Councillors and Mayor Reports, Questions of Staff

Council has been busy attending committee and community meetings since the last session of council. There was little of importance reported by mayor and councillors. It was stated that the OPP is reporting fewer crimes in and around Parry Sound.

The new Director of Emergency and Protective Services,  Dave Thompson, was introduced.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request from L and H Motors regarding a suggested transient license fee was passed on to town staff for follow up.

4.2 – the Parry Sound Canoe club’s request for approval and the necessary land access to build a storage facility and dock in the Williams Street or Yvonne Williams Parks was noted and forwarded to staff.

4.3 – a request to declare May 5-11 Hospice Palliative Care Week was approved by council.

4.4 – the Parry Sound Dragon Boat Festival organizers request for support of their annual dragon boat festival was forwarded to staff.

4.6 – the owner’s of the Dairy Queen request for reimbursement/credit for excessive water costs related to a malfunction of their equipment was added to the agenda, and was later rejected by council. See agenda item 9.2.1.

5.1 – Stop the Drop, a group concerned by dropping water levels in Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes made a presentation on their group and its objectives. Council agreed to follow up on their request for non-financial town support of the group’s activities.

5.2 – the town’s municipal by-law enforcement officer presented the provincial requirements for a the town’s new accessibility plan.

Consent Agenda

There was nothing on the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – the request for credit/reimbursement of water and sewer charges by the Dairy Queen’s owners, 4.6 above, was denied.

9.2.2 – council approved reimbursement of two years of over payments for water and sewer charges concerning 12 Belvedere. Staff was instructed to secure the necessary records to see if additional credits were due for the town’s billing errors.

9.3.2 – council rejected the one tender offer received for the town’s Old Pump House (Waterworks). Council agreed to solicit offers from real estate agents to list the property for sale through a more traditional real estate sale process.

9.3.3 – council approved the sale of the three separate lots on William Street for a total of $150,000.

9.3.4 – the 168-unit condominium development on the property behind the homes on Emily Street was given support in principle by council. The support is largely limited to applying for grants to upgrade services necessary for the development.

9.3.5 – a resolution to send the Ministry of Natural Resources a letter objecting to their decision to assess certain properties in Parry Sound with respect to being provincially significant wetlands was approved by council.

9.3.6 – Canadore College’s new sign proposal was accepted by council.

9.3.7 – a later addition to the agenda was the approval of a sign variance. Because it was a late addition to the published agenda, and not included in the council package, and neither council nor staff explained what it was – I have no idea what they approved. I’ll send a note to council asking that this type of oversight in failing to advise the public of what they are reviewing not be repeated. It’s probably a minor sign variance, but this type of oversight still reflects poorly on staff and council.

9.5.1 – council passed a resolution to accept portions of the town’s 2013 Accessibility Plan. There was little discussion, and there appears to be much more involved than is easily understood or explained. The Parry Sound plan seems to be an adaptation of the general provincial template. Interested parties should contact the town office for details.

By-Laws

10.2.1 – council passed a by-law accepting the 2013 budget and striking the tax rate for this year. One again I suggest you contact the town for information on the budget to understand what is and isn’t included.

There was more, but nothing I saw as important or interesting. Please refer to the official minutes that are published on the town’s website and available by contacting the town office.

Wrestling Serpents. The Waubuno Beach Storm Drain has Been Vanquished.

As usual only the more ‘mission critical items will be covered in this council agenda preview. I suggest you head over to the town’s website to look at the full council agenda. The supporting materials are available at the town office and library.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request from L and H Motors regarding a suggested transient license fee is on the face of it a little confusing. Reading the letter I wasn’t sure what it referred to. Reflecting on the issue I suspect that it refers to the habit of the Mac Lang dealership renting space at the Parry Sound Mall and setting up a car sale lot. They are here for a couple of weeks, sell a bunch of cars, and then leave. The transient license presumably would require them to pay some sort of fee on sales made while located in Parry Sound. The intent I suppose is to level the playing field in terms of the car dealers. The local dealers pay property taxes that are not incurred by transient dealers. As it is a letter and there is nothing about it on the agenda I expect there will be no discussion at council but will be referred to staff for follow up.

4.2 – the Parry Sound Canoe club is requesting approval and the necessary land access to build a storage facility and dock in the Williams Street or Yvonne Williams Parks. This is the logical next development step for an organization that provides canoe and kayak instruction to Parry Sound and area youth.

4.3 – a request to declare May 5-11 Hospice Palliative Care Week.

4.4 – the Parry Sound Dragon Boat Festival organizers are requesting considerations from the town in support of their annual dragon boat festival.

4.6 – the owner’s of the Dairy Queen are requesting reimbursement/credit for excessive water costs related to a malfunction of their equipment. This is on the agenda as item 9.2.1.

5.1 – Stop the Drop, a group concerned by dropping water levels in Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes will be making a deputation.

5.2 – Tammy Purdy, the town’s municipal by-law enforcement officer will be presenting an overview of the town’s draft 2013 accessibility plan.

Consent Agenda

There is nothing on the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – this item relates to the letter noted above, 4.6, where the owners of the local Dairy Queen are requesting a credit/reimbursement for equipment failure at their facility that caused them to incur excessive water usage. Town staff is recommending against any form of credit or reimbursement.

9.2.2 – this is similar to the previous item in that it involves the town’s water services. The property owner at 12 Belvedere only recently realized that they have been billed at commercial rates for water and sewer services for the past few years. Their monthly bill listed their service as residential but was billed at commercial rates. This has been going on since 2007. The town proposes to reimburse them only for the last two years of over payments, an amount of about $2,700, rather than for the full period. I think they should be reimbursed for the whole amount, but without any type of interest. Yes they should have asked why their bill was so high, but they at least paid their bill. The town recently wrote off charges for the deadbeats who walked away from their water and sewer bills. Let’s do the right thing and reimburse the overpayment or provide a credit against future water and sewer use.

9.3.2 – there was only one bid received for the town’s Old Pump House (Waterworks). It was for $130,000, well under the $275,000 assessed value for the property. Town staff is proposing that council reject this offer and list the property for sale by a realtor. This makes sense. The property is certainly worth more than $130,000, and the property is more likely to appeal to someone new to town who wants a property that is more than simple accommodation.

9.3.3 – this item relates to more property sales, in this case the three properties on William Street that were recently carved out of the existing William Street Park. One purchaser has made the high offer of $50,000 per lot if and only if they can purchase all three lots. It looks like someone has a plan. The proposed offer, $150,000, exceeds the sum of the highest offers for the three lots by about $20,000.

9.3.4 – this is in my opinion the most interesting item on the agenda and concerns a 168 unit condominium development on the property behind the homes on Emily Street. I had to look at the maps in the council package to really understand where it was. It’s a package of property behind the homes on Emily Street that are on top of the hill and accessed by Kate Street. This is basically a ‘landlocked’ piece of property with existing homes between the development area and Emily Street, and Imperial Oil property between it and the harbour.

The developers are requesting the town consider water delivery improvements to service the proposed new development. I believe this would involve replacing the water and sewer systems on Forest Street at a cost of more than $2-3 million. The town had previously applied for a provincial infrastructure grant to cover this expense for reasons unrelated to the proposed development and is awaiting a decision. The developers also want to have ‘access’ to the town’s property in and around the Imperial Wharf to construct a marina that would service the boats of the condominium owners.  They are also looking for the town to petition Imperial Oil to be permitted to use portions of their property for parking and parkland.

This seems to be a big project with lots of pieces that need to be put together before it can be realized. Town staff supports the development, especially as the developers suggest pricing would be on the order of $500,000 per unit.  That would mean a total of $80 million in condominium sales. Council is being asked to approve a resolution that grants in principle:

1) the use of part of the Town’s wharf property located at the end of Champaigne Street subject to terms and conditions yet to be determined and the execution of an agreement also be given approval in principle; and

2) the Town commit to approaching Imperial Oil with the objective of obtaining their approval for the use of Imperial property for passive parkland and parking uses; and

3) all efforts be undertaken to secure funding to allow infrastructure improvements that will increase water conveyance to the Harbour area to facilitate the proposed development.

9.3.5 – is a resolution to send to the Ministry of Natural Resources a letter objecting to their decision to assess certain properties in Parry Sound with respect to being provincially significant wetlands. This designation would severely restrict development. The town is suggesting that these properties are already offered significant protection that will be increased with the town’s proposed new Official Plan.

9.3.6 – Canadore College is proposing a new sign that has the support of town staff.

9.5.1 – is a resolution to accept the town’s 2013 Accessibility Plan. The outlines of the plan will be presented in the deputation portion of the meeting.

By-Laws

10.2.1 – this by-law completes the 2013 budget process with formal acceptance and approval of the budget and striking of the 2013 tax rates. Please see my earlier budget note post of April 24^th for a topline overview of the budget. You will need to review the final budget to properly understand what is, and isn’t, included.

That’s pretty much it. See you Tuesday.

It’s That Time Again – Big Sky, Big Water and Big Colour. (May 2013)

My use of the expression ‘e-voting’ really doesn’t properly capture the election process. The proposed voting system would also allow for telephone voting using a confidential personalized authentication code. Individuals who are registered on the town voter lists would receive their code by mail. This same code could also be used to vote online using a standard browser connection. The code can only be used once, either by phone or online. The system has safeguards in place to prevent voting abuse that seem reasonable. Like mail-in votes there is always the possibility of fraud, but it seems to be limited. I understood there will also be the option of voting in person at the usual polling station(s).

I won’t go in to the actual process or the associated pros and cons. It seems to be a reasonable system that has been widely used and validated. There are a couple of points that may be of interest to Parry Sound residents.

The e-voting process will save the town about one-third the cost of a regular paper ballot voting system. The process will make it more convenient for people who are on vacation, or unable to come to the polling stations, to vote and make their opinion count.

What did surprise me is that the candidates will be provided information on who has, and hasn’t, cast their vote as the voting process proceeds. My understanding is that online and telephone voting will start several days before Election Day. This early voting is rather common and is no surprise. You will be able to e-vote on any of the days the polls are open until the election closes and the votes are counted. But with this new e-voting system the candidates for office are able to go online at any time while the vote is ongoing to see by individual name and address who has, and hasn’t, yet cast their ballot. This means you may find yourself receiving a call to get online and vote from a candidate or their supporters, especially if they believe they have your support.

I find this a little creepy. Yes we should vote, but I’m not happy that if, and when, I vote is made quite so public, and is made instantly accessible to the candidates. When I asked about this I was told that the voting records are public documents. The only difference versus the paper ballot system is that the information will be made available on a real-time basis, at the push of a button. It will reportedly only be available to the candidates and the voting officials.

It makes me wonder if it wouldn’t be ‘interesting’ to run for council for no other reason that to have access to who has, and hasn’t, voted. It’s a bit like Santa’s naughty and nice list. I told you it felt a bit creepy.

So we will more than likely have a new voting system in place for the Parry Sound municipal elections in 2014. I’m in support of the new system after attending the presentation. It will make it easier for more people to exercise their right to vote; especially the young and the elderly for whom getting to the polling station at the stated hours can be a challenge.

We may find that it’s easier than ever to get information by going online. The price is less privacy.  Is it a fair trade-off? I don’t know, but it is a reality already.

Bad Hair Day or Just Heavy on the Gel?
(April 2013, North Shore Rugged Trail)

There were few surprises in the 2013 budget as far as I was concerned. The more interesting points were:

1. The repair of the Smelter Wharf (Salt Dock) boat launch is likely to be on the order of a quarter million dollars. That’s quite a bit of money for the town to spend to provide a free recreational service that competes with private businesses who pay local taxes, especially when we have two other boat launches available. The bad news is that the Smelter Wharf boat launch is unlikely to be open until later in the summer at the earliest, pending repairs. The good news is that repairs to the Waubuno launch are underway and it should be operational before the start of the boating season. The Champaigne Street boat launch is also available.

2. Council continues to wrangle about the purchase of new or used pickup trucks. The Director of Public Works was given the direction to look for and purchase a used truck for no more than $25,000. A new vehicle was estimated to cost on the order of $42,000. I don’t agree with the direction of council, for reasons of cost and distraction.

Doing some back of the envelope calculations I estimate the Director of Public Works time costs the town about $70/hour. If the search for a used vehicle takes 30 hours (research, review, negotiation, inspection, pick up), that adds $2,000 to the negotiated price. And if we need to add a paint job, town trucks are identified by their red colour, the cost of buying used over new is about $3-4,000. So we may be saving about $10-12,000 if we can find a suitable truck for the specified $25,000. To imagine a $17,000 price savings (40% less) the truck will be at least a couple of years old, or have excessive mileage, and a corresponding much reduced warranty period. As an aside, any truck in good condition that is reduced by this large an amount will be quickly snapped up by someone else. The town will probably end up looking at, and kicking the tires of, vehicles that have been rejected by other parties much more familiar with the vehicle and the seller.

But the real cost in my mind is the distraction. While the Director of Public Works may cost the town about $70/hour, he is capable of earning more than 5-times that amount for the town by identifying ways to save money on much bigger budget items like infrastructure repairs and upgrades. So, let’s ask the Public Works department to sharpen their specifications for new vehicles to only that which is really necessary, and then tender for new vehicles. It saves time and potentially supports local businesses, and at the same time represents a relative bargain for the town when all of the costs are added up. If we want to save money by buying used, let’s look long and hard at a replacement for the town’s fire truck which is budgeted at close to $1.5 million. A savings of 20-30% on this cost could pay for as many as ten pickup trucks, all brand new.

3. Staff was directed to prepare a proposal on upgrade options for the skateboard park. There is about $47,000 sitting in reserves for the park that council felt should be put to use for the community.

4. The new school will cost the town about $500,000 in infrastructure upgrades. In theory these upgrades could be ignored, but the cost savings of doing them now, when the roads will already be torn up at the school board’s expense, outweighs the pain of the near term costs.

There was more, but you really needed to be there to catch it all. Sometimes you can’t just sit at home and hope the news will find you. There was no Cogeco or North Star coverage of the meeting. The Moose-FM was represented by their intern. Perhaps there is a role for non-traditional media in Parry Sound, even without media privileges (yes, that was a dig, more digging below).

Digging In and Making Progress

It looks as though the April 16^th meeting was remarkably short. The minutes note that it was concluded at 8:15. Nonetheless it seems council addressed all of the items before them and didn’t defer any for future discussion. Good work. Council seems to be working efficiently and effectively. Let’s hope they can carry over their focus to next week’s budget meeting.

I’m happy to see that council took a position on the sign issue, Item 9.3.3, that should benefit the town in the future. For reasons similar to why the town has building codes and property appearance by-laws, it’s reasonable to have, and enforce, a basic standard regarding signs. Less is often more, particularly when it comes to signs. I don’t know about you but when I am traveling along a US interstate and I come across a large number of ‘tacky’ signs urging me to stop, I see it as a warning to keep on going. Anyone been to ‘South of the Border’ on I-95? Anybody stopped more than once? Anyone learn a lesson?

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request to proclaim May 2013 as “Community Living Month’ was circulated to town staff and approved as below.

4.2 – a letter advising the town that it had earned $13,755 related to 4^th quarter 2012 blue box recycling.

4.3 – Andrew Ryland, President of the Parry Sound Chamber of Commerce has provided a report on the chamber’s membership numbers and categories.

4.4 – the Parry Sound Chamber of Commerce has requested a discussion with the town regarding the operation of the marina. This is was not included in the council package so I don’t know what it’s about. The Chamber as you know operates Big Sound Marina so I hope there are no significant operational issues, it’s a very important town asset.

5.1 – John Jackson Planner Inc. made a presentation that proposed a total of 168 residential units to be built in the harbour area with a view over the water.  The timeline for implementation is 5 to 10 years. The development seems to depend on the town being able to provide sufficient water and sewage services. I believe this was also an issue with another harbour area development that in the end did not go forward. The presenters also asked the town to approach Imperial Oil regarding the use of their waterfront property. Bravo, in my opinion. Let’s see if we can’t get this big, lazy, risk averse corporation to take responsibility for their presumably polluted waterfront property and turn it into some sort of community asset rather than a liability.

5.2 – there was a follow up deputation regarding the use of all terrain vehicles on town streets. I don’t know what went down but this is an item not likely to be reviewed by council until September given staff’s other priorities.

5.3 – Distler Construction provided some background to Item 10.3.2 by way of a deputation.

Consent Agenda

Council approved designating May 2013 as Community Living month.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – a ‘bookkeeping’ item related to the Stockey Centre’s unfinanced capital outlay, about $32,000, was carried.

9.3.1 – council approved the report on the use of the Bobby Orr Community Centre and the creation of a committee to solicit public input into the use of the centre.

9.3.3 – another run at council regarding a realtor’s sign on the Mid-Town Hotel was denied. As per my earlier comments I think this was a good decision. In my opinion it has nothing to do with the realtor, or the real estate profession, but rather represents an investment in the town and it’s appearance. At some point you really need to create standards of appearance if you want to be taken seriously. As a town, a business or an individual. Even I realized I needed to cut my hair once I left school. (That was when my hair was brown and my teeth were white ;-)

9.4.1 – a resolution related to the new public school infrastructure was approved. There is more detail here than I properly understand. Presumably council went along with the recommendations of staff. A couple items impacting the 2013 budget and will be discussed this coming week.

By-Laws

10.3.1 – the by-law to authorize the execution of a land sale to M6 Developments, the ‘Age in Place’ project beside Canadore College, was passed.

10.3.2 – the by-law to authorize the condominium agreement with Distler Construction for the third phase of the Silver Birch development was passed.

10.3.3 – the by-law to grant site plan approval for the development of a three-unit building on Seguin Street in front of the curling rink was passed.

There was more, so I suggest you go to the town’s website to download a copy of the complete minutes.

I’ll be at the budget meeting this Tuesday, the 23^rd that starts at 6:00. I expect there will be lots of empty seats, so don’t worry if you come a few minutes late. There will be room right up front, or at the back, depending on your preferred seating location.

In case you don’t remember. Yes, they are funny.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.1 – a request to proclaim May 2013 as “Community Living Month’.

4.2 – a letter advising the town that it had earned $13,755 related to 4^th quarter 2012 blue box recycling.

4.3 – Andrew Ryland, President of the Parry Sound Chamber of Commerce has provided a report on the chamber’s membership numbers and categories.

5.1 – John Jackson Planner Inc. is making a presentation on a potential waterfront development. I’m not sure what this is about, there wasn’t much in the pre-council meeting package. I’ll try and get a copy of the presentation after the fact and provide a summary.

Consent Agenda

There is nothing on the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – this is a ‘bookkeeping’ item related to the Stockey Centre’s unfinanced capital outlay. The amount in this case is a credit of a little more than $32,000 offset against the principal.

9.3.1 – is a bit of a meandering report from staff that discusses the use of the Bobby Orr Community Centre. The report offers more background than real direction, but provides some interesting numbers regarding the BOCC, including operation and costs. The numbers of note included:
- Total ‘ice’ expense at the BOCC was about $683,000 for 2011/12, consisting of:
- ~$48,000 for administration
- ~$604,000 building costs (No detail or explanation provided. Utilities, labour, depreciation?)
- ~$32,000 for equipment (presumably the Olympia ice resurfacer)
- Revenue for ice use was $167,000 in 2011/12
- the ice surface was operated 182-days 2011/12

This amounts to a per day cost of about $3,756 per day to operate the BOCC and the ice surface for the 182-day period. The report makes the estimate that the BOCC ice surface is available for 16 hours per day, and translates into an hourly operating cost of $235. This hourly cost is a more realistic $313 per hour based on a 12-hour per day potential use. Even this seems unreasonable unless there are senior precision skating teams that likes to practice daily. I think the per hour of operation cost is mroe like $400-500 with the maximum likely use of he facility.

Revenue for use for use of the ice surface in 2011/12 was $166,565, covering about 24% of the expense. This suggests the current operating cost per hour of use is on the order than $500. Youth hockey leagues pay about $118 per hour to use the ice, and adult leagues $149 per hour, far short of the true facility costs. And these charges are at the higher end of rates for ice surface rental when looking at other communities in the near north area.

A quick analysis of the supplied figures reveals that about 40% of the kids playing in the youth hockey leagues are Parry Sound residents. The others come from the surrounding municipalities.

These are quite a few numbers to digest. It’s not easy to provide a simple analysis of what they mean and what they imply. The bottom line is that Parry Sound residents heavily subsidize the users of the ice surface at the BOCC, including users from the surrounding communities. Arguably the use of the BOCC by these non-residents is a benefit to the town as they help offset facility costs and do not preventing local residents from using the facility.

The direction asks council to approve a process by which the town can solicit community input into better use of the BOCC, presumably by reducing costs, increasing revenues or simply identifying ways the community can gain better ‘value’ from the BOCC regardless of whether there is any improvements in the cost of the facility.

Two thoughts come to mind. I can now understand why there was a brief discussion at council of shortening the ice season. At a cost of about $3,756 per day, shortening the season by even ten days could save more than $35,000. (I don’t think it’s that simple, as much of the cost is fixed and not variable.). And don’t ever, ever bring up the idea of building a community indoor swimming pool. The operating costs for that type of facility would far exceed the costs for the BOCC, and the revenue probably would be no greater than for the ice surface. and then there is the issue of liability and the associated insurance costs.

But let’s see what is presented and discussed at the council meeting.

9.3.3 – this is another run at council regarding a realtor’s sign on the Mid-Town Hotel. Denied two meetings ago, it’s back on the agenda. We’ll see what council does, but I’ll offer my two bits. You lead, follow, or get out of the way. There is little to no leadership in Parry Sound with respect to how we want the downtown to look. In theory the Downtown Business Association (DBA) should provide this leadership, but they are seemingly torn by different factions. Some DBA members probably suggest more signs are better for business regardless of appearance, while others probably feel the town from a retail perspective will never move forward until it cleans up the look of the signage and the storefronts. Council to date hasn’t taken an obvious position, often bowing to individual petition, rejecting applications only if there is an obvious safety issue.

I’ll take a position. The proposed signage is tacky and cheapens the appearance of the downtown. But it is only one of too many tacky signs in town. So can the town be fair in rejecting the request? Well if you want to lose weight you have to, at some point, look a doughnut right in the eye and say no. Yes the doughnuts feelings will be hurt, and there is some sense of inconsistency, but do you want to move forward or not? But it’s always easier just to eat the doughnut and say ‘next time it will be different’.

9.4.1 – this is a resolution related to the new public school infrastructure. The town is suggesting practical investments in local infrastructure upgrades that would support the new school’s needs and improve local services at a more reasonable cost. You need to read the council package materials for the details, but I wonder how much impact these improvements will have on the 2013 and 2014 town budgets.

By-Laws

10.3.1 – is a by-law to authorize the execution of a land sale to M6 Developments. This is the next step in the ‘Age in Place’ project beside Canadore College agreed a few meetings ago with York Developments. The contract seems to provide the appropriate level of protection for the town. It’s interesting to see that the construction timeline still envisions completion of the development by the third quarter of 2014. There is a requirement for an environmental review of the second part of the property in anticipation of additional future expansion of the development. Again I suggest you review the package for more information.

10.3.2 – this is a by-law to authorize the condominium agreement with Distler Construction for the third phase of the Silver Birch development. There seems to be little of note here except for a cryptic mention of some approval required from Parry Sound Power. We’ll perhaps find out what this about.

10.3.3 – another by-law, this one seeks to grant site plan approval for the development of a three-unit building on Seguin Street in front of the curling rink and across from Tulloch Engineering. I’ve heard that this will be a commercial plaza, perhaps home to NAPA autoparts.

There’s a little more that I didn’t cover, but nothing too critical in my opinion. I won’t be at the meeting, I’m in Philadelphia attending a conference for one of my clients. Let me know what goes on. I don’t have access to the delayed broadcast on Cogeco, so I’ll depend on the official minutes to understand the decisions made by council.

But I see CN has been particularly busy getting themselves into trouble over the last few months. Stuff happens, but if the railways were held to the same standards as the airlines – freight and passenger, they would not skate out of the eye of the public as easily as they seem to.

Here’s a nice overview (Railroaded – A String of CN Derailments in March) of what CN has been up to in the month of March. I wonder if they are starting to wear out their welcome south of the border.

How do you feel about the Keystone XL pipeline? It seems as though it may be the lesser of two evils, if the alternative is having CN transport the crude by rail.

Ah! The Romance of the Rails. (February 2012)

This post is a follow up to a note in an earlier post where I made mention of the apparent discrepancy in what Parry Sound Council considered appropriate for pre-budget approval.

I think we can agree rules, regulations, and laws are a good thing. But they leave us conflicted. There are always one or more of these regulations and laws we think aren’t reasonable, or at least shouldn’t apply to us. It’s just not fair. But we of course fully understand and accept why they are necessary and should apply to others.

Earlier this year a councillor (A) brought up a proposal for pre-budget approval of a grant to Festival of the Sound for their opening weekend program. Councillor A, who had previously been a Festival board member, indicated it was a special occasion, the 10^th anniversary of the Stockey Centre opening, and a decision was time sensitive. Early approval was required to ensure acknowledgement of the town’s support in the Festival brochure, which needed to be finalized in a few days. Another councillor (B) quickly shut down the discussion, arguing that council could not provide pre-budget approvals before the 2013 budget was finalized. (It still isn’t approved as of April 8th.)

From watching the dynamics of the discussion and the body language it seemed councillor B really didn’t like the idea of the grant. But rather than debate the issue on its merits, and possibly lose the argument, it was easier to cut it off by stating that pre-budget approvals were inappropriate. It seemed a reasonable and prudent rule for council to apply to a situation where the upcoming budget was tight and approving expenses prior to final budget review seemed inappropriate. Council agreed and the request was dismissed.

But was this a matter of principle, or a not so transparent tactic to unilaterally deny the request? A couple of related items that have come up in council sessions lead me to believe it might be the latter.

Just a month earlier councillor B  tried to derail the negotiated inclusion of town snow plowing services with the rental of the CP Station by Festival of the Sound. The councillor almost managed to get the contract revised, which would have led to a considerable delay in its execution. In the end, after two amendments, the rest of council recognized the inconsistency of the argument as presented by councillor B, and approved the contract as initially negotiated between town staff and the Festival. The reason for the objection to the snow plowing wasn’t obvious. Councillor B claimed it was an issue of consistency and principle, but never explained the logic of the argument. It seemed from my seat, in the audience, to be a little odd. The contract had been negotiated, and the cost to the town was minimal as they already had to plow as it provides overflow town parking. What was the real issue? A bad attitude with respect to the Festival?

More recently councillor B, seemingly haven forgotten their own no pre-budget approval ‘rule’, requested pre-budget approval for downtown flower baskets. Council approved the request. None of the other councillors suggested it was inappropriate, although a couple smiled. Poor memory or good team politics? I’m not sure. It’s worth noting that councillor B is the council representative for the Downtown Business Association who had a vested interest in ensuring the flower baskets are ordered in a timely manner.

Pre-budget approval of the flower baskets was probably the right thing to do, given the timelines. And turning down a grant to the Festival of the Sound may also have been the right thing to do. But it should only have been done after appropriate discussion and review of the merits of the issue, not by a councillor invoking a rule they had no intention of ever having apply to their own interests. Consistency is the basis of credibility.

You want rules? Then live by the rules.

Tri-Railing Parry Sound Style? (March 2013)

I have no issue with public employees being fairly paid for their work. Taking a quick look at the list of our local municipal employees I see nothing inappropriate. I am surprised to see that the Director of Public Works did not make the list. That seems to be a substantial job with considerable responsibility, which is being very well managed.

Looking at the larger provincial wide list I am reminded why so many younger people want to become police, fire fighters, teachers and nurses. Beyond the considerable job security enjoyed by these professions, and the substantial retirement benefits, there is the opportunity to earn a very attractive wage. This is especially true for those individuals who take on more responsibility and move into management positions. The challenge, as many young people have found, is being accepted into these jobs. Many apply, fewer are accepted. It’s a bit like applying to, and being accepted at, the most prestigious US and Japanese universities. If you can get in, you are pretty much ensured a great job so long as you don’t mess up.

So take a look at the list and move on. If you want these jobs, get the required education, the necessary experience, and apply. There is always room for capable individuals who can assume responsibility and lead.

Heading in the Right Direction? (March 2013)

A short preface to these notes. It seems council needs to start thinking about what type of vision and sense of place they have for Parry Sound. Remember the old joke for which the punch line is, “We’ve already defined what you are, we’re now simply agreeing on the price.”? Well council needs to decide whether the town ethos is ‘anything goes if it brings business to town’, or if we want to raise the general standards of appearance to establish ourselves as a ‘quaint’ little near north town that attracts visitors with its charm. It’s not easy to be quaint with a lumber and rail history, and the consequences of decades of associated neglect and abuse. It will take work and purpose. We can look to the some of the towns in Muskoka for a sense of what this means and looks like. A couple of the agenda items should force council to put together their vision of the town. But I suspect they won’t. They will look at each item as a ‘one up’ issue with no consideration of the bigger picture, and what the net sum of all of their decisions will be. It’s not function or form. It’s function and form.

Closed Session Follow Up

It seems council has selected a new Director of Public Safety based on their ratification of a contract. We’ll need to wait for the formal announcement. No names were mentioned.

Correspondence and Deputations

Correspondence -  the invitation for council representatives to attend a joint meeting of the West Parry Sound Health Centre Board was received.

There were three unscheduled deputations.

The first related to council’s recent decision to return the issue of ATV use in town to staff for further review. The speaker felt that the topic had not been fairly reviewed with little opportunity for public input. Council assured the speaker that the matter had not been dismissed and would be reviewed further. They didn’t mention that staff would not be able to get to the ATV issue until late summer at the earliest, given more pressing issues.

The second deputation was in reference to council’s decision to turn the application for a realtor’s advertising sign on a downtown building. After some discussion and questions the individual was advised to request a reconsideration of their application.

The third deputation provided council with an update on the activity of the Tower Hill Gardeners, a volunteer group that has been working to complement the activities of town staff with the Tower Hill garden. It was reported that the Tower Hill Gardeners, www.towerhillheritagegarden.org, put in more than 600 volunteer hours last year. The presenter requested council support agenda item 9.5.1, the proposal for volunteers to rehabilitate the Tower Hill Ranger’s Cabin.

Consent Agenda

Council approved a new board member for the Parry Sound Downtown Business Association (DBA) Board of Directors.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.1.1 – council approved staff’s recommendation to forgo the construction of an animal shelter based on cost and the service provided in Bracebridge by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) – Muskoka Branch. There were expressions of general support for this type of service but an acknowledgement that it was not possible without the financial support of the surrounding communities.

Council approved $3,500 for a spay/neuter program. It was noted that very little of this amount was likely to be spent because there was no community support to house the feral cats for the necessary period after their surgery. This was in part due to concerns about transmissible diseases, and the reality that feral cats really don’t like being kept in a ‘recovery room’. They can be feisty.

There was discussion and approval for staff to look into a method by which the feeding of feral cats could be ‘discouraged’. If you feed them they will stay, and they will breed. There’s no balance of nature when cats are fed and left to their own devices. Having grown up on a farm, and having had barn cats to keep the rodent population down, I came to realize that the cats survived only as long as they were fed by us. Nature took its own course if humans were left out of the equation. If you want a cat, have a cat, and take on the associated responsibilities of feeding, vaccinations, providing a home, and spay/neutering. How would the community feel if an individual were to start feeding sea gulls downtown? How about bears? (Oh wait, we know how people feel about bears.)

Council approved the sale/scrapping of the animal trailer after considerable discussion. The issue debated was whether it was reasonable to sell the trailer for its intended use given its unsuitability for animal care. Staff advised that if re-purposed, the trailer was likely to be stripped down and only it’s chassis reused.

9.1.2 – council split on the issue of two new ‘sitting’ areas in the downtown. The sitting area in the Gibson Street parking lot was approved with an understanding the DBA and town would discuss adjustments to the location so as to ensure appropriate sight lines for safety. (Hey, sitting at this ‘parkette’ one would have a great view of advertising right across the street ;-).)

The James Street ‘pop up parkette’ was turned down on the basis that it would take critical parking spaces and might create a safety hazard.

9.3.1 – there was approval for the proposal from staff regarding paperless council meetings through the use of electronic documents. It was agreed that the expense would be included as part of the 2013 budget discussion. Note: the next budget meeting, hopefully the last, is scheduled for April 233d, starting at 6:30 PM. There was a brief discussion of what should and shouldn’t be considered for pre-budget approval. I’ll offer my thoughts in a general sense next week.

9.4.1 – a resolution in support of signs on the CN trestle over Bowes Street was carried. I’m not in agreement but let’s see how this evolves. As a professional in the area of sales, marketing and advertising, I would suggest that advertising only works if it attracts attention. So if you want people who are driving into town to not focus on the road as they merge from two lanes to one, put up something to catch their attention. And I’m waiting for the first person with an RV/load who realizes too late that their vehicle doesn’t fit under the trestle to complain/sue that they couldn’t see the height limit sign because of the advertising. But of course, adding advertising will help beautify the town as at least one councillor seemed to suggest. I guess you could claim that we are a ‘border’ town and need to take on that appearance. Perhaps the border between Seguin and McDougall? This all goes back to the vision that council has for the town. Commerce or community? Commerce and community?

9.4.2 – the revised resolution for transferring town property on Fleck Street to a developer for the the building of an affordable triplex was approved. This was approved last year but needed revision to meet regulations concerning the transfer of property for below market prices to a private business.

9.5.1 – council approved a proposal by a citizens’ Ranger Cabin Restoration Committee to restore the Ranger Cabin on Tower Hill at no cost to the town.

9.5.2 – the DBA proposal for a raised garden at the foot of Jukes Lane was carried. Council also approved staff’s recommendation that the DBA consider other locations for additional raised gardens.

By-Laws

10.1.1 – by-laws to increase set fines for by-law traffic violations and to revise overnight parking areas were approved with limited discussion.

10.3.1 – council approved an agreement with Vianet for upgraded internet service.

10.3.2, 10.3.3 – both bylaws setting the tax ratios and tax claw-backs were approved by council.

There was a bit more that isn’t covered here. Check out the actual council minutes for a summary of all the decisions. For additional background take a look at my council meeting preview notes posted on this site.

A Comet Sets Over Parry Sound
(click for larger view – it’s worth it)