Feature Article December 11, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeMarathon first meeting for North Frontenac Council
At the beginning of his first meting as Mayor, Ron Maguire announced that he would set aside 15 minutes at the end of each meeting, which normally take about an hour and 15 minutes, for questions to Council from the public.
The idea was well received, but could not be applied at Monday nights meeting, which ended up lasting over four hours, before being adjourned at 11:07 pm. Starting with a delegation that took almost a half an hour to resolve (see Lean-to leads to $200 fine) the meeting carried on as the councillors and the Mayor laid out some of the objectives they see for the township over the next three years.
Gleva Lemke was re-elected, by acclamation, as Deputy Mayor for another three years, and the draft makeup of the record 16 committees of Council was approved. Among the committees are some familiar ones; roads, recreation, Personnel/Finance, Fire and Emergency, Cemetery and Waste Management. As well, there are new committees that will deal with economic development and communications.
Mayor Maguire has prepared draft terms of reference for some of the committees already, and will do so for all them soon.
Councillor Hook will continue on the Waste Management Committee, which is continuing to look into incineration as a possibility. Deputy Mayor Lemke will continue working on timber issues and stewardship issues. She expressed optimism that the long moribund Frontenac Stewardship Council is being rejuvenated and may come forward to help the conservation programs that have been underway in the township. Councillor Cybulski, who has a strong background in communications (he has been the voice of the township for the past three years), has joined the communications committee, which will be working towards the goal of communicating with the 6,000 seasonal residents in the township who often are not engaged in township life. The Mayor also cited the potential of this group in his remarks at the beginning of the meeting.
Cybulski is a also a former OPP Officer, and along with Councillor Bud Clayton, expressed a desire to find out from the OPP what service is being provided to the township in return for the money being paid them under the status quo arrangement that has been in place. The township will contact both the Sharbot Lake and Kaladar detachments, and request reports on the amount of police activity within the township. At the end of the meeting, Councillor Bud Clayton brought forward several concerns, including an insistence that Council look at the best way to meet our obligation of providing adequate police protection to our rate payers. Clayton also questioned last years budget, which he said was not the best budget we could have brought forward, and said he hopes to see a decrease in the municipal portion of the budget in the next two years.
Councillor David Smith will continue on the Roads and Waste Management Committees, which as always been major preoccupations for the township. Finally, newly elected Councilor Betty Huunter will get her feet wet by sitting on a total of six Council Commitees, including the Personnel/Finance Committee.
Office Closing : As was done last year, a proposal was made to keep the Municipal Office closed between Christmas and New Years. The memo from Clerk/Administrator Sharman on the matter said the office staff has unanimously agreed in writing they would take either time off that was entitled to them or time off without pay. The proposal was accepted by Council.
New Pumper required A letter was received from Casey Cuddy, the Fire Chief for the Kaladar/Barrie Fire Department, outlining how a pumper at the Northbrook station has deteriorated to the point where it can no longer be fixed. The letter, which was sent to both North Frontenac and Addington Highlands Councils who have joint responsibility for the Fire department, requested a Joint Fire Board meeting be called ASAP. Without a class A pumper, the Citizens and Fire Fighters are at risk, and everyones insurance rates could double.
The matter was referred to the new Fire Committee, and will be taken up in the coming days at a meeting in Northbrook.
Cost of Living Increases The cost of living increase for both staff and Council in 2004 will be 2%.
Road de-icing pilot project Road superintendent John Ibey reported that a pilot project, which involved retrofitting one of the townships sand/salt trucks so that a computer controlled mixture of sand, salt, and calcium could be applied, has already been proven effective. The pilot project is designed for use in the western region of the township and Councillor Lemke asked if some benefit might accrue to the eastern roads.
Because of the location of the trucks, and the need to apply the material early in the day, Ibey said only limited use of the material has been made in the Ompah/Snow Road region. We are still learning how to use the material, but it is working as I had hoped it would. If Council would like to retrofit another truck, we could expand the project, but for now it is mostly being used towards the western end of the township, Ibey said.
