Posthumus Award

Linda Young accepted a Fire Services Long Service medal awarded to her late husband, Brian Young. Presenting the honour, Fire Chief Chesbrough spoke warmly of Young’s 25 years of dedication to the fire service and to his community. Mayor Davison recalled that Young once saved a man’s life by pulling him from a burning truck. Ironically, although Young had always been especially dedicated to safety, he conducted the rescue with no safety gear that night, for the burning truck had crashed just outside his home.

Reversed Decision

Council agreed, with a 7-2 majority, to reconsider their previous decision to refuse a fourth severance on the Asselstine property on Boyce Road in Hartington.

The township's Official Plan prescribes that only three severances can be granted on a single property, and that is why the initial application was refused.

Councilor Del Stowe, in asking to bring the motion back, said he had not realized that the severance, which is to be zoned commercial to accommodate a solar panel, cannot be converted to residential without further Council approval.

For that reason, he said that the severance could be granted in this case, because the intent of the Official Plan was to limit severances for new building lots to three per property, so granting the lot in this case remains consistent with the intent of the Official Plan.

Mayor Davison expressed concern that this was setting a bad precedent, but the severance was granted over his objection.

Vacation Policy

The township has accrued a growing liability (presently valued at $51,063) by allowing non-union staff to accumulate unused vacation entitlement. Funds have to be set aside each year to offset this future expense. CAO Wayne Orr brought forward a draft vacation policy that would clear up the accrued value and prevent it re-establishing: the cash value of carried-over vacation will be frozen at its Dec 2012 value, and any not used as vacation by the end of December 2014 will be paid out. In future, part-time employees will be able to carry a maximum of 10 days into the next year, and these cannot be further banked. The policy was accepted.

Perth Road Village Road Reconstruction Tendered

Out of ten submissions, Council approved Morven Construction’s bid of $932,317, for work that will include storm sewer, curb, sidewalk, and breaking of rock for ditches and road structure through Perth Road Village. Work will begin this fall, and carry over into spring 2013.

Portland Waste Disposal Site Plan

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth reported that further study has indicated that a multi-faceted approach is necessary in order to effectively address the environmental challenges at the Portland Waste Site.

He recommends water level management, partial capping of filled areas, and an improved operational plan.

“The Quinte Conservation Authority has been very helpful in developing a better understanding of the hydrology of the area, with the result that some drainage blockages have been removed,” Segsworth told Council.

A partial capping plan is being developed, which will enable permanent capping of filled locations, thus preventing surface erosion.

Segsworth added, “Public input has been useful in working toward the development of an improved operational plan, which will be put in place before the end of 2012.”

Segsworth said that, if approved by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), the action plan will be monitored and analyzed over the next 2-3 years, to determine its effectiveness.

His report will be now be submitted to the MOE for approval.

Grass Drag Issue Resurfaces

Councilor John McDougall asked about the status of the grass drags recently advertised by Bill Day of Harrowsmith. Vandewal said, “He’s trying to stretch the envelope.” Mayor Davison said Council had agreed to one event only, as a memorial to Bill Day Sr., and asked that a registered letter be sent to Mr. Day, reminding him that if further events were arranged, the by-law officer would be notified. 

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is ending the Ontario Stewardship Program.

The program has provided administrative and staffing support to 46 stewardship councils in all rural counties in Southern Ontario for the past 16 years.

In a letter to stewardship council chairs that was sent by email on September 27, Assistant Deputy Minister Carrie Hayward delivered the news that the local councils had been fearing ever since details of the 2012 provincial budget came out last spring, which indicated the MNR will be undergoing a transformation plan.

“As signalled in the 2012 Ontario Budget, one element of our transformation plan is to refocus our efforts in stewardship and partnership activities,” wrote Carrie Hayward.

Hayward then said that a number of other “stakeholders” have sprung up since the stewardship councils were created and they are capable of delivering some of the “resource management activities” that the stewardship councils have also been engaged in.

“Instead of focussing much of our assistance through stewardship councils, we will support a wider range of community groups. The result is that the Ontario Stewardship Program, with a stewardship coordinator dedicated to supporting each individual stewardship council’s work, will end.”

Hayward went on to say that 14 stewardship co-ordinators have been notified their positions have been “surplussed” and that 25 new “Partnership Specialist” positions, “working at the district level … with a broader range of stakeholders, are being created.”

For Gord Rodgers, the chair of the Frontenac Stewardship Council, the news was as much disappointing as it was expected.

“I am really disappointed with the MNR,” Rodgers said. “We have been hearing about this for over a year now, and the budget talked about change and consultation, but they did not respond to any of our requests for meetings. A request that a number of council chairs made to meet with the minister did not even get a response from the ministry.”

The Frontenac Stewardship Council has sponsored a number of projects in Frontenac County in recent years, including: tree planting programs; rehabilitating the habitat on Big Sandy Bay on Wolfe Island; providing funding for shoreline rehabilitation projects undertaken by rural landowners; developing a water unit for the grade 8 curriculum; producing the 48-page Naturally Rich Frontenacs booklet; providing financial support for lake management planning and fish spawning bed efforts; and working with foresters on woodlot management plans and on efforts to react to the butternut canker and emerald ash borer.

The Council has also sponsored well-attended talks on grey wolves, loons, fishers, and recently, the grey (black) ratsnake.

“Our efforts have always been geared towards working cooperatively with Frontenac County residents who are interested in improving the surrounding ecosystems. We work with people; we have nothing to do with the legal and regulatory aspects of the MNR. It is disappointing that the MNR is pulling away from such a cooperative aspect of their mandate,” said Rodgers.

The stewardship councils will not be forced to cease their operations, but in order to receive $10,000 in MNR funding support for the 2012-2103 year, they will need to incorporate or to have finalised an agreement with an incorporated sponsor by the end of 2012. Until now the councils have been under the ministry’s umbrella.

The MNR will cover insurance costs until the end of March 2013 for those councils that decide to carry on.

“The problem is that without the support of a dedicated MNR staff person to help us access grants in order to fund local projects, we will need to raise funds just to get a part-time person in place to then seek funding,” said Rodgers.

Rodgers said the Frontenac Stewardship Council would meet later in October to talk about the future, if any, of their activities.

It might be possible for councils from three or four counties to band together and form a regional council, perhaps with some municipal support, but Rodgers said nothing has been done so far in that regard.

“I haven’t talked to the chairs of the neighbouring councils yet,” he said. “The news is still fresh and I am pretty discouraged about it.”

Bedford Roads

Qasem Mahmud, Manager of Long Bay Camp in Bedford, came before Council with a petition from local cottagers asking that the narrow sections of Burridge and Richie side roads be widened, to make them safer. Neither Council nor Public Works manager were unsympathetic, but as Segsworth put it, “Bedford roads are challenging: the need far exceeds the resources.” He is presently trying to get traffic counts, to help determine the most heavily used roads, which will be given priority in the Public Works capital budget, to be presented to Council in November. One of the biggest issues is the lack of proper drainage: “some of these roads just seem to follow the old cow paths.”

Verona CIP Succeeding:

CAO Wayne Orr reported that the Verona Community Improvement Plan was a little past its half-way point and going well. This program, funded by the township in conjunction with Federal Gas Tax dollars has stimulated a wide range of projects by both businesses and individual property owners, which include new business signs, storefront renovation, painting, porches, windows, awnings, etc. Deputy Mayor McDougall noted that numerous improvements are already evident in Verona. The program has two parts: a grant, up to a maximum of $2,500, and the option of a loan. To date, a program investment of $38,100 had stimulated sixteen projects valued at a total of $612,061. Other interested Veronians are encouraged to consider applying: information is available from the township offices.

Cemeteries Report:

Presently, the township has three cemetery boards, which operate a total of eight municipal cemeteries. Record-keeping is inconsistent, rates vary between districts, and the revenues do not cover the costs of operation. Staff and the Corporate Services Committee presented a report recommending that one cemetery board be created for the township, having one set of by-laws, and new rates sufficient to fund the administration of the cemeteries. Also, separation of the three service components into administration, grounds and excavation. This would not prevent one person from tendering for all three areas, but would provide an option for the work to be separated.

Council directed staff to discuss these recommended changes with the three cemetery boards and report back.

Ompah Library

Marily Seitz presented an update on the Ompah Community Library.

She said the library, which sprung up as a community venture when the Kingston Frontenac Public Library closed the Ompah branch in the spring of 2011, “is alive and thriving and has become a vital community hub.”

There has been no problem stocking the shelves, as donated books, none of them more than five years old, have been plentiful and varied. “We have 25 boxes of books in storage that we plan to use to change the collection on the shelves,” said Seitz.

One of the more popular functions of the library has been the Internet access that it offers its patrons. The location has been designated as a CAP, or Community Access Portal site, but that federal program has now ended. Mazinaw Online will keep the Internet service running until the end of this year, but after that the library will need to find a provider, and pay the cost of the connection.

“To continue with our present service will cost $90 a month, which is more than we can afford, but there are options at about $60 a month, which we might be able to cover,” said Seitz.

The library was very well used by the summer residents this year, Seitz added, a marked increase over last summer when the library was just getting up and running. “People rave about our collection of books,” Marily Seitz said.

Members of Council expressed their support for the library, and Mayor Clayton thanked Marily Seitz for the update. The library is open for two hours, two days a week during the winter, and three days a week in the summer.

Fire Hall Task Force deferred

Councilor John Inglis presented a proposal for the makeup of a task force to work on plans for a new fire hall in Ompah. Mayor Clayton said that now that he has Inglis' “wish list” for members he would like to see what names other members of Council come up with.

Chief Adminisrative Officer Cheryl Robson said that the company contracted to begin a phase 2 assessment of the property the township purchased for the fire hall will begin their work this week.

Asset Management Plan –

For several years North Frontenac Council and staff have been diligent in following provincial initiatives aimed at developing a comprehensive inventory of municipal assets and liabilities. And that effort might pay off for the township in the near future

The provincial government’s latest announcement regarding infrastructure funding for municipalities ties future funding to the development of asset management plans that cover all municipal property: roads, bridges, culverts, offices, halls, garages and road equipment, cemeteries, even lighting fixtures.

The value of each asset, its state of repair, replacement cost, and a financial plan to cover maintenance and replacement costs over time, will all be required before municipalities will be able to apply for future help from provincial and federal funding programs.

Because North Frontenac has taken considerable steps over the past few years to account for its physical assets and their replacement costs, CAO Robson said in a report to council that the township's auditing firm, KPMG, is in a position to complete an asset management plan that conforms to provincial standards, for only $1,500. The only additional costs could be some engineering information that may be required.

Council accepted Robson’s recommendation to engage KPMG. A provincial funding program to help with asset management plans might cover the cost.

by Jeff Green

Frontenac County to contest electoral boundary proposals

In response to a report from Chief Administrative Officer Elizabeth Savill, Frontenac County Council has decided to seek standing at a public meeting dealing with proposed electoral boundaries that will take place in Kingston in November.

The boundary changes will bring 15 new ridings to Ontario in recognition of the fact that Ontario's population of 13.4 million people represents almost 39% of all Canadians.

The proposals also involve a reshuffling of seats in Eastern Ontario, which, if enacted, will split Frontenac County into three ridings.

Frontenac Islands will remain part of the Kingston and the Islands riding, as it is currently, whereas South Frontenac Township is slated to join the proposed Belleville-Napanee-Frontenac riding, and North and Central Frontenac, the proposed Lanark-Frontenac-Hastings riding.

“These proposals are not much different from what was initially proposed 10 years ago,” said Savill. “They do not respect our boundaries. South Frontenac is being cut out. There is also a concern with respect to manageable size in the case of the northern riding.”

The distance from Smiths Falls and Bancroft, the southeastern and northwestern extremes of the proposed Lanark-Frontenac-Hastings riding, is 203 km.

Savill also pointed out that when similar proposals were made 10 years ago, the last time riding redistribution took place, officials from the affected communities mounted a successful campaign to rejig the ridings in a more county- friendly manner.

Savill sees no reason that the same thing can't happen again in 2012.

The problem that the two-member riding redistribution commission faces is that changing a single riding can affect the boundaries of many other ridings, and there is an over-riding requirement that none of the ridings have too high or too low a population.

“If we can try to contain some of the ripple in our area to the two ridings, it will be much better received,” said Savill.

Savill has been in contact with municipal officials in Hastings County, and said they will also be seeking standing at one of the public meetings on redistribution, and may be presenting an alternative proposal that would maintain more cohesion for the three counties, Frontenac, Hastings, and Lennox and Addington, who are all being split into at least two ridings under the current proposals.

Frontenac County Warden Janet Gutowski said that she had received an email from current Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington MP Scott Reid about the proposed distribution, which encourages the municipalities involved to seek changes in order to maintain some integrity to their boundaries.

A proposal that has been floated would call for a riding that includes Lanark-Frontenac and all of Lennox and Addington with the exception of Napanee, and a second riding that encompasses all of Hastings County as well as Napanee.

After the public meetings in November, a further parliamentary review process will take place early in 2013 before the boundaries are finalised. They will come into effect in time for the 2015 federal election, and will also take effect for subsequent Ontario provincial elections.

Ambulance base at Road 509 and Ardoch Road intersection revisited

With the termination of the agreement between Frontenac County and North Frontenac Council to build a joint ambulance post/fire hall in Ompah, the county is considering a return to the original recommendation of a consultant’s report from 2009, which called for a new base to be built in the vicinity of Road 509 and Ardoch Road, to serve communities in North Frontenac as well as residents and motorists on Highway 7.

In a report to Council on Sept. 19, Frontenac County Chief of Paramedic Services, Paul Charbonneau, wrote - “From this proposed location [Ardoch Road and Road 509] an ambulance:

Will have better access to major roads serving North and Central Frontenac Townships, including Sharbot Lake and Highway 7;Will be able to respond more rapidly to calls that originate in both North and Central Frontenac Township areas, particularly communities situated in the easterly catchment areas of the Townships. Response time to Ompah and its immediate environs may increase slightly. In this regard it should be noted that Ompah and its immediate local environs generate relatively few calls.”

Charbonneau included mapping in his report that shows that a 30-minute response time will be achieved throughout all of the built up areas in North and Central Frontenac from the Ardoch Road base as well as a base run by Lennox and Addington in Northbrook.

Thirty minutes was an identified target for rural response in a study on rural ambulance delivery that was completed for Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and Hastings Counties in 2000.

The Northbrook service is a 24 hour a day service, while the current northern service in Frontenac County is only a 12 hour per day service, which places doubt that the 30-minute response time can be achieved on the Frontenac end of the region when the Frontenac ambulance is not available. Paul Charbonneau’s report to council did not refer to hours of service.

County Council gave Charbonneau direction to “investigate options in the recommended location area for a new ambulance station.”

Other items from Frontenac County

Still smarting over fishy cancellation – When the minutes from the July 24 meeting of Council came up for ratification, Frontenac Islands Councilor David Jones, who had missed that meeting, had a few words for his fellow councilors.

“I missed the meeting on July 24, after the date was changed, and it was only after the meeting that I found out the date was changed for a fishing trip. That information was not shared with me before the date was changed. So I ask the warden, ‘why the spin’? I draw your attention to the Municipal Act., It says, in section 237, that a quorum, a majority of all members of council, is necessary. It says nothing about where those members come from.”

Warden Gutowski responded to Jones by noting that “There was discussion at the meeting on the 24th with respect to rescheduling and members of Council had their say, as you have today. Traditionally we have re-scheduled meetings to ensure that all townships are represented. So we will move on from that.”

Donation to Thunder Bay – The County will donate $500 to flood relief in Thunder Bay.

Susan Beckel – Long-serving County Deputy Clerk Susan Beckel, whose duties ranged from organizing County Council agendas and mediating the county’s relationship with the City of Kingston regarding Social Services, among a long list of other duties, has taken a job as Clerk for the City of Napanee. Members of Council expressed their appreciation for Beckel’s work over the years, as did the CAO.

Fish, fish, she got her wish

On Sept. 25, Central Frontenac Council opened their nets wide for LOLTA (Land O' Lakes Tourist Association) general manager Rachelle Hardesty's presentation and all councilors agreed to give her the $5,000 in Fish TV funding that she was looking for. “It's not all about fishing,” she said. “The main objective here is to bring people to the Land O'Lakes area to support our existing businesses and to help attract new businesses to the area.”

If her numbers are right, over 2.5 million viewers of Fish TV will watch each of the four Fish TV shows that will be filmed in North, South, and Central Frontenac.

Winter Snow Plowing:

Public Works Manager Mike Richardson reported that in an effort to save the township money, township staff will be maintaining the municipality’s section of Road 38 this winter instead of contracting out the work. A number of councilors were concerned about a possible increase in wait times for ploughs and a decrease in winter upkeep as a result. Richardson responded by assuring council that routes may get juggled around a bit but no plowing time will be lost and savings for the township will result.

Waste Management: 

In his waste management report to council, Waste Coordina-tor Kyle Labbett recommended that coun-cil adopt the Town of Gananoque's illegal dumping by-law, which would give By-law Enforcement Officer Ken Gilpin the ability to write tickets for illegal dumping without having to take the violator to court. Instead Gilpin would be able to issue a fine immediately to the perpetrator. After much discussion about the current by-law and wondering whether or not to take this punitive route, the resolution was deferred until more information about the amount of illegal dumping occurring in the township could be gleaned.

Labbett's second request was for council to propose a resolution expressing an interest to the City of Kingston to enter into a recycling contract. Currently the township has a contract with HGC Management in Belleville. Labbett said the benefits of a contract with the City of Kingston would be three-fold: 1) unifying recycling practices throughout the county, 2) including styrofoam and plastic bags in recycling and 3) making available any possible financial advantages. Council passed the resolution for staff to investigate the City of Kingston as a possible option. 

Xplornet Tower a go in Hinchinbrooke

Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the plans outlined for the building of a 45 meter tall Xplornet tower on private property off of Buchans Ridge near Dwyer Lane, enabling subscribers to access quality high speed internet.

New Property Standards/Safe Property By-Law:

CAO Shawn Trépanier, who was not in attendance at the meeting, submitted a report to Council with a recommendation that they "draft a new by-law related to the safety and maintenance of properties for Central Frontenac in time for the next council meeting”. Trépanier reported that after numerous meetings with council, staff, the township's solicitor and the public on the subject of property standards, it was determined that “enhancing the current safe property by-law would be in the best interest of the Town-ship”. Suggested items to be included in the new by-law include defining the complaint procedure and process, rewording existing sections to clarify and include safety and aesthetic issues, including a trees section, including the structural and exterior integrity of buildings, and an enforcement procedure of the by-law.

Planning Services decision still up in the air:

In a report to council, Trépanier recommended that council direct staff to is-sue an RFP for planning services to include the presence of a planner to be available at the municipal office one day per week. After much discussion Council deferred the reso-lution until more information about comparative costs between outside contractors vs. Frontenac County staff planners could be made available.

School bus loading zone:

Heather Highet, Principal of Sharbot Lake High School, and Steve Wowk, Manager of Tri-Board Transportation Services, appeared before council seeking the temporary designation of a 180-foot stretch of Dixon Crescent in Sharbot Lake as a school bus loading zone. Council approved the designation.

Possible changes to municipal fire building plans

Council reviewed possible changes to plans for a new fire hall / municipal office building in Northbrook. The changes included moving the mezzanine area to above the training room, which would open up more space in the truck bays below. The plan noted that to make the change the peak of the building would have to be moved to the centre of the building so that a second story could be created above the main floor office. In his email Casey Cuddy noted that the change would “give us more useable space with little additional cost.”

He added that if needed, an office could be moved to the second floor in order to make more space for washrooms/showers and lockers on the main floor.

Council members reviewed the plans and received them for information and requested a conceptual arrangement of how the changes would look on paper with the suggested addition.

“We really need to get going on this,” Deputy Reeve Bill Cox said. Councilor Fritsch also requested a formal agreement from Casey once the final changes have been decided on.

Asset Management Plan Funding Program

Councilors reviewed a couple of offers sent to the mayor by consulting firms offering their services to assist with the township’s asset management plans. The offers coincide with the announcement by the Province of Ontario on August 12about infrastructure funds that will be available through the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII)

The Province requires that municipalities seeking infrastructure funding through the initiative prepare detailed assessment management plans before they will be eligible for the funding. The province is making $60 million in funding available to small municipalities over the next three years for investment in roads, bridges, water, waste water and social housing infrastructure through the MIII.

To support small municipalities in the development of the required asset management plans the provincial government will also be providing funding to approximately 350 smaller communities to help create a plan.

Council members reviewed offers from Genivar, Jewell Engineering and Infrastructure Solutions who each offered to assist with the township’s management plans. When two of those companies were asked by staff township staff for an estimate they replied that they needed to wait until further information was made available.

Councilor Helen Yanch pointed to the October 22 deadline for an expression of interest for the funding and said, “We really need to make a decision about this tonight.”

After much discussion Deputy Reeve Cox wondered if hiring a company would in effect be “putting the horse before the cart,” seeing as it would not be known how much infrastructure grant money would be coming in prior to hiring a firm to come up with a plan. Reeve Henry Hogg suggested doing the application in house instead of hiring it out. “That way we can submit an application, do the plan in house, and still be eligible for the grants and save ourselves some money.”

In the end a motion was passed to do jut that.

Ompah fire hall project survives Council vote

In a vote of 5-2, North Frontenac Council agreed this week to move the Ompah fire hall project forward, although there is still no guarantee about the size of the building or even that it will be built at all.

Councilor John Inglis prepared a motion for Council's consideration, in which he recommended that the township order a stage 2 environmental assessment to be initiated on the property that the township purchased for the project several years ago. At a cost of $27,000, the assessment will either give the property a clean bill of health, or it could determine that a clean up is required, at an unknown cost.

The cost of the assessment will be paid for from about $400,000 that has been set aside for a fire hall.

Included in that $400,000 is a commitment from the Ompah firefighters to raise $50,000 for the project. They have raised $42,000 thus far.

In his original motion, Inglis called for a task force to be created to oversee the project, including the design and construction of the building, and that the township's Chief Building Official (CBO) George Gorrie take on the role of project manager as well.

Councilor Hunter said that delegating so much authority to a task force, which would be made up of members of the public and up to three members of Council, would lead to delays because a task force must come to Council for approval before taking any action.

Township Chief Administrative Officer Cheryl Robson said that she asked George Gorrie about managing the project, and “he said there may be a problem because it is his job as CBO to inspect the work from a neutral perspective.”

Inglis agreed to changes to his motion to the effect that the task force will only oversee the building design, and that township staff will step in to put together any tender documents that are required. The motion was also changed to call for a project manager to be hired.

Deputy Mayor Fred Perry, said Inglis' motion “sort of puts the cart before the horse. Before we go out and build a 4,500 square foot building we should wait for our fire chief to tell us what we really need, and to make some decisions about what kind of services we are prepared to offer from Ompah, Snow Road, and Plevna.”

Although he eventually supported the modified version of Inglis' motion, Mayor Clayton also expressed the concern that the township would be better served if council waited until a new Core Fire Services bylaw is passed later this month.

“We do need a fire station in Ompah, I have no doubt about that, but what size it needs to be, and what kind of equipment it needs to house is another question. It might be that we can renovate what is already there to provide the service we need to provide. I would suggest at least this - that the motion should be changed to call for a ‘fire hall solution in Ompah' rather than ‘a new fire hall in Ompah’ because we don’t have all the information we require yet”, said Clayton.

While Inglis agreed to the other proposed changes to his motion, he put his foot down when it came to whether the motion commits the township to a new building.

“That was not my intention in preparing the motion,” said John Inglis to Clayton. “I would prefer to let it stand as it is.”

Councilor Wayne Good insisted that the motion clearly state that all costs that arise from the environmental assessment of the property, including the cost of using township equipment as well as any clean up costs, be taken off the $400,000 that is available for the project.

When it came time to vote on the amended motion, Councilor Good and Deputy Mayor Perry voted no, and Councilors Watkins, Martin, Inglis and Hunter, as well as Mayor Clayton, voted yes.

While the vote was clear, the next steps are not.

The environmental assessment will be initiated, but the establishment of a task force and its terms and conditions will have to come back to Council later this month.

Given that the scope of the project is yet to be determined, hiring a project manager and setting out a tender for construction are also on hold.

Not only will the costs of the environmental assessment be taken off the $400,000 set aside for the project, CAO Cheryl Robson told the News that a number of costs related to the failed fire hall-ambulance base project with Frontenac County have not come in from the County yet, and Council may want those costs taken off the $400,000 as well.

Assessment increases muted for the next four years.

Over the past four years, property values across the region rose at less than half the rate they did in the previous 4-year period.

That was one of the points made by Bev Disney from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) when she appeared at a meeting of North Frontenac Council this week.

Disney came to inform Council that ratepayers throughout the township would be receiving notices in the coming days about their property valuations. These values, based on MPAC's determination of the value of each property as of January 1, 2012, will be phased in over 4 years.

Each year, local municipalities determine municipal taxes by multiplying the tax rate that the local council sets by the property assessment value that MPAC provides for individual properties.

While Disney said that the average increased value for waterfront properties throughout the region (Lanark, Frontenac, and Lennox and Addington Counties) was only 15% between the last assessment date, January 1, 2008, and the 2012 assessment, in North Frontenac itself the numbers are a bit different.

The average increase in North Frontenac is higher - 23.1% for year-round single-family dwellings on water, and 24.6% for seasonal dwellings on water. The overall average increase for residential properties in North Frontenac was 10.9% for the period.

This means that the share of taxation in North Frontenac will continue to shift towards waterfront ratepayers.

Any tax increases will be doubled for them, and even if the local tax rate remains flat, the average waterfront ratepayer will see a 6% increase in taxes each year while non-waterfront ratepayers will see an increase of only 2.5%.

In addition to bringing this global information, Bev Disney talked about improved service for individual ratepayers. Assessment notices, which will be coming out late this week in North Frontenac, will include information to enable individuals to access aboutmyproperty.ca, which includes information about some of the features that MPAC took into account in assessing each property. Property owners are encouraged to look carefully at this information.

“If it turns out that we think there is a garage on the property and there isn't, for example, it might affect the value we have assigned to that property,” Disney said.

Property owners will have until April 1 next year to file a Request for Reconsideration of the value MPAC has assigned to their property.

If, after a Request For Reconsideration is completed, the property owner is not satisfied with the result, a formal appeal can be made to an external review board that is not affiliated with MPAC.

“One of the changes that has been made in recent years is that a Request For Reconsideration must take place before an appeal can be launched,” said Bev Disney. “This actually works in the property owner's favour because the appeal process is complicated and has a cost, whereas the Request For Reconsideration is more informal and is free.

Disaster relief: The township will donate $100 to flood relief in Thunder Bay, consistent with similar donations for fires in Goderich and Slave Lake, Alberta in recent years.

New floor and shelving at Clar-Mill Hall: Council approved the installation of new flooring and shelving at Clar-Mill Hall, at the expense of the Clar-Mill Community Volunteers. The township will cover insurance costs for volunteer labourers.

Fire code compliance at community halls – the township has completed a fire safety inspection of its five community halls, resulting in a long list of repairs and upgrades to all five halls. The repairs are prioritised; some need to be done immediately while others can wait for one or two years and be included in the 2013 and 2014 township budgets.

Among urgent requirements are an exhaust system for the stove in the kitchen of the Clar-Mill Hall and work on the furnaces at the Clar-Mill, Ompah, Snow Road halls. As well, changes that are not costly but must be made immediately include removing table lamps that use lamp oil from the Harlowe Hall as well as cleaning and organizing the basement and removing all stored items in the furnace room, and completing some work on the basement window at the Barrie Hall.

Solar Voltaics at township office/garage – Council approved spending $3,300 on an engineering study to determine the feasibility of a Solar Voltaic Microfit system on the roof of the township office/roads garage.

Bylaws of interest – North Frontenac will accept hazardous waste from residents of Addington Highlands, and the terms were set out in a new bylaw.

As well, a bylaw was approved establishing fees that can be charged for fighting outdoor fires. The use of a pumper, tanker, equipment van/truck, or emergency van can be billed at $200 per hour per piece of equipment, and firefighters will be compensated at the same rate of compensation the township pays them to fight any fire.

Treasury Department Information

Treasurer Louise Fragnito noted that the recently renewed township insurance covers buildings, machinery and vehicles, liability for township and council, and accident insurance for volunteers. However, the township has no insurance for its 48 bridges and large culverts, which are valued at almost $7 million. Fragnito noted that recent damage to a single bridge is costing the township $100,000. Council agreed that insurance coverage of bridges, for a premium of $13,421/year, is a good idea.

Fragnito presented a draft of a reserve policy, developed by the corporate services committee, which organizes the township reserves into four categories and sets target values and criteria for the use of reserves and reserve funds. The primary objectives of reserves are to safeguard and maximize existing assets, finance new capital assets, ensure stable and predictable levies, and provide for operating emergencies. Presently, South Frontenac has almost $14 million in reserves, all of which can now be listed on two pages.

MPAC is Coming Next Week

Throughout this last spring and summer, MPAC has been preparing new assessment information, which comes into force for the 2013 – 2016 tax years. The updated assessments for South Frontenac property owners are due to be mailed out September 13.

Township Zoning By-law to be Updated

Planner Lindsay Mills presented a proposed ‘housekeeping by-law” to update the zoning maps and correct small errors and omissions that have been noted over the past seven years. Mills noted that in order to bring the by-law into conformity with the intent of the Official Plan, zoning had to be applied to all lakes and waterbodies to prohibit floating boathouses and house boats. Council recommended the terminology in the Recreational Resort Commercial zone needed to be made more consistent.

SHS Addition

Mills reported that the Limestone School Board is still planning to build an addition to Sydenham High School, which will include a theatre, gym, computer lab and food services classroom.

Public Open Houses re Waste Disposal Sites: Portland and Bedford

Council received detailed reports of the comments from these two well-attended meetings, which were held in August. Both seem to have provided excellent opportunities for improved communication between residents and township staff.

Three delegations came to Council looking for roadwork to be done on the roads near their homes.

Derek Mendham and Jim Ferguson, Sheldrake Lake Road residents, came to talk about the condition of the Hughes Landing Road. Mr. Ruth came to talk about the deterioration of culverts over Mallory Creek.

Council said they would look at the requests later on, possibly when considering next year's budget.

Dr. Stephen Connell, who lives on Deerrock Lake Road, also appeared before Council. He talked about a piece of the road that traverses his own property, and asked Council to consider rerouting the road, a job that has been budgeted to $200,000 plus, but which Dr. Connell says can be done for about $50,000. Council did consider Dr. Connell’s request later in the meeting, and decided to deny it. A letter will be sent stating that according to the township's road needs study, the road is adequate and will not be re-routed.

No response to Tanglewood Marina: Ralph Seamons from Tanglewood Marina sent a follow up letter after his appearance before Council last month in Denbigh. Mr. Seamons runs a service that delivers garbage and recycling for his clientele to the Hartsmere waste site, and he proposed some changes to the regulations at the waste site to accommodate his operation.

“I don’t think we should do anything until Mr. Seamons improves his operation,” said Councilor Adam Snider.

“We should not make any promises based on something he might do, because that would be a commitment on our part,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

Council decided to receive Mr. Seamons’ letter for information.

Fish TV – Addington Highlands Council, following the lead of North Frontenac Council, made a commitment of $5,000, to be paid by April 2014, in support of television productions in the Land O’Lakes by Fish TV. The request for support, which came from the Land O’Lakes Tourist Association, included a number of reports about the benefits the TV show will bring to the local economy.

“I don’t think their numbers are that accurate,” said Deputy Reeve Bill Cox, “I don’t think the township will see huge profits from this.”

“I take those with a grain of salt, but I see the potential as greater than the cost to us,” said Councilor Tony Fritsch.

Play structure closed in Northbrook – The play structure at the Northbrook skate park has been damaged on several occasions, and Council decided to block access to the structure until it can be repaired. Staff will consider how this can be done.

Audit – Martin Secker, from Secker Ross and Perry, chartered accountants, presented the 2011 financial Information report to Council. The presentation covered a far bit of detail, concluding that the “consolidated financial statements are presented fairly – in accordance with generally accepted financial principles.”