REPORT ON COUNCIL
September 8, 2008
Committee of the whole meeting 9.00 a.m. – 12:44 p.m. and 1:17 p.m. – 5:27 p.m.
Regular evening meeting 7:06 p.m. – 7:24 p.m.
All Members of Council present.
CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 1:55 p.m. – 5:27 p.m.
AUDITORS OKAY TINY’S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: The external auditors, BDO Dunwoody, presented their assessment of the 2007 financial statements. In their opinion General Accepted Accounting Practices had been met and the results were satisfactory. There were four Control Weaknesses identified. All are minor in nature. Three have been corrected and the fourth was lack of a centralized purchasing system, which would be complex to implement. The CAO stated that this would be considered in conjunction with other pending projects in 2009.
COUNTY COUNCIL UPDATE: Deputy Mayor George Lawrence, who sits on the Corporation Services Committee of the County of Simcoe which deals with garbage, noted that at its next meeting he’d like to support the proposal made by another municipality that heavy pickup be reinstated. Council supported this proposal. Unfortunately, in his estimate, chances of the proposal being adopted are slim.
Mayor Breckenridge noted that the Committee considering governance changes at the County of Simcoe seemed ineffectual.
THE SEVERN SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION’S NEW ROLE IN TINY: The Mayor informed Council that the SSEA will be administering the Water Protection Act not just for the half of our Township which lies within the Severn Sound watershed, but for the whole Township. Our fees are to rise substantially (though not as much as would have been the case were water matters deal with by the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority). If the old fee formula were applied to the whole of the Township, our fees would increase from $6,700 to $49,000, but with a proposed new formula they would increase only to $29,000. Let us hope that the proposed new formula wins the support of all of the SSEA member municipalities.
COUNCIL TO VISIT BEACHES AND ROAD ENDS: As a result of two reports prepared by Henk Blom, Manager of Public Works, Council will spend a day on October 6th touring municipal beach areas listed below. This will allow them to which consider a number of actions, which Mr. Blom recommended be undertaken at points along the shore. Among these is a new boardwalk for Woodland Beach Park, a boardwalk at the Concession 9 road allowance from Tiny Beaches Road South to the Beach, and completion of the west leg of the Bluewater Beach Park boardwalk. Council agreed to the construction of all three, but said that the Woodland Beach boardwalk may not be installed until the Woodland Park Master Plan is approved. Council’s tour is to include:
1 Woodland Beach Lawson Road to Tamarack Trail,
2 Edmore Beach from Monica Road north
3 Concession 4 Road end and Park Block
4 Bluewater Beach and Georgina Beach from Bluewater Park to Cleopatra Resort
5 DunsFord Lane and Concession 7 Road Allowances
6 Concession 8
7 Jackson Park and ancillary beach
8 Concession 9 and Park Block
9 Balm Beach
10 Concession 11 Road End
11 Cawaja Beach frontage
12 Concession 13 Road End and Wahnekewaning Beach
13 Concession 14 Road End
14 Concession 16 and 17 area various small parks
15 TeePee Park
COMMUNICATIONS: Because Council receives numerous communications each month, Doug Luker, CAO/Clerk recommended (and Council agreed) that all be acknowledged, but active support be considered only for those items that directly impact the township.
