Budget presentation meeting 2023

Well, I decided to watch from home tonight since it was the budget presentation and I know from a lot of experience of watching council meetings that this meeting generally does not take long. I figured the meeting would last about 30 minutes and it ended up lasting 40 minutes. So, it was nice to sit at home in a comfy chair and watch it all. 

For those that did not catch my pre-budget presentation blog, here is the link. It has some good information about other surrounding municipalities tax increases and my prediction of a 4% to 6% proposed tax increase. https://amherstburg2.wordpress.com/2023/01/28/in-preparation-for-monday-january-30th-budget-presentation/

**Councillor Courtney was in attendance via Zoom tonight**

CAO Critchley spoke briefly. She explained that tonight the proposed budget would be presented, including the Operating Budget and a Five Year Capital Plan, which is something new for council. She mentioned that there is a public Open House scheduled for February 11th and that the Audit and Finance Committee would also receive the budget for review. 

Ms Prince, the Treasurer, began the presentation. This year’s budget was titled “Financial Sustainability”. She explained that the budget included desired service levels and community initiatives. Ms Prince also explained that ultimately it will be up to council to decide the levels of service that the town will ultimately provide. She mentioned the pandemic emergency, inflation, supply chain issues, fuel costs among many other things that have had an impact on the town’s finances and have caused a lot of financial pressure. She also mentioned that the 2020 increase in taxes did not keep pace with inflation and that when that happens, the problem compounds year after year. 

Ms Prince also mentioned the funding shortfall for asset management. She noted that it is encouraged to increase and fund the reserves. We currently do not have enough money in reserves to maintain our existing assets. She noted that the town must take action and keep up with the pace of inflation. 

There is no proposed increase for water or wastewater this year. 

Ms Prince also noted that there were several requests for corporate staffing however only a limited number were being put forward in the proposed budget. 

And then, the big bad number we were all waiting for……a proposed rate increase of 4.23%. I had guessed it would be somewhere between 4% and 6% but was quite surprised it was closer to 4%. 

Timeline: 

February 11th is the public consultation at the Libro Arena 

Public survey available online January 30th until February 21st.

Council deliberations begin February 21st and people can delegate at that meeting if they want to. There are six meetings booked over a two week span for deliberations. 

Council will adopt the budget on March 13th. 

The proposed 4.23% increase would mean about $110 per year for a house assessed at $250,000 (Or $2.11 per week). 

At the moment, MPAC is not aware when properties will be re-assessed. 

Ms Osborne, Deputy CAO spoke about the capital budget. She noted that there is a $10.3 Million shortfall for asset management. She also noted that the funding recommendations were based on a 5 year budget that was brought forward to Senior Management and that priorities were debated and weighed. 

Mayor Prue asked about the format for the public consultation. CAO Critchley explained that it would be Open House style. All senior management staff would be on hand for each department centre of the budget. It will be held in the foyer of the Libro in order to try to engage as many people as possible as they are coming and going from the arena. The CAO noted as well that people can also delegate the first night of the budget debates. 

Mayor Prue then thanked staff for their hard work. He felt that this year’s budget was fundamentally different since in his previous four years he felt that administration had asked for 8%, 10% and 12%.  (***Side note, this struck me odd. I have a really, really good memory and I do not recall seeing such high budget rate requests. So what’s a diligent blogger to do? Go back and check of course!!!! I went through my old blogs…..January 2022, the proposed rate was 3.35%…..the proposed rate for 2021 was 7.55% since the town was not getting OCIF funding from the province that year – the funding came in later and the rate went to 4.89%…..The 2020 proposed rate was 4.55% and the 2019 proposed rate was 2.65%……Again, these were the proposed rates and they ended up being less than this. Regardless, nowhere near 8%, 10% or 12%……except one year where the province almost didn’t pay us OCIF funding…..Anyway, just trying to keep things factual…****)

Mayor Prue seemed pleased that administration was starting at a recognizable proposed percentage increase. He noted that even at 4.23% we would still be the third lowest tax increase in Windsor/Essex.  (Read my pre-meeting blog if you’re interested in some of the rates in surrounding areas.) 

And that about sums it up. There were two members of council who spoke (thankfully briefly) with a couple of questions. 

And then, the motion was made and the budget was tabled. 

The meeting was adjourned at 6:40 PM. 

Now members of council can start reading, studying and getting their questions answered by administration…..the residents can also start reading the budget…..I encourage everyone to participate in the online survey and attend the public Open House on February 11th if you can. 

And that’s a wrap folks. The proposed tax rate increase is 4.23%

In preparation for Monday January 30th Budget presentation

Well Monday night, the budget will be presented to council at a special council meeting at 6:00. I’ve sat through about eight of these budget presentations so far….basically, it likely won’t last long, administration will present the budget publicly and then council will table it. 

From there, members of council will have a few weeks to read through the budget, ask questions, talk with the public and think about their priorities. 

Public consultation is scheduled for Saturday February 11th. 

Council is scheduled to deliberate the budget over many many days…..February 21st, 22nd and 23rd……as well as February 27th, 28th and March 2nd. I wonder if other municipalities set aside SIX days for budget deliberations? Keep in mind that the County of Essex did their $125 Million dollar budget in ONE night. 

Anyway, the proposed tax rates in surrounding municipalities are : 

• LaSalle draft budget calls for 5.25% increase
• County of Essex has approved a 3.81% increase
• Tecumseh has approved a 3.86% increase
• Windsor has a proposed budget of 4.59% increase
• Lakeshore draft budget calls for 4.74% increase

I am guessing that, like the surrounding municipalities, Amherstburg will be looking at a tax increase somewhere in between 4% and 6%…..but we will find out for sure Monday night! 

Here are a few links to articles for your reference so that you can see where I got the information I noted above : 

Tecumseh council gets proposed tax increase down to 3.86% | CBC News

LaSalle draft budget calls for 5.25 per cent tax increase | Windsor Star

Windsor councillors trim proposed tax increase to 4.59% | CBC News

Lakeshore draft budget proposes 4.74 per cent tax hike

Essex County 2023 budget includes 3.81 per cent property tax hike | CBC News

Monday January 23rd Regular town council meeting

Well tonight was a very, very confusing night. Watching the meeting was like trying to watch somebody herd a group of twenty kittens into a shoe box. 

There were times that I had no idea what was going on. There were times the people in the gallery had no idea what was going on. There were times that council had no idea what was going on. I may age myself here, but if you’ve ever seen Abbot and Costello’s act of “Who’s on first”…..well that would about sum up this evening’s fiasco of a meeting. Maybe it would have been easier to follow if we knew where the gavel was and who was in charge of the meeting? Maybe rather than prioritizing passing the gavel in order to speak, perhaps retaining the gavel, speaking less and just actually chairing the meeting would create for a more organized meeting? 

The meeting started out with Mayor Prue saying that he’s been getting emails, phone calls and that there is a blogger asking questions about why he passes the gavel. He feels that that is the way to run a meeting properly. Mayor Prue felt that by passing the gavel it signifies to whom members of council should be directing their questions. He explained that when the mayor wants to speak he then passes the gavel. He noted that this must always be done if the Mayor wants to make a motion. Mayor Prue felt that he had never been in a place where the rules of order were followed…..(wow! Kind of a big insult to former Mayor DiCarlo and former Mayor Hurst…..to say that former mayors weren’t following the rules of order????……I only attended two meetings when Mr Hurst was mayor and he ran a VERY tight ship….I’ve also heard that from people that attended many of his meetings…..I attended almost every meeting while Mr DiCarlo was Mayor and while he definitely wasn’t as strict as Mr Hurst, he often referred to the rules of order and even sometimes had the Clerk double check items to be sure……).

Councillor McArthur asked a very good question that didn’t really get answered LOL. He asked if the Mayor should take back the gavel after he finishes speaking or only after the matter before council is disposed of…..The Mayor didn’t really answer that question or at least not clearly.  

So, since I find it to be a very confusing practice and I know many of my readers have asked me questions about it, I found this fascinating article explaining the “pass the gavel” process as per Robert’s Rules of Order. If I’m reading it and understanding it correctly, it seems that once the gavel is passed, it shouldn’t go back to the chair until the item is dispensed…..it shouldn’t be passed back and forth like a bowl of chips during the same item discussion. I guess it could be seen as influencing the vote rather than chairing the meeting?  But, read for yourself, here’s the link https://jurassicparliament.com/pass-the-gavel/?fbclid=IwAR3Khxl0maqVI0JBv2BMkQrD2h3TuB9IseH4-IVpVwvzGpD2H7woA0QTQ2Y

But regardless of the article and all that it states, it appears that the “Pass the gavel” game is here to stay for the next four years. Mayor Prue made it clear that he thinks it’s a great practice and that it allows him to speak, which he also wants to do…..So we can maybe start betting on how many times the gavel will be passed each meeting? Any takers? Or we can turn it into a Where’s Waldo type game? Instead of “Where’s Waldo?”, it will be “Where’s the gavel?”……the Deputy Mayor has it. No, it’s under his chair. No, it’s in the bathroom. No, it’s on the stairway. No, I saw it outside hiding under a bush…..the possibilities are endless…..

**Councillor Crain was in attendance via Zoom**

DELEGATIONS 

Request for Tax Relief – Cathy Robertson and Kathi Poupard, Camp Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club

It appears that the former Girl Guides Camp was purchased by Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club and that deal closed on October 29 2021. The sale of the property created a property review by MPAC. It seems the organization then received a tax bill and paid it. The funds required to pay property taxes are detrimental to the organization as per their delegation request form. They are seeking relief from paying property taxes. It seems that under the old ownership, the property was tax exempt from 1992 to 2021. 

Ms Robertson and Ms Poupard presented to council. They explained that they are a registered charity and that they offer a wide variety of programming for children. She explained that they are always fundraising and that they love being a part of Amherstburg. 

Councillor McArthur said that it was incredible what Camp Bryerswood has done and has kept the camp in local hands while doing a fantastic job. He asked how much the tax bill was that they had received and paid. The delegations said that the bill was almost $10,000. 

There was a lot of sympathy for the situation from members of council. The gavel was passed (first time tonight….of many!) so that Mayor Prue could share his thoughts. Deputy Mayor Gibb pointed out that the town hadn’t collected taxes on the property for well over 20 years since the Girl Guides were exempt from paying taxes. 

The first motion made was by Councillor Crain. He made a motion that council contact the provincial government about the situation. The motion carried. 

Then Deputy Mayor Gibb made a motion that Amherstburg give a grant to the organization to cover the town’s portion of the property tax bill for one year. He felt that this would allow Camp Bryerswood time to prepare an appeal with MPAC to see if the property could be reassessed to be tax exempt as it once was. (This will equate to approximately $5,700 for this year.) And this motion carried too. 

PRESENTATIONS

 Boblo Island Ferry Services – Cindy Prince, Vice President, AMICO Affiliates 

As you may recall, two weeks ago, council made a motion and “summoned” (my word and my interpretation) a representative from AMICO to come before council. At the meeting, there was much discussion about how the barge could not run during the Christmas holidays due to low water levels from the storm. 

Councillor Pouget made a request that this item be moved to the next meeting (February 13th) in order that the Fire Chief would be present. As well, the report that was included in this agenda would also be moved to the next meeting, February 13th. This carried. 

I can hardly wait to hear all about the Boblo barge at the next meeting……maybe the gavel will go for a ride on it? 

Zoning By-law Amendment for 6101 County Road 20

Councillor Pouget requested that his item was moved up on the agenda since there were people in attendance that may have wanted to speak on the issue. This was agreed to. 

Just for reference, there was a zoning bylaw amendment application process that had been before council at a planning meeting. The property is the old Ste-Theresa School. It is a school and the new owners had applied to have dormitory facilities allowed. 

Suddenly Councillor Courtney made a motion to defer the item to the next meeting. Councillor Pouget seconded the motion. And then……rules of order?? What rules of order??? (It is my understanding that once there is a motion to defer an item, there is no discussion allowed, other than to set a timeline for when the item will be discussed….I can find a link to that information later…..) So, rather than immediately calling a vote on the motion to defer…..Councillor Courtney was allowed to go on and on with a gazillion questions about this item….. Councillor Courtney asked about the process for providing notice. Administration explained it. Councillor Courtney asked about site specific plans, pre-hearings, the list was endless. Administration explained it all. Councillor Courtney felt that the Fire Chief should be there to discuss this item. After all of this, Mayor Prue finally noted that there was a motion for deferral on the floor and wondered if deferring the item could put the municipality at risk. He noted that there was a timeline in place for the proponent as per the Planning Act. He wondered if it could be logically deferred for 3 weeks. Administration said that according to Bill 123 (I think?) if the item is deferred for 3 weeks, the town will have to refund 100% of the application fee. Administration said that the fee was $4000. 

So finally, after a TON of discussion (that should not have even happened???) the motion to defer was put to a vote. It failed. The only two that voted in favour to defer were Councillors Pouget and Courtney. 

So, the discussion raged on…..and on….and on…..and on….and on…..

The Director of Planning felt that the statutory meeting had been done and all notice criteria had been met. It was noted that other matters were raised but that tonight the other matters were beyond the scope of what was before council. The matter was simply about the zoning change request to allow students to reside at the school. 

Well, lots more than the sleeping facilities were discussed. Councillor Courtney felt that this would not be desirable for the community. He wondered how big it could get and if additional buildings could be added. He felt that council should wait for the Official Plan to get updated. Councillor Allaire agreed. She noted that the community had asked that the school fix the yards but that the bylaw department was there again today. (I’m guessing this had zero to do with the scope of the bylaw proposed for tonight……) Councillor Allaire was also concerned about increased water use, sewage, cars and noise. 

Councillor Crain wondered if the town had any other student residences. Administration said that we do not. Councillor Crain wanted to wait for the Official Plan and did not support the zoning amendment. 

Mayor Prue felt that if council turned down the amendment that would free up the applicants to appeal to the LPAT. Then the town would have to hire a lawyer and a planner at huge costs to fight this. He felt that the town would lose all control of how this could go. 

Councillor McArthur noted that there was a similar matter before the previous council for a legally permitted use and noted that Mayor Prue and Councillor Courtney had voted against it last term. Councillor McArthur also said he would oppose the change since a day school would be changed to a boarding school. 

Councillor Pouget concurred with the others’ concerns. She felt that the residents had been led to believe that they would be notified. She also felt that there weren’t enough answers before a final decision had to be made. (I heard administration answer the questions????)

Mayor Prue spoke again. (I think the gavel was passed again and then things really went off the rails…..) Mayor Prue felt that this bylaw amendment was in the best interest of the community and the best interest of Canada. He noted that the Constitution guarantees the new owner’s right and that we should be inclusive of everyone. He felt that council could pass the proposal with caveats. He felt that it wasn’t right to tell them that they can’t have 4 to 8 students in the school overnight. He said he would support the recommendation and that it supports all people within the rule of the law. 

Councillor Courtney then wanted to speak…..He was asked if he had a question for the Mayor, since the Deputy Mayor still had the gavel…..he said he did but…..Councillor Courtney then spoke and spoke and spoke and next thing you know, he called up the proponent to the microphone…..so since nobody was sure where the heck the gavel was……suddenly Mayor Prue had to take the gavel back…..Mayor Prue then asked Council if they wanted to open the floor for the proponent, then they would have to open the floor for anybody that wanted to speak…..

And since Deputy Mayor Gibb didn’t have the traveling gavel anymore, he called the vote. Councillor Crain seconded the motion. 

(And this is where some experience watching meetings helps….I knew what was going on, Mayor Prue knew what was going on……the rest of council did not know what was going on……Basically, when a member of council calls the vote, it’s a procedural matter and has to be recognized. Council then has to vote on whether they will accept calling the vote and if they do, then they will immediately vote on the matter at hand. It’s a pretty good procedure for when the debate is just circling into a vortex of never ending discussion and forces the issue to end…..) 

Mayor Prue had to explain to council several times that they had to vote whether or not they wanted to close debate on the issue…..and they didn’t vote. Twice. First time I’ve seen that happen. Finally, I think the third time was a charm, but the motion was defeated 4 to 2 with only Deputy Mayor Gibb and Councillor Crain voting to end the “discussion”. Darn. The debate raged on……

Finally, Councillor Allaire made a motion to deny the application for the zoning amendment at the property. Deputy Mayor Gibb seconded it. Councillor Pouget asked if they were putting the town at risk. (That had been answered earlier and the short answer is yes, but I digress….). Mayor Prue said that he had already explained that the town would need a lawyer and a planner and that it would cost money…..Mayor Prue said that he would not support denying the application since it is not in the best interest of the town. He felt that the decision was being based on religion and that the proponent was asking for something that other communities have without any problems. Councillor McArthur said he was not making a decision based on religion, it was based on the significant difference of a day school becoming a boarding school. He noted that Mayor Prue had raised issues about migrant workers when he was a member of the former council. Councillor Courtney said something, I’m not sure, my hand was tired. And my brain. And my eyes. And my sanity. 

It finally went to a vote to deny the application for the zoning amendment. Everybody voted in favour, except Mayor Prue…..

(Personally, I’m with Mayor Prue on this one…..the Planning Act is crystal clear….if the proponents meet all of the criteria – they did – then it’s done. Council just exposed us to a dispute at the provincial level…..and likely doesn’t really have a leg to stand on…..the proponent met all of the criteria…..they should have gotten their amendment…..which means that the town will likely lose at the LPAT dispute….but who knows…..maybe a magic fairy carrying a magic gavel will save us….)

Alma Street Shoreline Parkette Shoreline Protection Tender Results

It seems that the Parkette at the end of Alma St is in very poor condition and is blocked off to pedestrians. The town applied for a grant and was successful in being awarded $200,000 in grant funding. The RFP went out and the bids are now in. The recommendation is : 

It is recommended that:

1. The tender for Alma Street Parkette Shoreline Protection BE AWARDED to South Shore Contracting of Essex County Inc. at a cost not to exceed $148,040.00 plus HST to be funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program Grant; 

2. The Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to execute an agreement with South Shore Contracting of Essex County Inc. for the Alma Street Shoreline Project. 

There were a few questions about this project. Councillor Pouget inquired about the fence and the shelf that is being used to unload passengers from Sea Doos. Mr Chaimberlain, Manager of Roads and Fleet said that the fence would be higher and pushed out. He also said that rocks were being added to prevent easy access to and from the water. The project is expected to begin around the end of February or early March and be completed around the end of May. 

The motion above carried. 

Zoning By-Law Amendment ZBA-26-22 for N-S Texas Road

Councillor Allaire noted that this was a simple zoning change. She wondered if the small area that is too small for a house may be for future development. Somebody that was on a Zoom link (I think the property owner? Not sure) said that perhaps they would be looking at selling the property later. Councillor Allaire asked that if they do not get rid of the land that maybe they could plant trees or put in a pickle ball court and that maybe it could be a joint thing between the owner and the town……And it was just crickets……seemed odd to me to ask a resident to put in a pickle ball court on their property…..and suggest that they’d want to get into a “joint” venture about a park, but maybe that’s just me. 

After the crickets, the motion was made and the item carried. 

Committee Structure Part Two – Advisory Committees

Council is beginning to get their committee structures ready. A motion was made to advertise for lay member positions for the following committees : 

a. Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee 

b. Economic Development Advisory Committee 

c. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

Then council had to vote to name all of the committee members for the following committees : 

• Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee
• Audit and Finance Advisory Committee
• Co-An Park Committee
• Heritage Committee
• Committee of Adjustment , the Drainage Board, the Property Standards, Dangerous Dog Appeal Committee, Livestock Evaluators and the Fence Viewers Committee

As for members of council, Councillor McArthur will be on the Accessibility Advisory Committee. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb and Councillor Crain will be on the Audit and Finance Advisory Committee. 

Councillor McArthur was appointed to the Co-An Park Committee. And Deputy Mayor Gibb and Councillor Crain were appointed to the Heritage Committee. 

For the lay people…..I just could not write fast enough to get all of the names of the people appointed (nor the spelling for some of the names??)…..So if that greatly interests you, I’m sure the town’s website will have the committee members’ names posted in due time. Or you can wait for the minutes of Monday night’s meeting to be approved. (Yes, I am typing this on Tuesday……)

NEW BUSINESS

So this is the wild card moment at any council meeting and last night was no different. 

Councillor Courtney inquired about ceasing the services of a police officer during the Admirals hockey games and wondered if it would require a report. (Just for reference, the old council had approved this expense due to extensive vandalism at the arena.) 

Ms Baillargeon, Director of Parks said that they had been monitoring the vandalism but with the police presence, the incidents had greatly reduced. 

Councilllor Courtney felt that he was an eyewitness since he is at all of the games. He felt there were lots of officers present. He noted that the paid on-duty officers show up when they can to keep an eye as well as the officers that are stationed at the Libro. He said he was opposed to the extra money to station officers at the meeting. He felt that the random drop ins of police presence were more vital. 

Councillor Allaire wondered if the cap of $20,000 was still in place for the extra officer or if council could just say no more officers were needed. CAO Critchley said that so far about $7,000 had been spent on the extra policing but that there was an up-set limit of $20 000 for this extra service. Councillor Courtney pointed out that he had voted against the original motion. 

Councillor Courtney made a motion to stop the process of policing the arena. Councillor Pouget seconded it. 

Councillor Allaire and Councillor McArthur asked a few questions. Ms Baillargeon said that she would like to see the process run its course until the end of the season. She noted that even though incidents were down, they cannot predict the incidents and they are obligated to keep the staff safe. 

Councillor Courtney felt that some officers at the Libro are stationary and idle. He felt that some officers walked around a bit. Councillor Courtney then went on about how dirty the bathrooms are and that rink attendants seem to go missing and can’t be found. He wondered if staff could create a circuit and initial when washrooms are checked since he sees paper towels everywhere. 

It was time for a vote on the motion…..to cease paying to have an extra officer on-duty at the Libro Centre during Admirals games. 

Councillor Crain had declared a conflict of pecuniary interest since his dad is part owner of the Admirals. 

It wasn’t a recorded vote, but I watched : 

In favour : Councillors Allaire, Courtney and Pouget

Opposed : Deputy Mayor Gibb and Councillor McArthur

Ironically, Mayor Prue could have exercised his right to vote and could have tied it up 3-3 so that it would fail….since the Director recommended the program continue. Well, as former Deputy Mayor Meloche had said about the issue (I’m paraphrasing)….We can spend it on police and prevention or we can spend it on repairs. 

Carnegie Library

Deputy Mayor Gibb made a motion to direct staff to recognize the 110th Birthday of the Amherstburg Carnegie Library, which will be April 9th. This carried. 

Ice quality

Councillor Courtney brought up ice chunks at Rink A. He noted that the ice attendants are filling in the holes. (Funny, they were MIA for the bathrooms…..5 minutes earlier during discussions but I digress…..) Anyway, it seems that administration is on top of the problem. 

Boblo Dock

Councillor Courtney brought up the old Boblo passenger dock. He noted that it was at the end of its life and wondered who was responsible for it since it is in disrepair. (I could have answered that question…..the old, old council had looked into it…..the Department of Oceans and Fisheries owns it….) The Clerk did officially answer the question during the meeting. Councillor Courtney made a motion to send a letter and pictures to the government and to MP Chris Lewis showing the state of the dock. Councillor McArthur asked for an amendment that rather than simply request demolition to also request if it could be renovated into a walking pier. 

The meeting wrapped up at 8:25 PM. 

Epilogue

I am writing this post-meeting blog on Tuesday evening. Last night, during the meeting, my phone was exploding with people texting me as they watched at home…..the recurring word to describe the meeting was “chaos”…..I came home exhausted from watching it all. If this is what the next four years are going to look like Amherstburg……well, Houston, we have a problem…..

And worse? If a regular meeting creates all of this? The budget meetings will be Oscar-worthy for drama, confusion, twists and turns…..I just saw the Boblo movie last weekend (excellent by the way if you haven’t seen it). For those of you who worked at Boblo Island back in the day, I would equate last night’s meeting to a very long ride on the Rotor. LOL

Have a great week everyone! Maybe I will see you at the True Festival on Saturday night! Fingers crossed for some good weather! 

In preparation for Monday January 23rd Regular town council meeting

Well this week’s agenda is 503 pages……two weeks ago, the agenda was a mere 53 pages and the meeting lasted an hour and forty minutes…..so a 503 page agenda could mean an all-nighter? Sigh…..many of the items are fairly boring and/or uninteresting……so….I’m only previewing some of them.

Here are the highlights as I see ‘em : 

First, council will meet in-camera at 4:00 to discuss : 

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA MEETING

Item A – Update on Litigation Matter – Contract Dispute – 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.

Item B – Proposed Disposition of Property – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board.

Item C – Striking Committee Information – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees.

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

DELEGATIONS 

Request for Tax Relief – Cathy Robertson and Kathi Poupard, Camp Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club

It seems that the delegations will be requesting that Camp Bryerswood Youth Camp be exempted from paying municipal taxes. It appears that the former Girl Guides Camp was purchased by Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club and that deal closed on October 29 2021. The sale of the property created a property review by MPAC. It seems the organization then received a tax bill and paid it. The funds required to pay property taxes are detrimental to the organization as per their delegation request form. They are seeking relief from paying property. It seems that under the old ownership, the property was tax exempt from 1992 to 2021. 

PRESENTATIONS

 Boblo Island Ferry Services – Cindy Prince, Vice President, AMICO Affiliates 

As you may recall, two weeks ago, council made a motion and “summoned” (my word and my interpretation) a representative from AMICO to come before council. At the meeting, there was much discussion about how the barge could not run during the Christmas holidays due to low water levels from the storm. Well, it looks like Ms Prince will be presenting to council Monday night. It says “presentation to follow” on the agenda. I’ll be listening with interest. 

2023 Interim Tax Levy Bylaw 2023-011

Interesting. Tax bills are going out soon with the first installment due at the end of February and the second installment due at the end of April…..BUT council has not approved a budget or the tax rate yet. (Normally this is done in November, but with it being a new council, it will be done – perhaps – LOL later in February.) So it looks like administration is recommending an interim tax levy to help offset for the first part of 2023. Then the rate will be adjusted for the third and fourth installments. That’s how I understood it anyway. 

Charity Rebate Program – County of Essex

This report is before council simply for receipt. However, it explains how the change happened with Camp Bryerswood and their property tax situation. For those who are interested and wish to follow closely, here’s the link to the report : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=9888

2023 Amendments to Traffic By-Law 2022-006

This appears to be simply an amendment about the traffic bylaw to include some new crosswalks and the charging stations for electric vehicles. 

Alma Street Shoreline Parkette Shoreline Protection Tender Results

It seems that the Alma Street Parkette is in very poor condition and is blocked off to pedestrians. The town applied for a grant and was successful in being awarded $200,000 in grant funding. The RFP went out and the bids are now in. The recommendation is : 

It is recommended that:

1. The tender for Alma Street Parkette Shoreline Protection BE AWARDED to South Shore Contracting of Essex County Inc. at a cost not to exceed $148,040.00 plus HST to be funded by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program Grant; 

2. The Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to execute an agreement with South Shore Contracting of Essex County Inc. for the Alma Street Shoreline Project. 

Great news! (And should not require lengthy discussion…..)

Committee Structure Part Two – Advisory Committees

It is recommended that:

1.  Administration BE DIRECTED to advertise for lay member positions in the local newspaper and on the Town’s website as detailed in the report of January 23, 2023, in accordance with the Town’s Boards and Committees Appointment Policy to recruit members to serve on the 2022-2026 term for the following Local Boards and Committees:

a. Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee 

b. Economic Development Advisory Committee 

c. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

It looks like council will need to direct administration in order to advertise for the above three committees. If council agrees (highly likely), then get your resume together if any of the above committees are of interest to you. 

Then, council already advertised for applicants for a few committees. Monday will see members of council appointed to some committees as well as some lay people as well. 

Looks like the Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee will need one member of council appointed as well as four lay people.

Then, it looks like the  Audit and Finance Advisory Committee will need two members of council appointed as well as five lay people. 

It appears that the Co-An Park Committee will need one member of council appointed as well as three lay people. 

It seems that the Heritage Committee will need two members of council appointed as well as five lay people. 

Then, it looks like they will need to appoint five applicants (lay people) to the Committee of Adjustment , the Drainage Board, the Property Standards, Dangerous Dog Appeal Committee, Livestock Evaluators and the Fence Viewers Committee’s for the 2022-2026 term of Council. (Just a side note, the Fence Views Committee I’ve always found to be a quirky title….I can just imagine a group of people going to somebody’s house….”Wow! Nice fence!” LOL I know, I know, that’s not what it is, but I do think it’s kind of funny…..maybe it’s just me….)

Boblo Island Ferry Services – Emergency Response

This is an Information Report for council to receive…..it’s kind of an interesting read for those who followed the lengthy drawn out discussion about how the barge couldn’t run due to the winter storm and low water levels. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the whole report : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=9885

Gateway Signage Fee Waiver Request – Art for Parks, Kurt Reffle

It seems that Mr Reffle has sent a request to council. He is with a group of volunteers organizing “Art for Parks” to help raise funds for park equipment. Mr Reffle is requesting that their event be advertised on the digital billboards. He is also requesting that the fees be waived. Here is the recommendation : 

• It is recommended that:
  1. The correspondence BE RECEIVED;
  2. Section 6.3.2. of the Municipal Digital Signage Policy BE WAIVED for the request by the Art for Parks group; and,
  3. The associated fees BE WAIVED for the use of the Municipal Digital Gateway Signs for the 2023 fundraising event associated with the Art for Parks group.

And those are the highlights…..Will this 503 page agenda keep us there all night? Stay tuned I guess….. I’ll be back with the recap, likely Tuesday evening, possibly Wednesday, depending on if the meeting is particularly inefficient. And if by some stroke of luck (or a miracle?) Monday night’s meeting will be efficient and wrap up by 8:00…..I’m not holding my breath LOL  Have a great weekend Amherstburg!

Monday January 9th Regular town council meeting

Well, the meeting with a 52 page agenda that should have wrapped up in well under one hour? Nope. It didn’t……lasted one hour and 40 minutes…..the “pass the gavel” game was back…..sat through 5 rounds of that, maybe 6….hard to count because nobody knows where the gavel is going nor when it’s coming back…..the invisible gavel just gets passed and taken back, figuratively. It’s super confusing and I have sat through hundreds of meetings and I know what I’m watching…..Anyway, I’m going to try to save myself some keystrokes tonight…..Many items were discussed for far too long….I think I smelled some pontificating in the air, but who knows…..maybe it was just people that like to hear their own voices….???

Oh and there were several items requested at tonight’s meeting to be included in the 2023 budget…..and some members of council are on record for wanting a 0% tax increase LOL!! How can council ask for things that will cost money to be included in the upcoming budget but then think it’s possible to have a 0% tax increase? Sure, I love to shop and buy things too but it costs money…..!

It was a fairly lengthy meeting for really nothing getting done. Just sayin’ 

Ontario Volunteer Service Award Recipients – Jennie Lajoie, Janet Willoughby, Mark Usher and Karen Usher, and, Councillor Linden Crain 

Mayor Prue gave a statement recognizing the years of volunteer service given by the people named above. They were commended for their outstanding contributions. Mayor Prue congratulated them and thanked them for their hard work. 

Thank you!!! 

Delegations

Delegation Request by Lee Seguin regarding North Sideroad Roadway (Supplementary Agenda)

This delegation was on the supplementary agenda so I had not had a chance to read through it in advance. It seems that Mr Seguin was asking that North Sideroad, between the Second and Sixth Concession be done in tar and chip. He said that he had a case study of a similar road that he was going to submit to council for their review. He said he would also submit some pictures for council’s review. He listed the many hazards of gravel roads. He said he had asked some councillors to take a ride this past weekend on the road to see its condition. Mr Seguin asked that any that hadn’t had the chance should please do so. 

Administration confirmed that there were about 30 kilometers in total of gravel roads in Amherstburg. Councillor Pouget made a motion to contact the police about speeding on that road and for administration to prepare a report and a cost for tar and chip of the roadway and include it in the 2023 budget. Councillor Courtney spoke about the Roads Needs Study and that there may be a “pecking order” for the roads that get paved. Regardless, the motion carried, and this item will be included in a report and in the 2023 budget. (Now, if it actually gets approved in the 2023 budget will be a story for another day…..)

2023 User Fees By-law

It seems that the user fees have to be evaluated annually. Some of the fees are going down, some are going up by very little, some by a whole lot and some fees are being eliminated. This item was deferred from the December 12th meeting. Here’s the link to the report in case you’re looking for any particular fees that may affect you. 

https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=9726

Councillor Courtney and Councillor Crain had both declared a conflict of interest for section H (recreation services).

So, Mayor Prue passed the gavel….council decided to discuss and vote on the user fee bylaws, except section H for now. Mayor Prue did not seem to be in agreement with a proposed $1,000 fee for someone opposing a decision of Council to the Ontario Land Tribunal. Administration explained that the town incurs significant costs, into the tens of thousands, to process the appeals and that this was a small way to recuperate some of the costs. There was a lot of back and forth between Mayor Prue and administration about this. (And in the meantime, nobody knew where the gavel was! LOL) Councillors Courtney and Pouget seemed to agree with the Mayor that there should not be a fee to the residents to appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal for a planning item. Councillor Allaire also seemed to agree and wondered if it could be set to another amount. Councillor Courtney had a grocery list of questions about the charging station and how it’s monitored. After a very lengthy (and basically, somewhat useless) litany of questions and discussion, it was time for a motion…..

Mayor Prue had the gavel back by then (I think? Who knows? Maybe the gavel had already had enough of this meeting and had gone home?) At first, Mayor Prue wanted amendments to the list of fees before a motion…..after some back and forth it was discussed that a motion should be made and then the amendment…..so it appeared to me anyway, that Mayor Prue helped Councillor Allaire amend the motion to strike out the $1,000 fee for appealing to the Land Tribunal. And some confusion and back and forth the motion was made, amended, voted on and it carried. The fees stand, except for the $1,000 to appeal to the Land Tribunal. 

Section H – fees 

Councillors Crain and Courtney had conflicts for this section. 

There was an abundant number of questions asked by Councillor Pouget and Councillor Allaire. Councillor Allaire even offered up a couple of suggestions on how to manage service fees at the Libro Centre. 

All in all, none of the questions really mattered. The motion was made and it passed. The user fees stand, no amendments. 

Road Dedication of Blocks A and B, Plan M-101 (Road Widening of South Riverview Drive) as a Public Highway

This item passed with no discussion. I began to have hope. That was foolish. 

Planning Pre-Consultation By-law

It seems that administration is recommending that council enact a Pre-Consultation bylaw due to the reduction in duration of time to process Planning Act applications. It seems the provincial government has made changes to this with Bill 109 that went into effect January 1, 2023. It appears that if municipalities can’t process the applications and make a decision in the limited time-frames that refunds of between 50% and 100% will be required. It seems that establishing a pre-consultation bylaw will help with this matter. 

There was a bit of discussion about this item, but ultimately it carried. 

CONSENT CORRESPONDANCE

Submission to the Fourth Independent Review of the AODA-Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)

Mayor Prue passed the gavel (figuratively) AGAIN. He spoke about his agreement etc etc to the above item. I think he took the gavel back. Who knows. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Mayor Prue felt that since it wasn’t even 7:00 that council could maybe look at any items that they felt could be removed. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb said that he had looked at the list and felt that any item that arrived to its third birthday should be removed. He felt that no items should become more than 3 years old. 

Councillor Pouget disagreed. She seemed to feel that all of the items on the list were important to council and to staff and that it was due to staff turnover that they had not been dealt with. However, Councillor Pouget then went on to question an item that had been dropped from the Unfinished Business list. She gave the item number in reference to Pat Thrasher Park in Kingsbridge. She wondered if the previous council had agreed to drop that item from the list. Ironically, it was this current council, at its very first meeting on December 5th that had voted to remove that item from the list and moved the money to the Parks Reserve…..(let that sink in for a minute folks….)

Concillor Courtney did not want to strike anything from the unfinished business list. He felt that they were all concerns of the previous council, from residents…..and he felt that it is all very important. 

CAO Critchley provided an update for the matters dating from 2020 (approaching that ominous third birthday uh-oh lol)…..

Councillor Allaire also did not want to see anything removed from the list. She said she had been emailing staff about certain items on the list and had received prompt responses with explanations of how they’re being worked on. (Side note, I was kind of impressed to hear that she is emailing administration about items, rather than bringing every little thing to public meetings…..that’s what council members should be doing, follow up, find out, get the answers, BEFORE the meeting…..)

Councillor Crain made a motion to strike one item that he had delegated about, an indigenous flag. It seems that administration is working on another option about this recognition, rather than a flag. After some discussion, that carried. 

Then, there was some debate about an item being Unfinished Business or New Business. Councillor Pouget wanted to talk about the Boblo barge, since she felt it was an ongoing issue. Mayor Prue felt that the item wasn’t on the actual unfinished business list and that it should be new business…..

But since I’m still on the Unfinished Business section…..when the Legislature in Toronto dissolves, does the new government deal with the old governments list of issues? Nope. We’ve got a new council now. Perhaps their priorities are not the same as the old council? Or maybe we just like looking backwards all the time in Amherstburg? 

NEW BUSINESS

Councillor Allaire brought up the intersection at Simcoe and Meloche Road (near the Libro Centre). She requested a report and a budget for a crosswalk at that intersection. Ms Giofu, Director of Engineering, told council that the option was presented to the previous council in a budget and it was not approved. She noted that a roundabout had also been mentioned for the intersection but that the grant application was not successful. Councillor Allaire insisted that she wanted all of the possibilities included in the 2023 budget so that council could look at it. Mayor Prue pointed out that Simcoe and Meloche Road are both county roads, therefore the County Council would have to approve any of these items. Then Councillor Allaire felt that just a report with options would be okay. 

Finally, after much discussion, the motion was carried. A report with options to come for the Meloche and Simcoe intersection…..(I’ve danced this dance before, not holding my breath…..) 

Councillor Pouget then spoke at length about a situation with the Boblo barge during the Christmas holidays. It seems that due to low water levels the barge could not run on December 22nd. It was not operational until December 25th, until the wind had died down and the water levels were normalized. Councillor Pouget said she had contacted the CAO and the Fire Chief and was provided with documents 2 inches thick within the hour in regards to procedures when the barge can’t run. 

Councillor Pouget then made a motion for administration to request that the owner of Boblo Island or his designate to meet with town council within two weeks to discuss any and all measures to keep residents safe. 

Mayor Prue felt that he did not have a conflict with this issue since he shares the ferry with everyone and that he lives on Boblo Island. 

CAO Critchley provided an update to council. It seems that a hydraulic lift had already been installed for the barge that provided 2 feet of play either way. However, the storm on December 22nd lowered the water levels by 3 or 4 feet. There was also fear of vehicles bottoming out and the propellers of the barge being too low. She was advised that pedestrian traffic was available and even said that some residents had prescriptions delivered to their home. She noted that the air boat is available for the fire department to use if necessary. 

Mayor Prue passed the gavel…..(sigh….) He spoke about the emails the residents of Boblo received with dates and times of ferry service availability. He noted he was prepared for an emergency but he welcomed the motion to talk with the island owner. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb asked about the town’s liability in this situation. 

Fire Chief Montone explained that from a liability perspective that there is protection for the corporation. He noted that the town does not mislead residents to the level of service they may expect on Boblo Island. He read from a regulating bylaw, adopted by the previous council, that residents can expect a delayed response and even possibly no response. 

Anyway, the motion carried…..we’ll see if the owner or his representative wants to come and “meet” with council…..If so, I may watch that one from home…..it may last all night. Literally. 

Again, Mayor Prue passed the gavel. Did he ever take it back? No clue…..maybe the gavel had had enough of being passed back and forth and made a motion that it could not be passed anymore…..Mayor Prue spoke about a letter he received about the possibility of participating in the Communities in Bloom event. (That costs money, by the way…..) Mayor Prue also said he had received an invitation to a New Year’s Levee. He wondered if a few hundred dollars could bet set aside for next year in order for council to hold a New Year’s Levee…..(more money…..). He then took the gavel back. I wonder if the gavel rolled its eyes or if it sighed. I dunno. 

Anyway, it was 7:40 PM, confirmatory bylaws were read and the meeting was adjourned. In the grand scheme of things, the meeting was less than two hours, but what was really accomplished? I can hardly wait to see this budget and all the requests……

I’ll see you in two weeks Amherstburg! Thanks for reading! I hope this one didn’t bore you too much! 

In preparation for Monday January 9th Regular town council meeting

Well let’s just hope that Monday night’s meeting sets the tone for 2023!!! The agenda is a miraculous 52 pages!!!!! I don’t think I have ever seen such a small agenda in my eight years of following meetings and blogging! This is like a late Christmas gift! 

And just a little side note….happy anniversary to me!!! Seven years ago today was my very first blog post! Also, this is my 400th blog post!!!! Very exciting stuff!! Thank you so much to all of you for reading! 

First, council will meet for a planning meeting at 4:00. 

The regular meeting is set to begin at 6:00

Here are the highlights : 

Ontario Volunteer Service Award Recipients – Jennie Lajoie, Janet Willoughby, Mark Usher and Karen Usher, and, Councillor Linden Crain 

This item on the agenda doesn’t have any attachments or a report but it seems that the people named above will be awarded an Ontario Volunteer Service Award. Congratulations and thank you!!! Volunteering is so important and much appreciated! 

2023 User Fees By-law

This report was deferred for some reason from the December 12th meeting. Anyway, it seems that the user fees have to be evaluated annually. Some of the fees are going down, some are going up by very little, some by a whole lot and some fees are being eliminated. Here’s the link to the report in case you’re looking for any particular fees that may affect you.

https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=9726

It is recommended that: 

1. The changes in fees and charges for the 2023 User Fees By-law BE APPROVED as outlined in the report; and, 
2. By-law 2022-107 being a by-law to Establish User Fees or Charges for Services, Activities or the Use of Property be taken as having been read 3 times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same.

Road Dedication of Blocks A and B, Plan M-101 (Road Widening of South Riverview Drive) as a Public Highway

It seems that a section of South Riverview Drive, located near the River Canard subdivision, was transferred many years ago to the old Anderdon Township but was then never dedicated as a public highway. Looks like this happened long ago and administration is recommending that the portions that were not dedicated now be properly dedicated as a public highway and that the Town of Amherstburg would properly own and be responsible for these sections of the road. Here is the recommendation : 

 It is recommended that: 

1. The dedication of Block A on Plan M-101 (road widening of South Riverview Drive) as a Public Highway BE APPROVED; 
2. The dedication of Block B on Plan M-101 (road widening of South Riverview Drive) as a Public Highway BE APPROVED; and, 
3. By-law 2023-008 being a by-law to dedicate Blocks A and B on Plan M-101 as a Public Highway be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same. 

Planning Pre-Consultation By-law

It seems that administration is recommending that council enact a Pre-Consultation bylaw due to the reduction in duration of time to process Planning Act applications. It seems the provincial government has made changes to this with Bill 109 that went into effect January 1, 2023. It appears that if municipalities can’t process the applications and make a decision in the limited time-frames that refunds of between 50% and 100% will be required. It seems that establishing a pre-consultation bylaw will help with this matter. 

From the report : “The way the pre-consultation process at the Town of Amherstburg is now intended to work is an applicant will submit an application for pre-consultation to the Development Services Department. Administration will review the application and initiate circulation for comments to other municipal departments and relevant agencies, boards, commissions and utilities. The Planner assigned to the file will review the comments and a letter will be sent to the applicant either deeming the application to be complete or incomplete with additional instructions to work towards completing the application. 

Using the Zoning By-law Amendment timeline that is the tightest timeline for a Planning Act application for the Town of Amherstburg. When the Planning Act timelines and Town of Amherstburg internal timelines are considered in the context of a Zoning By-law Amendment with a 90-day timeline to make a decision:  

• Notice is required 20 days in advance of a Statutory Public Meeting, in order to meet this timeline with our local newspaper we need to typically place our advertisement approximately 29 or 30 days in advance of the meeting. This leaves 60 or 61 days. 
• Following the Statutory Public Meeting, Administration needs to review the comments and write the Planning report for Council consideration. Depending on the complexity of the matter being considered and any additional information or studies requested by Council this typically takes anywhere between 7 and 14 days – sometimes longer if studies require substantial revisions or the Planning Department is working on a high volume of applications. This leaves 47 to 53 days to get the report to Council for decision.  
• Reports are typically due 17 days in advance of Council. This leaves 30 to 36 days for Council to make a decision. Given the volume of workload and current staffing levels, it is possible that at times much of the 30 to 36 days could be consumed while processing applications. 

The benefit of this pre-consultation process is that all of the work is typically completed in advance of the application moving forward to discussion at a Statutory Public Meeting (when applicable) or for decision by Council / Administration / Committee of Adjustment.”

And……the most important part of all, is found in the Financial Matters portion of the report…..additional staffing will be required in order to avoid refunding fees. 

From the Financial Matters section of the report : 

“Based on current staffing levels and application levels it is forecast that between 8 and 10 Zoning By-law Amendments and 15 and 20 Site Plan Control Applications would not be completed within the new Planning Act timelines. The estimated financial cost of the corresponding refund of fees, assuming worst case refunds of 100%, is between $50,000 and $60,000 using the current 2022 fees. 

While this process will provide some assistance with these new challenges, Administration will be recommending an additional staff resource for stronger mitigation measures to avoid refunding fees. The pending 2023 User Fees include increases in planning application fees to be more in line with other municipalities in our region. The increase in fees is forecasted to cover the cost of an additional resource, rather than needing to request the funding as part of the municipal tax base.”

So it sounds like council will need to adopt this new Planning Pre-Consulting Bylaw if they want the wheels to stay in motion at the proper speed I guess. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Council can review and question any items still on the unfinished business list. 

NEW BUSINESS

The new business section of the meeting is the real wild card. The items brought up could be literally, quite anything. Random phone calls, emails….whatever. Most times, the items brought up during this portion of the meeting don’t even need to be brought forth in a public meeting. They could be simply dealt with and done…..but we shall see…..Monday night’s meeting should wrap up in much less than one hour IF and only IF the new business items don’t become pontification and (unnecessary) drama time…..

By-law 2023-012 – Appointment of Drainage Superintendent and Tile Inspector

It looks like Sam Paglia will be appointed as the new Drainage Superintendent and Tile Inspector for the Town of Amherstburg. 

And that’s it, that’s all folks! Fifty-two pages!!! That’s it! Here’s to hoping that I’m home on my couch by 7:00 Monday night and that the meeting is all wrapped up efficiently and expeditiously! Fingers crossed!