be able to eat some Dairy Queen ice cream sometime next year!

Official Plan Amendment No. 16: 131-135 Sandwich Street South

And another new development is ready to move forward…..Harvey’s Restaurant this time! (For reference, this is the old Maria’s property.) Here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. Official Plan Amendment No. 16, attached to this report as Appendix “A”, BE ADOPTED by Council and forwarded to the County of Essex.

Once again, there were questions, yada yada yada, the architect even weighed in with answers. Of course the proposal wasn’t at this stage yet. It simply needed to be adopted to then move the plan forward to the County of Essex. But this didn’t stop some members of council.

Ultimately and finally a motion was made and approved. This development will move forward too! Woo hoo!!!! I have a few friends that are big Harvey’s fans. I’m sure this will make you very happy. 🙂

Consider the Need for a Secondary Plan – Howard Industrial Park District

This report has to do with having a secondary plan for the Howard Industrial Park district. Here’s the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. A Secondary Plan BE PREPARED for the area bounded by County Road 9, North Side Road, 8th Concession Road and County Road 8 (Townline Road) also known as the Howard Industrial Park District; and,

2. Council APPROVE a transfer of $50,000 from Plans and Studies Reserve account.

Councillor Courtney, Deputy Mayor Meloche, Councillor McArthur and Councillor Renaud all spoke in support of this secondary plan for the Howard Avenue Industrial Park District.

And since we don’t have a Communications Officer and since most members of council don’t communicate effectively with the public, this item turned into pretty much a chaotic public meeting within a council meeting. It could be argued that there were no rules of order during this portion of the council. Well, technically, since they were waived, I guess there weren’t?

One man spoke about being confused and not understanding what this was all about. Ms Osborne, Director of Economic Services explained that the Official Plan had some properties zoned as industrial and others as agricultural and that this was just the beginning of looking at a site specific plan but that nothing was being decided that night. The man said that there had been no communication and no letters received. Ms Osbourne said that a notice had been published in the River Town Times. Another man felt that everybody else got letters but that he did not. Another person said that the 20 day notification was not met. Another person from administration said that it was simply a courtesy notice and not required under the planning act since nothing is changing. They’re simply seeking council direction about the land. CAO Critchley said that council is not actually passing a secondary plan, that they’re just looking to start creating a secondary plan.

For those watching at home, it was even more difficult to follow since people were not speaking at the microphone. They were simply calling out from where they stood. I got a few texts from friends watching at home asking what was going on……

Ultimately the motion was made to proceed to prepare a secondary plan but to extend the footprint for notification to residents. That carried.

Riverview Subdivision- Subdivision Agreement File No. 37-T-22003

And some more development!!! This one appears to be a subdivision expansion near Thrasher Drive, off of Highway 18. Here’s the recommendation :

1. RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that:

1. The Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg ENTER INTO a Subdivision Agreement with 1583954 Ontario Limited and 2865522 Ontario Limited for Riverview Subdivision; and,

2. By-law 2022-082 being a By-law to authorize the signing of a Subdivision Agreement for Riverview Subdivision be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same.

There was some discussion about this. It was very difficult to hear since many people were talking in the vestibule area in front of council chambers. Rather than ask them to be quiet, the Fire Chief closed the doors. I found that odd. At a meeting one time with the previous council, somebody closed both of the doors but they were immediately reopened. I had understood that procedurally, those doors must remain open during an open meeting, since by closing them, you’re closing out (and in) members of the public. From what I understand, the doors can only be closed during in-camera meetings since they are closed to the public. But since most rules of order and procedures weren’t being followed anyway on Monday night, we’ll just add another to the list I guess.

Anyway, the recommendation was approved for the subdivision agreement.

2022 Special Events Approval – Part V

These two wonderful events were approved. Mark your calendars!

It is recommended that:

1. The following events BE APPROVED:

i.) Amherstburg Uncommon: September 16, 17 & 18, 2022

ii.) River Lights Opening Night– November 19, 2022

2. An exemption from table number 3-1(2) of Noise By-law #2001-43 with respect to the operation of any electronic device or group of connected electronic devices incorporating one or more loudspeakers to allow for music BE GRANTED for the following events:

i.) Amherstburg Uncommon

ii.) River Lights Opening Night

3. The following events BE EXEMPT and PERMITTED for road closures to begin prior to 5pm: i.) River Lights Opening Night

4. The Public Events Committee BE DIRECTED to confirm that the requirements identified by the Committee are met prior to issuing an event permit.

Delegated Authority During Lame Duck Period

Council will be lame duck as of August 19th 2022 when campaign season officially begins for the October Municipal election. This means that council will be unable to make any decisions in regards to spending money or selling excess lands and such. So this term, once again, it is being recommended to give this authority during the lame duck period to the CAO. This is pretty standard practice to protect the municipality (and the residents) should a major need or disaster arise and something must be done and council no longer has the authority to do so – due to the election.

Councillor Courtney went on about this and “total control”. CAO Critchley explained that it was strictly a provision for emergencies for unbudgeted items.

Councillor Courtney asked if any portion of Centennial Park had been declared surplus. The CAO replied “no”. So, for the conspiracy theorists that think they’re selling the park, there’s the answer……

Ultimately, the recommendation passed :

It is recommended that:

1. Authority BE DELEGATED to the Chief Administrative Officer or delegate for the 2022 period during which a “lame duck” Council is in effect, pursuant to section 275 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, to address matters as follows:

a. The disposition of any real or personal property of the municipality which has a value exceeding $50,000 at the time of disposal; and,

b. Making any unbudgeted expenditures or incurring any other liability which exceeds $50,000. 2. The Chief Administrative Officer or delegate CONSULT with legal counsel and the Treasurer, where appropriate, prior to exercising that delegated authority;

3. The Chief Administrative Officer or delegate BE DIRECTED TO ADVISE Council in writing prior to exercising the delegated authority; and, 4.

By-law 2022-081 being a by-law to authorize the delegated authority for restricted acts during the “lame duck” period be taken as having been read three time and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same.

New Business

Some members of council asked for updates on certain items. Just some electioneering I think to get their names out there…..

And believe it or not, the meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM! I was quite surprised to see it all wrap up in two hours!

But, just when I was starting to think “this is it!”, it was said that there will be one more council meeting next week, before they go lame duck. I don’t understand why the fervent need for one more meeting, since this council has already kicked so many major items to the next council. I sure hope that one more meeting isn’t used as a disguise to seek votes and play political games! I guess we’ll find out next week! I think the meeting is scheduled for next Monday August 15th. I’ll be there.

August 5, 2022 amherstburg2

In preparation for Monday August 8th Regular town council meeting

Soooooo…..Monday night’s meeting is 1075 pages. Seriously. This must be a record! This will be a very quick preview…..I want to get out there and enjoy the weekend! 🙂

There is an in-camera meeting scheduled for 4:00 but the item to be discussed was not yet published on the agenda at the time that I was writing this blog.

The regular meeting is set to begin at 6:00.

DELEGATIONS

Inquiries into the Town of Amherstburg’s Finances – Nancy Atkinson, Amherstburg Taxpayers Association

It seems that Ms Atkinson will be delegating to council to ask questions on behalf of the Amherstburg Taxpayers Association. There seem to be questions about in-camera meetings and giving more information about the topics to be discussed as well as questions about transparency of council. It also seems that she is requesting a time slot to be added during meetings for the public to discuss items on the agenda with council. Also she seems to wonder if this council will revisit open mic sessions.

I usually don’t weigh in on delegations in advance, but this one…..I will. I joined this group back at its inception. I did not attend our last meeting, where it seems that these questions came up. However, some of these expectations (time slot during meetings for the public to talk) shows a clear lack of understanding of the rules of order and what a council meeting is. So, to begin, a council meeting is a meeting of council that is open to the public for viewing. It is not a public meeting! There is a difference. A huge, massive difference! If residents want to speak during a COUNCIL MEETING, they request to delegate. Or if it’s pressing, they can request council to waive the rules of order to allow them to speak. (NOTE that the rules of order MUST BE WAIVED to allow the public to speak during the COUNCIL meeting….) But to begin to think, even for a moment, that a time slot should be given to residents to speak during a COUNCIL MEETING, defies the entire structure of council meetings and the Municipal Act. Council meets to make decisions and move the business of the town forward. They do so in public, so that the public can watch. It’s not a public meeting, as in raise your hand, go to the microphone etc. Those are held at different times, with different formats and different rules, because well, they are different meetings.

As for the open mic sessions…..that would be up to the next council, no? This council has pushed off much more major decisions than this to the next council LOL!

Oh….and Transparency of council…..I have been asking for months who is on the newly elected Board of the Amherstburg Taxpayers Association and have never received a reply. They’re demanding transparency from council, yet are not willing to reciprocate. I see.

2021 Year End Reporting: Audited Consolidated Financial Statements, Building Services Annual Statement, Development Charge Reserve Funds Statement, and 2021 Parkland Dedication Reserve Statement

Well the year-end audit reports are all in. I skimmed through the reports, and generally, things seem to be doing okay. But council will have some in-depth reading to do! Here are the recommendations :

It is recommended that:

2. The Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE APPROVED;

6. The Development Charges Reserve Funds Statement, for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED; and,

7. The Parkland Dedication Reserve Statement, for the year ended December 31, 2021 BE RECEIVED.

If you notice, most of the recommendations are for council to receive the reports, which means they’ve reviewed them and acknowledged receiving them. In other words, if members of council have questions about these reports, those questions can and should be asked in advance…..rather than eat up valuable time trying to pontificate or talk in circles…..but we shall see what happens…..

2022 Projected Reserve Balance Update

Council will be receiving a report about the balances in various reserve accounts. Included in the statement are the amounts that have been withdrawn for various projects already approved by council. I noticed in a part of the report that it looks like administration is trying to move to a 5-year budget format, which, in my opinion, is a very good and logical format for budgeting. Once again, hopefully if there are items in the report that any members of council don’t understand they can reach out in advance and ask their questions. Unfortunately, the possibility of training for council members is not really an option anymore LOL. No time left now.

2021 Year End (Q4) Budget to Actual Summaries and Transfers

Another financial report for council for the year end budget summaries and transform for 2021. It is noted in the report that the pandemic has had a negative impact on service levels, staff and training. Each department lays out their deficits or the surpluses…..but I found this one very interesting (for all of those who kept insisting that the policing contract with Windsor would not save us money) :

“Police – This budget centre realized a surplus budget variance of $127,483 as a result of unbudgeted revenues, adjustment to transitional costs, lower building utilities, and maintenance costs.”

Overall, there are recommendations for each amount of surplus or each amount of deficit. Here they are:

It is recommended that:

a. $120,000 to the EV project (May 9, 2022)

b. $300,000 to the Municipal share of Pike Road Drainage project (July 11, 2022) with the remainder of $205,345 to be included in the 2023 Budget

c. $164,300 Fire Station Design (July 2022)

d. $97,000 Gym Design (July 2022)

e. $200,000 to Employee Related Reserve to be utilized for Implementation of Compensation Review (Aug 8 2022)

f. $15,000 for the precommitment of the 2022 Park House Grant

3. That the Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to transfer the taxation-supported surplus as follows:

a. $395,705 to Building Reserves;

b. $500,000 to the Fleet Reserve; and

c. $150,000 to Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund: and

d. $147,964 (remaining) to the Reserve Fund General; and

4. That the Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to transfer:

a. $1,237,142 to Water Reserves

b. $499,631 to Wastewater Reserves

2021 Road Needs Study

Once again, the roads were evaluated and given a grade based on their condition and driveability. It seems that a report about a hybrid model for repairing roads will be presented to the new council. It looks like the study factored in life-cycle repairs required as well as worst/best conditions. The new council may want to adopt a hybrid approach, in that rather than only fixing the worst of the roads first, which causes the others to deteriorate further and delays their replacement, there could be a system put in place to fix the bad roads and also fix the other roads that are nearing the end of their life cycle but aren’t yet in deplorable condition. Either way, looks like this will be up to the new council to decide. So this council simply needs to approve the Road Needs study that is now complete. Can they do that without a gazillion questions? I guess we’ll see…..

Transportation & Active Transportation Masterplan – RFP Results

Well, council asked for a RFP to be sent out in order for a company to prepare a Transportation and Active Transportation Masterplan. Well the proposals are in and here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

2. A pre-commitment to the 2023 operational budget – professional fees of $23,350 BE APPROVED;

3. The Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to execute an agreement with T.Y. Lin International Canada Inc. to complete the Transportation & Active Transportation Masterplan.

I am guessing by the time the study is done and the report prepared, it will go forward to the next council. Hopefully the next council won’t do with this masterplan, what this council did with the Libro Expansion Master Plan…..that would be really, really sad….

Official Plan Amendment No. 17: 51-57 Sandwich Street South

Well the plan amendment is ready for a new Dairy Queen with a drive-through!!!!!. Here’s the recommendation to council :

It is recommended that:

Official Plan Amendment No. 17, attached to this report as Appendix “A”, BE ADOPTED by Council and forwarded to the County of Essex.

Since this is a planning item, I will venture a guess that council will lament, question, hem and haw…..just some friendly words of advice for those that remember the Wendy’s debacle. Don’t defer! LOL If council is savvy they will embrace this with open arms and adopt the recommendation quickly! 🙂 I looked at the plans and they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

Official Plan Amendment No. 16: 131-135 Sandwich Street South

And another new development is ready to move forward…..Harvey’s Restaurant this time! (For reference, this is the old Maria’s property.) Here is the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. Official Plan Amendment No. 16, attached to this report as Appendix “A”, BE ADOPTED by Council and forwarded to the County of Essex.

Once again, I can hardly wait to see how this pans out……it’s election season…..things can change on a dime…..

Consider the Need for a Secondary Plan – Howard Industrial Park District

This report has to do with having a secondary plan for the Howard Industrial Park district. Here’s the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

1. A Secondary Plan BE PREPARED for the area bounded by County Road 9, North Side Road, 8th Concession Road and County Road 8 (Townline Road) also known as the Howard Industrial Park District; and, 2. Council APPROVE a transfer of $50,000 from Plans and Studies Reserve account.

Nothing really jumped out at me in this report.

Riverview Subdivision- Subdivision Agreement File No. 37-T-22003

And some more development!!! This one appears to be a subdivision expansion near Thrasher Drive, off of Highway 18. Here’s the recommendation :

1. RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that:

1. The Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg ENTER INTO a Subdivision Agreement with 1583954 Ontario Limited and 2865522 Ontario Limited for Riverview Subdivision; and,

Will council welcome this much needed housing development with open arms? Will some of them try to show as that they’re smarter than the engineers? Will some of them create roadblocks for development? We will see Monday night…..can’t wait!

2022 Special Events Approval – Part V

Two more wonderful events are up for approval. I’m copying and pasting the entire recommendation so that you can mark these dates down in your calendars!

It is recommended that:

1. The following events BE APPROVED:

i.) Amherstburg Uncommon: September 16, 17 & 18, 2022

ii.) River Lights Opening Night– November 19, 2022

i.) Amherstburg Uncommon

ii.) River Lights Opening Night

3. The following events BE EXEMPT and PERMITTED for road closures to begin prior to 5pm: i.) River Lights Opening Night

4. The Public Events Committee BE DIRECTED to confirm that the requirements identified by the Committee are met prior to issuing an event permit.

Delegated Authority During Lame Duck Period

Council will be lame duck as of August 19th 2022 when campaign season officially begins for the October Municipal election. This means that council will be unable to make any decisions in regards to spending money or selling excess lands and such. I can still remember the debate about this during the last council’s term……oh boy…..so, obviously SOMEBODY has to be able to make a decision to spend money if it’s NECESSARY…..the last council hemmed and hawed and didn’t want to allow the then-CAO to do so…..(although eventually they did…..because ultimately there’s really not much choice…..something could happen…..surprise major repair at the water treatment plant, for example,……)

So this term, once again, it is being recommended to give this authority during the lame duck period to the CAO. This is pretty standard practice to protect the municipality (and the residents) should a major need or disaster arise and something must be done and council no longer has the authority to do so – due to the election.

Here’s the recommendation :

It is recommended that:

a. The disposition of any real or personal property of the municipality which has a value exceeding $50,000 at the time of disposal; and,

3. The Chief Administrative Officer or delegate BE DIRECTED TO ADVISE Council in writing prior to exercising the delegated authority; and, 4.

After this, there are information reports, consent correspondence, old business, new business, some minutes to adopt…..but I digress. It’s Friday and I want to go out and enjoy the weekend! I foresee much pontification Monday night…..and I will be there in person to see it all for myself this time! So don’t worry Lori, thanks for bailing me out for the last two meetings, but I’ve got this one! I’m back! Like it or not! LOL!

I’ll likely be back Tuesday night with the summary as I am anticipating a late night Monday evening LOL! Even though it’s a hot one out there, I’m going out to enjoy Open Air! (Look at that, I’m a poet too. Who knew?)

August 4, 2022August 4, 2022 amherstburg2

Transparency? Not so fast! Continued, part 2

On Sunday, I wrote the following blog denoting my experience trying to find out which members of council received letters of admonition or of caution from the Integrity Commissioner. Here is the link to the blog https://amherstburg2.wordpress.com/2022/07/31/transparency-not-so-fast/

As I went through the process, the end result was that the letters issued are not in the possession of the town. Which would mean that the letters were issued from the Integrity Commissioner directly to the offending members of council. So I thought about it a little bit and I decided to just point blank ask. Rather than throw a comment out onto social media, I decided to ask them each the question directly. I sent the following email, individually, to the seven members of council (Mayor, Deputy Mayor and 5 councillors.) :

“Hello (insert individual name),

As per the Integrity Commissioner report, several letters of admonition and letters of caution were issued to current members of council during your term.

I would like to know if you received such a letter and if so, the reason why.

Thank you.”

It has now been more than 72 hours since I sent that email. I feel that that is a reasonable amount of time to allow for a reply.

At the time of publication of this blog, Mayor DiCarlo, Deputy Mayor Meloche, Councillor Renaud and Councillor McArthur have each confirmed by email to me that they did not receive a letter of admonition or a letter of caution from the Integrity Commissioner. (Editor’s note, after publication, I received an email on Thursday August 4th at 7:02 AM from Councillor Simone also confirming that she did not receive any letter of admonition or letter of caution from the Integrity Commissioner.)

However, I have yet to receive a reply from Councillor Courtney or Councillor Prue. So does that mean that one of them or both of them received either a letter of admonition and/or a letter of caution from the Integrity Commissioner during their term on council? Why not answer the question?

Should I receive a reply from any of the above after the publication of this blog, I will promptly edit the blog to keep the readers (and the voters) up to date. (**Edit noted above regarding Councillor Simone’s response.**) In the meantime, should either of these members of council above come knocking on your door and seeking your vote, please ask. They owe the voters an answer to those questions. The voters have every right to know who received those letters and why. How can we hold members of council accountable for their actions if they’re just going to hide their actions from us?

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amherstburg2

Thoughts, opinions, concerns, kudos before and after Amherstburg Council meetings.

Month: August 2022

Candidates responses to how residents can reach them and how they will use social media if elected

During your election campaign, how do you intend to use social media if at all? (examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog, web site etc….) How can residents reach you or get information about you?

If you’re elected, how do you intend to use social media, if at all? How will you communicate with the residents?

Monday August 15th Special town council meeting

In preparation for Monday August 15th Regular town council meeting

Monday August 8th Regular town council meeting

In preparation for Monday August 8th Regular town council meeting

Transparency? Not so fast! Continued, part 2

During your election campaign, how do you intend to use social media if at all? (examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog, web site etc….) How can residents reach you or get information about you?

If you’re elected, how do you intend to use social media, if at all? How will you communicate with the residents?

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