Tag Archives: School

Council Agenda Preview – June 7, 2016

05 Sunday Jun 2016

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Woof! This week’s Parry Sound Council agenda is fuller than any I have seen in the past five years or so. You might want to arrive with your PJs under your clothes because it will be a 10:00 finish. There is so much to cover that I will only comment on the the ‘bigger picture’ issues that are of most interest to Parry Sound’s development.

It seems the Town now has an ‘official’ slush fund. It’s formally referred to as the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve. I personally have mixed feelings about it. On the positive side it allows Staff and Council to address opportunities and issues requiring unbudgeted funding immediately. No more of this, “it isn’t in the budget”, and defer the issue to next year’s budget discussion. On the flip side it means that Staff may get a little more ‘casual’ in anticipating the likely costs and investments for the upcoming year. Or they may find it easier to get funding at a time where there are funds in the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve, and there is less competition for approval as there is at budget time when everyone is looking to cut things out. On balance I support the strategy, but it needs to be closely watched to avoid sloppiness in planning and budgeting.

Rather than introduce the many items on the agenda in this introduction I offer comments (italicized) as part of the text below

Correspondence:

4.1 – Dave Thompson, Chair, Near North District School Board. Re: Beatty Street Improvements.
This relates to Item 9.2.2, and the Near North District School Board’s request for the Town of Parry Sound to fund about $200K in street improvements.

4.2 – Bill Park, Secretary, Parry Sound Snowmobile District/OFSC D10. Re: Both PSSD and Park to Park Trail Association are asking for a similar rental agreement for the 70 Church Street space as the Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce had.

4.3 – Anne Bossart, Event Chair, Garden Days at Tower Hill. Re: Invitation to Council to attend their Garden Days on Tower Hill Event on Saturday June 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Deputations:

5.1 – Geoff West, former resident. Re: Vision for Parry Sound and suggestions for Affordable Housing.
This probably relates to the William Beatty School repurposing.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – 2015 Transfer from Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve – Per Surplus / Deficit Policy. Resolution. That Council hereby approves, per the Operating Surplus and Deficit Policy, a transfer from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve in the amount of $117,407.86, which represents the deficit in the Town’s General Surplus at the end of December 31, 2015 per Public Sector Accounting Board accounting standards.
The Town runs two sets of books. Neither of which I really understand. This is claimed to be a requirement to meet certain provincial reporting regulations, I believe it’s in support of the accountant employment program. (That last part was a joke!)

9.2.1 – Feasibility Study for Parry Sound Road Extension to Oastler Park Drive. Resolution. That Council direct staff to retain the services of an engineer to conduct a Feasibility Study for the Parry Sound Road and Oastler Park Drive extension project to identify potential opportunities and/or constraints, and to determine the scope of the entire project including estimated costs with respect to the proposed road construction and further; That Council approve using the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve to fund the Feasibility Study.
This was discussed at the open special meeting of council a couple of weeks ago. You were there to listen and provide input weren’t you? Of course you weren’t, there were only six people in the audience. No complaining about stuff being done behind your back.

9.2.2 – Parking and traffic mitigation proposal – Parry Sound Public School. Resolution. That Council direct staff to advise the Near North District School Board that the Town did not budget for Beatty Street improvements, estimated at a cost of $178,226, taxes extra, therefore the Board’s request for Council’s consideration to pay for the construction of improvements on Beatty Street, including widening the road at the student drop zone and creating a turn-around, be denied.
This was mentioned earlier in the Letter section (Item 4.1). The Town is not happy about the prospect of the expense, or encouraging more traffic around the new school. Let them walk. We all walked didn’t we? Actually I didn’t I had the pleasure of spending three hours a day being bused to and from high school. I would have preferred the option of walking or bicycling to school.

9.3.1 – ATV By-law. Resolution. In accordance with the Provision of Notice Policy, the Class 3 Notice Requirements be reduced for the proposed By-law from 21 days to 18 days.
By-law. Being a By-law to permit and regulate the operation of “Off Road Vehicles” on Town of Parry Sound Municipal Highways.
Direction (For Direct Staff Follow-Up): That this be considered as a one-year pilot and a report be brought back to Council November 2016, and March of 2017.

This is a two-parter. Council approves the reduction of the advice period to 18 days and then the by-law will be considered, and possibly passed. I know I’m nit-picking, but I am surprised that the by-law requires ATV riders to indicate a right turn by sticking out their right arm. While we all know that a right turn is usually indicated by using the left arm with a bend at the elbow, my issue has to do with safety. Most ATVs have the brake and accelerator on the right side handlebar. Does taking your right hand off the handlebar promote safety? It’s a head scratcher to understand how this specific requirement was explicitly defined in the by-law. The 20 kph speed limit also seems strange, it’s slower than the speed permitted e-bikes, and will only back up traffic. How about 30 kph? Ten klicks certainly doesn’t impact safety on the roads, it almost seems punative.

9.3.3 – Municipal Assistance Program Allocations for 2016. Resolution. That Council approve the 2016 Municipal Assistance Program allocations per Schedule “A”, as attached.

9.3.4 – Request for Proposal: Waubuno Beach Washrooms Renovation. Resolution. That Council accept the proposal from Incon Construction Ltd. for the Waubuno Beach Washroom Renovation project in the amount of $38, 314 plus H.S.T., this proposal being the lowest proposal of two (2) received, and; That Council finance the $13, 314 budget shortfall from the Parks Reserve.

9.4.1 – Report A – Traffic Bylaw amendments – Free Parking. Resolution.
That Council approves the removal of the parking meter posts in the downtown with the exception of the post required to support sign channels and fundraising opportunities.
1. That the estimated cost of $18,670.00 for: meter post removal, education campaign, signage and labour for erecting signage outlined in the MLEO’s June 7,2016 Report and Recommendation be finance from the Parking Reserves.
2. That the By-law Enforcement Department create an inventory of parking meter parts and supplies and proceed to dispose of the surplus inventory by “Intent to dispose of surplus inventory proposal”

Direction (For Direct Staff Follow-Up): Council directs staff to amend the Traffic By-law as follows:
1. To allow for the continuation of free parking -2 hours on-street and 4 hours in the municipal lot and to make it an offence if an individual re-parks their vehicle within a designated zone or street.
2 To create designated free long term parking: 7 parking spaces on Mary Street, 8 parking spaces on north Miller, 30 spaces on south Gibson Street.
3. To permit unlimited, free parking on Sundays in the municipal lots and on municipal streets.
4. The bylaw to come into effect on October 1, 2016.

Further, Council directs staff to commence disposing of the meter mechanism by:
i) Relocating two pay and display meters to the Public Works department to be used at their discretion – McFarlane and Champagne Street Boat Launch.
ii) Contacting and negotiate an offer with the West Parry Sound Health Centre for the sale of surplus parking meter mechanism inventory.

This is the free parking issue finally being formally approved. If not passed, Council will need to extend the interim period. It seems that the only place in Parry Sound where there will be paid parking is at the hospital. I guess the hospital is not trying to encourage business. (Kidding again, the hospital has their own budget issues and parking squatters to deal with.)

9.4.1 – Report B – Free Parking Financial and Enforcement Implications. Resolution. That in regard to By-law Enforcement, Council approves the implementation of the Departmental Model, Option A – Reduction of Hours, for January 1, 2017. And direct staff to commence the implementation process of Option A, by but not limited to:
1. Notify the public that commencing January 1, 2017 the By-law Enforcement Department hours of operation will change to Monday to Friday 8:30 to 4:30pm, only. There will no longer be weekend service or extended hours during the peak season.
2. Notify Carling Township that the Town will not be renewing their agreement to provide Bylaw Enforcement Services after December 31, 2016.
3. To research and negotiate private contractors to complete emergency after hours calls commencing January 1, 2017.

Direction (For Direct Staff Follow-up). That Council rescind the following Direction from November 17, 2015: “That Council direct staff to commence the process to hire a contract Parking Attendant on a one-year contract to complete enforcement of the time limit regulation. This process would include a job description and a review of said job description by the Hay Group with this position being implemented in January of 2016.”

More parking stuff. I’m glad to see that we won’t be hiring a person to police free parking. Rather Town Staff will do the enforcement on weekdays. To find the internal resources it appears that the Town will forgo the freelancing of by-law services to Carling Township.

9.4.2 – Fire Department Reorganization. Resolution. That the Council of the Town of Parry Sound approves the Fire Department Organization Chart attached as Schedule “A”.
With the resignation of the Platoon Chief a reorganization is proposed to create the position of Chief Training Officer.

9.5.1 – May, 2016 Key Performance Objectives Update. Resolution. That the May, 2016 Key Performance Objectives Update Report, attached as Schedule “A”, be approved.
I haven’t taken the time to review this yet. It probably deserves its very own post. Let’s see.

9.6.1 – Parry Sound High School. Resolution. Whereas it is Council of the Town of Parry Sound’s position that the existing site of the Parry Sound High School should be the preferred site for the proposed new JK – Grade 12 school, and Whereas Council recognizes that the existing high school site may not be selected as the site for the new school, and Whereas Council recognizes there is an ARC Committee in place to advise the Board in the site selection process, Now, therefore be it resolved that a letter under the Mayor’s signature be sent to the Near North Board of Education advising of Council’s preferred site location and that if the existing high school property is not selected as the site for the new school, the Board provide the Town with firm and absolute assurance that the existing building will not sit vacant for a period greater than two years from the date of opening of the new school.
We won’t get fooled again. Reading this resolution closely it basically is saying the Town of Parry Sound would prefer that any new school be built at the site of the existing high school, but if it isn’t, don’t leave the old building vacant for years. I believe this is in response to the experience with St. Joseph’s Hospital. It’s been almost two decades that it has stood empty and decaying.

9.6.2 – Parry Sound Road Business Park Official Plan Amendment. Direction. That the Principal Planner be directed to initiate the Official Plan Amendment process for the re-designation of Town-owned lands on Parry Sound Road for the development of a Town-owned business park. See 9.2.1 above for background. The Town ranked the development of the Parry Sound Road area as the top internal development opportunity. I think this has much more potential than the earlier agreement to develop it as a residential area. Check the full agenda package to see a map of the area being considered – (page 349.)

By-laws

10.1.1 – 2016 Tax Rates. Being a Bylaw to Strike the Tax Rates for Municipal Purposes for the Year 2016 and repeal By-law 2016-6624.

10.2.1 – Fowler Construction Company Limited Contract – William Street. Being a bylaw to authorize the execution of a Contract Agreement between Fowler Construction Company Limited and the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound for the reconstruction of William Street.

10.3.1 – License of Occupation for Parking and Anticipated Transfer Agreement. Being a By-law to authorize the execution of a license of occupation agreement and eventual transfer between 82 Gibson Street (Parry Sound Affordable Housing Development Corporation) and Frances Street Road Allowance, Plan 22 (Town of Parry Sound).

10.3.2 – Rezoning Application – Z/16/2 – 82 Gibson Street – Parry Sound Affordable Housing Development Corporation. Being a By-law to amend By-law 2004-4653, the Zoning By-law, as amended, for 82 Gibson Street (Parry Sound Affordable Housing Development Corporation).
This is the William Beatty School redevelopment. It looks as though Council is prepared to allow the necessary changes in zoning. For those in opposition I suggest that you offer an alternative use of the facility, not just opposition to the current proposal. I suspect that Council would much prefer options to select from.

I wonder how much debate and discussion there will be regarding the various items of the agenda. Perhaps some of the issues have been pretty much debated to death, i.e., free parking, that the resolutions may be no more than formalities. We’ll see. I’ll be there with my jammies on, just in case.

Constructive Destruction Along the Seguin River (Parry Sound in B&W)

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Council Agenda Preview – May 3, 2016

01 Sunday May 2016

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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This week’s Parry Sound council meeting agenda is ‘meaty’ with a number of issues that will have a longer term impact on the Town, its businesses and residents. The biggest news is that the Town is now providing the whole agenda package on the Town’s website, not just the list of agenda items. This will significantly improve transparency and at the same time reduce the workload for Staff in responding to requests for the detailed agenda information.

There are two issues on the closed session that are concerning. The first is an issue related to the Integrity Commissioner. The second is a litigation issue. I’m not sure what’s up, but it ‘smells’ like trouble.

Item 2.1.1 provides more insight into what’s planned for the former William Beatty School. The plans seem to further solidify Parry Sound as the hub of the district. Is it time to seriously start discussing amalgamation? No, that won’t happen. The high-end cottagers (mansions on the water) don’t need more services, they just need low taxes. If they want services they’ll just head back home, except of course for the internet. Perhaps the Province should offer to subsidize internet infrastructure in exchange for amalgamation. It was a carrot like this that led to amalgamation and creation of a single Muskoka, another collection of mansion of the water municipalities.

Another topic worth highlighting is Item 9.3.6 – Downton Sustainability Report. There are no remarkable insights or surprises. Success will depend on investing the time and money to do the obvious, that has been ignored for too long. I offer some additional comments in the text accompanying 9.3.6 below. The report supports Free Parking in the Downtown area.

Closed Meeting

b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees. (Integrity Commissioner Appointment)

e) litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board. (Legal Matter, Local Board)

Public Meeting

2.1.1 – Council will hold a public meeting to consider a proposed Zoning By-law amendment under Section 34 of the Planning Act. The purpose of the proposed Zoning By-law amendment is to amend the Residential Second Density (R2) zone to a Special Provision Zoning on 82 Gibson Street, being the former William Beatty School, to develop up to 55 residential units in the former school. Additionally, the applicant seeks to permit the Parry Sound Friendship Centre (Club), Early Years (Day Nursery) and One Kid’s Place (Business and Professional Office) to relocate into the existing school. A new building is proposed which would contain 16 residential units. A reduced amount of parking spaces, reduced size of parking spaces (59% of spaces will be 2.5 metres by 6 metres) and no loading zone are also requested.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.1.1 – Motorized Mobile Ice Cream Truck. Resolution. That Resolution 2016-045 be amended to remove the requirement for a “vulnerable sector check” from the list of conditions for permission to sell on municipally owned property.
This is a bit strange. I wonder if there is an issue with the vendor or their intention to use casual employees. It seems I heard comments from Council when the ice cream truck was first proposed that this very definitely was a service that would be serving a ‘vulnerable’ sector. I’m sure there will be an explanation.

9.2.1 Tenders – Fleet. Resolution. Basically the Town is ordering a total of 4 pickup trucks and one car.
The only surprising thing is the request for a fiberglass truck cap at a cost of $19,700 plus tax. This is more than the price of the 2016 Ford Focus they are requesting. What am I missing here?

9.2.2 – Salt Dock Boat Launch Repairs. Resolution. That Council directs staff to expedite repairs to the salt dock boat launch and that the cost of repairs estimated at $14,000 be funded by the emergency capital replacement reserve.
A boat is described by some as a hole in the water that you pour money into. This boat launch perhaps is more boat than launch.

9.3.6 – Downtown Sustainability Report. Resolution. That upon the recommendation of the Downtown Sustainability Task Team, Council adopts the Downtown Sustainability Report and recommendations, dated May 3, 2016 per Schedule ‘A’ attached, with the exception of the following recommendations which will be forwarded to the May 19th, 2016 Council priority-setting meeting for decision making considerations:
4.3.1e) That the Downtown Steering Committee develop a position description and budget for a downtown custodian; and That the Town and the DBA fund the position for a 2016 tourist season recruitment.
4.3.1i) That the Downtown Steering Committee develop a position description and budget for a 3-year contract position (position title yet to be determined), to implement the Downtown Sustainability Report recommendations, and that an application be made to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding. If approved, the position would be advertised for a 2016 hire. Council and the DBA be requested to contribute the 50% matching funding from reserves.
Well, it’s a start so that a great first step. I wonder about the Town and the Downtown Business Association applying for a Trillium Grant to hire someone to implement the Downtown sustainability Report. I thought Trillium Grants were used for purposes other than furthering municipal and business interests. There is lots of stuff worth reading in the proposal, more than I have time to write about. Yes, Free Parking will be adopted.

By-laws

10.1.1 – Business Improvement Area (BIA) Levy By-Law – Downtown Business Area. Being a By-law to Adopt the Estimates of the Board of Management of the Downtown Parry Sound Business Improvement Area and to Strike the Tax Rate Thereon for the Year 2016.

10.1.2 – Striking tax rates for fiscal year 2016. Being a bylaw to Strike the Tax Rates for Municipal Purposes for the Year 2016.

10.5.1 – Cellular phone contract renewal / refresh with Bell Mobility Inc. Being a by-law to authorize the execution of a contract with Bell Mobility Inc., for the purpose of updating / renewing / refreshing cellular the phone, voice and data contract for Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound.
It’s worth reviewing this section in the full agenda package to see what type of a premium you are paying for your mobile service. Are regular subscribers to Bell subsidizing the Town’s phone usage, or are we just adding to Bell’s profits?

The full agenda package is available online through this link. I’ll continue to host the packages at Parry Sounds for completeness and continuity. I don’t expect that the Town will post up past full agenda packages. See you Tuesday evening.

Heading North (Parry Sound – Spring 2016)

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(Click on the image for a better view.)

Council Meeting Notes – January 20, 2015

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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As expected the meeting was reasonably short with no major issues debated or deferred. One interesting last-minute addition to the agenda, Item 9.6.1, put forward by Councillors Horne and Saulnier, was a request for a concerted effort on the part of the Town to relocate government operations from the waterfront and use the land for commercial and tourism related activities. An interesting initiative that may well define what Council accomplishes this term beyond the usual management of streets, water and buildings.

An important issue raised in the questions of Staff concerned the assessments of the ‘big box’ stores in Parry Sound, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot and the Comfort Inn. These companies have appealed to MPAC regarding their assessments on a province-wide basis. They are looking to have their assessments reduced going back to 2010. Apparently the situation is close to settlement with Wal-Mart and it may cost the Town on the order of $200,000 for the years 2010-2014, with the loss of perhaps $50,000 in tax revenue annually going forward. Add in the other three corporations appealing their assessments and we have the potential for a significant loss in annual tax revenues for the Town, not to mention tax refunds for the years 2010 to 2014. This will impact the 2015 budget and all others going forward. This is why you don’t dip into the Tax Stabilization fund to pay for an election year tax break.

It also appears that there will be no great tax break for Parry Sound related to the OPP cost restructuring, at least not in 2015. Because of the 5-year phase in of increases and reductions to individual communities the reduction to Parry Sound in 2015 will be offset by increased Courthouse policing costs.

Concerning the agenda items:

 

Public Meeting 

2.1.1 – Application B/5/2014(PS). It is proposed to be rezoned from a Marine Residential (RM) zone to a Marine Residential holding (RM-h) zone. This does concern the landlocked property across Emily Street from the recently constructed Habitat for Humanity home. There was one speaker in support of the addition of a holding designation and none in opposition. Council will decide on this and announce a final decision in the weeks to come.

 

Correspondence

4.1 – Letter. Fluoridation of the Town’s Water Supply. Noted. 

4.2 – Belvedere Heights’ 2015 Operating Levy. Noted. 

4.4 –  Letter. High Water Levels on Lake Manitouwabing. Noted.

 

Deputations

5.1 – Perry Harris, CEO, Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce. Proposed Designated Information Centre, Year in Review. The presentation was well received and the request will be considered as part of the 2015 budget deliberations.

5.2 – Tony Romanelli, RCC Media Re: Digital Billboard on the CN Train Bridge crossing Bowes Street. Did not appear, so no action. I have sent a letter with my concerns about the proposal to Council, linked here. The letter was noted as part of the correspondence portion of the meeting.

5.3 – Petition to construct sidewalks to the new elementary school. The deputation was well received and will be included in the 2015 budget discussion. A question was asked whether the Separate School Board had been contacted as well.

 

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Support of Funding Request from Near North District School Board to Ministry of Education regarding joint school campus in Parry Sound. CARRIED.

 

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.3.1 – Resolution. Stockey Centre Catering Service Agreement. WITHDRAWN.

9.5.1 – Direction. Strategic Planning Ad-hoc Committee be established to develop an outline to develop the 2015-19. The Plan is based on a similar format to that undertaken in 2011 and submit the outline to Council February 3rd for approval. CARRIED.

9.6.1 – Relocation of government offices from Parry Sound waterfront area. This was a last minute addition with no documentation. In brief, Councillors Saulnier and Horne are suggesting that the OPP and Service Ontario move to the Mall, the MNR move to the Coast Guard Base and Imperial Oil and Shell make their properties available for development. Their enthusiasm was palpable and is built on the experience of other municipalities that have revitalized their waterfronts.

By-laws

10.1.1 – By-law. To appoint a Treasurer for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

10.1.2 – By-Law. To authorize temporary borrowing to meet the current expenditures of the Town of Parry Sound until taxes are collected and other revenues are received. CARRIED.

10.1.3 – By-law. To approve an Investment Policy for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

10.1.4 –  By-law to define the purchasing policies and procedures for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

The Council agenda preview for this meeting offers a bit more background for the individual items listed above. The best resource is the council meeting package available at the Town’s website.

 Being Watched? (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Budget Reflections 2015 – Part 1

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Reflections, Suggestions

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This is the first in a series of posts looking at the 2015 Parry Sound budget and budget review process. There is no defined order to the posts. I will offer thoughts and suggestions as I reflect on the budget and the public discussion that follows. This first post briefly covers Tuesday night’s meeting and raises an issue that seemed a common theme of the meeting’s deputations.

The meeting Tuesday night lasted about two and half hours, this included a bit more than an hour for some preliminary agenda items related to taxation ratios (more on this in a future post) and five deputations, three scheduled and two impromptu. The scheduled deputations concerned issues included in the budget review while the impromptu deputations were short and spoke to the earlier deputations.

Tuesday night’s meeting was the first time in at least the last four years that there were citizen deputations related to the draft budget. In the past it seems the budget discussions, while in open session, attracted no one beyond those paid to be there, Council, Staff and Media. It was almost like a backroom discussion because of the lack of public attendance. Last year saw members of the Citizen’s Finance Committee attend, and the media. The budget deliberations are not covered by Cogeco for broadcast. This year’s meeting was better advertised and the draft budget was available to the public at the Town’s website. As was mentioned by the Councillors at the meeting this year’s draft budget was easy to understand. So the budget process started off with more participation than I have seen in the past, although pretty much everyone left after the deputation portion of the meeting; a shame in my opinion because there was much to be learned in the back and forth between Staff and Council about the various budget items and their individual priorities.

The three deputations, by three separate groups (Museum, Library, Ranger Cabin), provided updates to what they accomplished in 2014 and what they intended to do in 2015 with the requested funding. All three deputations spoke indirectly to a theme that Council and Staff regularly ignore – education and creating a culture of learning in the community. It is an issue that I have previously commented on (Education – Did Not Attend) while grading Council and Staff’s performance prior to the 2014 election.

The Town spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to support a culture of physical health and sports. The investments include operating the Bobby Orr Community Centre, trails maintenance and planning, Waubano Beach, the many parks in Town for youth and adults, and financial contributions to the West Parry Sound Health Centre. There is also considerable direct and indirect support provided to arts in Parry Sound through the Stockey Centre, the Festival of the Sound, as well as subsidized social and cultural events. But where is there similar support for education and learning? Perhaps the public school system is supposed to take care of this. But are they really able to offer the resources necessary to foster a vibrant learning and success oriented community? School is work, not fun, for most children and families. Why do any more than you need to ‘get by’? And how much input does the community have with respect to the schools? It seems the school’s agenda is almost entirely directed by people in Queen’s Park and North Bay.

Is a focus on the physical enough to build a vibrant community? Is support for concerts and playgrounds all that is necessary to build a healthy community?

In my opinion, no!

But it can be argued that we do offer some learning and educational opportunities through support of a library and museum. The Library has a budget on the order of $300,000 of which the Town provides about $150,000 annually. The Museum is supported to the tune of $25,000 by the Town of Parry Sound and is asking for an additional $5,000 to bring the total to $30,000. This pales in comparison with the money spent by the Town on the Bobby Orr Community Centre, the Stockey Centre and our parks.

The overall academic scores for children in our local schools rank in the bottom half of the province. In one case it’s in the bottom tenth of the province. This is not the kind of scholastic performance that will attract the people who build businesses and create jobs. It will attract people whose children have already finished public school or who can afford tuition at a private college. The entrepreneurs and business people with young families will want their children to get the best schooling possible, in an environment where there is attention paid to education and a culture of learning. Yes, any student who is bright enough, and motivated to learn can succeed. But many children need to experience a culture of learning before they ‘get it’ and realize their own potential. Parry Sound really doesn’t offer that type of environment outside of the school setting, and this may contribute to the dismal academic performance of the schools.

We do have a culture of success in Town when it comes to athletics, particularly hockey and curling. The area has produced a number of individuals who have succeeded on both the Canadian and International sports stage. How about intellectual and business success? We have a Bobby Orr Hall of Fame to honour individuals who have made important contributions, or achieved excellence, in athletics. We have multiple sports leagues that are effectively Town subsidized. What do we have with regard to achievement in learning and academics and business?

Building a culture of academic and intellectual achievement will not come overnight. But a little bit of investment can go a long way. What about having the Town provide additional support to the Museum and Library so they can offer programs that will stimulate and encourage children, and adults, to learn and establish a culture of education and success. Might there be a Saturday morning class at the Museum where interested kids can learn to code? Or perhaps learn about the science and ecology of the environment? What about some sort of a class at the Library where children can learn a new language that will open their eyes to the bigger world and give them a leg up when they move on to the next stage of their education and life? What about harnessing the potential of Canadore to not only offer adult education but also advanced subjects for children on Saturdays and after school.

If we fail to invest in our youth we will continue to fail to attract the kind of people and businesses that will contribute to the growth of Greater Parry Sound, not just Parry Sound but also Sequin, McDougall, Carling and McKellar. The default is to become a seniors centre – Elliott Lake South, where the focus is on entertainment and health services rather than education and learning. There’s nothing wrong with that. But understand that it doesn’t have to be an either-or situtation. We have a choice, and how we spend our tax money will make all the difference. How can parents who have never been exposed to the opportunity of education and learning be expected to share that experience with their children? If a father or mother played hockey it’s likely their children will be given the opportunity. If they danced, or curled or played soccer – ditto. And if they haven’t succeeded at school what can they pass on? It truly does take a village to properly raise a child.

So let’s give the Library and the Museum some more money and see what they can do to create an environment of learning and achievement. In the big scheme of things it’s a nickels and dimes investment that can pay back loonies and toonies.

Note: I realize that the neighboring communities have responsibilities for both the Museum and Library, but let’s not depend on them. They are too busy worrying about the loss of the subsidy for OPP policing services they have received for years. To quote Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”. But let’s hope that they stop looking at high speed internet as their only priortity and consider more support for the museum, the library and a regional culture of achievement in athletics, academics and business. That sounds like good economic development policy.

It’s not just Parry Sound students who are putting up those academic scores.

A Chilly Environment for Learning? (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Staff and Council Report Card – Part 2

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Town Council

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This continues the Staff and Council ‘report card’ post from a couple of days ago. Please refer to that post for information on the intent and scope of this analysis. Some of the material in this post will make reference to comments in this earlier post.

 

Budget – B

A solid B for Council and Staff. The past four years have been a challenge when it comes to costs and revenues. With many of the surrounding municipalities holding fast on their tax rates the Town decided to hike rates modestly to meet the demands of infrastructure improvements and services. It would have been easier to keep the tax rate stable and forgo the necessary investments. Taking the tougher road will pay significant benefits in the years to come as the Town was able to capture matching provincial funds that considerably reduced the cost of these major projects. Council was hesitant to invest in capital equipment, trucks in particular, but in the end found a path that balanced costs and needs.

Why not an A? Holding tax increases to the lower single digits annually came at a cost. This was the sale of town owned property. This revenue did make up much of the shortfall but it is not clear that the Town received good value for these parcels of land. As a small municipality we don’t have much, if any, more land to use for future revenue. But you have to do what you have to do.

The agreement to merge the Town’s power and generation assets with Lakeland Power was a good decision in my opinion. While it certainly is a valuable asset it was one we could not afford to properly exploit because of a shortage of capital and management expertise. So with the merger we will see an upgrade in the facility’s power generation, more green energy, and ultimately a better return on this asset than if Council had decided to stay where we were or try to do it on our own. Credit should also be given to the Board of Parry Sound Hydro for developing this option.

 

Education – Did Not Attend

Huh? Since when was the Town involved with education? Isn’t that a school board function? Well yes and no.

The quality of education is perhaps the number one consideration for families when they relocate to a community. And the quality of the public school education in Parry Sound as evidenced by the scores is not good. Not good at all. The argument can be made that talented students will do well regardless of the schools. Fair point but they will do even better in an education system where there are higher performance standards evidenced day-in and day-out.

So what can the Town do? Certainly nothing that is easy or obvious, but quite necessary if the Town is to see any type of meaningful growth in better paying jobs. Think a high tech company will move to Parry Sound or the surrounding area just because we have high speed internet if their kids have to go to underperforming schools? I certainly wouldn’t have lived here when my kids were young. The alternative is to send your kids to a private school, likely Rosseau Lake College, at a cost of thousands per child per year and a not so great commute if they don’t live in residence. That’s a pretty heavy tax to live in Parry Sound.

But it’s not an issue if the Town is positioned as a seniors community. Seniors don’t worry about the quality of the elementary and secondary school system, as long as it doesn’t unreasonably impact their taxes. Everyone thinks that it’s the lack of a swimming pool that is keeping the hospital from attracting more and better staff. Nah, high achieving individuals want their kids to get the best education possible and after looking at Parry Sound and the surrounding municipalities they are likely to say “no way’. You only get one chance to educate your children, the house on the lake or bay can come later.

So what can the Town do? That’s a great question and one we pay (Staff) and elect (Council) people to look at, but only if they even recognize the issue. Isn’t it much easier just catering to the seniors?

 

Transparency – B

Another B and a real improvement was seen over this term of Council. It’s much easier to know what’s going on at Council now than it was four years ago. Council agendas, the detailed supporting materials, and the minutes are available online. And as always the public has access to the open meetings of Council and easy access to Council and Staff.

What’s keeping the grade from a solid A? Three things come to mind. The first is Council and Staff’s habit of pushing things into closed meetings that should be discussed and debated in open session. I certainly understand the need for confidentiality but it can too easily abused, just consider how the Federal government likes to hide and obscure their policies and decisions. To their credit the Town has for the most part reduced their reliance on closed meetings to discuss issues that might be more controversial than confidential.

The second item is a lack of online access to meetings of Council, live or delayed. You can only watch Council meetings at home if you subscribe to service from a single cable provider. It limits the number of people who can follow the proceedings. Better for the Town to hire a service to record and lightly edit the proceedings and then make them available to anyone with internet access. This could be in addition to the current service. It would expand access and allow for additional coverage of meetings not presently recorded and broadcast, especially budget meetings.

And number three is the website. But that is scheduled to be remedied early in 2015. A better website and some social media outreach to announce upcoming meetings would improve transparency. We should have the option of having this type of information being ‘pushed’ to us.

 

So far five grades have been assigned with three more to go. That’s for later this week.

More Bricks in the Wall (Parry Sound, a Touch of Colour)

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Council Agenda Preview – March 4, 2014

02 Sunday Mar 2014

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All indications are that this will be a relatively short meeting; no presentations, no scheduled deputations, no controversial issues, perhaps a few longer consent agenda items. I’ll venture that it will be over by 8:15 at the latest. (Any interest in starting a pool on how long these meetings take? Sort of like the pool for estimates about when the last ice is gone from the harbour. In the case of ice it looks like sometime in July might be a prudent estimate for this year. But in the case of a Council meeting pool the Councillors can’t play, a couple of them might relish the opportunity to stretch things out.)

There really isn’t much on the agenda this week, but as always I do suggest that you take a look at this meeting synopsis and see if there is anything on the agenda you would like to comment on in the deputation portion of the meeting.

Closed Meeting

The security of property of the municipality or local board. (Market Square Park) [I’m not sure what this is about. It could be the WiFi issue or the recent application to TD Green Streets for a grant to give the park a facelift. Whatever it is I’m surprised that it needs to be in closed session. Perhaps they are planning to install a missile silo in downtown Parry Sound. That would need to be in closed session I suppose. I guess they would also need to discuss it with the DBA, but let’s remember it’s the Town that ‘owns’ the park. But let’s also not forget the ‘Town’ is us, not Staff and/or Council.]

Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees. (Performance Review).

Litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board (Stockey Centre Siding). [This is interesting, we are well aware of the roof leaks (it’s in the 2014 budget) but we’re now told that the siding also has a problem. And if we are talking about litigation how about suing the engineer and/or the construction firm that designed and built the retaining wall beside the fire station?]

Adoption of Minutes

That the February 18, 2014 Regular Meeting Minutes be approved with the following correction to Resolution 2014-030: That Resolution No: 2013-111 is hereby revoked. [Resolution 2013-111 was the previous resolution concerning the assignment of signing authority for the Town that has been superseded by the last meeting’s resolution.]

Correspondence

4.1 – Association of Municipalities of Ontario requesting all Ontario municipalities send a letter to the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills of the Ontario Legislature to request amendments to Bill 69. [This concerns the terms of payments for services provided to municipalities by outside contractors.]

4.2 – Museum on Tower Hill, a request for a grant in the amount of $26,000 for the Museum on Tower Hill. [This is the annual funding support that the Town provides the museum. It a bit more than we spend on flowers for the hanging baskets. The other district municipalities also provide support for the museum, although not as generous.]

4.3 – Algonquin Regiment Veterans Association, a request to declare May 26 to June 1, 2014 Algonquin Regiment Week and to raise the flag at the municipal office on May 26th.

Deputations

There are no scheduled deputations.

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Increase in Electricity Rates. Resolution. Support for Town of Arnprior’s Resolution 059-14 urging the provincial government to ensure that electricity rates both in the short and long-term allow businesses to remain competitive and ensure vulnerable residents of Ontario’s communities are not overburdened by ever-increasing electricity rates.

8.2 – Earth Hour, March 29, 2014, 8:30-9:30. Resolution. Mayor and Council declare March 29, 2014 at 8:30.p.m. “Earth Hour” in Parry Sound.

8.3 – Bill 69, Prompt Payment Act, 2013. Resolution. Council direct staff to send the letter, attached as Schedule “A”, to the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills to request the Bill be amended to: reflect more realistic timelines for payments in infrastructure projects; allow time for due diligence before accepting work and certifying payments; and allow payments to continue to be tied to project milestones.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – Waterfront Advisory Committee – Member Resignation. Resolution. That Council accepts, with regret, the resignation of Marianne King-Wilson from the Waterfront Advisory Committee of Council. [Another individual resigning from another Town committee. Which will we run out of first, people or committees? From all indications we won’t run out of people wanting to serve on Council. How about participating on a committee or two before ‘throwing your hat in the ring’?]

9.1.2 – Request to rent sign space on a Town Street. Resolution. That staff bring forward a by-law to define and authorize an agreement with the Sherk’s for a sign upon the Parry Sound Drive road allowance (per their request). [A somewhat tacky billboard for a Nobel business on Parry Sound Road next to Harris Furniture.]

9.3.1 – Appointments to the West Parry Sound Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee. Resolution. Larry Simons be appointed as a member of the WPS Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee and that Judy Keown be appointed the alternate for the term commencing March 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014; and the Town appoint Ed Ewing, Peter Spadzinski, and Larry Simons with Judy Keown as alternate to the West Parry Sound Joint Election Compliance Audit Committee for the term commencing December 1, 2014 to November 30, 2018.

9.6.1 – Finance / Budget Committee, Spokesperson: Councillor Paul Borneman. [I’m not at all sure what this is about, there is no supporting material in the meeting agenda package. Will it address the request of the Citizens Finance Committee to go on hiatus? Is it a suggestion to form a new committee? I don’t know and look forward to finding out.]

By-Laws

10.1.1 – Rezoning Application – Beatty Street. By-law. Lifting of Holding provision. [This relates to the new elementary school construction that is scheduled to commence this Spring.]

10.1.2 – Rezoning Application Z14-01 – Crombie Property Holdings Ltd. – 25 Pine Drive. By-law. To amend By-law No. 2004-4653 for property on Pine Drive (Crombie Property Holdings Ltd.). [This concerns the Sobeys property that was the subject of a recent open meeting. It appears there are plans to build an additional 10,000 square feet of retail space that will include a pharmacy (making six in Parry Sound unless there are plans to move one of the existing businesses to this location). It is interesting to read the included impact on downtown business study. It basically summarizes the existing retail figures and then simply infers that it will not negatively impact the downtown. I’m not sure I disagree, but there really is no substantial logic to the conclusion. You pay the consultant to give you the opinion you want.]

10.5.1 – SRNMIF-CTL – Wakefield & Dufferin Funding Agreement. By-law. To authorize the execution of a Transfer Payment Agreement between the Province and the Town regarding a grant to support the reconstruction of Wakefield and Dufferin Streets. [This is great news. Congratulations are due Town Staff especially the Director of Public Works, Peter Brown, for securing this funding of $1.3 MM to upgrade roads, water mains, sewer mains and storm sewers.]

A Grander Boulevard (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Note: At this point I’m including all items that are on the published agenda but offering commentary only on select items that seem to warrant discussion or explanation. 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 – December 17, 2013

20 Friday Dec 2013

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Well, the meeting was over in about an hour and a half. It helped that the branding deputation came in under the ten minute limit, and two of the Councillors were absent. Comments and discussion were to the point.

The items of interest from the Councillors Reports, and Questions of Staff include:

  • there are issues with a property on Avenue Road related to grading and zoning issues that seem to be a concern for Council.
  • The Kinsman outdoor rink should be up and running no later than Friday the 20th.
  • The rink at Mission Park is operating with efforts being made to secure lighting to permit night skating.

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. [An agenda item, 9.5.1., Council agreed to have Staff look into doing a traffic survey.]

4.2 – Lev Nikiforov with a request to meet with Council regarding the construction project on 81 River Street. [This was the subject of a deputation, item 5.3.]

4.3 – a petition with 50 signatures requesting the transit bus operate on December 24 and December 31, 2013. [This item was read with no follow up discussion or decision at the meeting. So I guess there will be no service on those two days. Strange! But the whole issue of where the Town is on the public transit system is a mystery to me.]

Deputations

5.1 – Marianne King-Wilson, Waterfront Advisory Committee with a presentation on Branding. [I really enjoyed the presentation and learned how the Town’s logo was designed. It’s a template for how we should look at future designs. I was surprised that there were no comments or questions from Council. Lead, follow or get out of the way.]

5.2 – a presentation by Tulloch Engineering regarding the Town’s Asset Management Plan. [The presentation focused on the methodology of the study with no ‘state of the town’ summary. That is presumably buried in their report. I’ve extracted the report it from the agenda package and have it linked here. It might be worth summarizing the report, perhaps a project for the holidays.]

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. The deputation confirmed that it was a cash flow issue. To make progress the builder needs a town permit. To get the permit the builder needs money. But to get the necessary money from the bank for the permit and to advance construction the builder needs to move the project forward. For that he needs the permit. A classic ‘Catch-22’ situation. He needs to get his ‘backers’ to cough up some money. Council decided not to provide any relief given that they have not provided similar relief to other builders who have followed the rules and not started work without the necessary permits.]

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Parry Sound Hydro Corporation board appointments for Roger Alexander, Gord Rempel, Bill Lawrence and Al Downing through June 30th, 2014. [CARRIED]

8.2 – a revision to the schedule of council meetings to include an additional special meeting of Council to discuss the 2014 budget. [The date and time of the next budget meeting is January 12th starting at 6:15 PM in the Council chambers. It’s open to the public.]

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. [CARRIED]

9.3.1 – a resolution to install a “Former Village of Carrington” sign on Parry Sound Rd. at a cost of $450 plus HST. [CARRIED]

9.4.1 – a direction for Town Staff to provide notice of changed rental rates at the Stockey Centre effective 2014. [CARRIED]

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 was discussion and agreement that the traffic study should be conducted as was feasible with resources and the weather. It’s likely a report will only be ready in six months.]

9.5.2 – a resolution to increase the per tag price of household waste disposal from $3 to $5, effective February 1st 2014. [CARRIED. Staff was also instructed to look in to the possibility of acquiring used scales for the transfer site. Apparently most municipalities use weight for determining tipping charges. The Town does it by bags and truck/trailer load estimates.]

9.5.3 – a resolution to reimburse sellers $0.25 per Garbage Tag sold on behalf of the Town effective January 1st 2014. [CARRIED. FYI the Town sells about 9,000 tags er year.]

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. [CARRIED]

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. [CARRIED]

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. [CARRIED. There was discussion regarding responsibility for clearing the roads and sidewalks in this construction area. Apparently the responsibility falls on the School Board, but the Town is providing some basic snow removal for now.]

Repair or Replace? Bad to worse. (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 – December 17, 2013

15 Sunday Dec 2013

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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 – September 17, 2013

22 Sunday Sep 2013

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It looks as though I really didn’t miss all that much at the last meeting of Council. I’ll be relying on the published meeting minutes and follow up discussions with a couple of people for these summary notes. My post meeting notes are provided in Bold Italics.

Correspondence and Deputations (see Agenda for full list)

4.2 – Near North District School Board ARC Member, McDougall School – Kelly Krist, regarding Provision of Accommodation Review Committee’s (ARC) recommendations to the Near North District School Board regarding the Board’s intention to move grade 7 and 8 students from William Beatty, Nobel and McDougall schools to the Parry Sound High School. A request is made for Town support of the ARC’s recommendations. (This is a rather lengthy letter. The net/net seems to be that the ARC suggestion is to create a new school complex in the south end of McDougall housing separate K-8 and 9-12 facilities that could share certain facilities. The new school being built on Tudhope would become a K-6 facility.)
 – it’s not clear from the minutes whether Council agreed with or rejected the request to support the ARC recommendation.

5.1 – Cory Brunatti and Gord Cole, Parry Sound Canoe Club Re: Request for property with water access to operate the Parry Sound Canoe Club. (This deputation will lay out the value and logic of taking a portion of Town property and donating it to the Parry Sound Canoe Club to build a permanent facility. It’s not clear to me whether they would prefer property on the Seguin River close to the William Street Park where they currently operate from a trailer, or on the Town’s Georgian Bay waterfront. How does this impact the Town’s parks?)
 – Council requested Staff to return with a recommendation. It’s my sense that Council will approve the request subject to agreement on a suitable location and assurances that the facility will not become the responsibility of the Town.

5.2 – Kelly Krist, Near North District School Board ARC member, McDougall School. (This deputation follows up the letter listed above under 4.2.)
 – See 4.2 above.

There were some additional deputations that in my opinion are valuable but not material to the operation of the Town. See the official minutes for details.

Consent Agenda (see Agenda for full list)

See the agenda for details.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff (see Agenda for full list)

9.1.1 EMS Ambulance Replacements for 2014. (A request for two new ambulances at $114,863.00 +HST each. These vehicles will be paid for from the EMS reserve fund in 2014 which is supported by various levels of municipal and provincial governments, so no particular hit to the Parry Sound budget.)
 – CARRIED

9.4.3 – Request for Modification of Draft Official Plan – K. & C. Hall Developments Inc. (This direction proposes the requested zoning changes from K&C Hall be incorporated into the draft Official Plan but with the addition of a holding symbol in the zoning by-law. This hold can be lifted with the satisfactory completion of certain studies and whatever recommendations that result. There are a number of studies that will be required. The Ministry of Natural Resources is apparently not convinced that there isn’t a wetland issue with the proposed property. See the full agenda package for much, much more detail. The Town is recommending approval of the request with the holding symbol proviso.)
 – CARRIED as a modified resolution that reduces the number of studies required to have the Holding symbol removed.

9.5.2 – Parks Management Plan. Staff is proposing that Council directs staff to develop a “Parks Management Plan” that will incorporate the following existing and new policies and procedures:
1. Integrated Pest Management Program – existing policy
2. Turf Management Program – existing policy
3. Pest Control Policy Guidelines – existing policy
4. Tree Maintenance/Removal Policy – existing policy
5. Parks and Open Spaces Inventory – existing document
6. Playground Maintenance Inspection Form – existing document
7. Commemorative Dedication Program Policy – new
8. Design of Public Spaces – existing policy

And in place of a Parks Management Advisory Committee, the Director Public Works be directed to present a Parks Management Plan to Council for acceptance in the spring of 2014.

(This seems a reasonable approach to me. I would suggest that the plan, when presented is made available for public comment. It appears that there are a number of documents that already exist which I hope to track down and review. Last year I was told there was no formal park policy when I asked with respect to the plan to offer for sale the Town properties on William Street that were associated with the William Street Park. So if there is a ‘plan’, it would probably be found under either Point 5 – Parks and Open Spaces Inventory, or Point 8 – Design of Public Spaces – existing policy.)
 – CARRIED with the requirement that the Parks Management Plan be presented for Council and Public review and comment. Once again this all seems reasonable to me and a step forward to ensuring that one of our most valuable assets is managed in a proactive and transparent manner.

9.5.3 – RFP Design and Engineering – Forest St. Reconstruction. A resolution for Council to accept the proposal from Tulloch Engineering, in the estimated amount of $186,789 for the design and pre-engineering of the Forest Street Reconstruction Project. (The bidding process is a little bit odd, but not inappropriate in my opinion. The lowest bid, which was considerably lower than the Tulloch Engineering bid, did not provide complete cost estimate coverage. See the Council Package for the details. I was glad to see that the town has received provincial funding in the amount of $2 million to help offset the estimated $4.5 million project cost. It seems Tulloch Engineering made a good business move in opening a major office in Parry Sound.)
 – CARRIED

By-Laws (see Agenda for full list)

10.4.2 – Rezoning Application Z13-04 – K. & C. Hall Holdings Inc. – Louisa Street. (This is the follow on to 9.4.3 above with a recommendation that Council approve the Zoning By-Law application with the holding restriction included in the Official Plan amendment. In this case Staff is recommending that the proscribed process and actions for review and approval, basically the required studies and any requirements they identify, be completed before the holding label be removed. See the Council Agenda Package for details.)
 – CARRIED

10.4.3 – Rezoning Application Z13-05 – 905888 Ontario Inc. for a portion of the Fleck Street road allowance be approved. (This follows up, and presumably completes, the ongoing rezoning process for the property to permit a modified triplex design. The company has apparently agreed to make the necessary grading changes to ensure the appropriate discharge of storm water flow.)
 – CARRIED

10.4.4 – Site Plan Approval Application – M6 Developments Inc. – 12 College Drive. (This is the ‘Age in Place’ facility. It seems things are moving forward with the development.)
 – CARRIED

There was more on the agenda than was covered in this post. Check out the agenda and the Council package for the full program and the detailed supporting documents, as well as the issued minutes.

Parry Sound in Black and White (Two Big Steps to Parry Island)

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Note: Not all agenda items are covered here. I typically skip those 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? The full agenda can be found at the town’s website (http://townofparrysound.com/pagesmith/14).

The 2013 Parry Sound Budget is Approved

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

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

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Last night’s special open meeting of council resulted in an approved 2013 budget for Parry Sound. The bottom line is that the tax levy is up 1.5% over 2012, due in part to taking a little more than $90,000 from the rate stabilization reserved. This a reasonable increase given the inherent cost of living increases, aka inflation rate, for 2012, and the town’s increased costs. The actual increase for homeowners and businesses will depend on how much MPAC increases their individual property assessments. A 1.5% tax rate increase, combined with a 3% property assessment increase, means you will be paying about 4.5% more in 2013 than 2012. And for a property with a $3,000 per year tax bill in 2012, the increase is about $135, with the hypothetical 4.5% combined levy and assessment increases. Not that big, but still significant. But I’m not not sure what the actual MPAC assessment increases are, so your tax bill increase will vary, but it will be up at least 1.5%.

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

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