Central Frontenac Council - Nov. 20

Nov 15, 2012

Recommendations re proposed new property standards by-law 

by Julie Druker

In a delegation to council that was attended by over 30 members of the public, Terry Kennedy, president of the Kennebec Lake Association, presented to the group's recommendations for a proposed new property standards by-law that council is currently in the process of drafting.

He opened the presentation stating that he was “here to give council a necessary nudge to solve what may be a difficult issue but not an impossible one.”

Kennedy outlined the recommendations, most of which were minor corrections to the proposed by- law. Some of the recommendations included the addition of terms like “unsightly”, which the recommendations defined as “in a condition that is deemed offensive by reason of disrepair, neglect or dereliction”. While Kennedy rightly understood that terms like unsightly are a matter of personal taste, he reiterated his desire to improve the current Safe Properties By-law by giving it the means to address dwellings or properties which, though they may not pose a health or safety risk, can still be considered to be derelict and ruinous. He concluded his presentation stating that “this by-law is intended as an enabler and will empower council and staff and members of the community to do something about some of these derelict places. Rural and rustic does not have to mean ruinous.”

Councilor Norm Guntensperger responded first, stating that he had a problem with some of the recommendations, especially with words like “unsightly”, and “neat” and “tidy” as well as the recommendations citing long grass, excessive weed growth and rodents as being unacceptable as outlined in the by-law.

“Long grass and rodents are also a part of the natural surroundings,” he said. “We as a council here need to respect the vulnerable in the community who may be having difficulty keeping their properties at the same standards as others. If we pass by-laws that make vulnerable people less able to live in our society, I personally will feel that we as council have not done our job properly.” Mayor Gutowski reiterated the fact that council on average receives just 20 complaints per year regarding the Safe Properties By-Law, the large majority of which they are able to address with the current by-law.

“Of those 20 maybe only three pose a problem so we also need to keep that in mind.”

She added that though property standards was not an issue she was keen on addressing in her first term as mayor, she now feels that since council has made an effort to keep up their buildings and parks, she feels comfortable asking the residents of Central Frontenac to do the same.

Seeking money from CP Rail

By Jeff Green

As part of his monthly report, Fire Chief Bill Young informed Council that Canadian Pacific has not yet paid the bill the department sent them for a fire that was started this past summer by a cargo train travelling on the line near Tichborne.

“They keep asking for further information and when we send it to them, they ask for more. But I’m sure they’ll pay eventually,” said Young. “We are keeping on them about it.”

“How much do they owe us?” asked Councilor Frances Smith.

“$52,000”

“Oh,” said Smith, “keep on them”.

Young also reported that October was a quiet month for the department. There were 3 relatively minor fire calls, 2 vehicle accidents and 17 medical assists. The department was active in the local schools, assisting with fire drills and providing other educational programming.

Public Works - Works Manager Mike Richardson reported that a new handrail will be installed at the bridge over the Arden Mill Pond. Last year, Quinte Conservation put in a new log system on the pond in order to manage the water flow, but the new system hindered public use of the bridge and was aesthetically unacceptable in one of the most picturesque locations in Arden.

Quinte has agreed to make changes, and the design work has now been completed.

“The results are quite good, in my view,” Richardson said.

The project is slated to be completed by the end of the year. Central Frontenac has budgeted $15,000 for the design and construction work, and Richardson hopes that a portion of those funds will remain unspent or will be reimbursed by the Conservation Authority.

Assessment question

There is one piece of waterfront property in Central Frontenac that has seen its assessment drop, by a whopping 52%, but the tax savings will not go to a residential ratepayer. Rather, they will go to the Province of Ontario. As the result of a new method of assessing the value of provincial parks, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) has dropped the value of a number of parks in Eastern Ontario, and increased the value of a number of others. In Central Frontenac, Sharbot Lake Provincial Park has seen its value drop from $1.74 million to $843,00, a drop of $900,000 in value, which will cost the township over $10,000 in lost revenue.

Other local townships with decreases include: Tay Valley ($7.57 million to $5.19 million) and North Frontenac ($3.4 million to $2.6 million).

Townships with increased assessment from provincial parks include: South Frontenac ($2.02 million to $2.63 million) Addington Highlands ($2.45 million to $3.52 million) and Stone Mills ($2.58 million to $4.17 million)

Central Frontenac Treasurer Michael McGovern will contact MPAC for an explanation about the change.

District 4 Santa Claus parade: It was confirmed that the Parham/Tichborne Santa Claus parade will take place on Sunday, December 2, starting at 1:00 pm. Plans for a night parade were prematurely presented to council last month, and the daytime parade will take place as usual this year.

Hinchinbrooke PS to close at end of school year: There is an added urgency around the township’s need to find a new home for the Parham library, which is currently located in a portable at the side of Hinchinbrooke Public School.

Councilor Guntensperger said he has been informed that whether or not the new K-12 school in Sharbot Lake is ready for students by September of 2013, Hinchinbrooke will be not be open. The township must find an alternate location for the library by June 30, 2013.