Primum non nocere . . . “First do no harm.”

It is indeed a pity that committees of council have no form of Hippocratic oath to adhere to. Rather, they are free to focus with tunnel vision on one particular dogma without need to consider the law of unintended consequences.

What we’re talking about here is Central Frontenac Council’s planned assault on what it perceives to be a sky-is-falling situation whereby all of our lakes are going to descend into a quagmire of degradation if we don’t make sure that every last septic system in the Township is in tip top working order.

The idea that mandatory inspection of all the 4,000 or so septic systems in the municipality will all end up rainbows and unicorns is utter hogwash.

The committee estimates that 3 to 4 per cent of existing systems will need serious overhauls and/or replacement. Let’s go out on a limb here and guestimate that the majority of these 80-100 systems belong to residents that can least afford the $10,000-$20,000 repair bill. A $20,000 bill to a family struggling with heat-or-eat or to fixed income seniors means essentially one thing — people are going to lose their homes because of this.

Isn’t it ironic that this draconian plan comes on the heals of a presentation by community service agencies pointing out that requests for their services are growing, particularly in the area of rural homelessness. It’s also interesting to note Frontenac County is intent on finding ways of allowing seniors to stay in their homes for as long as possible, and hitting them up for expensive septic repair bills could have the opposite effect.

Another questionable aspect to all this is that the Township plans to licence existing pumper/hauler operations to conduct inspections and issue a report after said inspection. Well, there are a dearth of folks who are comfortable with the business end of a honey hose to begin with and the questions have to be asked: how many of them are going to buy a licecse (thus increasing their cost of doing business) and how many are going to want to join the Township’s poo police department?

The cost of a licence thing is sure to lead to increased cost for a pump-out (now there’s an incentive to clean out the old tank isn’t it?) and if the number of pumper-haulers available goes down, so much for competition keeping costs lower.

And did they even mention the issue of getting to septic systems on island properties?

Rumours of septic systems failing on islands tend to resurface on a regular basis. The only thing is, when reporters ask specific questions about such things, there is never any proof, it’s always rumours.

Maybe there is a major problem but is it on a level with say, flotillas of boats spewing gasoline exhaust into a lake?

There’s a lot more to lake management than phosphorus but somehow this issue just causes people to lose their minds — even to the point where they’re willing to trade one perceived problem for a host of others.

Coun. Vernon Hermer will be required to apologize to Council and “send a follow-up email to a resident correcting his (Hermer’s) inaccurate statement” following a charge that Hermer breeched Council’s code of conduct in an email to a resident.

Specifically, the issue was referring to the matter of renovations/retrofits/additions to the municipal building. When a resident sent an email questioning the project, Hermer responded in part: “believe me, I don’t feel that the residents position or opinion concerning this project was respected or even considered in their decision to move forward.”

Originally, the matter was to be discussed under closed session (identifiable individual) but Hermer himself insisted that it be brought into open session.

Mayor Ron Higgins said he found Hermer’s remarks “disrespectful” and “inaccurate because we did consider the opinion of residents.”

Coun. John Inglis agreed.

“I felt offended,” Inglis said. “We took in all the input and decided on it as a Council.

“As a person who has received a sanction in the past, I understand (and) I support his right to tell a constituent he disagreed with the decision.”

Higgins also recommended to Council that the Township appoint an integrity commissioner because without one, they can’t impose penalties such as committee appointments and/or remuneration.

For his part, Hermer argued that the Township’s procedural bylaw contravened the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ provisions for freedom of speech.

On North Frontenac Council, at least, it seems that speech may be free but still carries consequences

Other Items From Council

Higgins to replace Bedard on Joint Fire Board
Mayor Ron Higgins will replace Coun. Denis Bedard on the joint fire committee with Addington Highland Township.

“I wanted to do this so that heads of council from both townships were represented on this,” Higgins said.

When the possibility of renegotiating the agreement came up, Higgins said: “I’m not comfortable discussing some of these things without Addington Highlands representatives at the table.”

Easy Payments
North Frontenac will now be accepting payments via debit and credit cards.

“This is a great leap forward,” said Coun. John Inglis.

Chaos at the waste sites?
With new rules coming to the landfills, Coun. Denis Bedard wondered “there will be chaos for a period of time, should there be a grace period?”

Public Works Manager Jim Phillips reminded Council that the new rules would be going out with tax notices.

Gary Radford and Robert Taylor attended council on behalf of the Flinton Jamboree.

They asked if council could offer the Jamboree the use of the Flinton Recreation Centre, during the August 3-6 long weekend, free of charge. They also asked for an exemption to the noise bylaw over the festival weekend and Council agreed.

“There have been some issues in the past that we hope to smooth out this year,” said Robert Taylor.

Gary Radford said “we need to recruit some younger volunteers. It would help bring us some new energy and help with the workload as well.”

“We are also requesting a $200 donation from the township to the hall of fame,” said Taylor.

Last year, the jamboree initiated the Land O’Lakes Traditional Country Music Hall of Fame by inducting 6 inaugural members, and are planning to induct new members at this year’s jamboree.

“The request is in the budget,” Reeve Hogg told Taylor. “That doesn’t mean it is approved, but right now it is in the budget.

Concern over mandatory septic pump outs
The Rural Mayors Forum of Eastern Ontario (RMFEO) sent information and proposed motion regarding a proposed change to the building code requiring that all residential septic systems be pumped out once every five years and that records of the pump out be retained by the owner. The RMFEO expressed the concern not only that mandatory pump outs are not necessary in all cases, such as rarely used cottage properties. It is also concerned that administrative costs for enforcing the new provision will be foisted on local municipalities.

According to he RMFEO, Premier Wynne stated at the recent Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference that the “province recognizes that one size fits all solutions do not always work in rural Ontario” and is hoping to convince Bill Mauro, the Minister of Municipal Affairs to rescind the proposed change.

“This would be just another burden for residents and for the township,” said Reeve Hogg.

Council supported the RMFEO motion and will communicate that to the minister.

Setbacks from wetlands puzzles AH Council
AH staff member Patricia Gray prepared a report to Council concerning the proposal by the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) to begin regulating all wetlands within the Mississippi river watershed. A 30 metre setback for construction on all designated wetlands is what the MVCA plans to instigate.

Gray said that the township already has provisions in their official plan for wetlands, “and we do impose a setback already.”

Councilor Tony Fritsch said “I think this is just duplication that will add confusion. Not all of our township is in MVCA territory, we also have Quinte and we have some land that is not covered by any conservation authority. Do we need different sets of rules.”

MPP Randy Hillier recently sent a letter to the MVCA questioning whether undertaking the new authority is a good idea.

Member municipalities each have a seat on the MVCA board. Addington Highlands is represented by Councillor Kirby Thompson, who will have a vote when the matter comes up for a final decision.

Arguing that even though the MVCA can take on this regulatory power it does not have to, Hillier took to metaphor: “by way of an example, the law does not prevent MVCA from selling potato chips – they would, however, require board approval and municipal support to sell potato chips.”

The goals of Bill 151, The Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 are a “wonderful, noble objective but there are significant problems with blue box funding,” South Frontenac Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth told Council at its regular meeting Tuesday night in Sydenham.

Segsworth is a rare rural representative on the Ontario Waste Management Association board.

“I wouldn’t say I’m that active (on the board) as it’s mostly City of Toronto and big waste company representatives,” he said.

But while the idea of having absolutely no waste and 100 per cent recycling is admirable, there are many roadblocks that must be solved before it could ever become reality, he said.

“For one thing, it’s time we let producers be 100 per cent responsible for the products they produce,” he said. “My fridge was only 13 years old when it needed replacing and people said ‘wow, you got 13 years out of it.’

“That thinking has to change.”

And manufacturers are responsible for 50 per cent of blue box recycling programs, but don’t often make that goal. Segsworth said that has to be closer to 100 per cent for zero waste to have a chance.

“We’ve all heard the arguments for less packaging,” he said. “When is that going to take place.”

And it’s one thing to ban organics from land fills, but, he said:

“it would be great, we wouldn’t have garbage if we eliminated the organics but where is that going to go?

“I don’t think anybody has it figured out.”

He said the City of Vancouver has a private firm doing its blue box program but doesn’t see that as an option for rural municipalities because of volume.

However, he does see changes coming whatever they might be and as such has recommended Council try to extend its contract with existing waste contractors for three years (in order to buy some time) rather than negotiate new seven year contracts which they might end up having to pay for but not using. And too, it might mean that the existing contractors would be in a situation where they bought equipment that wouldn’t be needed.

“That’s the kind of challenges we face,” he said.

One thing Segsworth would like to see is waste management becoming a County wide contract.

“I’m led to believe that everybody believes zero waste is a good idea,” he said. “But a lot of it is coming out of the GTA, especially the demand to recycle organics.

“We need a solution that works in rural areas.”

In the meantime, Segsworth said that for organic waste: “We sell backyard composters for $33 each and that price hasn’t changed in years.”

Freeburn named New Road & Waste Supervisor in Addington Highlands
Addington Highlands Council announced its new Road & Waste Management Supervisor at its regular meeting Monday in Flinton.

The Township chose to promote from within, naming lead hand Mark Freeburn to the position.

Freeburn officially begins his new duties Feb. 13.

The position became vacant last November when long-time supervisor (29 years) Royce Rosenblath announced his retirement plans.

Rosenblath himself took over the position from another long-time employee, his father, James (26 years as ‘road boss’ of the former Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby Township).

For his part, Freeburn was optimistic.

“Everything’s looking good,” he said.

Condolences
The Township expressed its condolences on the passing of former Frontenac News editor Jule Koch. In a prepared statement Council said: “Jule covered activities in Addington Highlands and reported on many Council meetings. Addington Highlands would like to recognize Jule for her hard work and integrity and express their appreciation for all she has done.”

Building Code Changes
Council expressed concerns over possible implications proposed changes to the Building Code could have for residents as they apply to sewage systems.

“My concern is there could be a huge cost for cottagers,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

“A couple of years ago, the Mazinaw cottagers association was all for it,” said Coun. Kirby Thompson.

“The associations were for it because they were concerned about pollution going into the lakes,” said Coun. Bill Cox.

Water Conditions
A report from the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority that “conditions (have) returned to normal (and) the watershed in no longer in drought status” prompted Coun. Tony Fritsch to observe that lack of snow in Belleville area might lead to concerns for the Quinte Conservation Authority and to suggest “perhaps we could send them some water in return for a rate adjustment.”

Budget Date Set
Council set Feb. 21 as the date to begin 2017 budget deliberations. The budget talks will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at noon to be followed by the regular Council meeting in Denbigh.

A number of well-meaning and reasonable letters have come in to the paper over the last few months about the decision South Frontenac Council made to change the way they charge residents for waste management. Instead of charging $125 per household as had been the practice, the cost of waste management is now being folded in with all other costs and applied to the tax rate. This makes the tax system simpler,  but it shifts the burden of paying for waste management to the higher valued properties.

Owners of a home valued $100,000, if there are any left in South Frontenac at that value, used to pay the same amount for waste management as owners of homes valued at $400,000. Now they are paying 25% as much. Since property values do not determine how much garbage people throw in the dump, opponents of the change say it is unfair, and contrary to the idea of user pay for waste management services.

In fact the impact on most ratepayers will be minimal, because the closer their property value is to the norm in the township the less the change will impact them. But those who argue that owners of waterfront properties are being over-burdened once again by a tax system that is skewed against them do have a point.

But the real point to make is that waste management should indeed have a large user pay element and South Frontenac continues to miss the mark by continuing to supply 50 free bag tags to residents. When the township eliminated the $125 charge, which was really a fee of $2.50 for each bag tag, they did not take the logical step of ending the free bag tag program. In most other townships there are no free bag tags, in fact in many cases there are no tags anymore either. The townships sell clear garbage bags with the township logo printed on them for a price, $1 or $2 and not only must those bags be used for waste, they can only be used for true waste. The clear bag reveals when recyclables are in the bag and dump attendants or roadside garbage pickup workers are expected to refuse those bags.

South Frontenac residents may not want to see their garbage bags still sitting on the curb in front of their house after garbage pickup day because they contained cans or plastic bottles, but if that happened on the next week those items would be certainly be in the recycling bin, and would be picked up for free. If the township is serious about diverting waste and extending the life of its landfill sites, the dual impact of making residents pay directly for every bit of waste that goes into landfill and blocking them from being lazy and slipping recyclables into the waste cycle are the best way to do that.

Clear bags always raise an uproar when they are introduced, but then people get used to them, and they make a difference.

The alternate solution to clear bags is to up the financial incentive to divert waste. Perhaps if the bag tags cost $5 each then it will make people think twice about paying to dump a plastic bottle instead of placing it in a blue box and shipping it off for free.

No one likes buying bag tags or clear bags from the township, but it is not an overwhelming burden. It is a way to encourage recycling and make those who produce more garbage pay for the privilege of producing garbage. Anyone can alter the way they handle waste in their own home, and minimise how much goes in the waste site.

Those residents who do not use their 50 bags each year won't have to pay for them anymore and those who use more will pay more.

The only major drawback is that it can be a burden on the young in favour of the old as larger households produce more waste, but since there are opportunities to minimise waste that anyone can take advantage of if they make an effort. Even a family with young kids can make changes, and with a bit of planning, keep their garbage to under a bag a week if they compost and practice diversion.

Waste management will continue to cost more than a $2 bag tag or clear bag will ever cover, but South Frontenac Council missed an opportunity when they reformed the way it is paid for by residents.

They knew people would be upset, and they might as well have gone all the way and upset people once. Now, they will only cause more upset when they decide to stop supplying bag tags at all, which is the next logical step

It was not exactly a barn burner of a meeting when Frontenac County Council held their monthly meeting last Wednesday (January 18).

Council received a presentation from Mark Segsworth, who sits at a planning table with industry, municipal and provincial officials that is looking to develop a new waste diversion system for Ontario. The goal is to achieve 80% diversion rates from landfill in Ontario by 2050. Currently, even relatively successful diversion programs in rural areas, such as the one in North Frontenac, have reached the peak of their success. North Frontenac diverts over 50% of consumer waste when calculated by volume. However, when calculated by weight, the way provincial bodies do, the diversion rate is much lower.

“The only way to attain these goals is for changes in the way goods are produced.  As responsibility for waste diversion shifts in the direction of producers, they are looking at taking over waste management in the future,” said Segsworth, but he added that “this whole planning process will take a long time to come about, and what will happen in rural areas is not clear at all. Except for me, everyone at the table looks at waste from their urban reality, as an industrial problem.”

Segsworth added that even if all waste management is privatized in cities, municipalities may still have a role to play in rural areas. Waste management is one of the largest expenses that rural municipalities face, and there are no likely scenarios to replace landfill sites when they are full.

Councilor John Inglis pointed out that “preparing for post-landfill future was one of the goals that we identified in our strategic plan, but nothing has really happened with that goal. We were going to work through the Eastern Ontario Warden's Caucus (EOWC), but I have not heard that they are taking this on. Do we know anything about that?”

Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle said that the EOWC “has a lot on its agenda and tends to focus on one or two items at a time. Other things end up at the bottom of the pile.”

Pender sees budget pressures coming
In his monthly briefing to Council, Chief Administrative Officer Kelly Pender provided a report card of sorts on how the county has responded to a set of recommendations that were adopted several years ago following a report by the management consulting firm KPMG. In most cases, he said the objectives have either been accomplished or are being worked on.

He also pointed to a number of costs that will put significant pressure on budgets and ultimately taxation both at the county and township levels over the next five years. The most pressing is the diminishing financial role on the part of federal and provincial governments in support of social housing. As mortgages for housing units built in the early 1990's run out, so will subsidy dollars from those levels of government, but rents must remain on the geared to income scale for most social housing units. Keeping them in operation will cost more money for the county over the next two to five years. Frontenac county is responsible for 55 senior's units in the Maple Ridge and Meadowbrook buildings in Sydenham that are operated by Loughborough Not For Profit Housing, for McMullen Manor in Verona which is operated by the Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation, and for 19 houses in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake which are managed by North Frontenac Not-for-Profit Housing.

Pender also reported that costs from the Kingston Frontenac Library, Public Health, and Social Services are all rising faster than the rate of inflation, which is the counties' target for budget increases. The potential for downloading from the province may increase substantially after the next election, he said, and increased costs due to new regulations are also likely. Wage settlements through negotiation or arbitration will also push the budget, and the cost of providing long term care is rising faster than increases in provincial grants as well.

“We have been able to cut costs through finding efficiencies and we will continue on that track, but that can only take us so far,” he said.

All this indicates that the 4.15% increase in the county levy for 2017 (mitigated to 3.15% based on a calculation for growth) may be a harbinger of further and higher increases in the future.

Legal matters – county to stand pat
Finally, there were two legal matters discussed, and in both cases county lawyers recommended that Council not take any action at all.

Council received a report from Wayne Fairbrother of  the law firm of Templeman Menninga. As reported in the News last week, Erik Gillespie, a lawyer representing the  Hartington Community Association (HCA) sent an email to the county on December 6 which contained allegations of breach of confidentiality and conflict of interest on the part of two members of council, John McDougall and Ron Vandewal. Fairbrother prepared a report for the county in response which said the allegations were groundless. Council passed a motion receiving Fairbrother's report and directing “staff to advise Mr. Eric K. Gillespie that the County of Frontenac will take no further action related to his correspondence dated December 6, 2016”.

County lawyer Tony Fleming presented his opinion regarding a policy change that has been controversial on Howe Island.  A long standing policy of restricting the use of the Howe Islands Ferry to passenger vehicles during the morning and afternoon rush hours has been reversed by Frontenac Islands Council. This was done at the request of farmers on the island who use the ferry to bring supplies on to the islands and to deliver products to markets. Residents who say this hinders their ability to get to work and appointments on time appealed to the county to bring back the restrictions. Fleming reported that the restrictions were never legal in the first place and recommended that the county not intervene in any way. Council took Fleming’s advice, to the chagrin of some Howe Island residents who were in attendance.

Council and staff in Central Frontenac assisted Drain All Ltd. staff with local residents who came out in droves to keep their hazardous household waste out of the local land fills. Now in its seventh year, the drop off, which took place at the corner of Road 38 and Highway 7, enlisted the help of household hazardous waste coordinator, Steve Tebworth of Drain All Ltd. of Ottawa, who said that more vehicles attended the event than last year.

Staff and volunteers collected and sorted everything from oils, anti-freeze, gases, aerosols, paint and paint thinners, propane cylinders, large car batteries and fertilizers, pesticides and more at the free event, which aims to keep toxins out of local landfill sites. Tebworth said that about 80% of the waste gets recycled while the rest is destroyed as per the Ministry of Environment guidelines. On behalf of the township, public works coordinator and waste management supervisor, Kyle Labbett, would like to thank Jas and Suki Kaillon of the Sharbot Lake Home Building Centre for donating the use of their property and a much needed fork lift for the event.

By the end of the day, a total of 343 cars representing 485 households took advantage of the annual household hazardous waste drop off event. Tebworth wanted to remind residents who might have missed the event to save all of their hazardous waste materials for next year’s drop off.

Letters February 17, 2005

Contact Us

We have no doubt that most of your readers are familiar with the controversy between the residents of Sydenham and South Frontenac Council regarding the proposed municipal water system. It seems at the present time that bureaucracy has won over the wishes of the people and democracy no longer reigns supreme in the village of Sydenham. All the reasoned arguments, proof of blatant errors in the environmental report, petitions, water tests which showed that only a small number of properties actually have contaminated wells , etc. etc. have disappeared into the black hole named the council chamber.

The purpose of this letter is to offer a belated, but sincere thank you to the members of the Sydenham Safe Water Committee. They have volunteered untold hours of work and worry with no gain to themselves, except for the knowledge that they have contributed a great deal to their community. We would like to especially thank Mr. Richard Munroe, chairman of the committee, who has continued on in spite of much unwarranted criticism and shocking disrespect from members of council. One member in particular has the temerity to walk out of the council meeting whenever Mr. Munroe is to make a presentation. This person may not be in agreement with what is being said, but as an elected official he should remain to hear it. Otherwise, how can he make an informed decision on the subject? It is also extremely rude. In spite of petitions showing otherwise, it has often been said by council that there are only a half dozen people in the village who are against the proposed water project, referring of course to the SSWA.A recent petition presented at the last council meeting, shows irrefutably that this is not true. Of the 253 properties involved, 223 were contacted and of these, 215 signed the petition. 96% in fact. Yes, 96%!! I think respect and consideration should be paid to such glaringly obvious facts and figures and also to the person who presents them.

This project is going to cause unnecessary financial hardship to most people in our village with no advantage gained. There are other methods of treating contaminated wells without forcing chlorinated water on the whole population. The tragedy at Walkerton, which seems to have triggered this whole episode, was caused by a municipal water system failure, not by individual wells. We hate to think of that happening here. As far as we are able to discover, there have been no deaths due to contaminated well water in this area, or, in fact, anywhere in Ontario.

As relative newcomers to this area, we have been very happy to meet a lot of friendly and helpful people, but are uncomfortable in the way that this and the previous council have consistently ignored the wishes of the people they are supposed to represent. It is beyond our comprehension that council members have insisted on going ahead with this project and would ask them, in all sincerity, the reason why.

- Rosalie and George Knights.

Fishing Derby season is upon us again. Are these events innocuous or do they harm our fisheries?

A day on the ice can be very enjoyable, and to bring a few fish home for dinner is a bonus. If anglers limit their catch, they help conserve fisheries. Fishing tournaments, though, can be counterproductive to conserving fisheries.

Derbies concentrate fishing effort on certain lakes and higher pressure means more fish can be caught. If the fishing happens to be good and there are a lot of people fishing, many individuals of the spawning population of certain species (e.g. walleye) could be harvested. Successful spawning seasons are required to sustain good fisheries.

There are also problems related to keeping large fish, the goal of derbies. Larger fish of a species are often female and these fish are important spawners.

Also, larger fish, as illustrated in the Ministry of Environment's Guide to Eating Sport Fish, contain higher levels of naturally occurring mercury, so consumption of these fish should be limited or avoided altogether.

So, to help maintain the health of your lake and you, limit your catch, keep smaller (younger) fish for dinner and quickly and gently release the big fish back to the lake to spawn. And be creative with derbies: try using categories that don't negatively impact your environment.

- Bud Praskey, Big Clear Lake Steward

Dumping the Garbage

Last fall, a quick look through South Frontenac garbage revealed some basics. An average household sends almost half a tonne (about 1000 pounds) to the dump yearly.

The volume of that garbage is greater seasonally because almost 1/3 of it (over 300 pounds) is organic waste that could have been composted or just allowed to rot down someplace on the property.

Mixed in with that is over 300 pounds of material that could have been recycled -- paper, glass, tin, aluminium and recyclable plastics.

So only about 1/3 of the garbage going to the dump needs to go there, even with the limitations of our simple recycling program. And if we look in that 1/3 of our non-recyclable, non-compostable garbage, there surely is even more that does not really need to be there, such as excessive plastic grocery bags -- some stores take them back, cloth bags avoid them.

The simple lesson is that if 2/3 of our garbage does not need to be in the dump, the dump could be only 1/3 as full as it is and it would not be forced to close so soon. Regardless of our attitudes, the dumps are going to be closed, and the order will come down sooner if we fill them up sooner with garbage that could be avoided.

But the difficulty does not all arise with the taxpayers. The process needs work by the Municipality, too. Arriving at the dump to be told that some recycling bin or other is full and we should just "throw it on the dump" indicates bad management of contractors or attendants. Different lists of materials that are allowed to be recycled, presented to users by the Municipality, the attendants and the contractors also points to the need for greater attention to the program.

In bear country, dumps with smelly food containers will attract bears. Warning signs are an incomplete response. Educational information also is needed. Lanark Highlands, with Ministry of Natural Resources help, provides copies of 'Bear Wise' with the tax bill. Information about both bears and the waste management program is provided.

Garbage is not just a messy business to be avoided. We all are involved and we all pay the bills to deal with garbage as a 'public utility ' component of our society. We all need to take a rational, long-term approach to garbage that considers costs, environmental impacts and basic problems of consumerism in our society. Gray Merriam

2005 Taxes - An open letter to Central Frontenac Council

Escalating township taxes are hurting the people of Central Frontenac. For the average residential property taxpayer, they have increased by more than 60% over the last three years. What can we expect this year?

We cannot look to an expansion of the commercial tax base for relief. While it is encouraging to see the enthusiasm with which members of the Business Development Committee are approaching their task and we look forward to future benefits, it would be unrealistic to expect this initiative to yield any significant relief for the residential tax payer in the foreseeable future. The commercial sector contributed 1.8% of the township's tax revenue in 2004 - even a doubling of the commercial tax base would reduce residential taxes by only 2%.

Neither can we expect any meaningful increase in contributions and grants received from higher levels of government.

The only way another large increase can be avoided is for you, our Mayor and Councillors, to limit township spending. You need to take a very hard look, as you set this year's budget, at priorities and at the efficiency of township operations.

At your January 25th meeting, you embarked on the 2005 budget by asking staff for their proposals. No financial constraints were imposed so that you will hear what staff believe should be done. This is as it should be - it is your responsibility to set priorities and take the tough decisions. However, as you review these proposals, you must heed the advice of Councillor Frances Smith to hold the line. She is obviously well aware that we cannot tolerate another tax increase.

During your budget debate last year, a number of you felt there was insufficient time to discuss various tax saving proposals presented for consideration and that, even if implemented, they would be starting too late to have much effect on that year's spending. We were pleased to learn that, with your first budget meeting set for March 1, you have given yourselves more time this year. We trust that you will use this time to explore and discuss all possible means of avoiding another tax increase. Take a hard, firsthand look at township operations to ensure that objectives are being met in the most efficient manner - look for ways to reduce costs.

We appreciate the pressures imposed on you by the provincial downloading of responsibilities to municipalities; we believe that you appreciate the hardships township tax increases have placed on us, the people of Central Frontenac. These hardships must be your paramount consideration as you set the 2005 budget. Our incomes have not risen 60% over the last three years. We do not have bottomless pockets. As individuals we cannot do everything we want to; we have to limit our activities to what we can afford. We expect our township council to do likewise. You owe this to those who elected you.

- Michael Wise

Feature articleApril 28, 2005

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by Jeff Green

Central Frontenac Council took a short last look at the township budget at their Council meeting this Tuesday, receiving some updated data from township treasurer Judy Gray, and then they approved the budget in principle.

Among the new information Judy Gray brought to Council was the net increase in funding for 2005 that results from the new funding formula from the Province of Ontario, a one-time increase of $357,000. Since the provincial transfers for 2006 are still unclear, and there is a prospect of significant policing cost increases, Gray recommended the township follow the path suggested by Mayor MacDonald and put the extra money into reserves. She also pointed out that the townships reserves have been shrinking in recent years, and could use some replenishing.

Policing costs are increasing by $100,000 this year, Gray reported, but Council will be saving $70,000 from earlier budget projections because their application to the Canada Ontario Municipal Infrastructure Renewal (COMRIF) Project was rejected and they had allocated $70,000 to the proposed COMRIF project in 2005.

A one-time $50,000 grant that has been received by the townships fire department has simply been added to the fire department training budget for the year.

All in all, Judy Gray suggested all of the new figures need not affect the overall budget outlook, and the 2% decrease in the tax rate that was accepted at the last budget meeting should be maintained. A motion to accept the budget projections and prepare a budget bylaw was approved unanimously, although Councilor Logan Murray pointed out that doesnt mean the final budget will be approved unanimously.

Dump Amnesty retained

In the past three years taxpayers have received a card with their June tax bill that entitled them to one free dump load, excluding tires. Council considered its dump amnesty program, and a report from staff said that the program has increased in popularity in the three years it has been in existence. In 2002, 29% of the passes were used, in 2003, 32%, and in 2004, 37%.

A suggestion was made that the passes not be accepted at the Elbow Lake and Arden sites, which are near to capacity and that the program be put in place for 2005, with the passes expiring on Thanksgiving weekend.

Councillor Logan Murray was opposed. Im against amnesty days. I think they are not sound environmentally. We need to give the people the idea that they need to conserve, and this sends the wrong kind of message.

Every other Councillor contradicted Murray.

Councillor Bob Harvey said amnesty days help to educate people that garbage should go in the dump and not at the side of road. Its also a good gesture on our part. It shows the people we are willing to meet them half way. The free load pass will be included with the June tax bill once again this year.

Voice Mail hotline IT technologist Chris Matheson responded to a request from Council to investigate he feasibility of a single point of contact for the public to communicate service requests. He presented two options: a 24/7 call centre outsourcing option, at a cost of $500 to $1000 per month; or a voice mail hotline, which would involve leaving a voice mail message, which would then be emailed to an address. This option would cost $42 per month. Council was clearly attracted to option 2 for reasons of cost, and the system will be implemented and studied to determine how best to route the messages so the appropriate person can receive them as quickly as possible.

Murray concerned about new hiring

Councillor Murray expressed his distaste for the new positions that have been created in the roads department, and for which the candidates were to be confirmed at the meeting. The three positions are that of roads superintendent, a road viewer, and a mechanic.

Councillor Murray made a motion to impose a hiring freeze which would have circumvented the hiring, but other Councillors argued that the process was too far along.

We decided as a Council to create these positions, and have advertised the positions and conducted interviews. We cant turn back now, said Councillor Frances Smith.

Murray said My motion came out of the fact that the interviewing process was flawed, also part of the information that we were given was untrue. Some of us were told that a road viewer was mandatory, and it turns out it wasnt. If we knew that, we might not have created that position I think we should conduct a review, Murray said.

Murray also mentioned that he had been confined, as a Councillor, to only one of the three hiring committees, whereas other Councillors sat on more than one of the committees.

I canvassed other wardens at the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus, and the vast majority said Councillors should never sit on hiring committees. Councils decide to create a position, and staff takes care of the hiring, said Mayor MacDonald.

Before we create a position, we should know if it is required, and that didnt happen in this case, said Murray.

In the end the hiring was approved in a 7-2 vote, with Councillors Murray and Snider voting against the hiring.