Mar 14, 2013


Council scraps free Amnesty Load program

In a report to council, Waste Management Supervisor Kyle Labbett recommended that council cancel their amnesty load program. He cited “high costs and no identifiable benefits”.

The program, which has run for years, gave residents an opportunity to clean their properties of unsightly debris by allowing them one free truckload of garbage per year. In his report Labbett said that community groups now help with mass community clean ups and that none of the neighboring townships run amnesty load programs.

His report also cited negative financial implications running the program. Though the program cost the township $30,700 in 2011, the cost decreased significantly in 2012 to just $17,000. Labbett said the decrease was due to “a significant number of loads being paid for by excess bag tags (when the old tags were switched over to clear bags last year).” He also said that the costs do not factor in the loss of space at waste sites.

“Eliminating the free loads will help to prolong the life of our waste sites, which will keep costs down in the future” his report concluded.

Councilor Tom Dewey was the lone councilor who spoke against ending the program.

“I think we should give it another year. A lot of seasonal residents use the program to clean up their residences. I am also afraid that a lot of big items like chesterfields might end up getting dumped elsewhere,” he said.

Dewey’s concerns went unheeded, as council voted to end the amnesty program.

Frontenac Corridor Assessment approved

Council passed a motion supporting an assessment of the County’s major roadways (roads 506, 509, 38, 95 and 96) by the firm D.M. Wills Associates Ltd. in partnership with the County and the four townships at a cost of $10,740. The proposal resulted from a resolution by the County of Frontenac requesting that the townships' four public works managers collaborate in the areas of transportation and waste management. The plan will asses the corridor and develop a long-term capital plan that will be part of a comprehensive 10-year Asset Management Plan. The company who landed the contract is also carrying out bridge inspections for South, Central and North Frontenac townships. Mayor Janet Gutowski was pleased with the passing of the resolution, and stated, “This is good news. It’s nice to see that something good is coming out of these meetings.”

Council sluggish on changing governance structure

Mayor Janet Gutowski said that action needs to be taken quickly if a change in council composition is to be put in place before the next election. She supports making a change and said that her main motivation in promoting the change is to allow the public to determine who will be representing them at County council.

Currently the township's representative at County Council is appointed by council and not the public at large.

In a document on the subject that she submitted to council, Gutowski stated, “It is my opinion that Central Frontenac Council should formally consider a review of its governance structure and hold a public meeting for the purpose of determining if a bylaw to restructure council should be considered.”

The topic fueled much discussion. Most councilors said that they wanted to keep some degree of the current ward representation system in place, with at least four ward-elected councilors. Some suggested that the three other representatives be elected at large. Though it was determined that the cost savings would be minimal, roughly $14,000 per year per councilor, most councilors did not seem averse to downsizing.

The exception was Coucilor Bill Snyder who said he was happy with the system as it is. Councilors then discussed the possibility of a referendum on the subject to be included on the ballot at the next election, but that would mean that the change would not take place until the following election. With no one wanting to move forward immediately on the issue council ended the discussion by agreeing to visit the issue again at their next meeting on March 26.

Landscaping to proceed at proposed Multi-use Cultural Centre site in Sharbot Lake

Council passed a motion to contribute a yet to be determined amount of funds to the landscaped portion of the site for the proposed Multi-use Cultural Center. Councilor Frances Smith who is on the committee, said that the funds, which she said might amount to $5,000, would be used to clean up the trails, define the parking and perhaps plant some shrubs to make the site area more presentable. Council supported the motion, with the funds to be determined at budget time.

Delegate requests immediate attention to flooded roads

In a delegation to council, David Kendall brought to council's attention the dire state of Bebris, Baker Valley and Red Oak roads. Kendall outlined the current state of the roads, saying that spring flooding has made them dangerous and almost impassible for area residents. He asked that council consider making immediate upgrades to rectify the situation, since his correspondence with Public Works Manager Mike Richardson leads him to believe that budget restrictions will not allow for any further upgrades in the near future.

Following his presentation Council agreed to pass on the information to staff and asked staff to report back about possible upgrades at the next meeting.

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