REPORT ON COUNCIL
Feb. 8, 2016
Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Regular Meeting of Council: 3:45 p.m. – 4:08 p.m.
All members of Council Present: Mayor George Cornell, Deputy Mayor Steffen Walma, and Councillors Cindy Hastings, Richard Hinton and Gibb Wishart.
2016 BUDGET ADOPTED:
Several points are of particular note in this year’s budget. The operating budget spending is up by 16.6% over 2015. This increase is being financed by a tax rise of 3% over 2015, a spending of 15.4% of reserves, and a reduction in the gross capital budget of almost a million dollars as compared with 2015. Also there is to be a 3% across the board tax increase.
The sizable leap in Policing Services Cost is as expected. There is also a ‘backlog’ of Public Works Operational Activities, the funding of Strategic Plan priorities, infrastructure deficits and asset replacements, and a corporate insurance increase. A great deal of advance planning is anticipated including a Public Works organizational review, an Asset Management Plan, Water Financial Plan, Roads Capital Plan, Roads Needs Study, Fire Fleet Plan and Building Condition Assessment, a Development Charges Study. A New Procedural By-law is to be drafted. Individual Items that caught our eye are a 1.7% wage increase for staff and members of council (instead of the usual 2%), a “Beach enjoyment strategy,” support for Farlain Lake’s watermilfoil project, live streaming of COW/Council meetings, and continued engagement with septage management.
NORTH SIMCOE AGRICULTURAL EXPO AGRICOLE EVENT – 2017:
Following a deputation on January 25 from Phil DeBruyne and Paul Maurice regarding the event (included in the Feb. 8 Agenda), Council decided to support the proposed North Simcoe Agricultural Expo Event, but not to sanction it as a Township event, and appointed Councillor Hastings to its executive and steering committees.
This event is “to showcase agriculture and to give consumers a better appreciation of what farmers do and why they do them,” It is to take place on the agricultural section of Dr. Donald Stubbs’ land in Concession 2, August 17-20, 2017. We’ll report in greater detail closer to the time.
2016 SUMMER EVENTS SCHEDULE IN BALM BEACH:\
The program proposed by the Business Association of Balm Beach is similar to last year’s, though we note that this year there is no request for exemption from the township’s noise by-law. Staff is to prepare a report on costs and community concerns about in kind requests, including the installation on the beach of 2 permanent net posts for volleyball.
AVAILABILITY OF PARKING AT MAJOR BEACH PARKS:
A staff report informed Council that
- Lafontaine Beach has 14 permit spaces, 14 open spaces in the lot, and 1 accessible space
- Balm Beach has 65 pay parking beachfront spaces, 26 more in Parent Park, 16 30-minute open spaces in front of Grill, 4 30-minute open space on Oliver Drive, 12 30-minute open spaces on Balm Beach Rd W, 12 permit space on Balm Beach Rd We, 2 loading zone spaces at the end of Balm Beach Rd W and 4 accessible spaces
- Jackson Park has 33 pay spaces, 20 pay spaces for trailers, 5 accessible spaces, and 6 permit spaces on Birchdale Ave
- Bluewater Beach has 6 permit spaces on Nicole Blvd, 1 accessible space on Trew Ave, 6 permit spaces near 54 Trew Ave, 4 permit spaces near 31 Trew Ave, and 23 permit spaces on Concession 5 West.
- Woodland Beach has 16 pay spaces on Concession 2 West, 1 accessible space on Concession 2 West, 14 permit spaces in its parking lot, and 15 permit spaces on Lawson Road.
The report ignores all the open parking spaces near the 5 parks. It does supply the area of each park as a basis for estimating its carrying capacity.
DATES OF TOWN HALL MEETINGS IN 2016:
These are to occur from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, May 28 and September 24. The May meeting is to take place in the Pavilion at Lafontaine Park, and the one in September in the Tiny Township Community Centre.
MAYOR’S CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT:
The tournament and dinner are be held on August 19, 2016 at the Midland Golf and Country Club. The charities supported this year include the Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre, the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health, and the Royal Victoria Hospital Child and Youth Mental Health Services.
The Federation of Tiny Township Shoreline Associations (FoTTSA) is a lead sponsor of the event.
