REPORT ON COUNCIL
May 30, 2011
Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 am – 12:05 pm; 12:45 pm – 4:55 pm
Regular Evening Meeting: 7:00 pm – 7:43 pm.
Present: Mayor Ray Millar, Deputy Mayor George Lawrence, Councillors André Claire, Nigel Warren, and Gibb Wishart
CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 3:55 pm – 4:53 pm
PARKING AT BALM BEACH
On May 9th Council received a report from Public Works Manager, Henk Blom, that pay parking be introduced at Balm Beach. Pay ticket machines would control 83 spaces along the beachfront, charging $2 per hour (free with resident permit). Balm Beach Road and all side streets would be designated “no parking” because of “safety concerns”. Merchants petitioned Council to re-consider these changes.
On May 30th, Mr. Blom presented a further report containing comments from 52 persons and letters from businesses. It suggested 3 options: do nothing; hold an information session on July 8th; or implement the pay parking recommendations prior to July 1.
George Lawrence recommended having permit parking for Tiny residents on one side of Balm Beach Road only. This was supported by André Claire and Nigel Warren. The issue of safety was raised by George Lawrence.
There was disagreement on the timeline for paid parking. Nigel Warren was in favour of meters going in this year. The Mayor wanted to delay until after a public meeting. The consensus was that more time is needed to set things up.
All members of Council were in favour of pay parking.
In the end, staff was directed to organize a public workshop as follows:
1) Invite delegations from the Balm Beach Business Association, local beach associations and the public for the purpose of identifying the issues and proposing solutions on Friday, July 8, 2011,
2) Have the output of that meeting summarized by July 26, 2011 and presented to Council on Monday, August 8, 2011.
SUBDIVISION, MCMAHAN WOODS, CONCESSION 4 WEST
This proposed subdivision on Lot 23, Conc. 4 is in the “greenbelt” designation of the current County Official Plan, but was grandfathered as “future development” land in the current Tiny OP. The proponent asks approval for 51 lots, allowable under the Tiny Official Plan. Many people at the public meeting held under the Planning Act some time ago called for only 20 lots to be developed as is allowed in the County’s Plan. Their concerns included traffic and parking on Waterview between Conc. 4 and Georgian Heights, impact on beaches at Bluewater and Georgian Heights, and the availability of water.
The previous Council did not accept the 51-lot proposal, asked for various studies, and instructed staff to sort out the discrepancy between an allowable 20 lots (County) and the proposed 51 lots. The current Council was again presented with a 51-lot proposal. Water supply was again a major issue. The proposal was defeated by a 3-2 recorded vote, with Mayor Millar and Councillor Wishart in favour, Councillors Claire, Warren and Deputy Mayor Lawrence opposed.
BUILDING PERMIT ACTIVITY
Monthly and Year to Date Comparative Building Permit Activity reports outlined construction activity valued at $4,923,000 for the month of April 2011, down from $7,274,000 for April 2010. From January to April 2011 construction valued at $2,353,000 was reported, versus a value of $3,887,000 for January to April 2010.
WATER DEPARTMENT CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL PLAN
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing requires that municipalities prepare a Financial Plan for their water systems. This is required to ensure that the water systems are financially viable. In Tiny, we have 17 separate water supply systems that collectively fall under this requirement.
The plan for Tiny was presented and approved, and shows that operating costs of $1.65 million in 2011 were covered by revenues of $2.0 million. An accumulated surplus of $9.7 million was shown. By 2015, costs of $1.8 million are projected, with revenues of $2.2 million. By then the accumulated surplus should be $11 million. A copy of the approved Financial Plan is available on the Township’s website.
