Central Frontenac Council - Mar. 9/10

Jeff Green | Mar 11, 2010

Council rejects 1% solution – March 9, 2010

Central Frontenac Council continues to debate the cost of living increase for township staff for 2010.

Several weeks ago, Councilor Gary Smith went to figures from Stats. Canada to determine how much the increase should be. Using the most recent figures, Smith determined that the increase should be 0.4%.

The previous year, Council had given staff a 2.5% increase by rounding up the Stats. Can. cost of living calculation of 2.3%.

“I happen to receive two different pensions, and in each of them I received a 0.4% increase for this year. To be fair to everyone, as a council we should use the same government tables, which are published each year. Using the same tables as last year, we should increase salaries by 0.4%,” said Councilor John Purdon

“If we want to talk about fairness, I think we should recognize that we don’t have collective agreements yet, and if we give an insulting increase like 0.4% that might change,” said Councilor Norm Guntensperger.

“We rounded it up last year, why don’t we round it up to 1% this year?” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“If we want to address salaries, we should be looking at the salary grid, but if we start tampering with cost of living we will be making a mistake,” said John Purdon.

A motion was made for a 1% cost of living increase to all staff salaries in Central Frontenac, retroactive to January 1.

There were four votes in favour (Councilors Guntensperger, Frances Smith, Deputy Mayor Jeff Matson and Mayor Gutowski) and four votes against (Councilors Philip Smith, Bob Harvey, Bill Snyder and John Purdon) and the motion was defeated. Councilor Gary Smith was absent.

Culture if necessary, but not necessarily culture

The steering committee that is looking into the former railway station site across from the Central Frontenac township office in Sharbot Lake with a view towards putting up a public building sent a message to council seeking direction.

“The committee wants the parameters of their task to be spelled out,” Councilor Frances Smith told Council at their meeting on Tuesday, March 9.

The committee has been told to consider what kind of a multi-use cultural centre would be most appropriate for the location, but wants to know what kinds of uses council has in mind.

A written report by Frances Smith explained the committee’s question in this way: “Was it Council’s intention for the committee to 1) develop a business plan for the development of a multi-use cultural centre, with the focus being to strictly accommodate cultural uses, or 2) develop a business plan for the development of a multi-use centre where cultural interests and activities could also be accommodated?”

Smith explained that some members of the committee were not willing work on a project that would include such diverse uses as a library, township offices, and a council chamber, with cultural uses such as a theatre, gallery or archive space only to be included as possible uses.

“I can’t see us building strictly a cultural centre. I don’t think it is warranted for our population,” said Councilor Bob Harvey. “We need a council chamber and we need some other things, but to devote the whole thing to cultural activities is not warranted. No community even twice our size has something like that.”

Councilor Guntensperger said he hopes the school board will construct a theatre with the new high school.

“Maybe the whole project should wait until the High school debate is concluded,” he said.

“I think we should stick to basics. The plan was to build a small building in the style of the old station. It could be used as a library, for archives, that sort of thing,” said Councilor Philip Smith.

Council decided to support option 2, a multi-use building that can accommodate cultural uses among other uses. 

Central Frontenac looks at recreation costs

As part of the 2010 Central Frontenac Township preliminary budget discussions, township staff presented a list of potential expenditures on township recreation facilities at a total cost of over $300,000. About $100,000 was included in the category of maintenance requirements and over $200,000 is included as capital projects.

Some of the capital projects need to be done in the short tem. Among the big ticket items that were bought forward from staff are repairs to the Piccadilly hall at a cost of $52,000, $20,000 for the roof of the Kennebec hall, and $5,000 for a roof at the Crow Lake hall.

Not all of the projects need to be done this year, but there are risks to delaying. When asked if the Kennebec hall roof could wait a year, Chief Building Official Ian Trickett said, “It depends… if a really big wind comes up?” On a more serious note, he said, “The roof does need to be replaced within a year or two.”

“We have in front of us a set of piecemeal requests,” said Mayor Gutowski, “and all this really does is cover basic maintenance; it does not amount to any kind of strategy for the sustainability of these facilities.”

On the discretionary side, there were requests for money from the recreation committees. This list includes improvements to the Parham ball field and fairgrounds totaling $38,400, including $14,000 for playground equipment. For the Sharbot Lake ball field, there was a request for $6,500, including $4,500 for a playground. $21,000 was included for the initial planning and site work to relocate the Olden ball field, and $12,000 to replace the boards at the Arden rink.

Council went through the wish list, without making any final decisions. But there was some discussion.

“I don't know that we can afford to maintain outdoor rinks, for example, in all the different communities when the cost of new boards is taken into account,” said Councilor Bob Harvey. “Maybe we should build one really good facility for everyone.”

“I think a lot of these are not going to happen, but it's useful to know what people want. When we start to crunch our numbers, not a lot of these projects will survive,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“A budget consists of two parts, there are the expenditures and then there are the revenues. There are various revenue sources, reserve funds, parkland funds, and tax dollars. If we can show our revenue sources, it will make it easier to make decisions on some of these requests,” said Chief Administrative Officer John Duchene. 

NO TAX RELIEF FOR UNITED CHURCH MANSE – Council rejected a request for relief from property taxes by the United Church Centenary Pastoral Charge for the manse of the United Church in Sharbot Lake.

The building houses a seniors’ centre, which is run by Northern Frontenac Community Services and the Alzheimer’s Society. Last year council granted tax relief. “Last year we did it as a gesture of good will, and council did indicate that time that we would not be doing it again,” said Frances Smith. There were no dissenting votes to a motion rejecting the request.

$5,000 FOR OFFICE RENOVATION – Council agreed to spend $5,000 to reconfigure the township office (change the location of doors, hallways, etc.) so the $200,000 + extension that is slated for completion later this month will create a seamless working space.

Mayor says Parham ambulance closing not set in stone - Regarding a decision by Frontenac County Council to build a new ambulance base in Ompah this year, and relocate the Parham base to Sharbot Lake within 3-5 years, Mayor Gutowski said, “The Ompah base has been approved for this year, but as far as Parham goes I think there is still time to revisit that. One of the things in the county budget is a statistics and population study which might change the scenario,” she said.