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Council Meeting Notes – April 2, 2013

03 Wednesday Apr 2013

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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)

ParrySights-5206

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

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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.

Council Meeting Summary – 2011-12-20

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

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Last night’s Council meeting was interesting on a couple of fronts. Council wrestled with the issue of a new aerial ladder truck, the topic of social media, and the rezoning issues were not as simple as I initially thought when reading the original agenda.

Discussion Notes and Decisions

Items 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 the open public meeting rezoning sessions revealed some concerns. Item 2.1.2, the application to rezone a rural property to ‘Special Provision’, basically allowing for commercial activity, was opposed by local residents on the basis of anticipated noise and traffic increases as well as the prospect of blasting to prepare the property for industrial use. (As an aside – I learned last night that the Town has no bylaws limiting or controlling blasting. Given the common need to remove rock for construction projects the lack of any type of regulation seems to be an oversight. We have Town bylaws regarding fireworks but not blasting?) We’ll see where this discussion ends up. My sense is that the Town has little enough property that it does not need more trucking and construction type businesses. But this is a Council decision. In the case of the eight unit apartment, Item 2.1.1, a next door neighbour requested that Council approval be contingent on the construction of an appropriate privacy type barrier. The third rezoning request, item 2.1.3. was unopposed.

As expected the rezoning request for 24 Bay Street, Item 10.4.1, was approved. Interestingly there was no Council discussion on the merits of the objections raised by a neighbour at a previous Council meeting.

Well prior to the meeting I certainly didn’t get the thrust of Item 9.1.1, “Provision of Public Notice” for the Town. I thought this related to improving communication of Town activities and initiatives with residents. It seems however that what is at issue is the practice of certain Council members messaging during Council meetings. I believe any type of censorship is inappropriate, but I also believe it be a matter of respect and good business that Councillors and Mayor pay full attention to the proceedings at hand. Having Councillors sending or receiving messages during Council sessions would seem to be a distraction. I am actually more concerned by the receiving than the sending of messages (although I disapprove of both practices). It might be construed that receiving a message during a Council meeting is a way for someone to influence the discussion of an active or upcoming agenda item. There are many times I would have liked to offer my ‘two cents’ during the active discussion of a topic, but was prevented from doing so by the meeting rules. But it would be nice if I could text or email a Councillor or the Mayor during a Council meeting discussion to make my point. Let’s have our elected officials focus on the meeting and leave the sending and receiving of messages to the close of the meeting. Any urgent family messages could be directed to town staff who could then interrupt the meeting as appropriate.

I’ll be sending a proposal to Council concerning social media as it relates to keeping town residents up-to-date with current issues. I’m not sure Staff and Council really gets it. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

The wood chipper Item 9.2.1 was approved.

Item 9.3.1 a request for pre-budget approval for a new ladder truck for the Fire Department was turned down with the intention that it would be reviewed again when more information was available on how the million dollar plus expense would be paid for.

I have questions on this investment. Yes, safety should not be compromised. (Please note that there is limited available information on this purchase, for some reason it is being kept ‘confidential’ at the request of the supplier. This strikes me as ridiculous; it is a major expense, the same piece of equipment is being offered to other municipalities, and the Fire Department and Town are not requiring an RFP for the purchase. Complete transparency on this issue seems mandatory.)

But why a 117 foot aerial ladder truck? There was a suggestion made that not having the truck would reduce the Town’s fire safety rating and raise insurance costs. The reality as I understand it is that it would raise the insurance rates for those properties that require a 117 foot aerial ladder truck. If this was not the case then every community that did not have a 117 foot ladder truck would have a poorer fire insurance rating and would pay higher rates; even if they didn’t have a building higher than two stories.

This seems to me a case of ‘the difference between the men and the boys is the price of their toys’. If you have ever bought a car you have faced the salesperson who offered you a fully equipped vehicle at a ‘bargain price’ that is much more expensive than you had budgeted or felt you needed. Yes those heated leather seats would be nice, and the ability to tow a 25 foot boat you don’t own would be a real advantage, if you owned a 25 foot boat. Let’s look at getting what we need, not what is being offered as a bargain. I would suggest the purchase of a new ladder truck, something we probably need, be considered only after a full analysis of needs and options is prepared. A million dollar plus piece of equipment will come with much higher annual costs for maintenance and training. It might even require additional staff to operate or maintain it. But we won’t know any of this until a full analysis is provided to Council and the the Town. And let’s drop the secrecy issue, this is a very big purchase that needs to be understood and debated, not something that is done behind closed doors.

I applaud the three councillors who raised the issue of cost and asked that the issue be reviewed with more information. It’s hard to say no to something that has ‘safety’ written all over it. But an informed decision is the basis for a good decision.

All-in-all an interesting meeting, much more fun than most prime time television. The next Council meeting is January 17th. See you there.

TOPS Council Agenda Preview – 2011-12-20

19 Monday Dec 2011

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I had a chance to look at the Council package at Town Hall this afternoon. Unfortunately some of the schedules for the meeting were not included, I’ve asked why they were omitted, and will see if they can be included in future Council packages made available to the public.

Interesting and Notable Agenda Items

It looks like an interesting agenda, not too many controversial issues but some that will have a lasting impact on Parry Sound.

Items 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 relate to rezoning applications that will be the subject of an open meeting. Two of the rezoning requests involve converting residential properties to commercial use, while the third requests rezoning to allow for an 8 unit apartment building.

On the subject of rezoning, the application for 24 Bay Street, Item 10.4.1 seems as though it will be approved by Council based on the recommendation of TOPS staff.

Item 9.1.1 is of personal interest as it addresses the “Provision of Public Notice” for the Town. I’m hoping that the new policy will allow for, and require, the use of ‘push’ notifications using social media. ‘Push’ notifications means that you will be told of upcoming events directly through your choice of communication, Twitter, RS feeds or email, rather than needing to go to the Town website to see what’s new and important.

9.2.1 seems a no-brain decision if the funds can be made available to purchase the recommended wood chipper. The $20,000 capital cost should significantly reduce the Town’s expenses starting in 2012 for shredding plant materials (branches, leaves, etc.) dropped off at the transfer station.

9.3.1 requests prebudget approval for a new ladder truck for the Fire Department. This is a big expense as the estimated cost of the vehicle is more than $1 million dollars according to discussions at earlier Council meetings.

Suggestions for attending Council meetings and letting your voice be heard.

1. The meeting starts at 7:00 sharp. You don’t need to attend the full meeting. There are no breaks, but people regularly slip out of the meeting after their subject of interest is discussed.
2. If you want to present your point of view on any subject there is an opportunity to present a deputation at the start of the meeting. Mayor McGarvey asks the public if they wish to make a deputation at that time. This is the only opportunity at the meeting to express your opinion, even for a topic that is to be discussed later. There is no opportunity to express an opinion once the deputation portion of the meeting passes. There is also no intermission, or recess, where you can speak to a Council member. If you want to discuss something, or express your opinion, you need to do it at the beginning of the meeting.
3. You may also present your position on any town related issue even if it is not on the Council’s agenda. To do this you need to schedule your presentation at least a week before the next Council meeting so that it can be included in the agenda and Council members have an opportunity to review any materials you will be presenting. The person to contact about your presentation is Ms. Jackie Boggs, Deputy Clerk, EA to the CAO and Deputy Treasurer. She can be reach at the town office, 705/746-2101. Shorter, more informal presentations can usually be made as part of the Deputations portion of the meeting.
4. Town Council meetings are pleasant and informal, with the understanding that the audience can only provide their input prior to the meeting, or during the Deputations portion of the meeting.
5. Council meetings are a good opportunity to meet and speak with the Parry Sound local media. The North Star and Moose-FM are always present and happy to speak with those attending the meeting.

I hope this helps. See you at the meeting.

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