FoTTSA Report on Tiny Council Meetings March 1, 15 and 27
Special Committee of the Whole Meeting: March 1, 2023: 5:00 p.m. – 8:46 p.m.
Regular Meeting of Council: March 15, 2023: 5:00 p.m. – 5:48 p.m.
Special Committee of the Whole Meeting – Council March 27, 2023: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Attendance on March 1, 15, and 27, 2023: Mayor David Evans, Deputy Mayor Sean Miskimins, and Councillors Dave Brunelle, Kelly Helowka and Steffen Walma were all present. On March 1, 2023, Councillor Walma vacated the meeting at 8:05 p.m
MARCH 1, 2023, Special Committee of the Whole Meeting of Council: This meeting concerned the education and training of the incoming Council.
MARCH 15, 2023 Regular Council Meeting and Committee of the Whole:
Deputation by resident Diane Leblovic regarding a Code of Conduct Complaint-Integrity Commissioner Disposition Summary-Councillor Walma. Ms Leblovic was concerned that this item was placed on the agenda by Councillor Walma. It concerned a complaint she made to the Integrity Commissioner in November of 2022 relating to the former Deputy Mayor’s absenteeism from meetings in 2021 and 2022. The Commissioner found that the complaint was not substantiated and that the file would be closed and “no public report will be provided.”
Ms Leblovic was concerned that Walma’s statement left the impression that her complaint was frivolous and vexation. She argued that she made the complaint for all the right reasons – namely that Councillor Walma had missed a total of 37 meetings in 2021 and the first 9 months of 2022 and that this frequent absenteeism showed that he was regularly absent.
Council Remuneration: Effective January 1, 2023 the following positions are to receive a basic salary of –
Mayor – $42,230.82
Deputy Mayor – $31,673.55
Councillor – $27,449.75
In addition, members of Council are to receive a per diem rate of $60 per half day and $120 per full day for attending 17 different committee meetings. They are also to receive compensation for many other activities.
Letters of Credit Held by the Township for Le Villageois de Lafontaine Water and Sewage Systems: Louis Maheu from Le Villageois asked Council to consider reducing the Letters of Credit held by the Township for Le Villageois should the Township be required to take over the operation of the system(s). On the advice of staff, Council refused the request.
Management of Dynamic Beach Hazards: Public Works is to provide a report to Council at its May 17 meeting outlining costs and plans for a Dynamic Beach Management Strategy.
MARCH 27, 2023 Special Committee of the Whole Meeting – Strategic Planning Session: At this meeting, Council considered a presentation by Eric Lockhart, President of Lockhart Facilitation, Council and Senior Management Strategic Planning, and a staff report titled
“Committed to Community” Township of Tiny Strategic Plan Update 2020-2025. This document is to guide Council’s actions over the balance of this term of Council.
According to this document, Council’s Vision recognizes the importance of maintaining the special charm and rural character of the Township by “promoting moderate growth that is in keeping with the existing character of our communities.” Council is “committed to transparency, accountability and responsible management.” Its Strategic Goals/Themes are to:
Create an Engaged Informed & Connected Community
Deliver Exceptional Municipal Services
Build Economic Prosperity & Opportunity
Promote Environmental Responsibility & Stewardship
Support Community Health, Safety & Well-being
To those ends, Council identified 12 Priorities.
All this looks very positive and ambitious. We look forward to experiencing the result.