Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith had a long awaited announcement to make after an in camera session of council early Tuesday evening.

When asked if two people had been hired or if only one of the key township management positions had been filled, she said, “We hired one person to do both jobs. We're done.”

In less than two weeks' time James (Jim) Zimmerman will take over as chief administrative officer and public works manager in the township. As part of a restructuring within the senior management of the township, the long-serving Planning Co-ordinator/Deputy Clerk Cathy MacMunn will be promoted to the position of clerk at the same time.

Zimmerman is expected to hit the ground running when he arrives for work on Monday, March 23.

The 51-year-old professional engineer will be hoping that 2015 is busy for him but not as controversial as 2014 was. In 2014 he was both hired and fired in just six months as head of the public works department for the City of Belleville. He then sought, by way of a detailed letter from his lawyer, to get his job back or at least get an explanation as to why he was let go.

“It was pretty traumatic and no explanation given whatsoever,” Zimmerman told the Belleville Intelligencer at the time. “They’ve ruined my career.”

That was then. Although Central Frontenac is a measure smaller than Belleville, Zimmerman will have a larger scope for his efforts. He will be in a position to affect not only the policies of Central Frontenac, but through the expanding co-operative efforts of the CAOs and public works managers of the four Frontenac County townships to work together, he will have a role in the future direction of the entire county.

In a media release from Central Frontenac Mayor Smith, Zimmerman is described as a “professional engineer who brings 28 years experience in both the public and private sectors to Central Frontenac. Mr. Zimmerman has held various management positions for municipalities including: the City of Belleville, the Town of Innisfil (near Barrie), the Town of Marathon, and the City of Ottawa.

“This is an exciting new chapter in the township's history and we look forward to welcoming him as an integral part of our administration.”

Frances Smith also had a few words to say about Cathy MacMunn on the occasion of her promotion to clerk.

“We have enjoyed Mrs. MacMunn's professional and caring service for many years and I an pleased to confirm this promotion,” Smith said.

In an odd twist to the arrangement, Jim Zimmerman will also fill the role of deputy clerk in addition to his other duties, making him the CAO/Public Works Manager/Deputy Clerk.

It is expected that Cathy MacMunn will maintain her position as planning co-ordinator as well as clerk.

Frances Smith said that two factors played in to the decision to combine the CAO and public works manager positions.

One is that by effectively eliminating a senior position, council was able to make a competitive offer to attract someone with Zimmerman's experience and level of skill. The second is that the interim CAO Steve Silver told the hiring committee that the CAO position is not particularly onerous at this time because of the stability of the management team.

Central Frontenac Council bumps up reserves. Levy up by 3.4% ($218,000)

Treasurer Michael McGovern followed the dictates of Council in preparing a budget that kept tax increases to a bare minimum even as the township was facing a $151,000 increase in policing costs this year.

In order to accomplish this, a number of road projects that had been identified as priorities were left off the budget, including ones on the Arden, Zealand, and Henderson Roads, and a smaller project on Medical Centre Road.

McGovern recommended, in presenting the budget a final time this week, that at least one of those projects be added.

Instead, Council heeded the advice he had given them at an earlier meeting, when he pointed out that at the end of 2015 the township was slated to have $820,000 in reserve funds, which represents 8.7% of operating expenses for one year. The rule of thumb for municipalities, according to the township's auditors, KPMG Incorporated, is to have 20% of one year's operating expenses in reserves. In Central Frontenac's case, that would be about $1.5 million.

Councilor Bill MacDonald said, “I think that instead of picking one road project to do, we should put at least some more money into reserves. I don't like the idea that we are going to let them drop that low. If anything unexpected happens, we will be in trouble. We should put at least 1%, $63,500 towards reserves.

Councilors Tom Dewey and Victor Heese agreed.

“I hate to see taxes go up, because people are hurting, but I agree with what has been said and I would support the extra 1%,” said Councilor Brent Cameron.

The increase of 3.4% in local taxation translates into about $29 in increases for every $100,000 of property assessment, according to Michael McGovern.

The township tax rate will be combined with the county rate, which is going up by an almost identical amount, as well as the education rate, which will likely be the same as last year. In the end, ratepayers will see an average increase of about 3%.

The budget is slated for approval at the next meeting of Council, on March 24.

In addition to their own discussion of the budget, council heard from former Councilor Jeff Matson, who appeared as a delegation before Council.

Matson did not challenge the global numbers in the budget, but rather wondered why the township was purchasing a new truck, at a cost of over $200,000, rather than doing more road work.

He said that township equipment sits idle too much of the time, which costs money, and it would be preferable to keep less equipment in the fleet and use it more often.

Mayor Smith said that Matson's comments would be brought forward to the new public works manager, who would be able to recommend that council make changes to budget line items during the year as long as the global numbers don't change (the hiring of a new CAO/public works manager took place later in the meeting)

Hinchinbrooke School too rich for the township

Council approved a motion to send notification to the Limestone District School Board that they are no longer interested in purchasing the former Hinchinbrooke School property and building, which the board is offering for sale at a price of over $200,000.

“It would be nice to have but we can't afford the cost,” said Mayor Smith.

The property may come available again, if none of the institutions on the list of preferred buyers takes the board up on its offer of sale. In that case the price might be significantly lower.

In order for the building to be made useable for township purposes, specifically as a recreation centre proposed by a group of local residents, it would require an extensive retrofit on top of the purchase price.

Early indications for a good construction year

Even in a record cold February, three building permits for new homes were taken out, putting the township's construction value for the first two months of 2015 at $823,000, four times the total for the first two months last year and twice the total for the first two months of 2013. Chief Building Official Jeremy Neven cautioned council that the totals for one or two months are not a real indication of the trends for a year.

“We had a good month in February, because permits for three new houses were taken out, but we could have a weaker month in March of April, and the year will not look nearly as strong,” he said, “but it is encouraging.”

Tenders for hall maintenance all go to one company

A. Kehoe Property Maintenance received the contracts of custodial service for the Piccadilly, Kennebec, Olden, and Oso halls ($14,444, $18,444, $16,994, and $37,554 per year respectively) as well as the contract for services at the township garage for $8,444. BEE Sanitation was the only other company to receive a contract, $25,225 per year for garbage collection at all township facilities. The contracts are for three years, and will be re-tendered at that time.

Before Council accepted the recommendation from Jeremy Nevens, Councilor Jamie Riddell asked if it might be better to bring the work “in-house to a township employee.”

“We thought about that, and it might be the right thing to do, but it will take quite a bit of time to determine that. It is not only salaries but a lot of other factors that need to be determined,” said Neven.

Before a vote was taken to accept the tenders, Jeff Donelly appeared before Council, representing his wife's company, Melissa Johnson cleaners, who hold three of the contracts that are running out at the end of the month.

He said that her bid was based on the actual cost of delivering the service, and Council should consider that before accepting the lowest bid.

“It takes a lot of commitment to do these jobs,” he said.

Council also wondered in A. Kehoe had the staff to handle all five contracts and Neven said the company had indicated they had enough people in place.

What's next? Reel Drive?

The township accepted an application to give the name Jigg's Way to a private lane off of Brock Road

Solar power proposal comes to South Frontenac Council

by Jeff Green

SunEdison, a solar power company with projects in nearby Kingston (Unity Road) and Leeds Grenville, came to a meeting in South Frontenac to talk about a project that is in the early planning stages. Located off Florida Road to the southwest of Harrowsmith, near the border with the City of Kingston, the project would be located on a 106 acre parcel of land that SunEdison has leased from David Groenewegen.

SunEdison is one of the companies that has been pre-approved to enter into a competitive process sponsored by Ontario Power Authority to purchase 140 MW of solar-generated power under the banner of the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) process. The project, which is in the early stages of development in South Frontenac, has a 15 MW potential.

“The land is zoned rural, and the soil is already rated as class 4 and 5, which is good because class 1 agricultural land cannot be used for solar projects,” said Utilia Amaral, a managing director at SunEdison.

In terms of the impact on neighboring properties, the project will be visible from Florida Road when it is first constructed, but a vegetative buffer will be planted to block the view. According to the presentation at Council, within 10 years it will be completely blocked.

“The same is the case for the project that was recently built on Unity Road, which people have likely seen,” said Amaral.

She said that, in fact, the projects that SunEdison has built “have generated little or no opposition from neighbouring property owners. People need to be fully informed however, which is something we always do and plan to do in this case as well, beyond what is required by LRP.”

The contract will be awarded based on price as well as community engagement and township support, which is why a presentation was made to Council even before some basic work on the site has been completed.

A public meeting will be scheduled to discuss the project and its implications, and if the project goes ahead there will be some compensation paid to the township as well.

Among the requirements for the project to receive a good grade when evaluated under the LRP process are a resolution of support from the township and eventually a formal agreement with the township, and letter of support from abutting landowners.

Solar power proposal comes to South Frontenac Council.

South Frontenac Council, meeting as a Committee of the Whole, received the presentation by SunEdison without comment. The matter will come to a formal meeting of council soon.

South Frontenac Council balks at planner’s report

by Wilma Kenny

Township Planner Lindsay Mills presented Council with a lengthy report regarding conditions of draft plan approval for the Johnson Point (east end Loughborough Lake) fourteen-unit plan of condominium. During his verbal summary of the report, Mills apologized for comments he had made in response to concerns expressed by neighbouring residents Mike Koen and Roel Vertegaal, saying the report had been written in haste.

He also said he had failed to address the questions in the letter from the Loughborough Lake Association because “It came in at an earlier time, so I didn’t see it in time to include it (in this report).”

Councillor Ron Sutherland said the development proposal was complicated and raised a lot of issues that had not been satisfactorily addressed. He said that Mills lists three lots with water frontage on wetlands, but earlier maps had indicated that eight of the lots had full frontage on wetlands, and the current report makes no reference to the fact that the whole of Long Bay is an environmentally significant wetland.

Sutherland produced a map which showed the entire bay as wetland, and gave notice of a motion to deferthe matter until a new report could answer a list of questions that had been raised by the public but were not addressed in Mills report.

Councillor Ron Sleeth asked how the water depth in Long Bay had been measured: Mills said he had measured it from a canoe three years ago, and he did not remember how he determined that the water was at least ten feet deep.

Councillor Norm Roberts said “There are a lot of unanswered questions here; perhaps we need an independent review.”

Councillor Pat Barr agreed, saying, “we shouldn’t rush this until we have more answers.”

Councllor Mark Schjerning thanked Sutherland for his work, and asked why there was no mention of a lake assessment from the Ministry of the Environment. Lindsay Mills replied that the Official Plan says only that an MOE report “may be required.” Schjerning pointed out that because of the potentially negative effects of development on a lake, MOE assessment was essential. He also said there must be some standard method of determining water depth, and this should be used.

Deputy Mayor JohnMcDougall said that there were “a lot of grey areas” and agreed that a peer review was not intended as a criticism, but a way to “provide another set of eyes”.

Mayor Ron Vandewal pointed to the two very different maps of wetland area, saying; “we obviously agree we need to get this sorted out before going further.”

CAO Wayne Orr said he would bring the notice of motion to Council next week for a formal decision as to the next steps.

“Creative Condominiums”

Township lawyer Tony Fleming gave a lengthy presentation about the advantages of including condominium developments in rural subdivisions. He explained various terms peculiar to this form of development.

Noisy Fireworks

Bob’s Lake resident Richard Kind gave a brief, detailed presentation on the problem of noisy fireworks throughout the summer, often late at night. His concerns were supported by results of an informal survey of 57 lakeside residents, and a review of noise bylaws in neighbouring Townships. He asked that Council consider adding fireworks to the South Frontenac noise by-law, with perhaps an exception for May 24, July 1, and July 4 and the two days each side of them.

Strategic Planning for South Frontenac

CAO Orr obtained Council’s agreement on some general questions to guide discussion at the Strat Plan open houses to be held throughout the Township during the last week of March:

1) Is South Frontenac heading in the right direction?

2) What should the future of South Frontenac look like?

3) What are your top three priorities for South Frontenac?

4) What would you like to see changed in South Frontenac?

300 megawatt wind power project proposed for Addington Highlands/North Frontenac

It seems that every three or four years a proponent for a wind project shows up at Addington Highlands Council to talk about the potential of the north eastern edge of the township (the Vennachar-Denbigh-Rose Hill area) and then the idea seems to slip into the background.

This week another group came to Council, but this time there is substantial money behind the company.

NextEra Canada Development and Acquisitions is a wholesale power generation company with assets in 25 US states and four Canadian provinces and almost 20,000 MW of power in operation. Its sister company is Florida Power and Light, a large electric utility company with 4.7 million retail customers. The company is valued at $46 billion and has $15 billion in annual revenues.

They were represented in Flinton by Nicole Geneau, Ben Faiella, and Derek Dudek, three relatively young project developers who work in the smaller Canadian division of the company, based out of Toronto.

They explained that the company has a different kind of model than other large corporations.

“We are a large organisation made up of locally based, small energy companies,” said Nicole Geneau. “We make strong commitments to the communities where we do business.”

NextEra operates eight wind projects in Ontario, all in south western Ontario, and is the second largest generator of wind energy in Canada. They are in the very early stages of putting together a project in Addington Highlands and North Frontenac, with a view towards making a submission to Ontario's Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) program.

The scope of the potential project in Addington Highlands is quite large. It could include up to 100 two- megawatt turbines in Addington Highlands and another 50 in North Frontenac. The company is looking to secure agreements from landowners in both townships for land leases for 1/3 of the land they will need to secure access to, and the other 2/3 is on Crown Land that is not included in any other Land Use Permit agreement and is not included as one of the parcels in the proposed Algonquin Land Claim. The total acreage involved is 10,000 acres.

The project would be 1.5 times the size of the Wolfe Island wind turbine project and would produce enough electricity to power 150,000 homes.

In order to win the bidding process under the LRP program a number of hoops need to be cleared. Some of them are technical.

“Evaluating the wind resource, the availability of transmission lines, and securing landowner agreements all need to be done in the coming months,” said Derek Dudek.

A number of landowner agreements are already in place and others are pending as landowners consider their options.

For landowners who do not choose to participate, “the setback from any turbine to their home is at least 500 metres, half a kilometre, but we are committed to going further away than that,” said Nicole Geneau.

Another factor that will be considered before LRP contracts are awarded is community support for the project.

“Points are awarded for a statement of support from the local municipality,” said Geneau.

NextEra promises some economic benefits to Addington Highlands if the project goes ahead.

“The estimated annual property taxation will be $225,000, and any infrastructure upgrades to roads or bridges will be covered by us. There will be quite a bit of work during the construction phase, and 6-10 permanent positions at the project site. We will also need to build a 5,000 square foot building in the vicinity. As well, in addition to the tax dollars we will create a community vibrancy fund that the township can use for recreation or sustainability projects. The fund is $1,750 per megawatt per year, which could be about $350,000 per year in Addington Highlands if we put in 200 megawatts of turbines,” said Geneau.

“That money could be used for a variety of purposes, such as roads, or fire trucks,” added Ben Faiella.

The process that will be followed by NextEra in the next few months include continued evaluation work, a community open house in late May, signing a community benefits agreement in June and making an LRP project bid submission in late August

Reeve Henry Hogg said, “I see great benefits to the township from this: jobs, economic development, and substantial revenue.”

Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch said, “I would like to make a motion that we express our support for this project.”

When Councilors Tony Fritsch and Bill Cox did not speak up (Councilor Kirby Thompson was not in attendance) Reeve Hogg said, “I will pass the chair in order to second this motion.

Tony Fritsch said, “I support this but I would like Kirby to be here to vote on this and I would like to look at it a bit further.

“I agree with Tony,” said Bill Cox.

“I move to defer the motion,” said Fritsch and the rest of Council agreed.

Reeve Hogg will be away for the March 16 meeting of Council, so the motion will come back on April 6.

Other items from AH Council

Drop in construction values

From the dizzying heights of $8.8 million in construction value in 2012, to a lower but still healthy $5.8 million in 2013, the bottom seems to have fallen out of the market in 2014, with construction values of just over $4 million ($4,063,580)

The variation in values is less extreme than the numbers indicate because there were two large one-time public projects totalling almost $5 million in 2012: $960,000 for the Northbrook ambulance base and $4 million for the Pine Meadow Nursing Home addition. In 2013 Bence Motors underwent a $2.6 million renovation. In 2014 the township built a fire hall ($1.4 million) With all that taken into account, the numbers for 2014 are indeed low, but not as bad as they appear to be at first glance.

Excluding those large projects, the totals are as follows: $3.8 million in 2012; $3.2 million in 2013; and $2.6 million in 2014.

The number of permits issued in 2014 was 90, as compared to 98 in 2013 and 106 in 2012. The department took in $28,502 in permit fees last year, down from $35,600 in 2013 and $47,385 in 2012.

Councilor remuneration

As a group, Addington Highlands Council received $84,754 from the township in 2014. Reeve Hogg was the highest paid, receiving $24,732, including $22,528 in salary plus travel, per diems and expense payments. Councilor Bill Cox (who was deputy reeve for the first 11 months of the year) was next at $19,071; Helen Yanch received $13,837; Tony Fritsch $13,591; and Adam Snider $12,473. Kirby Thomson received $1,049 for the last month of the year since he took office on December 1.

Loughborough Lake Association raises lake capacity issue in Johnston Point development

by Wilma Kenny and Jeff Green

The Johnston Point Plan of Condominum on the east basin of Loughborough Lake is in the late stages of approval and seems to be favoured by South Frontenac Council and the township's planning department.

However it remains a controversial development for some of the neighbouring property owners and has drawn the attention of the Battersea Loughborough Lake Association as well.

At a public open house on Tuesday night, a number of people spoke.

Mat Rennie pointed out that some of the covenants meant to protect the shoreline along the nearby Applewood development had already been violated, with trees cut and not replaced as requested by the township.

Helen Bartsch questioned the calculation of frontage, saying that the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) assured her that a wetland edge should not count as a high water line.

Roel Vertegaal quoted a Queen’s biologist as saying that Loughborough Lake was part of the UN designated Biosphere reserve because the area was considered to be “the most biodiverse area in Ontario, unique in the world”. Jeff Peters quoted the township’s Official Plan’s intent to “preserve and enhance the rural environment”, saying he couldn’t remember when a decision was made which would either preserve or enhance rural character.

M. Koen asked “How much development (on this lake) is appropriate? What’s the lake’s capacity? Is this development compatible with existing and proposed development on Loughborough Lake?’

Developer Mike Keene spoke briefly at the end, saying that all the above concerns had already been addressed in writing, and he would be happy to address any that are left.

In addition to the presentations, the township received a letter submitted by Association Vice President Brian Ward and Secretary Sherry Cornell on behalf of its board of directors. The association raises a number of issues that are similar to the ones presented at the open house.

In addition, the association raised the issue about lake capacity in some detail, pointing out that the new 14-lot development, in conjunction with a 3-lot severance and a recent 22-lot development by the same developer across the bay will increase the total number of lots on the east basin by 39, a 12% increase in short order to a basin that now has 317 lots on it.

“The township does not have a plan for the lake and thus must react to proposals after the developers have invested considerable time and effort. We are hoping to encourage the township to move from this reactive approach to a planned, forward thinking approach. The association would be prepared to work with the township and other agencies in this regard,” says the letter.

The letter also talks about breaches to the rules about vegetative buffers around lakes, which are crucial in the effort to prevent phosphate loading in the lakes.

“There are too many examples of the no tree cutting requirements not being followed on Loughborough Lake and other nearby lakes. The examples include other developments by the applicant for Johnston Point.”

The letter asks that these rules be communicated to all buyers in advance, but realises little can be done, even if property owners are fined once they have cleared buffers and done “irreparable damage to the lake”.

At next week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, (March 12) Council will have the opportunity to discuss the proposal again, and at that time they may also review and revise the draft conditions of approval.

South Frontenac politicians’ remuneration for 2014.

By Jeff Green

As a group, municipal politicians in South Frontenac were paid over $175,000 in 2014. The payments included a standard amount as an honorarium paid to each council member once a month (the mayor and deputy mayor receive a higher amount), as well as payments for attending extra meetings.

Meetings of council sub-committees and the Committee of the Whole are considered extra meetings. As well, payments are made for mileage when councilors need to drive out of the township on township business, and per diems are paid when councilors attend conferences.

Former mayor, Gary Davison, received $29,208 for the first 11 months of 2014 (the new council took over on December 1). That includes $19,810 as an honorarium, and just under $10,000 for meetings, mileage, etc.

The current mayor, Ron Vandewal, received $23,274 for 11 months as deputy mayor and one month as mayor.

Other payments included $21,040 to Pat Barr; $17,989 to John McDougall; $17,858 to Bill Robinson; $17,773 to Alan McPhail; $15,492 to Del Stowe; and $12,651 to Cam Naish. Newly elected members of council who received payment only for December included: Mark Schjerning, Alan Revill, Norm Roberts and Ron Sleeth, who each received a little over $1,300.

These figures do not include the remuneration received by Gary Davison, John McDougall and Ron Vandewal for serving as members of Frontenac County Council. Those payments come out of the county budget.

Coincidentally, the total paid to South Frontenac volunteer firefighters in 2014 was also released this week. All told, the firefighters received $300,883 in pay in 2014. This is based on $30 per call and $10.38 for every hour after a three hour minimum, as well as pay for training sessions.

Pleasant Valley Road Quarry Expansion

Planner Mills reported that both the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Ministry of Natural resources had expressed no objections to the Official Plan amendment that would allow the quarry owner (Jackson’s Earth Stones) to apply for a quarry license to expand its area. “The actual scale of operation is not expected to increase.” Mills said the quarry owner had agreed to amend the encroachment area from 300 metres to 150 metres, in response to a neighbour’s wish to keep open the option of severing lots from his property. Several Councillors spoke in support, saying the quarry owner had proven to be a respectful, good neighbour. Mills said the amendment would stand, even if the quarry property should change ownership in the future.

Contract for By-law Enforcement Services

Council awarded a 3-year contract to the current by-law enforcement officer, Ken Gilpin, with an option to renew for an additional two years. There had been no other responses to the RFP.

Honorariums Adjusted

The firefighters’ honorarium for calls and training was raised from $30 to $35, and the South Frontenac Recreation Committee members’ honorarium was increased from $25 to $30.

Public Works Report Township Returns to Original Hazardous Waste Management Company

Council accepted Mark Segsworth’s recommendation that the Township re-engage Brendar Environmental Ltd to manage the hazardous waste site, for although their bid was not the lowest, they had provided much better customer service that the current company, Drain-all. Mayor Vandewal added that Brendar did not require as much assistance from Township staff.

Portland Waste Site

Council approved Segsworth’s recommendation to extend Morven Construction’s contract for phase two of the partial capping of the Portland waste disposal site. Marvin has agreed to maintain last year’s tender price to complete the work. Segsworth said the waste site is already much improved by the capping that has been done. Councillor Sutherland suggested that the Portland site might be a good location for solar pa els, which could help recover some operating costs. Segsworth agreed to look into this possibility.

Yarker Road Upgrade Comes in above Budget

In order to complete the work on Yarker Road this year, Segsworth recommended postponing the replacement of the Salmon Lake Road culvert until Sept 2016, thus transferring $400,000 to the Yarker Road project.

Otter Lake Meeting

Segsworth recommended a public meeting with the “fairly knowledgeable North and South Otter Lake Association” some time this spring, perhaps in May, to discuss replacing

the culverts at the end of North Otter Lake, and between North and South Otter, both of which are part of a navigable waterway.

Bellrock Community Meeting

There will be a community meeting in Bellrock Hall Thursday March 5, at 7:00, re the village revitalization planning.

Protection of wetland and water quality paramount in Ardoch Lake decision.

Frontenac County planner Joe Gallivan provided council with an update on two contentious issues at last Friday's (February 20) meeting in Plevna.

First up was his presentation on the proposed 34-lot plan of condominium on Ardoch Lake. This development plan has been in the works for about seven years and has been through many changes since it was first submitted. With each change, the number of waterfront lots permitted has been reduced. At a well-attended public meeting on August 27, 2014 a number of concerns were raised about the impact of this development on the lake.

One of the unique aspects of this specific plan is the ecological sensitivity of the property, which contains a large wetland. Gallivan explained that this wetland is home to “...the only heron rookery, according to the [Ministry of Natural Resources] in Eastern Ontario.”

Gallivan said that the developer is “prepared to reduce the number of lots on the water and in particular the lots that are close to the wetland and the lots that are more challenging to develop” which would mean beginning the construction of condominiums on the west end of the property first and putting those to the east in a “holding zone”.

These sites would allow for the necessary 30 metre setback from the waterfront and would provide enough space to install septic systems behind the residences, creating a further setback from the shoreline. Pending successful water quality tests and bylaw compliance, the developer would then be given the green light to continue with the adapted project in phases.

“If the systems are working the way they're supposed to be then this potential holding zone could be lifted and they could proceed with developing [the area closer to the wetland]” Gallivan said. The developer proposed to install a new “high-end septic system,” which is currently being quality-tested in Quebec, but Gallivan said there is no absolute guarantee that these systems won't cause problems in the future.

Councilor Fred Perry wondered about the possibility of skipping over building lots during the first phase of developing the western part of the property. “If we staged lots 1, 3, 6,...leaving holes in the centre, during [phase 1] would that not help? If something fails then at least you'd have room to manoeuvre with development down the road.” Gallivan agreed that it was a good suggestion and would relay that idea to the applicant's planner.

There is a worry that imposing too many restrictions will push the developer to appeal the matter to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and once that happens the municipality would lose their ability to control the process. Gallivan explained, “The board starts brand new and the board makes the decision and it's a time-consuming and expensive process.”

Councilor John Inglis asked Gallivan “Do you have a sense whether we are getting near a tipping point [from the developer's side] in terms of viability of the project?” Gallivan responded “Yes.”

“They've got to reduce the [number of] lots...and make sure there is protection,” Gallivan said. “I had a really good discussion with their planner and he understands this. He heard the public meeting loud and clear as well... It's an evolution...it continues to improve in terms of its impact on the lake.”

Private lane development crucial for growth in the Frontenacs

Joe Gallivan also briefed Council on restrictions that are being proposed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) on the County's Official Plan (OP) regarding development on private lanes. Gallivan said County Council has given him the go-ahead to do a study on this issue in hopes that it will “provide some planning tools and some legal tools to look at allowing development on some private roads. The position of the ministry is, in my professional opinion, too black and white. There needs to be an understanding that there is potential, depending on the length of the road, the topography, the capacity of the lake, to allow us to continue [developing]."

The County has done some analysis. The total value of property assessment in the County is $5 billion and of that, $2 billion is on private roads.

“Development on private roads means a lot to the financial stability of the townships,” he said.

“We're going to take the ministry on,” Gallivan said.

If the MMAH will not yield on these policies Gallivan will be recommending that council appeal the decision to the OMB. He hopes that his study on private roads will be a new tool to fight the decision with. He is suggesting that North Frontenac Council maintain its stance on private roads in response to the MMAH's revision of its own draft Official Plan. Once the County's OP is approved, which Gallivan hopes will be by the end of 2015, any plans or amendments to the township OP goes to County Council for final approval instead of the MMAH, which Gallivan said would be “a positive thing.”

Gallivan expressed confidence that if the private lane issue goes to the OMB, the county will win.

Councilor Wayne Good wondered if it would be beneficial to the County to work with neighbouring counties in opposition to the MMAH's proposed restrictions. Gallivan said Lanark Highlands has taken the MMAH to the OMB over the same private roads amendment to their own Official Plan.

“Lanark Highlands is standing alone right now against the ministry ... It really needs to be challenged from a regional perspective.

“We're counting on you, Joe” Councilor Inglis said.

“I'm prepared to take them on,” Gallivan replied. “It's very frustrating. The positions the ministry takes sometimes are a blanket position that they're applying across the province the same way and that's just not right.”

Politicians from South Frontenac had been waiting for a year to find out if their ratepayers would be subsiding planning services for residents of the three other townships in Frontenac County.

At a Committee of the Whole meeting of Frontenac County Council last week (February 18) the representatives from South Frontenac were the only ones who opposed a plan whereby all municipally generated planning work done under contract between the county planning department and North and Central Frontenac and Frontenac Island township would be done for free.

The Frontenac County planning department provides service to the county, and, as of last year to local townships as well. It is funded through the corporate services budget of Frontenac County. Because it has the largest population, South Frontenac ratepayers pay 57.8% of that budget.

South Frontenac Township does not benefit from the free planning services because they have their own busy planning department already in place.

In a report to the Committee of the Whole, the County Manager of Planning, Joe Gallivan, outlined several options for payment for the services that are being provided to three of the four townships. The one that is in place, called the incremental cost model, calls for no charge for day-to-day planning work and land use policy work generated by the townships. However, all privately initiated applications (e.g., minor variance, severance, rezoning) for which the applicants are charged a fee by the townships, will result in a charge from the county.

Councilor John McDougall from South Frontenac said that he favoured a “full cost recovery model, which is the fairest way to do this. But in place of that we are willing to accept some sort of flat fee arrangement. South Frontenac pays for our own department and we pay into the county department as well, I must point out,” he said.

Current Warden and Frontenac Islands Mayor Dennis Doyle said, “The planners are already being paid. Any money that is raised from privately initiated planning applications will help cover those salaries, and South Frontenac gets the most benefit from that. It really is a win-win.”

South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal did not see Doyle's logic.

“I hate to say this but if we don't have enough work for the people we have then we might consider looking at staffing levels to save money. To me, if any service is going to be offered by the county to one or more townships it should be paid for. Otherwise it's not fair to taxpayers in the townships who do not use the service,” he said.

Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said that when the county offered to do the planning for Central Frontenac, it was on the basis that the township would be getting “free service and only private applications would be billed. If that changes then we will have to look at our options again.”

When it came to a vote, all six council members from the three townships who stand to benefit from the policy supported it, and the two from South Frontenac voted against it.

Early this year, Central Frontenac Council gave township staff instructions to bring in a budget with an increase of no more than 2.5%. This translates to an increase of $158,465 in the levy, the total amount that Central Frontenac ratepayers will collectively pay this year in township taxes. Treasurer Michael McGovern prepared a budget that hit those numbers, and if Council ends up approving the draft budget that McGovern presented on February 20, all but $5,000 of the increase will be going to cover an increase in OPP costs.

As part of an effort to bring in a new funding formula, the OPP is billing most of the small rural townships more than previous years, and some larger towns such as Carleton Place and Smiths Falls are seeing a decrease.

The $153,807 increase in the bill for Central Frontenac ratepayers does not end this year. An equal increase is set for 2016, followed by a smaller increase in 2017, when policing costs in Central Frontenac will have risen to over $1.2 million per year.

The draft budget includes money for the completion of the $3 million plus upgrade to 5th Depot Road, which is covered by a grant from the province, as well as a $1.17 million project to eliminate the bridge over the former rail-line on Road 38 in Sharbot Lake that will be paid for by a federal grant if, as is expected, a federal grant is secured.

In terms of road projects being paid for entirely through taxation, the only roadwork that is included in the budget is a 1.3 kilometre stretch at the northern edge of Frontenac Road and the adjacent Mill Road that joins Frontenac Road with Mountain Grove, at a total cost of $388,000.

There is also $225,000 in the budget for a new tandem truck and $120,000 for a tractor/brusher mower.

The budget also includes $185,000 in taxation for a new fire hall in Parham, which is slated for construction this year, and $40,000 to complete a new ball field near Land O'Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove.

In sticking to a 2.5% increase, township staff have deferred a number of road projects. These include: $230,000 for work on Arden Road; $160,000 for Zealand Road; $20,000 for Medical Centre Road; and $208,000 for the stretch on Henderson Road between Highway 7 and the bridge over Kennebec Lake. These are listed as options in the budget, and if Council decides to do them all this year, the budget increase will balloon to 12.23%.

Council spent six hours last week going over the budget in detail without recommending changes, and the document will be back before them at their regular meeting on March 10. At that point they will have the opportunity to make revisions if they so choose.

5.29% increase on tap for North Frontenac ratepayers

It was a long day for councilors at North Frontenac's special budget meeting on February 17. Treasurer Angela Millar presented the draft budget and Council spent the day going through it with a fine-toothed comb.

Looking to cut the fat where they could, they approved, in principle, a new budget that will mean a 5.29% increase in the total to be raised from North Frontenac residents as compared to last year, or a $274,820 increase in actual dollars. However, the increase in the assessed value of North Frontenac properties will mean a 0.52% decrease in the tax rate at the township level.

Councilor Inglis was concerned about whether the assessment funds were higher because of new construction or just re-assessment. “If [the increase] was entirely due to everybody's houses being re-assessed then you don't have an argument to increase their taxes,” Inglis said.

Policing is the biggest challenge for North Frontenac Township as they begin to shoulder the cost increase in policing by the OPP. Policing will cost North Frontenac residents $365,996 this year, up from $230,000 in 2013, representing 45% of the increase in township taxation. OPP costs will grow to $845,817 by 2019.

“Who are the crooks in this community?” Councilor Gerry Martin asked jokingly.

Mayor Ron Higgins plans to ask Frontenac County about commissioning a study on sharing policing and fire services throughout the Frontenacs, in hopes that there might be some way to reduce future costs associated with these services.

Councilor Denis Bedard was in agreement, saying, “If we could share services in terms of tendering equipment...if we have to tender a tanker for example, and we can tender two or three at the same time...I'm sure that could be coordinated. There is a huge cost savings in something like that. If you're buying three tankers from the manufacturers instead of one....”

Treasurer Millar's presentation pointed out increases in WSIB fees and heating costs, along with the policing expenses. She also highlighted a decrease in fuel costs, and over $12,000 in savings on hydro. A big portion of those savings comes from the L.E.D. streetlights that Corey Klatt, the Manager of Community Development, installed throughout the township.

Treasurer Millar said, “It's proven to be a real positive thing for us to do. We're seeing a huge savings.” As well, there was revenue generated from the MicroFit program, which brought in over $5,000 of revenue from the solar panel array on the roof of the township office.

It was evident that the size, and remoteness, of the township creates a serious problem when budgeting. Animal Control, for instance, is projected to lose over $6,000 this year because the closest service provider has to come from Kingston. The large territory to be covered is part of the policing issue as well. The breadth of the county makes resource collaboration a challenge, which is reflected in inflated service fees.

Both Mayor Higgins and Councilor Inglis suggested that Council look to the county level when preparing their next budget, as both were impressed with how effectively Frontenac County presented their budget earlier this month.

Council “privy” to eco-tourism development

Council decided during Tuesday's budget draft approval to go ahead with the purchase of four accessible privies to be located throughout the township. The locations weren't yet confirmed but the idea is to place them in high-traffic areas where there are currently no available washroom facilities. Corey Klatt explained, “Most of these places are at the boat launches...our scenic routes. They come from three hours, four hours away and they don't have a place to go to the washroom so they go at the boat launch and we're constantly picking up toilet paper...”
Council also approved, on the budget draft, the purchase of a new tractor to be used for clearing snow and flooding the ice at the Plevna rink and clearing snow off the star-gazing pad. It could possibly also be used for other applications, such as dragging beaches. This will eliminate a current contract for rink maintenance.

Councilor Inglis worried about losing his shirt

Councilor Fred Perry made a suggestion to council that they look into purchasing jackets with the North Frontenac logo on them, to be worn when councilors are out representing the county at conferences, meetings, etc. He said “if you want to be professional you have to dress professional.”

Councilor Inglis was not impressed. “I'm not in school anymore,” said Inglis.

Councilor Bedard explained, “We're trying to sell our brand. We're trying to sell this municipality. What better way to do it? And it's cheap.”

Mayor Higgins agreed that it was a good way to promote the township. It was decided that money would be pulled from a marketing reserve to cover the costs of seven jackets, or shirts, which will feature the North Frontenac logo/name.

South Frontenac budget passes - $1 million more to come from ratepayers

Council approved a 2015 capital and operating draft budget of $15.5 million to be raised by taxation, an increase of $993,000 or 6.85% over 2014. This only amounts to a 2% increase in the tax rate thanks to increases in property assessment values. In order to hold the increase to the level directed by Council, the fire hall value in the capital budget was cut from $2,200,000 to $1,000,000; a $30,000 fire master plan was added to capital, to be funded from reserves; the replacement of one backhoe was postponed by a year; and $1,000 was removed from professional consulting fees. The school board has not yet announced the education levy.

Mayor Vandewal thanked staff and council for their cooperation and hard work during the budget process.

End-of-Year building report

Both building permits issued (471) and construction values ($29 million) for 2014 are up from last year, but are still 72 fewer permits and almost $4 million less in value than the 2011 record high.

County Sustainability Advisory Committee report

Deputy Mayor McDougall drew Council’s attention to the recommendations proposed by the County’s SAC December report, which makes interesting reading (See township website) but cautioned that it is at the information stage only, and is meant to provide the townships with opportunities to work with the County when developing their own strategic plans.

South Frontenac rides

Councilor Ross Sutherland (the “cycling campaigner’) reported briefly on the inaugural meeting of 18 residents interested in encouraging bicycling in South Frontenac. Their first project is to hold a bicycle promotion day on June 7, during National Bike Week. As a long-range goal, they see cycling as one way to help attract tourism and jobs to South Frontenac.

Family Day a success

Deputy Mayor McDougall commented on the huge success of Family Day at the Piccadilly Arena last Monday. There was a great turnout and everyone seemed to have a good time. Mayor Vandewal said that he talked to one participant who recently moved here from Toronto and was ‘absolutely amazed’ at the number of attendees, the enthusiasm, and the fact that everything, including food, was free.

Emergency Plan

Council approved making Harris Park Hall in Perth Road Village available to Brooks Landing Retirement Home for emergency short-term evacuation.