CF_Council_Passes

Feature Article October 2

Feature Article October 2, 2002

LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb Home

Central Frontenac passes community hall bylawby Jeff Green After a boisterous debate at the previous council meeting, the new community hall fees bylaw was quietly approved at last Tuesdays Central Frontenac Council meeting in Sharbot Lake.

According to the new bylaw, which will take effect on January 1, all groups or individuals will pay to use the halls. The fees will not change; they range from as low as $20 (for the bottom floor of the Olden Hall), to $70 (for the Hall with kitchen and bar in Oso).

Service clubs, such as the Lions and the Legion, shall pay a reduced rate of $25 for rental of any community hall or former office, according to Schedule B of the bylaw. Another exception is being made for funeral luncheons, which will pay $10.

The only amendment made to the bylaw concerned the ability to pay an hourly rate for short usages of Halls. A $5 per hour rate was approved for uses that last up to 3 hours - one hour longer than was proposed in the draft bylaw.

Hall usage by the township is exempt from a fee, as are committees of council, which are defined in the bylaw as a committee approved by Council with one or two members of Council appointed to the Committee, and all finances of the committee directed by or at least approved by council.

Upon passage of the bylaw, Mayor Bill MacDonald commented This is an attempt to get some money back to pay the upkeep on the Halls. If this doesnt work, we can always try something else.

Delegation: Peter Nedow appeared before council on behalf of his business partner Violet Black, who owns a chip wagon across from Sharbot Lake High School. He requested that Violet be allowed to operate the chip wagon while the zoning approvals procedure is taking place. I started inquiring about this last March, and things have dragged on. Finally, Violet opened up, and after two days was told to close down because the zoning was wrong, Nedow told Council.

After debating the matter for a time, it was clear that council would not allow the chip wagon to open up before the zoning approval process was complete. Nedow said he had only been hoping to allow Violet Black to use up some of the supplies she had purchased before the snow flies, and the chip wagon would close anyway.

Ontarians with Disabilities Act: New provincial legislation stipulates that any township with a population greater than 10,000 must put an accessibility plan and an advisory committee in place. Central Frontenac doesnt have 10,000 residents, but has been asked to supply an individual to sit on the committee of the Frontenac Management Board. The individual must have a disability as defined by the Ontarians With Disabilities Act. Council decided to look for an individual, and approved paying such a person $50 per diem plus mileage to go to the meetings, which are expected to take place twice a year.

Treasurers report Software purchase: The existing computer software used by township staff for all financial applications, from accounts payable to tax billing, Solomon Version 2.55, is no longer being maintained and supported by Microsoft.

The treasury department explored two options in regard to this matter, and recommended to council the purchase of new software from USTI Canada, the company that has been providing software support to the Treasury Department. The software costs $24,000 (including data conversion and training), and will cost $6,425 each year for support and upgrades. Council approved the purchase.

Tri-Axle Truck Purchase Public Works Manager Bill Nicol presented council with several options in regard to the replacing the Tri-Axle truck which was broken earlier this year. Nicol obtained a verbal agreement from the insurance company to pay $82,500. This will allow the township to keep the truck for parts, which should be of some value since the township owns an identical model. Nicols report included prices for five possible replacement vehicles, ranging in price from $76,500 to $100,000. The $100,000 truck, which was owned by Peter Nedow, is a 2000 model with less than 80,000 km, while all the other trucks have over 200,000 km on them. Council decided to buy the Nedow truck.

Road problems Bill Nicol reported that the Fifth Lake Road, outside of Parham, has deteriorated to the point where were going to have trouble plowing that road this winter. With no money left in the budget, council was faced with two options. Change the road plan and divert resources to the Fifth Lake Road, or remove the asphalt from the Fifth Lake road and leave is as a gravel road until the resources for repaving are available. Counsellors Bill Snider and Boyce Peters both said that the Parham end of Long Lake Road, which is slated for repaving, is in reasonable shape compared to the Fifth Lake Road.

Bill Snider said, We should do Fifth Lake before finishing Long Lake Road, and Boyce Peters said, I think the Long Lake Road could wait a couple of years before we did it. We have to do something about Fifth Lake Road.

Counsellor Elva Price said Ive been travelling Fifth Lake Road, and I agree it is awful. But I think we need to finish Long Lake Road. Its the more travelled road.

In the end council decided not to change their road repaving plans, and will return the Fifth Lake Road to gravel.

Mayor Bill Macdonald summed up the debate, saying Is that the consensus, that we put the road back to gravel? But Im not committing myself to resurfacing this road next year.