Council Reports: February 26, 2010

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

February 26, 2010

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 am – 12:32 pm and 1:10 pm -2:49 pm

Regular “Evening Meeting”: 3:01 pm – 3:14 pm

All members of Council present

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 1:10 pm – 2:48 pm

SALE OF UNOPENED ROAD ALLOWANCES

Concession 5 – A complex situation regarding two unopened road allowances, beach access, and several private property owners was partially resolved several years ago when a settlement was reached with owners on the east side of the traveled road. The second stage – with owners on the water side of the road — is still under discussion. The beach that is accessed is all municipally owned. Staff is to consider the resolution proposed by landowners and report back to Council with options and a recommended solution. Members of Council will then decide on what appears to be the best option and it will then go to a public meeting.
Proposed closure and sale of the unopened road allowance between Concessions 20W and 21W abutting Lots 20 & 21 Blairhampton Properties Inc. Here the part of the road allowance nearest the water was closed and sold many years ago. What’s at issue is closure and sale to the developer of the balance (from Nipissing Ridge Road to Cedar Point Road). What happens next is a survey of the unopened road allowance, an appraisal, and then a public meeting about the matter.

2010 BUDGET PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS

1) An increase of 11.2% ($619,954) over last year’s operating budget. This came as a surprise to Council who hadn’t recognized the full impact of decisions made since January 28th.
Three things were blamed for the increase – a loss of $200,000 bank interest revenue because of current low rates; a hike in the Policing budget of $157,000; and “Fire wages and WSIB” which weighed in at $232,000. This last included increased activity and training for volunteer fire fighters coupled with a mandatory change in the way insurance is handled for all Township staff. The latter two items are expected to continue at this level, while the first is market related. Councillor Claire emphasized the importance of reining in the Operating Budget – but not this one (judging by the tenor of the discussion that ensued).
2) A net capital budget reduction of 2.7% or $35,801 from the 2009 budget, in spite of the fact that gross capital spending was up 49.5% or $3,365,887 from the 2009 budget. Significant infrastructure grants and use of reserves account for the difference.
Large expenditures include the Georgian Sands watermain at $3,197,590 (2/3s covered by a grant, 1/3 from water reserves); the Baseline Road bridge ($1,521,867 covered by a grant); the Lafontaine Pavillion ($639,129, 2/3 covered by grants); Balm Beach improvements amounting to more than $376,000 (probably covered by the Parkland Reserve Fund).
3) Reserves and Reserve Funds to fall by 9.8% or $709,684. (Some funds were increased, the Water Reserve Fund fell by $724,083 because of the watermain).
4) Presentation to be improved by the addition of information about grants, reserve funds, and other non-tax sources.
5) $900,000 of last year’s budget not spent. Affected projects are to be done this year. (This is an ongoing problem. We cannot remember when all budgeted projects have been completed.)
6) Average assessment $287,000 in Tiny. Average assessment increase 6.47%. Total municipal tax rate increase 1.5%.
7) According to Mayor Breckenridge County tax rate is to fall in most municipalities, but in Tiny, because of MPAC’s property assessments, it is to increase by .71%.

BUILDING PERMIT ACTIVITY

Where construction value at the end of January in 2009 stood at $902,000, this year it is only $524,000.

HIGH SPEED INTERNET SERVICE

The Treasurer, Doug Taylor, reported to your observer that Bell Alient expects to make changes to Bell’s existing towers in Tiny in April/May that will make broadband service available at a reasonable rate to all but a strip of properties across the north end of the Township. An approach is to be made to the CRTC in September by many municipalities across the province on behalf of such unserved properties, as there is a new technology that might be used.

 

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Report on Council for February 8, 2010

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Webmaster

Confidential/Closed Session; Solar Energy; Council Remuneration; Wind Turbine Update; Beach Signage; Street Lights; Budget Update

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Council Reports: February 8, 2010

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

February 8, 2010

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 am –12:36 pm and 1:09 to 3:47 pm

Regular Evening Meeting: 7:00 pm – 7:40 pm

All members of Council present

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 1:10 pm – 3:47 pm and 7:40 pm – 8:20 pm
John Barzo of Burgar Rowe was present, as was Tom Moutsatsos of Hicks Morley. The evening closed session concerned “A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality.”

SOLAR ENERGY
Council members briefly discussed a presentation by Mike Henderson of Dommelvalley Green Power from the previous meeting. One member enquired if consideration should be given to fitting Township buildings with solar panels. Staff was directed to consider this possibility.

COUNCIL REMUNERATION
In 2008 council approved a salary adjustment which made their remuneration comparable to that of neighbouring Councils. At that time they decided to review the situation before setting 2010 compensation. After discussion they concluded that no further action was required at this time. This appears to be a prudent approach.

WIND TURBINE UPDATE
Several members attended a meeting in Durham regarding wind turbines. Approximatley 400 people attended with major concerns centered around health and setbacks. It was reported that 43 municipalities in Ontario are proponents of an independent study regarding setbacks before any further construction is undertaken.

BEACH SIGNAGE
Further to discussions regarding Summerama, Council directed staff to proceed with signage at Kitching Land and at the acess point just north of the Sunport Motel to clearly depict the extent of Township-owned property at those locations.

STREET LIGHTS
In response to a letter from a resident who resides on Concession 18 near Georgian Drive, discussion ensued regarding the three streetlights to be erected in that subdivision. Staff advised that the lights were required if the developer were to conform with current standards. Council does not wish to change the standard but is empathic to problem of ambient light blotting out the night sky and requested staff to analyze the possibility of using different lights which would satisy the safety requirements while minimizing ambient light.

BUDGET UPDATE
A few items were finalized including provision for parking machines at Balm Beach. Parking will be carefully considered in conjunction with the Master Plan, safety, and concerns the business association may have.
After discussion Council agreed on a budget increase of 1.5% which will allow for approxiamtely $300,000 to be added to the reserve funds. The cost of living increase for staff was also set at 1.5% which is in line with the core CPI increase last year. Council also considered the impact of the harmonized sale tax and the new Ontaro rent guidelines in that decision.
Please note that individual tax bills will vary, depending on MPAC assessments and the 4 year phase in period. The final tax rate will be established by the Township before the Feb. 26th Committee of the Whole Meeting.

 

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Council Reports: January 25, 2010

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

January 25, 2010

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 am – to 12:37 pm

and 1:12 pm to 5:00 pm

Regular Evening Meeting: 7:00 pm – 7:13 pm

Mayor Breckenridge, Deputy Mayor Lawrence and Councillors Claire and Warren present. Councillor Cornell absent.

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 2:56 pm to 5:00 pm

OASIS SEPTAGE PRESENTATION
Officials from the Ontario Association of Sewage Industry Services made a presentation about septage. Also present were officials from the Ministry of the Environment. They reported that Ontario creates 27 billion litres of septage annually of which 53% is processed in treatment plants and 36% goes on land applications. There were numerous questions from Council and there seemed to be consensus from both groups that lagoons are one of the most cost effective solutions for a municipality such as ours. It is very unlikely that any of our surrounding municipalities have, or will ever have, spare capacity at reasonable prices. It was noted that, if Tiny decides to proceed with a local solution, the one chosen should be large enough to be cost effective and that could mean that a partner would be needed. It is possible that OASIS can help, in an advisory role, with the Environmental Assessment, which is the next step in the process. The last EA is more than 5 years old a new study is required by regulation.

BEACH WATER QUALITY
Officials from the Simcoe Muskoka District Health unit and the SSEA presented the 2009 sample results for beaches they monitor. There were some very high E. coli numbers and, while no specific information was available, these were attributed to sudden weather changes. Council members expressed concern that there is a one- or two-day lag between the collection of the samples and a warning posting on a beach. It was suggested that there is equipment available that can take a sample and test it on site. Keith Sherman of the SSEA is of the opinion that the suggested equipment is not very reliable but both organizations advised that they would follow-up further.
The sample results will be added in due course to the information in Water Reports, on the FoTTSA website.

CLOSED DUMP SITE 20, 14TH CONCESSION WEST
Council enquired about the Genivar study that they approved in November. The study is to complete earlier work, which was inconclusive because too few test holes were drilled. Staff advised that it is too costly to complete the work until the spring. It was noted that the reporting and progress are to be closely monitored.

JOB EVALUATION PROCESS
There was a lengthy discussion regarding the job evaluation process. Council wants to see an evaluation and salary range when approving new positions.
We note that this requirement should have been addressed during the first year of Council’s term.

 

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Council Reports: January 11, 2010

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

January 11, 2010

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:01 am – to 12:28 pm and 1:08 pm to 4:16 pm

Regular Evening Meeting: 7.00 pm – 7.53 pm

All members of Council present

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 1:08 pm – 2:26 pm

SUMMERAMA FOLLOW-UP

Council discussed the presentation made at the previous meeting. Specifically they decided that the beach entry points at Kitching Lane and near the Sunport Motel must more clearly identify the Township-owned area and the private property. They decided that these two entries will be signed the same as the concession road ends. Members of Council generally spoke in favour of continuing the event in 2010 and encouraged interested residents to become part of the organizing committee. It was noted that a 2010 event had been given some publicity, but Council has not approved it. The recommendation in the previous meeting’s presentation that the venue be moved to CBO Park was not discussed.
Staff was directed to consider requiring all organizations planning events to make firm proposals by March 31st.

LE VILLAGEOIS LOAN EXTENSION

The loan, which was due Dec. 31st, has not been repaid and the Villageois Corporation indicated they intend to get a mortgage in March 2010.
Council was not satisfied with the vague communication received and decided to apply the remedies laid out in the loan agreement.

CANADA POST’S NEW RURAL ROUTES

Canada Post officials presented an update to their August presentation.
To recap, new postal routes in the north end of Tiny Township are required if the post office is to conform to labour laws. In August Council said that they would like to see “Tiny Township” addresses for everyone in the Township rather than rural routes out of Penetanguishene, Elmvale, and Midland. Changing the addresses for all residents, as opposed to changing only those who are impacted by the new routes out of Penetanguishene, is a much larger project. Staff reminded Council that there is a mail-in ballot for the municipal election this fall and therefore timing could be an issue. Staff will investigate and report back.

GOVERNANCE

Members of Council noted that staff too frequently uses single source suppliers – waiving the Financial Procedures By-law. They requested a report for major categories such as engineering, fire equipment, legal, indicating such things as the current arrangement and the possibility of other sources. Several Councillors made it clear that they will not approve any future waivers.
It is unfortunate that this step was not taken early in Council’s term as some of the current purchasing arrangements have not been analyzed for many years. By the time a report is prepared and discussed the current term will be virtually over.

WIND TURBINE UPDATE

CORT (Coalition of Residents Tiny) requested Council to pass a resolution to join with five municipalities that are working to suspend construction of wind farms until the health impacts of turbines are researched and understood. Council agreed to support this request and will send delegates to all future meetings of the group.

BUILDING PERMIT DATA

The estimated value of construction in December 2009 increased to $2,073,000, substantially up from $296,000 in Dec. 2008. On the other hand, the total value of construction for the year 2009 was $25.9 millions, down from $31.8 millions in 2008. The 2009 level was the lowest since 2004.

COUNCIL MEETING DATE CHANGE

The Council meetings scheduled for February 22nd have been moved to February 26th. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will commence at 9.00 am and the Regular Council Meeting will commence at 2:00 pm. Several members of Council will be attending a conference on the 22nd.
This is an important meeting, as the 2010 budget will be presented. Based on the three budget meetings, we believe that any tax increase will be very small. However some taxes may increase as a result of the four-year “roll-in” which commenced in 2009 from the MPAC assessments. The budget data provided to date reveals a good level of fiscal prudence by staff and council.

 

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Council Reports: December 14, 2009

Posted on December 14, 2009 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

December 14, 2009

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 a.m. to 11:50 p.m.

Regular Evening Meeting: 7:00 p.m. – 7:12 p.m.

All members of Council present

Confidential / Closed Session: 11:50 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Summerama, Balm Beach – a contrary opinion
In its presentation on November 9, the organizers of Summerama stated that there were no reported negative incidents during that August 15th event. Waterfront owners south of Balm Beach felt otherwise. In their experience, the number of people using their private beaches doubled in number, and crowds used properties on either side of the 10-foot Township-owned right-of-way off Kitching Lane, one of the access points that lacks a Township sign showing the limits of public ownership.
This group of waterfront owners felt it necessary to hire security personnel during Summerama to identify disturbances, breaches of the law, and, where requested by the property owner, to ask people to move off the private beach area. In a majority of instances, requests met with “heated opposition, vulgarity, and threats of violence”. The OPP supported the efforts of the security personnel.
The owners and the security personnel observed significant and open consumption of alcohol. Owners experienced an increased level of littering. They felt that the signage defining the limits of the public beach at Balm was inadequate, especially given the assurances prior to the event. They also felt that many problems resulted from the location of the event and recommended that it be moved next year to CBO Park.

Dogs at Woodland Beach
In response to one letter asking for outright banning of dogs from Woodland Beach and several others asking for stricter enforcement of regulations regarding dogs, staff were of the opinion that “the combination of enforcement, education and signage are effective and an outright prohibition is not required at this time.” Council accepted the staff report.

New Warden of County of Simcoe
Mayor Breckenridge reported that Cal Patterson, Mayor of Wasaga Beach, was acclaimed Warden at a Special Meeting of County Council.

Simcoe Landfill Site 24 – By-law 09-079
According to Report PD-81-09, there is “an apparent plume of leachate” emanating from a closed landfill in the vicinity of the North Simcoe Transfer Station on Golf Links Road. The plume “is, or may be moving, in an easterly direction from the site”. The MoE has required the County to obtain a “Contaminant Attenuation” Zone along the access road to, and on the adjacent properties, to the northeast of the closed landfill area. [It is not clear how this “apparent plume” was discovered.]
The County of Simcoe will be monitoring the plume under lands owned by Tiny and Midland by “drilling test wells and sampling the water to analyze and to determine the potential location and type of leachate, if any, in the ground.”

Building Permit Activity for November
While year over year activity through November is down from $31 million in 2008 to $23.8 million in 2009, the monthly activity in November increased from $2.2 million in 2008 to $3.8 million in 2009.

Constraints on the proposed McMahan Woods Development
A letter from the Planning Department of the County of Simcoe says:

On August 11, 2009, the County of Simcoe received an Ecology Peer Review Site Inspection Report from SAAR Environmental, the County’s environmental peer review agent. The report concludes that all environmental matters have been dealt with to their satisfaction consistent with the Natural Heritage Policies under the Provincial Policy Statement and local and upper tier Official Plans, including in particular, the County of Simcoe Greenlands policies. Recommendations regarding the documentation and relocation of a couple of species of fern, bird habitat monitoring and tree preservation and planting plans are provided. Based on acceptable results of the EIS and subsequent site inspection, the County may permit a maximum of 20 residential lots as per the Greenlands Policy 3.7.6.

However, constraints on population growth in Tiny Township, as identified in the growth targets in the Province’s “Simcoe Area: A Strategic Vision for Growth” policy document still have to be worked through. The County concludes that at this stage, “advancement of this application through the planning stages is premature.”

Fence By-law Upheld
A private landowner whose fence stands at 2.2 metres, where Tiny’s By-law 06-001 permits a maximum height of 1.9 metres, appealed the Township’s insistence that its By-law be obeyed to the Ontario Municipal Board. The OMB supported the Township’s view and dismissed the appeal.

 

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Council Reports: December 8, 2008

Posted on December 8, 2009 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL
December 8, 2008
Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 a.m. -12:35 p.m. and 1:10 p.m. – 2:21 p.m.
Regular Evening Meeting: 7:05 p.m. – 8:47 p.m.
All Members of Council present

MCMAHAN WOODS DEVELOPMENT, LOT 23, CONCESSION 4: The proposed plan of subdivision was presented to council by Darren Vella of Innovative Planning Solutions for information purposes only, at this time. A copy of the presentation is available on the Tiny Township website – tiny.ca — under Committee of the Whole Agenda Dec. 8, 2008 / Reports of Consultants or Third Parties / 5th report at 11:00 am.

The proposed development occupies 153.25 acres and consists of 73 (1 acre minimum) lots with walking trails, a parkette and the Nipissing Ridge portion remains environmentally protected. An application has been submitted to Simcoe County along with the following technical reports: Planning Justification, Functional Servicing, Traffic Impact Study, Hydrogeological Assessment, Archaeological Assessment, D4 Waste Disposal Assessment (since there is a closed dumpsite on the property) and Environmental Impact Assessment. The County will review the reports and may request further investigation. If this development is approved by Simcoe County, it will then be presented to Tiny Council. At that time, public meetings will be scheduled to collect taxpayer & resident input. Roger Robitaille, Manager of Planning, stated that the meetings would not be scheduled earlier than May 2009 so that weather would not prevent seasonal residents from attending meetings.

A group of residents were present and submitted, in writing, concerns about beach access, traffic, population density, adequacy of municipal water supplies, environmental issues and septage disposal. Mayor Peggy Breckenridge addressed the group and stated that these issues would be reviewed once the plan is submitted to Township for approval. Roger Robitaille stated that this application is based on the present Official Plan and that any changes in Official Plan policies will not apply. He also stated that the number of lots would probably need to be reduced to 50 and that this presentation was only a proposal. Councillor Warren questioned how the closed dumpsite, additional septage and beach access would be dealt with. Councillor Claire asked if the developers were planning on using municipal water? Darren Vella responded that they would prefer private wells, but have been asked to look at municipal water sources.

ENCROACHMENT POLICY BY-LAW EXTENSION: Current encroachment agreements have been extended for one year.

HEAVY GARBAGE PICK-UP RE-INSTATED: George Lawrence, Deputy Mayor, stated that Simcoe County has re-instated the pick-up for 2009. There is a limit of 5 items. Dates will be made available once they are scheduled.

LEAF AND YARD WASTE COLLECTION SAVINGS: This collection is to be continued for three weeks in 2009 on all roads, other than private. In 2008, the collection was done by the Township at a cost of $13,937. When the County handled this collection in fall 2007, it charged the Township $24,024. Council then asked Henk Blom, Manager of Public Works, to ascertain the cost were the township to undertake the service. His estimate of $13,215 represented a substantial saving to taxpayers, and his estimate turned out to be quite accurate.

DEVELOPMENT CHARGE INDEXING FOR 2009: Charges are to increase to $5,471 (from $4,903) per household for residential units and $22.90 (from $20.52) per square meter gross floor area for non-residential units.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:

Community Recreation Committee: Bob Allen, Michelle Locke, Helen Lovejoy, Helmut Paddags, Marg Redmond, Betty Robitaille, Sheila Webb, and Councillor George Cornell

Midland Library Board: Vera M. Barycky

Penetang Library Board: Helene DeVilliers

Springwater Library Board: Rosemary Johnston

Huronia Airport Commission: Councillors Nigel Warren and George Cornell

Severn Sound Environmental Association: Mayor Peggy Breckenridge

Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce Committee: Mayor Peggy Breckenridge

Tiny Community Policing Committee: Deputy Mayor George Lawrence

North Simcoe Landfill Site 41 Community Monitoring Committee: Deputy Mayor George Lawrence, Councillor Andre Claire. Alternate, Councillor Nigel Warren.

Springwater Recreation Advisory Committee: Deputy Mayor George Lawrence

North Simcoe Heads of Council Committee: Mayor Peggy Breckenridge and Deputy Mayor George Lawrence

Southern Georgian Bay Physician Recruitment Steering Committee: Mayor Peggy Breckenridge.

EASIER DISPOSAL OF HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE: The North Simcoe Transfer Station, 1700 Gold Link Road, Tiny Township, will now accept some hazardous waste items during regular operating hours. Acceptable materials include paint, batteries, motor oil and fluorescent light bulbs.

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Council Reports: November 30, 2009

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

November 30, 2009

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:01 a.m. to 12:35 p.m.

and 1:14 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Regular Evening Meeting: 7:05 p.m. – 7:55 p.m.

All members of Council present

Confidential / Closed Session: 2:45 p.m. – 3:47 p.m.

Physician Recruitment
Officials from the Southern Georgian Bay Physician Recruitment Program presented an update of their activities and made a request for 2010 funding. Their recommended donation for area municipalities is $2 per resident — $20,954 for Tiny. This will be considered during budget deliberations.
(You may wish to respond to the Recruitment Program’s on-line poll on this matter. See HYPERLINK “http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/459486” http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/459486 The poll is available until December 31.)

Closed Circuit Television, Balm Beach
After a summer of lawless behaviour at Balm Beach, in September of 2008, Council had closed circuit television installed in Balm Beach to record activity in public spaces there. In addition, tree branches were trimmed to improve visibility and additional lighting was installed. The closed circuit television was to assist the police in the event of criminal activity. In the first year of operation, the number of calls to the police fell by almost 50% and the film records were useful in investigations into arson and theft.

Signage
Council approved the erection of 911 signs at all beach access points so that callers in an emergency can know the municipal address of that location. These will be erected over the next two years.

Leaf Burning
In response to a letter and a number of complaints, Council discussed the banning of leaf burning in considerable detail. Some members wanted an immediate bylaw to ban burning, with some a grace period for warnings rather than fines. Other members requested a consultation period before passing a bylaw.
Staff was directed to prepare a report advising of alternatives in addition to the pickups, composting, and mulching options already available. All members agreed that burning is not satisfactory in view of the environmental concerns and all agreed that this must be resolved by March 31, 2010 prior to the spring burning season.

Building Permit Activity
While year over year activity through October is down from $28.8 million in 2008 to $20 million in 2009, the monthly activity in October increased from $1.79 million in 2008 to $3.4 million in 2009.
NOTE: Site 41: On December 8, Cal Patterson, Mayor of Wasaga Beach, took over as Warden of Simcoe County from Tony Guergis. Guergis (one of the die-hard supporters of a landfill at Site 41), had campaigned for yet another one-year term, but at the last minute decided not to stand.
The County still refuses to release the Dump Site 41 calibrated computer model (MODFLOW), as required by the Information and Privacy Commissioner. Just before Guergis’s term ended, County Council voted in camera to proceed with a judicial review of the Commissioner’s order (instead of complying with the order).

Change of municipal election date: Municipal elections will take place on October 25, 2010.

High Speed Update: Bell Aliant has announced that the first phase of the Rural Connections wireless infrastructure is now in place. There will be no more construction until spring, but the remaining areas should be served by April, 2010. The map supplied by Bell shows that no infrastructure has been placed in Tiny Township so far.

Olympic Torch Relay: Between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday December 29, the Olympic Torch is to proceed north of Subway Road along Highway 93 to just south of the Wyebridge Community Centre. There is to be no parking on Highway 93. One option is to arrive before 11:30 a.m., park in the municipal lot at the Wyebridge Commuity Centre at 8340 Highway 93, and walk to the Wyebridge downtown core.

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Council Reports: November 24, 2009

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

November 24, 2008
Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9.02 a.m. – 1.07 p.m. and 1.39 p.m. – 3.39 p.m.
Regular Evening Meeting: 7.06 p.m. – 7.16 p.m.
All members of Council present

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: None.

OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW UPDATE: MHBD Planning Consultants presented a draft Background Report for the Official Plan Review. (An OP Review is required every 5 years and is an important document regarding land use.) Their next steps are to review the new County of Simcoe OPA that was approved on Nov. 25th and then meet with senior staff and council to consider both the mandatory and discretionary changes. Subsequently, a public meeting will be held to present the plan for discussion.
One immediate problem for the consultants to resolve is that the County Plan’s designation of “Rural” includes shoreline properties. As Tiny has a specific definition for “Shoreline” clarification has been sought. There is also correspondence with the County re waste disposal sites.

HEAVY ITEM PICKUP: Thanks to Deputy Mayor Lawrence and officials of other municipalities, the County of Simcoe has reinstated the annual pickup. The schedule will be published in due course.

STRATEGIC PLAN REVIEW: Council completed its discussion of Strategic Plan projects, which began on November21st. Decisions about which projects to undertake will be made during budget meetings.
The wording of the Vision Statement and the Guiding Principles were completed. These must still be approved, but the wording we heard for the Vision was: “The Township of Tiny – an environmentally focused, diverse family of communities providing a healthy lifestyle.”
There are Guiding Principles for each of five areas – Environment, Culture and Heritage, Recreation, Shoreline, and Municipal Administration. The two draft Shoreline Guiding Principles are:

“Improve access to all municipally owned shoreline properties for recreational use and enjoyment while respecting privately owned shoreline properties.

“Preserve and protect the ecology of municipally owned shoreline properties.”

MOBILE RADAR FOR TINY?: A proposal was received from the OPP recommending the purchase of a mobile radar unit for Tiny only. This will be considered during budget discussions. The unit, which is small and pulled behind a cruiser or parked at roadside, measures speeding and traffic volume.

TINY CARES: David Gravelle from the Southern Georgian Bay Physician Recruitment Program presented a report, which noted donations of $10,000 from Tiny Township, plus $21,000 from the annual golf tournament organized by Councilor George Cornell, plus $2,700 raised by the Tiny Cottager Challenge.

PARKING ON THE DECLINE: A Report from Steve Harvey, Tiny’s Chief Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, included the information that sale of non-resident parking permits declined for the second straight year. A maximum of 150 are available. In 2007 only 125 were issued and that number declined to 113 in 2008. The number of parking permits issued to Tiny residents also declined slightly from 2036 in 2007 to 2016 in 2008.

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Council Reports: November 9, 2009

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Webmaster

REPORT ON COUNCIL

November 9, 2009

Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:00 am – to 12:36 pm

and 1:11 pm to 5:32 pm

Regular Evening Meeting: 7:00 pm – 7:46 pm

All members of Council present.

CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 3:33 pm – 5:29 pm.

Summerama Report –
The organizers reported that this event in Balm Beach last August was a success and made a modest profit. Attendance figures are not available as no admission was charged. They stated that there were no reported negative incidents. Council authorized staff to send a letter of support for the group’s application for a grant to support a similar festival on August 14th, 2010. Requests for in-kind and financial assistance are to be considered during budget deliberations.
A local resident has asked to make an oral presentation to provide his perspective. He is to be heard on December 14th.

Requests for 2010 Budget Consideration –
The Huronia Hospitals Foundation, the Severn Sound Environmental Association and the Southern Georgina Bay Chamber of Commerce made presentations asking to be considered for funding in the 2010 budget.

Septage and Waste –
Council briefly discussed the presentation from Superior Green Consulting regarding energy from waste that was made at the last meeting. It appears that its solution would be very costly (+$30 million). Council recommended that the company meet with the Simcoe County officials.
Council decided to hear two more submissions regarding management of septage at the next meeting to help them understand what is available.
The report from C.C. Tatham and Associates, made at the last meeting, was put forward for discussion at the budget meetings.
At the evening meeting Ray Millar spoke on behalf of Zero Waste Simcoe. This is an association that promotes “avoidance” and advocates reduction of waste by producers of goods and services. They acknowledge that all levels of government would have to pass new legislation in order to accomplish this and recognize that the higher levels of government must take the lead.

STAFF REPORTS TO COUNCIL

New Website Design –
A committee of staff members presented an updated design for the township website. It is attractive and more user friendly. They plan to roll this out early in 2010.

Balm Beach Lighting –
Staff brought a proposal to install new lighting at Balm Beach as the first step in the long-term improvement plan. After discussion they were instructed to prepare a tender for nine new light standards.

Construction and Renovation at the Main Office –
Staff presented a report that showed the work was completed under budget but several members of council were not satisfied and requested further details for the next meeting.

Beach 911 Emergency Signage –
It has been noticed that there are no signs on the township’s public beaches identifying the location if someone needed to make an emergency call. These signs would be on the waterside and provide the civic address that emergency crews need to find an access point. The standard signage would be placed at the roadside identifying the municipal address. Staff will acquire prices for these signs for the next meeting.

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