Central Frontenac Council Report June 24

Jemma Dooreleyers | Jul 04, 2025

Asset Management

Sarah Craig from Public Sector Digest, presented the Asset Management Plan for 2025 to
The core assets are the road network, bridges and culverts and stormwater works and the non-core assets are capital assets, including vehicles, buildings, machinery and equipment, landscaping and boat launch and docks.
While the report found that 64% of the township’s infrastructure is in “fair” or “better” condition for now, it found that the conditions of the assets are in a “downward” trend. The report found that the estimated replacement costs for core and non-core assets is $286 million, with the highest cost being the replacement of the road network, estimated at $204 million.
According to the report, adequate revenue is crucial for building a sustainable asset management program. The goal is to maintain an average of 70% of the assets being in “good condition”.
The report recommends that the township increase the tax levy by 1.6% annually to reach sustainable funding within the next 20 years.
Councillor Duncan McGregor expressed skepticism regarding the flat increase in taxes.
“This is a lot of information to take in,” said Duncan McGregor. “It’s a really great report but I’m not super happy to see where we’re at in terms of costs for assets, that will be a big undertaking. My only concern with this report is how we’re going to pay for these assets and I don’t really like putting on a flat 1.6% tax increase. I think it should be looked at again by the council, there are other ways we can deal with our assets other than a tax increase.”
However, provincial legislation requires the township to create a financial plan for their assets , so council passed a non-binding motion to consider increasing the tax levy by 1.6% annually in order to meet policy requirements.
Capital Park Organizational and Service Delivery Review:
Stephen Lichty, from Capital Park Consulting, delivered a preliminary report on the findings of a review by Capital. Lichty has interviewed staff from 22 different municipalities of a similiar population to Central Frontenac Township, compiled answers from each staff and compared them with the answers given by Central Frontenac Township staff to the same questiona.
Central Frontenac has the highest rate of taxes among the 22 municipalities Lichty has looked at, but also covers the largest geographical region among the municipalities. Lichty concluded that the Central Frontenac tax rate is reasonable given the challenges faced by Central Frontenac.
His surveys revealed a similar set of pressures among all the municipal staff members, including: Legislative changes and governance reforms, economic conditions and affordability pressures, workforce pressures: recruitment, retention, and retirement, demographic shifts and social expectations, and Infrastructure, housing, and environmental pressures
In the online survey, staff were asked how satisfied they were with a list of criteria that was set out and none of the criteria ranked in good standing. The criteria were: quality of service, timeliness, responsiveness, accessibility and value for money. The rankings were between unsatisfactory to exceptional. Each criteria was ranked around a “3” which means the criteria meets expectations but could be better. The lowest ranking criteria for the services Central Frontenac provides was “value for money”.
The main theme is that the council would like the management of services to be more strategic and management would like the council to be less involved in operations because that is where friction arises. There was a common theme that everyone is working towards the same goals but sometimes things get lost in translation.
A draft for the recommendations found from the review will be presented at council in July.
OPP Update:
Council heard a report from Officer Scott Underhill about the law enforcement highlights from January 2025 to June 2025. While the full report can be found on the township website, some of the key points include:
Due to an increase in police presence along the roadways in the Central Frontenac area, there has been a 13% increase in charges laid to enforce the Highway Traffic Act and a 143% increase in the amount of seatbelt charges laid. Underhill said that the OPP have made traffic enforcement a priority this year and have been using various systems of intelligence to determine where traffic enforcement is needed the most.
That being said, there have been zero fatalities involving a motor vehicle since the beginning of the year and OPP have responded to four collisions that involved non-fatal injuries.
Another key point is that the Frontenac OPP have been granted funding for an MCERT officer to aid with mental health calls in the area.
Officer Underhill said that he would continue to promote education on the risks of speeding and encouraged the township to implement signage as a step to decrease speeding, in response to question about speeding on the Road 38 in Sharbot Lake and among ATV’ers on the trail.
Firefighters Activity Report:
The main takeaway from the fire report this month is that Chief Chris McDonough is still looking for a replacement pumper truck for Parham. He made a trip to Quebec to inspect a pumper truck used but it was not in the condition he had expected so he has been searching around for another one. A used pumper truck with a galvanized frame popped up in the US and with council’s approval he will be going to look at it in person.
Other highlights to note: “The department has received substantial support through external funding. Hydro One Networks contributed $10,000 toward the purchase of a generator for the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). In addition, the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation of Canada has generously donated $44,375.10, which will fully outfit 10 firefighters with essential gear, including bunker gear, boots, gloves, helmets, and balaclavas.”
Public Notice Act Update:
Another version of the drafted Public Notice Policy and Transparency bylaw was presented to the council. The Bylaw would mandate the council to be open and transparent with their constituents when it comes to purchasing, selling and passing bylaws.