Wayne Millar

Oct 09, 2014

Councillor

Wayne Millar – township solid but there is work to be done

Over his last four years on Council, Wayne Millar has developed an appreciation for the way Central Frontenac Township is run, and he thinks the township will be facing some severe challenges in the years to come.

Since moving to Tichborne 21 years ago and later to Sharbot Lake, after retiring from a management career in construction, Millar has been operating a small business, Sharbot Lake Lawn Service. Before coming to Central Frontenac, he lived in the Niagara Peninsula, and sat on Council in Dunnville between 1982 and 1985.

“Council does a pretty good job managing the money and trying to get done what people want done, but there is only so much money in the kitty. You can't pave every road out here. People have to realise they live in the country,” he said.

He is concerned about the vacancies at senior positions in the township and about the impact of added policing costs to the budgets in the coming years. He thinks that it might be necessary to look into service cuts.

“With those kinds of increased coming in, what can happen? We will need to cut back on something, unless the province comes through with some money, which is unlikely,” he said.

In this context, he said he is particularly wary of taking on the former Hinchinbrooke school building.

“It's a great piece of property and has recreational uses, but we would be crazy to take on that building, unless we can get it for nothing,” he said.

He also thinks that council will need to look at the viability of the four halls it owns, in particular the Piccadilly Hall.

“The revenue from that hall was $500 last year, and its use is severely limited. We can't afford not to look at it with all we are going to be facing,” he said.

He said he has enjoyed being on council and has worked hard to keep informed about issues and to keep the township's interests front and center when making decisions.

“I think I've done a pretty good job on that score,” he said.