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Council Agenda Preview – October 7, 2014

05 Sunday Oct 2014

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This week’s agenda includes a couple of issues that have been ‘brewing’ for some time and are reaching the council agenda once again. I don’t imagine that there will be a decision on one of the issues (9.1.3, Public Transit System), but the discussion and report will set the stage for a decision by the newly elected Council as any decision has budget implications.

The issue of fluoride in the water system will be discussed. This was one of the issues that the candidates at the All-Candidates meeting seemed to agree needed review. I hope that the review will not only “review information regarding the hazards of putting fluoride in our drinking water”, but also review the benefits. We are all very ready to return to a more ‘natural’ way of life but let’s be sure we understand the consequences. The Town would be better off without fluoride in the water from a cost and logistics perspective, but let’s get the facts and then make a decision. This is an issue that will certainly be handed off to the new Council.

Here are the more interesting agenda items in my opinion.

4.4 – Correspondence. Resignation from Waterfront Committee. The issue of committees continues to challenge Council and Staff. Committees too often are unable to get the most qualified participants, and when they do they join they don’t last very long. The first step to solving a problem is to admit there is a problem.

5.1 – Deputation. Cascade generation station. I imagine the deputation concerns the proposed architectural design for the new power station.

5.2 – Deputation. All Ontario Native Fastball Tournament – Kinsmen Park. There is a bit of disagreement concerning the service provided by the Town under contract for this recent tournament. It’s also on the agenda as 9.1.2. The supporting documents are worth reading. Perhaps this deputation will provide some clarification from the ‘user’ point of view.

8.4 – Resolution. Provincial Land Tax Reform. This concerns a reform of the provincial land tax process that may result in higher taxes for properties in unincorporated municipalities. This may have something to do with a more equitable cost sharing of certain provincial subsidized services such as Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

9.1.1 – Resolution. James Street and Mary Street Intersection. A recommendation that James and Mary Streets be converted to a 4-way stop.

9.1.3 – Resolution. Public Transit System. This is a big issue and includes a substantial report and recommendation. I urge you to download the Council package and read this section so you can better understand the issues and options to make your own decisions.

9.2.1 – Resolution. Request for Proposals (RFP): Trails Master Plan. This is a recommendation that council accept a trails master plan development proposal from PlanbyDesign for about $23,000.

9.2.2, 9.2.3, 9.2.4 – Resolutions. A series of Stockey Centre facility upgrades amounting to about $56,000.

9.6.2 – Direction. Fluoride in Municipal Drinking Water Systems. As noted above.

9.6.3 – Discussion. Feral Cats. I’m not quite sure what is intended with this discussion  The Council package includes materials from earlier meetings of Council on this matter.

That’s pretty much it. I’ll see you Tuesday night night and I’ll ‘take attendance’. If all the candidates seem similarly qualified perhaps the best way to decide on who to vote for comes down to ‘who shows up’.

The Smoke House and Practice Makes Perfect. (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Council Agenda Preview – July 15, 2014

14 Monday Jul 2014

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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Oh boy, we have an interesting agenda this week. After dealing with the many issues that face them this week Council will have earned a couple extra weeks off.

Where to start? There is a request (Item 2.1.1) to convert a single unit house into a duplex with the neighbourhood vociferously objecting (4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.10, 4.11). Drainage is on the agenda (9.3.1) with more letters from the parties involved (4.7, 4.8, 4.12) and an interesting revelation regarding lot services. Parking is on the agenda again (9.1.3), this time related to cash in lieu of parking spots to permit the retrofitting of a downtown building to provide three new apartments.

There is quite a bit of money being spent, in total about $380,000, for an ice resurfacer at the Bobby Orr Community Centre (9.5.2), monument restoration at Hillcrest Cemetery (9.5.1), and the big one, replacement of the retaining wall at the fire hall (9.2.1)

There is also the suggestion that the condo/marina development on Emily Street is dead (10.1.2) based on the developer’s comments to the Town.

There is more, but this should be more than enough to get your attention. I suspect there will be a number of presentation/deputations related to these items that should make for an interesting session.

In a little more detail:

2.1 – Public Meeting. Rezoning 2 Avenue Road. The owners of 2 Avenue Road are requesting rezoning of their property to allow for the conversion of their single family home into a duplex. There seems to be considerable controversy concerning the impact this will have on the local neighbourhood. The letters in the agenda package opposing the rezoning offer considerable perspective on the matter and there surely will be presentations by some of the area residents.

9.1.3 – Resolution. This concerns a request for the Town to forgo, or reduce the amount of, the normal cash in lieu of parking spots for a three unit apartment conversion at 34 Seguin Street. The Town is proposing the developer pay the usual fee.

9.2.1 – Resolution. A recommendation that the Town awards the tender to Fowler Construction for the replacement of the fire hall retaining wall. The cost is $242,785. I’m still disappointed that the Town is required to make the replacement. What is the cause of the failure of the original wall – design, installation or maintenance?

9.3.1 – Resolution. Lot Drainage Isabella / Marion Streets. The Town is punting on this one and telling the parties that any problems are a civil matter and the Town won’t intervene. Nonetheless the Town is considering certain culvert upgrades in the area the cost of which the Town proposes will be shared by the Town and the owner of the property at 47 Marion Street. Expect at least one unscheduled deputation in addition to the letters included in the Council package.

9.5.1 – Resolution. The awarding of a tender to Sanderson Monument to repair and restore monuments at Hillcrest Cemetery. The cost is $38,000 and represents the first of a multi-year investment.

9.5.2 – Resolution. Ice resurfacer, Bobby Orr Community Centre. The cost is about $80,000 with the existing machine to provide service at the Kinsmen arena.

10.1.2 – By-law. Repeal of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DDMJ Construction. The original MOU concerned a major condominium development on Emily Street that would have required use of Town parking and waterlot areas. DDMJ Construction have stated that they intend to sell the property. Not a surprise, the market for condominiums is soft and there is a real challenge in servicing the property.

As always here is more than what has been covered in this post. Head over to the Town’s website and take a look at the agenda in full (it’s a three parter), which includes the briefing documents. See you Tuesday night. I expect I’ll be there through the end to see how things are decided.

Drunk 1, Drunk 2 – Woo-Hoo! (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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‘Clic on the Pic’ for a more detailed view.

Council Meeting Notes – March 18, 2014

20 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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The right bet was the push to 9:30, actually 9:33. I was a bit surprised that the meeting went on for as long as it did, Council moved through sections I thought would take time and got bogged down with other matters. Council reached agreement on a couple of issues and surprisingly left a couple open, most notably the 2014 budget (9.4.1).

Councillors Reports and Questions of Staff

There really wan’t anything worth noting in the questions of Staff or the Councillors reports.

Closed Agenda Items

The security of property of the municipality or local board (Confidentiality of Closed Agenda Items). [The net/net of this was that there will be ‘training’ offered to (required of?) Town appointed members of committees and boards, see 9.3.2. below.]

Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees (Employment Agreement – Manager of Operations). [An offer of employment was extended for this position to Greg Darby.]

Correspondence

4.1 – North East Community Care Access Centre, an invitiation for Mayor & Council to attend the March 25, 2014 Heroes in the Home, Caregiver Recognition Award. [Forwarded to Staff for follow up.]

Deputations

5.1 – Donald Sanderson, CEO, West Parry Sound Health Centre and Lakeland Long Term Care and Jim Hanna, Public Relations/Communications with an update on the state of health care in our community. [Well this was interesting as a look into what the regional carpetbaggers are thinking and possibly plotting with regards to the Parry Sound Hydro merger proceeds. See my recent post, The Alley-Oop, for details.]

5.2 – Chris Litschko, CEO, Lakeland Holding Ltd. Re: Cascade Generation Station Update. [A nice presentation on the upgrade to the generating plant on Cascade Street. We will be getting a new, smaller facility that will be capable of generating more power. Target date for operation is 2016. They are looking for volunteers to participate on a committee to help design the look of the new facility to fit in with the community. A cynic might suggest cheap vinyl siding and as few windows as possible based on the more recent builds in town. A community open house is scheduled for April 5th from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. And the merger seems on track with final provincial approval expected in a few weeks.]

5.3 – Dean Adams, Adams Bros. regarding contracted our services. [This deputation was not made.]

Consent Agenda

8.1 – World Autism Awareness Day, declaring April 2, 2014 as World Autism Awareness Day. CARRIED.

8.2 – World Lupus Day, declaring May 10, 2014 as World Lupus Day. CARRIED

8.3 – Muskoka/Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services, approving a Tag Day for the Muskoka/Parry Sound Sexual Assault Services on June 7, 2014. CARRIED

Resolutions and Direction To Staff

9.1.1 – 295 MacPherson Squadron – 70th Anniversary. Resolution. The Town declare the 70th Anniversary Annual Inspection an event of municipal significance, and provide free use of the Bobby Orr Community Centre for the purpose of the Ceremony/Inspection. CARRIED.

9.1.2 – Parry Sound Festival of Beer, Noise By-law relief. Resolution. Council provide relief from By-Law 2009-5301, being the by-law to regulate noise in the municipality on Saturday May 17, 2014 from 1pm – 11pm at Waubuno Beach & Park. CARRIED. [Another ‘fest’, another by-law relief approval.]

9.1.3 – Request for Proposal, Highest and Best Use of Property – 71 Parry Sound Road. Resolution. Council authorize staff to proceed with obtaining an appraisal for the property; and advertising a Request for Proposals for the development of the Town owned property at 71 Parry Sound Road. CARRIED. [It looks as though we may get some additional development in Town. The Mayor ticked off the many development projects going on in Town. All-in-all Parry Sound continues to grow in terms of in-fill.]

9.2.1 – Fire Department Aerial Purchase. Resolution. Council waive the Purchasing Policy and award the contract for the supply of a E-One Aerial Device in the amount of $1,022,180.00 +HST, and a further allocation of up to $10,000.00 to be utilized for vehicle improvements/changes during the pre-delivery inspection. CARRIED. [There was limited debate, but it seems enough work has been done over the past three years to make us comfortable with both the need for this new piece of equipment and the specified unit.]

9.3.1 – Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner. Resolution. The 2013 Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner, attached as Schedule “A”, be received by Council. CARRIED. [See 9.3.2 below for comments.]

9.3.2 – Boards & Committees. Resolution. That the Integrity Commissioner be requested to present a governance and procedural information and education session for Council, staff, and Town board and committee members. CARRIED. [This item was agreed with some discussion. It my be that there has been some nastiness going on at the board and committee level and Council wants to shut down any public leaks.]

9.4.1 – 2014 Operating and Capital Budgets. Resolution. Council approves in principle a budget with a levy of $8,642,079.00, reflective of a 1.0% increase in the 2013 tax rate, as attached in Appendix A and Appendix B, and that staff be directed to bring a by-law forward for formal adoption of the Budget once all external levies have been submitted. WITHDRAWN. [This item took much more discussion that I had expected. There were two issues discussed. Unhappiness on the part of Council that Staff had not cut expenses to meet a 1% levy increase target, but rather had relied on new MPAC data that indicated assessments had risen sufficiently to obviate the need for further cuts. And a brand new suggestion that the Town not increase the tax rate, or even reduce it, rather than approve the 1% increase. Neither issue was resolved at the meeting and Council agreed to meet March 24th at 6:00 PM to continue the discussion. The discussion of when to have the meeting was actually quite entertaining (you had to be there), with Council members protesting suggested dates and times until a compromise was reached. My two cents on this. Council, don’t get too high on your horses about a budget meeting interfering with other board or committee meetings. I have attended enough of these meetings to know that you are quite comfortable arriving late, leaving early or not showing up. It’s about priorities. The budget is important and you are paid to show up for meetings unlike most board and committee members. Get over it and show up.]

9.5.1  – 2013 Water Treatment Plant Summary Resolution. Council acknowledges receipt of the report entitled: “Town of Parry Sound Tony Agnello Water Treatment Plant, Large Municipal Residential Drinking Water System Summary Report of 2013″,
as prepared by Kyle Hall, Manager of Water Systems. CARRIED. [Our water meets and exceeds standards.]

By-Laws

10.1.1 – Property Disposal – Town Owned Waterlot. Bylaw. To authorize the transfer of Town owned lands to Parry Sound PowerGen Corporation. CARRIED. [Part of the merger agreement follow on activities.]

10.1.2 – Artists Round the Sound & the Rutke Group. By-law. The execution of an agreement between Artists Round the Sound (ARTS), the Rutke Group, and the Town for the use of wall space at the Town Office for the purpose of a year-round art gallery. CARRIED.

10.1.3 – Big Sound Marina/Town Dock – Operating Agreement. By-law. To enter into an operating agreement with Massasauga Management Co. Inc. for the operation of Big Sound Marina and the Town Dock conditional on approval from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans/Small Craft Harbours. CARRIED. [I think one councillor expressed it best when he suggested that the Town’s hands were tied, they had to do this deal as there was no practical alternative. A classic example of “If you want a deal real bad, I have real bad deal for you.” Doing a little bit of research I find that the parties behind the Massasauga Management Co. Inc. previously had an agreement with the Town regarding ‘Pier 99′ that ended up in litigation. Here’s a link to the little bit of information concerning the litigation that I was able to find online. I think the Town lost that one. This will be fun to watch.]

10.5.1 – Energy Use Assessment Services. By-law. The execution of an Energy Use Assessment Services Agreement between Parry Sound Power Corporation and the Town. CARRIED.

Yippee! A New Fire Truck. Rides for Council! (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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These notes review only those portions of the council meeting that I see as having greater importance or general community interest. See my agenda preview posts for additional comments.

The official minutes from council meetings are available at the Town of Parry Sound website, no later than the Friday following the meeting. The full council proceeding are available on video through Cogeco. Schedule details are available from the town office (705-746-2101).

Council Agenda Preview – February 4, 2014

03 Monday Feb 2014

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It looks like a rather light meeting agenda in terms of the number of listed items. I don’t expect that it will last beyond 8:30 or so.

Closed Session

In the closed session of Council the only obvious interesting topic concerns the pending acquisition or disposition of land regarding Parry Sound Power/Lakeland Holdings.

Deputations

5.1 – Wayne Simpson of Wayne Simpson & Associates. Deputation. Regarding a consent application for Parry Sound Dock Limited. [No information is provided in the council package regarding this deputation.]

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Resolution on Joint and Several Liability Insurance – Randy Pettapiece, M.P.P. Perth-Wellington. Resolution. That Council support this resolution in the Ontario Legislature to limit the Town’s liability risks with letters to Mr. Pettapiece and numerous Ontario associations.

Resolutions and Direction To Staff

9.3.1 – Stop The Great Lakes Nuclear Dump. Resolution. Parrry Sound sends letters urging the Governments of Canada and Ontario to reject (and seek alternatives to) Ontario Power Generation’s proposal to bury radioactive nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin. [Seems a reasonable course of action by the Town. I’m not sure what the alternatives are. The USA is dealing with similar issues regarding the safe storage of expired nuclear power plant fuel. In their case they are proposing to bury it in Nevada, but are meeting considerable opposition.]

9.4.1 – Trails Master Plan. Direction. That Council direct staff to explore partnership opportunities for a Trails Master Plan and, as appropriate, specifications for a Request for Proposal be developed and advertised. [Both Seguin and McDougall townships have dropped out of a project to develop a trails master plan for reasons that I don’t understand. The Town is proposing to partner with other local non-municipal trail groups. The R&R notes that trails are an increasingly important driver of local economic growth.]  

9.4.2 – Big Sound Marina Operations. Direction. Council direct staff to prepare an operational plan that would see Big Sound Marina operated in-house through the Department of Development and Leisure Services with facility and grounds to be maintained by the Department of Public Works; and Council direct staff to include the provision for both seasonal and transient services in the operational plan; and the report be brought forward to the February 18, 2014 Council meeting. [My sense is that the Town, out of necessity, intends to go into competition with its taxpayers by operating a marina with seasonal dockage. (Disclosure, my extended family operates a marina in Parry Sound.) It seems no private businesses expressed interest in operating the facility even though they had been offered the opportunity to service both seasonal and transient boaters. I’ll also be interested in seeing how the Town blends union and non-union staff at the Big Sound Marina (dock staff and maintenance staff). I suspect they will need to depend heavily on summer students. The R&R indicates that they do not intend to ‘undercut’ the local marinas in terms of seasonal dockage, but adding in another supplier (the Town) will surely reduce income for others unless there is an influx of new seasonal boaters. It’s actually a rather complex issue with the net/net that it seems the Town wants to limit its losses on operating the Big Sound Marina by taking seasonal dockage income from local businesses. There is no simple solution but I hope they ‘consult’ with the in-town marinas.]

9.4.3 – Film Location Guidebook. Direction. Council adopts the Parry Sound Film Location Guidebook per Schedule ‘A’ attached. [A how-to work with the Town manual for companies wishing to do on location filming in Parry Sound.]

9.4.4 – Sign By-law Variance (10 Bay Street). Resolution. Staff are directed to issue a permit for a Sign at 10 Bay Street according to the application submitted. [This relates to the new Boston Pizza. It’s a little confusing. It seems the sign does not comply with local by-laws but Staff is recommending it be permitted.]

9.6.1 – Market Square Park Proposal. Direction. Council direct staff to co-ordinate consultation meeting(s) with representatives from the Legion, Summer Market, Art in the Park, Downtown Business Association (DBA) and Town staff regarding the proposed changes to Market Square Park and Council direct staff to provide the DBA with a letter advising them that any changes to Town-owned property require prior approval from Council. [A follow up to last meeting’s deputation regarding a grant application by the DBA to support ‘enhancements’ to Market Square Park. The list of parties to be co-ordinated all have activities that take place in the park.]

By-Laws

10.2.1 – Land Ambulance Services Grant (LASG) Transfer Payment Framework. By-law. To authorize the execution of an agreement between Town of Parry Sound and the Province regarding transfer payments to support the land ambulance services that are overseen by Parry Sound.

10.2.2 – Fire Dispatch Agreement. By-law. To authorize the execution of an agreement between Parry Sound and West Parry Sound Health Centre regarding fire dispatch services. [I hadn’t realized that the health centre provides this service to the Town. The price is quite reasonable at about $7K per year, and certainly fits with the existing health centre’s emergency activities.]

10.4.1 – Stockey Centre Rental Rates. By-law Amendment. To amend by-law 2010-5408 regarding fees and service charges for the Town and to repeal By-law 2012 – 6110. [A bit of fiddling with rates to find the best blend of pricing to encourage more use of the Stockey Centre.]

On the Trail Again (North Shore Rugged Trail) (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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I won’t be at this meeting but hope that the people interested in serving on Council will start attending. It’s important to understand what you are signing up for. It’s not as simple as it might seem.

Note: Not all agenda items are covered here. I typically skip items that have little material impact on the town. These items include simple requests for Tag Days (permission to canvas), Awareness Weeks/Months, road closures for civic events, and the like. Want to see everything that is on the agenda along with the supporting documents? The full package can be found at the town’s website (http://townofparrysound.com/pagesmith/14).

Council Agenda Preview – December 17, 2013

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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(Note: there is a correction to Item 10.1.1 – there is only one multifunction machine, not three as originally posted. I apologize for the error.)

This is a rather full meeting agenda that will take an hour and a half or the better part of three hours depending on how talkative the Councillors are. There are two interesting presentations that will probably exceed the generally allotted limit of ten minutes. Add on a dozen or so resolutions and by-laws, councillor reports, questions of Staff, and you have the potential for a longer session. I’m betting on shorter rather than longer given the weather and the season.

In the closed session of Council an issue of boundary adjustments with McDougall is continued. Is this perhaps related to the Hall project on Louisa Street? It would be simpler if the developer only had to work with a single municipality.

Correspondence

4.1 – the Parry Sound Downtown Business Association regarding concerns about a lack of designated pedestrian crossings, traffic lights or stop signs along James Street from Seguin Street to Rosetta Street to assist people crossing the street. [This is on the agenda for discussion as 9.5.1.]

4.2 – Lev Nikiforov with a request to meet with Council regarding the construction project on 81 River Street. [This is also the subject of a deputation, item 5.3. I’ll provide more detail there.]

4.3 – a petition with 50 signatures requesting the transit bus operate on December 24 and December 31, 2013. [It seems the bus is not scheduled for the 24th and 31st. A number of residents feel these are days when the bus should run, the eves of Christmas and New Year. I agree, it’s the time of the year when things are busy and generosity is appreciated. But where is the public transit study and discussion that Council has promised? I thought we were to have a discussion and decision on the future of the public transit system several months ago. How are we doing with compliance to the new regulations?]

Deputations

5.1 – Marianne King-Wilson, Waterfront Advisory Committee with a presentation on Branding. [This follows up a discussion at the last meeting of Council regarding logos and ‘slogans’ for the Town.]

5.2 – a presentation by Tulloch Engineering regarding the Town’s Asset Management Plan. [This is a big deal from what I can tell and a requirement the Town has to receive future provincial funding for infrastructure projects. No plan, no money, or at least no money until you have a plan, and it appears we may have one soon.]

5.3 – a deputation by Lev Nikiforov regarding the construction project on 81 River Street. [This is the project that was started without the necessary Town approvals and was forced to stop. Recently the necessary approvals were granted but the builder is asking for some relief with regard to the fees to be paid. From what I can tell he is asking to make a partial payment that will allow him to complete only the structural portion of the project. A cash flow issue I imagine.]

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Parry Sound Hydro Corporation board appointments for Roger Alexander, Gord Rempel, Bill Lawrence and Al Downing through June 30th, 2014. [While it’s not a secret, it’s not widely appreciated that the merger between Parry Sound Hydro and Lakeland Holding will not take place on January 1st, 2014 as mentioned in presentations. The merger can only take place once provincial approval is received. This may take months, so Parry Sound Hydro needs to operate, and that requires a board of directors whose terms were set to expire the end of December.]

8.2 – a revision to the schedule of council meetings to include an additional special meeting of Council to discuss the 2014 budget. [This will be the penultimate public discussion of what is in, and out, of the 2014 budget. I will remind you that these public budget meetings generally only cover new and exceptional items for the upcoming year. The much larger part of the budget is generally just carried over from the previous year and adjusted for inflation. That’s why taxes always go up, expenses are added not subtracted, if we are lucky only as much as inflation.]

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – a resolution to approve the 2014 Land Ambulance budget in the amount of $8,138,658, which is an increase of 2% over the 2013 budget. [This is largely a rubber stamp approval as the business of the land ambulance service is supervised by the EMS Advisory Committee.]

9.3.1 – a resolution to install a “Former Village of Carrington” sign on Parry Sound Rd. at a cost of $450 plus HST. [This is a nice nod in recognition of the Town’s history. A small thing but part of developing a sense of community.]

9.4.1 – a direction for Town Staff to provide notice of changed rental rates at the Stockey Centre effective 2014 (I think). [The new ‘slimmed down’ rates are targeted to daytime uses of the Stockey Centre and are intended to reflect the reduced facility needs of local non-profit groups. It seems reasonable in my opinion. It’s a public building, let’s make it easier for the public to use it. A too often empty facility soon becomes considered a ‘white elephant‘.]

9.5.1 – a direction for Town Staff to investigate the cost of an analysis of pedestrian traffic on James St. [See also item 4.1. There is some concern that it is difficult for pedestrians to cross the busy shopping area of James Street. There are no lights or stop signs, and with cars parked along the street it can be hard for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. Rather than do a study to determine ‘traffic’ it seems like something that should just be done. Any impact on lost parking spots will not be major if it is more convenient to park in the municipal lot and safely cross the street. Parking on James Street when it’s busy is a challenge for even those who consider themselves parallel parking experts. Sometimes studies are just a waste of time and money and seem a way to delay or avoid the obvious.]

9.5.2 – a resolution to increase the per tag price of household waste disposal from $3 to $5, effective February 1st 2014. [You lost the chance to stock up on permanent postage stamps, but you have until February 1st to stock up on garbage tags in case this resolution is passed. The Town doesn’t, and won’t, make money on this even with the proposed increase.]

9.5.3 – a resolution to reimburse sellers $0.25 per Garbage Tag sold on behalf of the Town effective January 1st 2014. [Hmm! Why not buy up a few hundred at $3.00 and then sell them at $5.00? That’s arbitrage in action, and a few hundred dollars in profit.]

By-Laws

10.1.1 – a by-law to enter into a three-year leasing agreement with De Lage Landen Financial Services Canada for one copier to be used at the Stockey Centre. [This is separate from the copier agreement approved at the last meeting of Council that was for the town office.]

10.2.1 – a by-law to renew the Rose Point Area Fire Protection Agreement, with the Township of Seguin to have Parry Sound provide fire protection for the Rose Point area and a couple of other properties proximate to Parry Sound. [It’s much faster for the Parry Sound Fire Department to repond to emergencies in the Rose Point area. In exchange Seguin provides Land Ambulance space in their fire station. It’s a win-win and a small demonstration of the benefits of municipal co-operation.]

10.4.1 – a by-law to grant Site Plan Approval and authorize the execution and registration of a Development Agreement with the Near North District School Board. [This continues the process of constructing a new K to 6 school off of Beatty Street. It seems all of the necessary documentation and adjustments have been received to allow Council to grant the requested approvals.]

Warmer Days (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Note: Not all agenda items are covered here. I typically skip items that have little material impact on the town. These items include simple requests for Tag Days (permission to canvas), Awareness Weeks/Months, road closures for civic events, and the like. Want to see everything that is on the agenda along with the supporting documents? The full package can be found at the town’s website (http://townofparrysound.com/pagesmith/14).

Council Meeting Notes – October 15, 2013

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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Last night’s meeting provided no real surprises. I thought that Council indirectly provided Staff with some direction in terms of how the town should handle it’s history as an industrial centre. The direction was to embrace the history of the town and not try to put a veneer of polish on it through a renaming process. This was evidenced by Council’s decision to reject the proposal to rename Smelter Wharf to Sunset Wharf (a good decision in my opinion), or solicit input on a renaming of Salt Dock Road. (A question for Staff and local residents – is it Smelter Wharf or Smelters Wharf? The sign down as the wharf reads Smelter Wharf, singular – not possessive, but the council agenda and at least one Councillor refer to it as Smelters Wharf.)

Beyond this there were no real surprises in Council’s discussion and decisions. The meeting was over by 9:05.

Questions of Staff and Councillors Report Notes

1. The sidewalk on Cascade Street at the CN crossing will need to be modified. This will delay the installation of the crossing gates until later this year. [I’m a bit surprised that this has only now been identified as an issue, this is a project that has been in the works for more than a year.]

2. There will be an advanced green light at the intersection of Bowes and Forest Street.

Correspondence and Deputations

4.3 – this item which relates to a letter to Council concerning an issue of excessive noise associated with the operation of the new Pioneer gas bar was followed up by a deputation at the meeting. Council directed By-law to look into the concern.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.1.1 – Municipal Dog License Program (Direction); Council to direct Staff to prepare a new Animal Control By-law for Council’s consideration at the November 5, 2013 meeting. [CARRIED – with a reduction to $50 in the fine for failure to report a change in status of dog ownership (death, move, …).]

9.1.2 – Reallocating Feral Cat Funding (Direction); Council to direct staff to use the Feral Cat Program funding in the amount of $3500 to host a Spay/Neuter Day event in November 2013 in partnership with the Barrie OSPCA High Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic. [CARRIED – with positive support from Council]

9.2.1 – Mission Park Playground Equipment (Resolution); request that a ‘web climber’ playground structure be purchased from ABC Recreation at a cost of a little more than $32,000 plus HST. About two-thirds of the funds are coming from funds raised by the community. [CARRIED – some questions were asked regarding the durability and warranty of the equipment. Apparently Sudbury has three of these units and are quite pleased with them.]

9.4.1 – Renaming Smelter Wharf (Resolution); request that upon the recommendation of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, Council rename Smelter Wharf to Sunset Wharf. [DEFEATED – Council feels there is merit in celebrating, rather than ignoring, the Town’s past.]

9.4.2 – Renaming Salt Dock Road (Direction); request of Council that upon the recommendation of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, Council direct staff to seek public input on the name change of Salt Dock Road from residents on Salt Dock Road. [DEFEATED – see 9.4.1 for one of the considerations in Council’s decision. It was also noted that asking residents to change their address would be expensive and burdensome.]

9.4.3 – ‘Seattle’ and ‘Atlantic’ Anchors (Direction); another recommendation of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, in this case asking Council to direct Staff to work with Belvedere Heights regarding a plan to relocate the ‘Seattle’ and ‘Atlantic’ anchors to the Stockey Centre. [CARRIED – Council will be communicating with Belvedere Heights regarding responsibility for the costs of landscaping at Belvedere related to the relocation of the anchors.]

9.4.4 – Council Approved Sign Application (Resolution); request to authorize the Chief Building Official to issue a Sign Permit for a sign on the Bowes Street Road allowance in front of number 80. [CARRIED – no discussion.]

9.5.1 – Parry Sound Canoe Club, (Direction); request that Council direct Staff to prepare a lease agreement between the Town and the Parry Sound Canoe Club for the use of property adjacent to the William Street Park. [CARRIED – with recommendation that it be located at the east end of Yvonne Williams Park. It was noted by one councillor that the Town had sold premium lots adjacent to William Street Park whose use and value would be compromised by a canoe club building. The original William Street Park site also presented issues with existing infrastructure.]

9.5.2 – Wakefield & Dufferin Reconstruction Funding (Direction); request that Council identify the rehabilitation of Wakefield Street and Dufferin Street as the highest priority item for the Small, Rural and Northern Municipal Infrastructure Fund – Capital Program. [CARRIED.]

9.6.1 – Airport – Found Aircraft Debt Deferral, (Resolution); request that Council approves the deferral of the long term debt principal and interest payments related to the Found Aircraft Canada leases at the Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport Commission. [CARRIED]

By-Laws

10.1.1 – EMS Contract Renewal (By-law) to authorize the execution of an agreement between the West Parry Sound Health Centre and the Town of Parry Sound for the provision of Emergency Medical Services for three years (2014-2016). [CARRIED.]

10.1.2 – Emergency Plan Identified Positions (By-law) naming David Thompson, Peter Brown and Jesse Langford as the Town’s emergency contact personnel. Also a By-law to amend By-law 2004-4669, a By-law to adopt a Emergency Management Program, and to repeal By-law 2011 – 6006. [CARRIED.]

10.2.1 – Closed Meeting Investigator Fee Increase, (By-law) appointing Local Authority Services Ltd. as Parry Sound’s Closed Meeting Investigator and to repeal By-law 2007-5127. [CARRIED.]

10.4.1 – Fleck Street Service Manager Housing Facility Agreement, (By-law) to authorize the execution of a Service Manager Housing Facility Agreement between the District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board, 905888 Ontario Inc. and the Town of Parry Sound. [CARRIED.]

10.4.2 – Fleck Street Purchase and Sale Agreement, (By-law) to authorize the execution of an Agreement of Purchase and Sale between 905888 Ontario Inc. and the Town of Parry Sound. [CARRIED.]

10.6.1 – Parry Sound Area Airport Commission Representation, (By-law) to amend the Airport Commission Agreement with the Township of Seguin. [CARRIED.]

These notes review only those portions of the council meeting that I see as having greater importance or general community interest. See my agenda preview posts for additional comments.

The official minutes from council meetings are available at the Town of Parry Sound website, no later than the Friday following the meeting. The full council proceeding are available on video through Cogeco. Schedule details are available from the town office (705-746-2101).

Delivering the Goods (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Council Meeting Notes – April 2, 2013

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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Council did well to get finished by 9:30, despite the addition of three unscheduled deputations that took almost half an hour in total. For the most part discussion was disciplined and on topic. There were no deferred items. Council continues to come together as a group and make headway.

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)

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Louisville Derailment Update

04 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Safety, Train

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Well it looks as though the unlucky residents who happened to be within a 1.2 miles radius of the train derailment south of Louisville KY on Monday will not be heading home tonight. There has also been a ‘shelter in place’ order given to residents within a 5 mile radius of the accident. This means they are required to stay in their homes with the windows closed and all ventilation devices turned off, including heating, cooling and even bathroom fans, until further notice.

Stuff happens, but this is pretty ridiculous, seven days and counting. It can be argued that transporting hazardous materials by rail reduces the risk of accidents relative to trucking (which I agree with), but when an accident does happen it causes a much bigger problem. There is not just one hazardous tanker, there are generally many, and the volume is much greater. The problem in the Louisville accident seems to be related to the fact that one of the tankers was highly combustible and another highly poisonous, and they both derailed close to each other.

Do we know what is being shipped through Parry Sound on the 35 or so trains that pass through daily? Do we, as residents, know what to do in the case of a similar emergency? Shouldn’t we know?

As a child we were given instructions on what to do in case of a nuclear attack. Since then there have been many more derailments than nuclear attacks. Perhaps we need to know what to do in case off a derailment. Like debates about the impact of climate change, we know it will happen, the only argument concerns how bad and when.

Speaking of ‘stuff’ happening, as I was preparing this post my family came home and told me that there was a fire on Bowes Street, at the intersection with Forest Street. I headed out and caught a few photos. The lesson here is that ‘stuff’ does happen and you need to be prepared. We are fortunate to have a trained and capable volunteer fire department. I would not want to see them having to deal with a train tanker chemical fire for which they and the town were not prepared.

Council Meeting Summary – 2012-04-17

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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It was a packed house last night at Council, standing room only for the early part of the meeting. And there were surprises, some of which may provide a look ahead.

The two big issues on the agenda, as far as I saw them, rezoning at 9A Belvedere (10.4.1) and space sharing at the Smelter Wharf (9.4.3), had quite different treatment by council. More on this below.

First the body count: the mayor and all of the councilors, except Dave Williams, were in attendance. It’s interesting to speculate how one vote might have gone had Councilor Williams been in attendance. Staff numbered about eight for at most of the meeting. Media numbered three, Moose-FM, Cogeco and North Star. There were more than 40 in the audience, two dozen fire fighters in support of their president’s deputation to council, about ten opposing the 9A Belvedere rezoning, four for the KPMG deputation, and a few others interested in better understanding the issues before council that evening.

There were two scheduled deputations. Wayne Gilbert, President of the Parry Sound Volunteer Fire Fighter’s Association, provided facts and figures summarizing the association’s services to Parry Sound. This followed a rather odd presentation from KPMG, the finance and accounting firm, analyzing Parry Sound’s financial performance versus other northern Ontario communities. The analysis was interesting, albeit a little superficial, and revealed that they did little research into the town’s current budget status and analysis process. What was odd, at least from my perspective, was the somewhat condescending tone of the presentation. They made a few assumptions about Parry Sound that seemingly underestimates the town’s level of financial sophistication and controls. Not the best way to try and attract new clients in my view.

There were also a couple of deputations regarding the rezoning applications before council as well as letters from town residents on these rezoning applications.

Councilor reports provided little new information. There was consistent praise for the organizers and town staff concerning last weekend’s Timbits 2012 Provincial Elementary School Championships. Having spent a short time at the Bobby Orr Community Centre catching some of the action I completely agree with the praise. Let’s hope it returns to Parry Sound. We are ideally located for province wide events, central to Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Ontario.

Interesting and Notable Council Decisions and Actions Continue reading →

Special Meeting of Council – 2012 Budget Discussions

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Town Council

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Parry Sound Council and Staff met last night, March 13th, for round two of the budget discussions. There has been an earlier meeting in February that reviewed the ‘wish list’ in terms of town expenditures as requested by the departments and various community groups. This meeting revealed there was a large gap, about $1.8 million, between what was being requested and the projected revenue for 2012. Last night’s meeting attempted to eliminate that gap, and for the most part seems to have succeeded. I’ll provide a short summary of what I thought I heard.

All seven council members were in attendance as well as the town staff department heads. There were three people in the audience. James King from the Moose-FM was the only media present. I’m sure he will be providing a report on air of what he heard last night. The audience included only one person from the Parry Sound Citizen Finance Committee. This is a disappointment. Although this group will meet separately tonight, attendance at last night’s meeting was necessary to understand the issues that council and staff are wrestling with. In general I find that too many people in Parry Sound sign up for committees and then fail to attend meetings. If people want a place at the table they need to show up or they need to offer their seat to someone who will.

The meeting lasted about three hours. Here are some of the highlights. If you want more detail you need to start attending the meetings; there is no admission charge.

  1. By the end of the meeting the budget gap stood at about $450,000. If this gap is not eliminated or reduced it implies there will need to be a 2% tax rate increase. In addition to an expected increase in property valuation assessment from MPAC this amounts to a 5.7% overall increase in average property taxes.
  2. On the income side, the town lost $149,000 in federal grants that were made available in 2011. There was a 2011 budget surplus of about $650,000 that will be brought forward to help reduce the budget gap. There was good news in that FedNor agreed to pick up 75% of the cost of the capital improvement expense at Big Sound Marina.
  3. Capital equipment was a significant part of the 2012 budget. The town has put off investments in heavy equipment for a few years and it coming back to bite. Staff will be look at leasing options. Leasing may be a reasonable way to address the budget gap. The biggest piece of equipment needed is a 7-ton plow truck that costs about $200,000. Paying for it out of this year’s budget will be a big hit, but it will have a 10-year plus lifetime. Leasing will raise the cost, sort of like one of us leasing a car, but it helps even out the expenses. Not a first choice, but a reasonable choice with a large budget gap.
  4. Staff proposed that another capital equipment purchase, the Fire Department’s $1.3 million fire truck, be deferred for at least one year.
  5. Public transportation was a major topic of discussion. This is one of the larger town expenses but is little used. It is likely that service will be cut unless ridership rises. It’s not just the cost of the service that is an issue; it’s the fact that so few people are benefiting. There should be no immediate cuts but expect to hear something from council by the end of the summer.
  6. Staff proposed a freeze on cost of living salary increases and salary reviews for non-union staff. They are putting their money where their mouth is.

There were many, many more issues discussed and wrestled with. It seems this year’s very large budget gap is not a surprise to staff and council. Expenditures in previous years pointed to 2012 as a point where expenses peaked relative to income, with the following years coming into balance much more easily. Tough decisions remain to be made, including the possibility of a small increase in the tax rate to get over this ‘hump’ year.

My sense is that Parry Sound council and staff have made decisions over the past few years that on balance have had a positive return to the community. Yes there are cheaper places to live, but not many that offer as much value. You can move to Seguin or Carling or McDougall if you want cheaper property taxes. But what about the additional cost, in dollars, cents and time, spent on commuting to work or school or shopping or social activities? It adds up pretty quickly. And let’s not forget about other services that these municipalities don’t provide. I have lived with a well, septic tank and water purifier – I’ll take town water and sewer.

Local communities are able to hitchhike on the back of Parry Sound. By virtue of our investments we are able to offer shopping resources, the Stockey Centre, the Bobby Orr Community Centre, free boat launches, summer entertainment and much more to our residents and neighbours. We pay and they benefit. It may not seem fair but it’s part of the price of living in Parry Sound. We must be doing something right, the last census showed that the permanent population of Parry Sound has grown in the last few years versus a drop in Seguin and no change in the other municipalities. People are voting with their feet.

Okay, we’re down to a $450,000 budget gap that may mean a 2% rate increase. I expect council and staff will reduce that deficit a little and we will need to pay a little more. But the worst may be behind us. If council and staff can continue to keep a rein on expenses going forward we should not be faced with similar increases in 2013 and beyond.

Next meeting will be March 21st, details will be forthcoming. Be there if you want to understand how things are done. I suggest you contact members of the Citizen Finance Committee if you have any suggestions to offer. Oh, unlike one of our neighbouring municipalities, don’t expect insults and high drama at this or any other council meeting. This is a council and staff that is determined to work as a team.

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