Frontenac County Council

Jeff Green | Mar 25, 2015

Uneventful County meeting

Frontenac County Council's March meeting provided an opportunity for updates on previously approved initiatives as well as appointments to various committees, but did not feature any new initiatives in the lull following the approval of the County budget in March.

Mark Segsworth, the Public Works Manager (PWM) for South Frontenac, appeared on behalf of the managers from the other townships to talk about the successful joint tendering they have done for waste management environmental monitoring services in South, Central and North Frontenac. A contract has been approved by all three townships with Cambium Engineering out of Peterborough for a total of $565,828 for three years. The savings are significant over what the townships have been paying for those services.

“In South Frontenac's case we have been paying about $200,000 per year, and we will be paying $75,000 per year, a savings of $125,000,” said Segsworth.

He also reiterated that the collaboration between himself, Jim Phillips from North Frontenac, and former PWM Mike Richardson from Central Frontenac has been more than cordial over the last three years.

“We also help the local economy. We meet in a different township each time and have lunch in one of the restaurants,” he said.

Warden Dennis Doyle asked Segsworth about recycling rates in all the townships, pointing out that some municipalities in southern Ontario are reporting 80% recycling rates, much higher than the rate in Frontenac County.

“If there was a standard way of measuring recycling rates I would comment on that,” Segsworth said.

County to spend $27,067 on right of way for K&P Trail

A proposal was accepted to offer $15,000 ($9,000 for the purchase and $6,000 for his legal fees) to Bob Leonard of Hartington to purchase the land where the K&P trail passes over his farmland. The county has already accumulated over $12,000 in legal fees over the matter, bringing the cost to $27,067.

The matter has been the subject of an expropriation process. Council approved the offer, which will end the expropriation process if accepted by Mr. Leonard.

“How high a cost per acre is this?” one of the council members asked Anne Marie Young, the county staffer responsible for developing the trail.

“High” she said.

Planning fees approved

A bylaw setting out a fee structure for planning services offered to the Frontenac townships was approved. When the structure was introduced earlier as a proposal in a committee meeting, it was opposed by the representatives from South Frontenac, the only township that does not use county planning services.

Before the vote, South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal asked whether the bylaw could be deferred, as the matter of fees is being considered by the township and county chief administrative officers at one of their meetings this year.

“When we hear back from them we will consider that for the 2016 budget year,” said Warden Doyle, “this is for 2015 and has already been budgeted for.”

The bylaw was approved without further comment.

It really is further when you drive north

The April Frontenac County Council/Committee of the Whole meeting will be held in North Frontenac on the 15th of the month. Instead of at 9 a.m., Council will meet at 10 a.m. because of the distance that council members and staff from the south end of the township will need to travel, which is apparently an hour longer than it takes for those from the north to travel to the south.

(To be fair, there are ferry rides involved for those travelling from Frontenac Islands)