Body: Council
Type: Minutes
Meeting: Public Ward Changes (in person)
Date: August 14, 2021
Collection: Council Minutes
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Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF COUNCIL
August 14, 2021
A Public Meeting of the Council of the North Frontenac was held at the Clar-Mill
Community Hall, 6598 Buckshot Lake Road, Plevna, Ontario.
Present:
Mayor Ron Higgins; Councillor Wayne Good – Ward 1;
Deputy Mayor Gerry Martin and Councillor Vernon Hermer
– Ward 2; Councillor John Inglis and Councillor Fred
Fowler – Ward 3
Absent with Regrets:
Councillor Fred Perry – Ward 1
Also Present:
Cheryl Robson, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO); Tara
Mieske, Clerk/ Planning Manager (CPM)
1.
Call to Order and Purpose of Meeting
The Mayor called the Meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.
2.
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Attached.
3.
Approval of Agenda
a)
Public Meeting - August 14, 2021
Resolution #: 344-21
Moved By:
Deputy Mayor Martin
Seconded By:
Councillor Fowler
Be It Resolved That Council approves the Agenda for the Public Meeting of Council
regarding the Re-division of Wards and Changes to Council Composition dated August
14, 2021, as circulated.
Carried
4.
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
None noted.
5.
Business Arising from the Minutes
a)
Re-Division of Wards and Changes to Council Composition
Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
6.
Public Input
Brenda Martin advised a Councillors job is already a full-time job. Their role includes
representing their constituents, preparing for Council Meetings, and being
representatives on sub-committees, etc. If Wards 2 and 3 are combined it would be very
difficult to represent the people. Ward 1 is 450 square kilometers and Wards 2 and 3
would be 1,000 square kilometers if combined. A Councillor would struggle to represent
that large of an area. There has been a lot of material downloaded from the Province
and it takes a lot of hours to prepare. If the numbers are reduced it will be very difficult
to find people interested in running for Council.
Janice Arthur asked each Council Member to explain which Committees they sit on.
She also wanted to know what the tax base and population is for each Ward.
Councillor Good (Ward 1) advised:
Joint Fire Committee for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department
Road Allowance Inspector for Township
Deputy Mayor Martin (Ward 2) advised:
Chair of Personnel and Audit Committee
CPAC Task Force
Alternate Member - Joint Fire Committee for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department
Lake Association Liaison – Ward 2
County Council Member, including Board Member for Fairmont Home
Councillor Fowler (Ward 3) advised:
CPAC Task Force Chair and Sub-Committee for the Essential Services Fair
Economic Development Task Force (EDTF)
Liaison for the Committee of Adjustment/Planning Advisory Committee
Liaison for Snowmobile and ATV Clubs, including Board Member for Eastern
Ontario Trails Alliance
Councillor Hermer (Ward 2) advised:
Personnel and Audit Committee
CPAC Task Force
Liaison for Pine Meadow Nursing Home
Community Living
Land O’ Lakes Community Services
Seniors Housing Representative
Councillor Inglis (Ward 3) advised:
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority Board Member
Chair of EDTF, including Sub-Committee for Welcome Package
Personnel and Audit Committee (in Councillor Perry’s absence)
Lake Association Liaison – Ward 3
Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
Mayor advised:
County Council
Ex-officio to all Committees
The Mayor explained Councillor Perry’s positions in his absence:
Joint Fire Committee for the Kaladar-Barrie Fire Department
Personnel and Audit Committee
Liaison with Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
Representative on the Lakelands Family Health Team Committee
Lake Association Liaison – Ward 1
The Mayor advised the Assessment is $431,000 for Ward 1; $333,000 for Ward 2; and
$175, 000 for Ward 3. Therefore the combined amount for Wards 2 and 3 is
approximately $505,000.
Glen Bucci advised he sent a letter to Council. He noted he is negative toward the
proposal. He doesn’t believe there will be a cost savings because if the Councillor takes
on more responsibility they will require more money and staff may need to work
overtime. He also noted only 0.00097% of the population are represented here today.
Therefore; they should not use this turnout to make their decision. He noted he is the
fifth generation in North Frontenac and there have been a lot of changes. He thinks the
current system is best. He advised it shouldn’t be necessary to contact the Clerk to be
provided information it should be available on the website for everyone to view. He also
asked about seasonal people being notified. He noted not everyone has internet; the tax
bills were just sent and there wasn’t anything about this proposal included. This would
have been a good opportunity to notify everyone. Mr. Bucci advised he is totally against
the proposal. It was brought up before and defeated and there was significant
resistance. He asked how many times we have to go through this process. He also
noted his letter was provided to the Frontenac News and he is hoping it will be printed
this Thursday.
The Mayor advised the process is democratic. This is the second meeting which is not
required but Council wanted it. He advised it was advertised in the Frontenac News, on
social media and the Township’s website. He advised they are not making a decision
based on today only. They are gathering information to make an informed decision. He
noted there are 20 people here out of 1,800 full-time residents.
Mr. Bucci advised there are 8,000 residents approximately and noted we should never
separate full-time and seasonal.
Gerry Lichty advised he disagrees with the proposal. He noted a few years ago there
was a decision not to move forward with this proposal. He noted the proposal is to
decrease two Councillors to save money. If there were savings they would be temporary
as everyone would have to work harder. If the salary is the same and additional work is
added something will be lost. He advised the Mayor he is four or five years ahead of
Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
time on this proposal. There may be a future need to negotiate with Central Frontenac
and South Frontenac.
Betty Hunter advised there is 11,000 square kilometers of Crown land in Wards 2 and 3.
If turned over this would provide a lot of potential growth as there would be more people
and more development. She noted for taxes brought in for Wards 2 and 3 there is $3
million in farmland. If this was changed to residential or commercial there would be a big
difference. She noted she was on Council before with Bud Clayton and he wanted to
reduce to five members by having the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elected at large and
one Councillor from each Ward. She noted if the position paid more money it may
attract younger people. An increased workload would require an increase in pay and
therefore combining Wards will not be useful. The EDTF is working on several projects
and there is a lot of potential for growth; we will need people to do the work.
Herbert Kent advised we went through this with the Council Chambers and taxes will go
up again. He advised he went up to Norcan Lake/North Canonto and only two people
knew about the Meeting because they don’t get the paper and they don’t have internet.
He advised half of the road he travelled is private. They pay a large amount of taxes
and don’t get anything in back. He noted there have been 2,500 By-laws passed and
this adds to the cost of the overhead. There used to be a grocery store in every
community and now you have to drive miles to get milk and bread. There is one store
left in the Township. The Township was amalgamated in 1998 to save money and with
the number of people employed now compared to then there is no savings. Also,
spending $60,000 on a washroom is ludicrous.
Betty Kelford asked what the benefit is to having only two Wards and reducing
Councillors.
The Mayor advised he was asked to look at the diversity and make-up of Council. He
noted the current Council does not have any young people or women. The proposal
was driven by this initiative. He has talked to several people and a couple are
considering running for Council but none for Mayor. He looked at options to try and
make the position more attractive. He thought perhaps the salaries from the two
positions removed could be added to the Councillor salary which may attract more
young people and get diversity. He noted he is not married to the proposal.
Janice Arthur advised the suggestion to reduce is an inequity. She suggested perhaps if
Ward 2 and 3 are combined there should be 2 Councillors from Ward 1 and three
Councillors from Wards 2 and 3 combined. This would not reduce costs but would be
more equitable.
The Mayor advised when Council is considering matters they look at what is good for
the whole Township not a specific Ward.
Councillor Fowler advised he disagree with this and is concerned about area
representation. He noted there will be a lot of power for these five members and most
will be from Ward 1 which may not be proper representation. He noted he keeps Ward 3
Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
residents informed and they appreciate it. He advised the people in Norcan Lake
appreciate what I have done for them or they might not get it, for example snowplowing.
I don’t ignore the rest of the Township if they call me and represent the area but we
need regional representation. If there is a local concern or someone requires direct
answers the local Councillor can look into it.
The Mayor noted he was advising the decisions made at the table are made on what is
good for the community as a whole.
Councillor Hermer advised he agrees with Councillor Fowler. North Frontenac was
originally three Townships with unique characteristics. There is personal pride and
fellowship in each. During amalgamation it was agreed to have two Councillors for each
Ward. Everyone needs fair and equal representation.
Paige Cousineau noted she has yet to hear a single problem that the proposed change
will resolve. She wondered who put the proposal for Wards, a consultant from Toronto.
She noted she is against the proposal because she wouldn’t be better served with less
representation. With less Councillors the chance of diversity would decrease. In order to
have better democracy you need more representatives. She advised the federal
representation isn’t just based on population but on other factors including community
interests, history, manageable size, etc. She noted if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.
Councillor Fowler advised he feels he represents the demographics of the Township as
it is an older community. As the population changes and there is more development the
demographics will change and younger people will elect younger Councillors.
Councillor Hermer advised a review was done of Council Member salaries for rural
municipalities and the pay scale for North Frontenac is in the middle and thinks it should
remain the same. If a Councillor received a $6,000 pay raise that would be a 40%
increase.
Deputy Mayor Martin advised in training sessions he attended it is noted that people do
not take jobs because of money. They choose it because they like it. He noted people
who are getting into politics for the money should not be there.
Brenda Martin advised it is a large geographic area and downloading from the Province
has increased the responsibilities of the Township. People criticize the increase in the
number of staff and Council but people want questions answered and information
provided quickly. People have several jobs and responsibilities and it is a large
geographic area to service. She also advised how important it is to have representatives
on other Committees otherwise North Frontenac will have no voice. It is important for
the Township to be represented.
Councillor Inglis advised he hasn’t made up his mind yet. He noted he has half as many
to represent as Councillors Perry and Wayne but he doesn’t hear this as being a
problem and this would be the reason to change.
Public Meeting of Council Minutes (In-Person)
Re: Ward Changes and Council Composition
August 14, 2021
Betty Hunter noted the geographic area of Wards 2 and 3 is much larger and the
population could change at any time and we are not considering this potential. She
noted Councillors are voting for the Township overall and their area. There is potential
for the whole area.
Deputy Mayor Martin noted they dealt with something similar when there was a
recommendation from a consultant to close the small halls and construct one large hall.
This was a local issue and with local input Council decided to keep all the halls as they
form the hub of the communities. We need to think about the big picture. Projects have
been completed in each of the Wards based on the needs but also by looking at the big
pictures. Some examples include the playground equipment in Cloyne, the community
park in Plevna and community hall improvements in Snow Road.
Barbara Sproule advised when the restructuring occurred she was a Member of County
Council. One of the goals was to try and make amalgamation as fair as possible. It was
decided to have two representatives from each of the Townships on the new Council
and it has remained that way since then. She advised if the plan is to save money it is
not going to happen. The work has to be completed. If less Council members then more
staff may be required to complete the work. She also noted younger people don’t want
to be on Council because they have a full-time job and have to work. She also advised
a challenge may be because Council Meetings are in the day time. If they were in the
evenings it may attract some others. She would like to know the number of permanent
and seasonal residents in each of the Wards. She noted there are 2,000 permanent
residents but the seasonal residents should have same rights and be counted.
The Mayor advised there are between 1800 and 1900 full-time residents.
Barbara Sproule noted maps should be published to show what happens when the two
Wards are combined and compare the hectares in each of the Wards. She also advised
the public need to be notified with solid solutions and how money will be saved
otherwise the proposal should be forgotten.
Herbert Kent advised the township has several dead-end roads and there are currently
a lot of wildfires across the country. He noted these roads are within one kilometer of
having access to Road 506. He noted the people h
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