Oct 30/08 - SF Committee of the Whole

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Feature Article - October 30, 2008 South Frontenac Township Committee of the WholeBy Wilma Kenny

Inventory Control: CAO Gord Burns reported to Council that provincial regulations coming into effect January 1, 2009 require an inventory list of all township assets valued over $5,000, so that the municipality can project depreciation and plan for replacement. He noted that this raises the issue of how such an inventory list will be maintained. Councilor David Hahn asked whether each department would be responsible for maintaining their portion of the inventory. Mayor Gary Davison said that the fire department already did so. Councilor Larry York asked about also recording items valued at less than $5,000, and perhaps developing a system of marking all such as township property.

Council briefly reviewed the Employee Code of Conduct Policy. Councilor Ron Vandewal pointed out section 6:2 - "Township property shall only be used for activities associated with the discharge of official duties." Burns said all new employees are given a copy of the conduct code, and this year a reminder memo about the appropriate use of township property had been sent to all staff.

Provincial Grants: In regard to provincial grants to the municipality being affected by the economic downturn, Burns reported that documents from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario seem to indicate that the province is committed to maintaining any transfers that it has approved for the current fiscal year. However, 2009 programs would have to be planned with probable cut-backs in mind.

Policy Reviews

Councilor Fillion has asked for an opportunity for Council to review township policies. Gord Burns asked for clarification: was the intent to perform an ‘operational review’? Fillion said he wanted "a broad discussion as a group: we don’t know which way we’re going." Councilor Allan McPhail said section 270 of the Municipal Act listed six major policy areas, which include: delegation of power (e.g. role of local boards), procurement of goods and services, hiring procedures, sale and disposition of land. Burns listed the official plan, the procedural by-law, waste management and zoning by-laws as examples of other policies. Council received copies of the township recruitment policies, and will be issued copies of other major township policies. Mayor Davison emphasized that if there were to be any policy discussions, it was essential that all council do their homework by reading the relevant material before the meeting.

Waste Disposal

Works Manager Mark Segsworth reported that three major waste disposal issues remained unresolved, and brought a recommendation from the Sustainability Committee that the Committee of the Whole examine them in detail, and provide guidance. Council agreed that Segsworth should bring details, including costs and benefits of the various options, to the Committee of the Whole on December 9. The issues are: 1) Collection in Bedford, 2) Waste generated within the township to be managed within the township, and 3) User-pay system as part of a funding mechanism for solid waste services. Council has set aside the December 9 COW for this discussion.

In response to a question from Portland councilor Jim Hicks about the township’s plans to develop a hazardous waste site, Segsworth said the site plan was still being developed, and the site should be open next year. Meanwhile, electronic waste is being accepted at Portland, Salem and Loughborough landfills: Storrington electronics can go to Loughborough. Hay-wrap remains a problem, with one recycler having dropped out, but another possibility is being investigated. A new MOE regulation will soon make it possible for paint cans to be returned to the store that sold them.

Oct 30/08 - CF Council

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Feature Article - October 30, 2008 Central Frontenac council –October 28, 2008By Jeff Green

Central Frontenac snow routes approved by council

As the prospect of an October snow storm was looming, Central Frontenac Council gave their approval to a snow removal plan that has been under development by Public Works Manager John Simcock and the works department for several months.

The plan includes ten snow routes, and increases to the number of small and dead end roads that are plowed by three different contractors for the township. It is set up to work with military-style precision.

“The amount of service, our call out times, the chain of command, everything will be very quick. I think the level of service will blow the doors of whatever we've done before,” Simcock said.

He said it would take 6.85 hours to plow the entire township.

In going over the routes, Councilor Frances Smith said she noticed that in order to eliminate doubling back, the plan calls for some secondary roads to be plowed before major roads. “I wonder if people won't find themselves driving over plowed gravel roads and then running into deep snow when they reach the hard-topped roads,” she asked.

“With the time delivery we are talking about, that shouldn't be an issue,” Simcock said.

The crews were planning to do a dry run through the routes on Tuesday afternoon, and although Simcock said the “routes will need some tweaking,” he is confident the system will be run smoothly. “Every operator is trained, every route is documented, we're ready to go,” he said, after pulling out a series of township maps to show members of council the planning process that has been undertaken by his department.

“We gave you a job to do and you did it, I've got every confidence in the world,” said Councilor Bob Harvey. “Go to it, but when the first two or three snowstorms come, we'll be looking at it.”

Council approved the snow removal plan as presented.

The plan is tied to a road capital improvement plan that Simcock had outlined on another township map, and a tender for the privatization of maintenance for Road 38 has been put out. If the price is on or near what the township is paying currently, it will go forward as well.

Kennebec Hall needs work right away -

In the first report he has delivered to council since taking over responsibility for township facilities, Chief Building Official Ian Trickett started off by discussing a recent excavation of the back wall of the Kennebec Hall which, he said “turned out to be a minor nightmare. The block has not been parged, it is not damp proofed, there is no foundation drain in place, and it was backfilled with clay. It adds up to a comprehensive list of everything you are not supposed to do.”

Luckily, Trickett thinks the wall can be repaired rather than replaced, and he also has found that the septic bed for the hall “shows no signs of malfunctioning”.

He estimates that it will cost about $10,000 to fix the wall. As to the possibility of getting the work done before winter, Trickett said that depends on when winter comes. “If it snows and the snow stays then we're out of luck, but if we get a break with the weather we'll be ok. It does not take that long for parging to set,” he said.

Township Chief Administrative Officer Mark Hall said, “The next portion of this is to obtain quotes for the work.”

Ian Trickett also presented a written report outlining issues ranging from septic pumping in all facilities, which will now be done on a scheduled basis, to the roof repair at the Parham Fire Hall, the tender for which has been awarded. An inspection of the fire hall has turned up several more items of concern, however, some of which were serious health and safety issues that will be prioritized and budgeted for in future years according to the report.

The water supply and the septic system at the Oso Hall are both problem areas that have been identified.

Fire master plan to be presented on December 8 -

At their previous meeting, council had requested a statistical and information report from Fire Chief Mark MacDonald to learn of call volumes at the various stations.

CAO Hall said that the fire chief asked that council wait until December 8, when he will present a comprehensive report and will bring a fire master plan with him for council's consideration.

“I think we should see the fire chief more often at council,” said Councilor Guntensperger.

Council supports mayor on county governance – Mayor Gutowski discussed her decision to oppose a Frontenac County Council decision to spend $35,000 for consultation on the future makeup of county council, and to take the money from federal gas tax funding.

“I think ultimately it is a political decision in any case,” Gutowski said. “I didn't think we needed a consultant. We should all give our own thought to this, and I'm confident we can come up with something that works. Most of us feel there is not enough representation.”

“I came from the old days when there were 29 people at the table and that was not always a good thing,” said Councilor Frances Smith. “I served as deputy mayor in Central Frontenac one year and it certainly wasn't a very big job. I think having the mayor and deputy mayor sit on county council would make logical sense. That's my two cents. I don't think it takes a consultant to do this.”

Gates on Pit road – The Pit Road, which is south of Arden, runs right through a township-owned gravel pit. Because of the rules in the provincial pits and quarries act, all quarries must be secured for reasons of public safety. So, even though the Pit Road is a township road, it now has locked gates on either side of the township gravel pit. The road is not normally used by residents, except those who use it to access Crown land during hunting season.

Anyone who needs to access the Crown land through Pit Road should call the township office to arrange for a key.

Oct 16/08 - CF Council

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Feature Article - October 16, 2008 Central Frontenac Council -Oct 14/08By Jeff Greenr

Don’t assume what you can unassume – Public Works Manager John Simcock brought what he called “a pretty hot topic for four or five people in the township” to Council’s attention during his public works report to Central Frontenac Council on Tuesday night.

The Bobby Road, which connects Long Lake Road to Frontenac Road near the hamlet of Mountain Grove, contains no dwellings and is used “mostly as a shortcut”. The Public Works department has put “unassumed road” signs at both ends of the road.

Simcock reported that “There is a divot of about 11 metres, the road is unstable, and a culvert has to be replaced. We have to look at some of these roads and decide which roads we can afford to keep up. It would cost $9,000, which is not in our roads budget, to repair this road. Instead we can keep it passable in the summer, grade it twice a year, stop plowing it in the winter, and call it an unassumed road”.

“In the process of stepping back from established roads, I think we need to go to a public meeting. We shouldn’t make a decision arbitrarily,” said Councilor Normand Guntensperger.

“That’s my recommendation to Council. It should be posted ‘unassumed’ until a decision is made about how to proceed,” said Simcock.

“I can’t accept that we are going to make this an unassumed road. It is used by people,” said Councilor Philip Smith.

A proposal came forward that the road receive a temporary fix, and any further decision be deferred to the discussion of a comprehensive Road Capital Improvement plan later this fall.

“We can keep filling the hole in the road,” said John Simcock, “but I’m against that kind of practice”.

The signs will come down.

New ploughing routes – As he promised when he came to his first meeting as Public Works Manager, John Simcock has put together a new snow clearing system for the coming winter.

The plan includes setting up 10 fixed snow clearing routes and increasing the number of small “finger roads” that will be handled by contractors instead of township employees. However, the most unexpected proposal was to put out a tender contract for the winter maintenance of Road 38.

“My recommendation is that it will be for the township to tender this out,” said Simcock.

“This was done a long time ago, and the prices went up and up and eventually the township decided to buy a vehicle and take it over again,” said Councilor Frances Smith.

“By tendering it out we can see if it is possible for us to save money for our ratepayers. We are not necessarily going to accept the tenders. If we don’t get the right bid we can continue to do it ourselves,” said Mayor Janet Gutowski.

Several councilors had questions about the rest of Simcock’s proposals, including the details about the snow clearing routes.

“I see that sometimes smaller roads are being cleared before more travelled roads,” said Councilor John Purdon.

“I can guarantee you that under this program you won’t be waiting as long as you waited last year for your roads to be cleared. I can guarantee that,” said Simcock.

“From my perspective this is the first time we have seen these ploughing routes, and we can bring this back to the next meeting, but I warn Council that we might be getting close to micro-managing here,” said Mayor Gutowski.

The winter maintenance plan will be brought back to the next meeting, and a meeting in November will be devoted to the township’s comprehensive capital road plan.

Water regulations – The Public Health Unit did an inspection of the township halls on October 6, and informed Township Chief Administrative Office Mark Hall that the signs posed at the township halls saying the water may not be potable, which were put up in order to comply with Ontario water regulation 170, contravene another Ontario regulation, number 562.

As Hall explained in his report, the township is left with the option of closing the kitchen and food preparation facilities in the halls, or removing the signs and entering into a bi-weekly water testing regime for bacteria, at a cost of $2,000 to $3,000 for the balance of 2008.

Hall said he did not recommend purchasing any filtration systems until the province clarifies the regulations, which is expected to happen in December.

Council accepted the recommendation to begin testing the water, and keep the kitchens open in township halls.

School bus drivers concerned – Council received a letter from Mimi Antoine, who expressed concerns that have also been expressed by smaller bus companies in North Frontenac about a new provincial request for a proposal procurement process. The process would see them bidding for the school bus routes they have been covering for years, and which have always been passed along as older drivers retire and sell their buses to younger drivers.

Drivers fear that large operators such as Laidlaw Incorporated would bid on entire regions and put them out of business

“The RFP process will render my operation of NO VALUE. There are other small operators in the same position and this market place will be flooded with depreciated vehicles,” Antoine wrote.

Oct 23/08 - Frontenac County Council

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Feature Article - October 23, 2008 Frontenac County CouncilBy Jeff Green

Review praises Fairmount Home's “gentle care”, questions costs

Frontenac County Council was presented with an operational review of their signature service, the county-owned Fairmount Home for the Aged, at their meeting on October 15.

Consultants Nicholas Manherz and Melodie Zarzeczny of the Osborne Group presented the highlights of the review, which was conducted earlier this summer.

One of the outstanding features of the home, according to Zarzeczny, is “the extent to which Fairmount is on the cutting edge in long-term care. It has high levels of volunteer involvement, and plays a leadership role in service delivery in the province. By having a nurse practitioner on staff, a physiotherapy program, and the ability to accommodate emergency admissions, Fairmount is doing well.

“Our evaluation points to Fairmount as being a model for long-term care. It costs more but this is how you want to deliver long-term care to your parents, your loved ones.”

The review also made 38 recommendations for improvement. These range from scheduling issues to the range of tasks performed by nurses, personal support workers, and support staff in the home, which “is more expensive to run than the provincial average,” said Zarzeczny.

The consultants noted that salary levels for nurses at the home are 5.5% to 9.2% higher than the provincial average, and the ratio of nurses to other staff is higher at Fairmount than at other homes.

“For example, certain tasks are done by nurses at Fairmount, such as replacing batteries in equipment. That does not need to be done by nurses.”

Nicholas Manherz said “Fairmount needs to consider ways to reduce or stabilize reliance on funding from Kingston and the county,” and he pointed to two possible ways to do this. “You could cut staff or hold tight on salaries and benefits and wait for the rest of the industry to catch up. We recommend the second option.”

The consultants also said that an analysis of scheduling practices could lead to an overall reduction in absenteeism.

Julie Shillington, the Fairmount Home Chief Administrator, said that her staff are “hoping to review this report fully, take the recommendations and put together both a short-term and a long-term operational plan to bring back to council, hopefully by March.”

South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison said, “My only comment is that I am surprised that we are at the leading edge of salaries.”

“It is a very interesting report,” said North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire. “We walk a fine line here, we need to put away our municipal hat at times and consider the well-being of patients, while keeping in mind that if services expand someone has to pay for it.”

$35,000 to be spent on a review of county council composition

Among the commitments County Warden Jim Vanden Hoek made for his one-year term was to take a serious look at the way county council is structured. Since it was originally set up as a management board, Frontenac County is the only county in Eastern Ontario to have a four-member council made up of the mayors of its four constituent townships. The other councils are all larger.

In line with Vanden Hoek's commitment, a request for proposal was prepared over the summer, and at this month's council meeting staff recommended accepting a $58,900 proposal from Armstrong and Associates to prepare a county council composition review. Staff also recommended that this review be paid for by dipping into the county’s reserve of federal gas tax funding.

Central Frontenac Mayor Janet Gutowski had a big problem both with the cost and proposed method of funding the review. “I can't support the gas tax being used for this. I think staff can do this, enter into consultation with township staff, and county council can make its own decision regarding its makeup. I really think we need to complete the ICSP [integrated community sustainability plan] before we spend gas tax funding.”

At its September meeting, the county refused to consider a request for gas tax funding of a salt dome that came in from Central Frontenac Council. At the time, county council said the ICSP needed to be completed before county gas tax money was allocated to the townships.

“I looked at this and I think it is a lot of money to spend on something that has already been decided,” said South Frontenac Mayor Gary Davison. I'm on Janet's page on this.”

“From a staff point of view, we thought this would dovetail with the ICSP project,” said County CAO Elizabeth Savill, “recognising that the ICSP does have a component that addresses governance.”

Warden Vanden Hoek said he understood what the two mayors were saying, but he was concerned that if something like this weren't done, then the reform of county council might not happen during this term of council.

After a short recess, Vanden Hoek proposed that the contract with Armstrong Consulting be limited to $35,000, and this was enough for Mayor Davison to support the proposal.

“I still can't support this,” said Mayor Gutowski.

The proposal was approved in a 3-1 vote.

Oct 23/08 - SF Council

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Feature Article - October 23, 2008 South Fontenac Council –Oct 21, 2008By Wilma Kenny

Sydenham Water Protection Zone Extended

Provincial grants have recently been available for various work projects within 200 metres of the municipal water intake in Sydenham Lake. These are to be administered by the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority in cooperation with the municipality. However, relatively few properties fell within the 200 metre boundary, and none of the property owners applied for grants. Accordingly, Council has approved extending the program to a wider area, which will (roughly) include the north part of George Street, Bedford Road and the north shore of the lake to part way along the subdivision there, and the corresponding south shore.

Some of the projects eligible for funding would include: septic system upgrades and repairs, well upgrades and decommissions, and runoff and erosion measures. Landowners in the extended area will be provided further information about the program, or can contact the township office.

Policy Review Proposed

Councillor Fillion suggested that Council should perform a policy review for the information of councillors. Councilor Stowe agreed, noting that in order to act in a consistent and fair manner, council needs to have occasional review of policies. Others agreed, and there seemed to be consensus that this was not a criticism of staff or the various township departments, but a wish for members of council to be kept up to date in their decision-making processes.

Frontenac K&P Trail

Council noted a copy of a letter sent from Warden Vanden Hoek to a landowner who does not support the development of the Kingston-Pembroke right-of-way into a recreational trail. The Trail Committee is presently in the process of hosting information sessions with the landowners adjacent to the proposed trail. These landowners have been issued a survey to determine their opinions and concerns about the proposed development, and according to the Warden’s letter, 41 of 48 South Frontenac residents are in favour of the development, and 15 out of 19 Central Frontenac residents also support it. Once the landowner sessions are complete, the committee plans to schedule similar meetings for the general public.

Issues of safety, farm rights and taxpayer concerns are among the committee’s highest priorities.

MPAC Assessments

It was informally noted that MPAC property assessments have begun to be mailed out. In spite of good intentions, and perhaps because of volume of demand, the newly designed MPAC information website was not functioning well this afternoon.

A Record?

South Frontenac Township Council may have set a new record by completing their meeting up to the ‘in camera’ part by 7:30 this evening.

Oct 23/08 - AH Council

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Feature Article - October 23, 2008 Addington Highlands Council –Oct 20, 2008By Jule Koch Brison

Council accepted a quote for $4029.84 from Quinte Eco Consultants to drill three monitoring wells at the Kaladar Waste Disposal Site

A request from the Kids Help Phone Line for a donation of $500 was deferred to next year’s budget deliberations. Information provided by Kids Help indicated that in 2007, 729 contacts were made to them by children and youth from the Cloyne, Flinton, Denbigh and Northbrook areas.

The Land o’ Lakes Lions Club notified the township that they will be holding their Hunters’ Voluntary Toll in Northbrook on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1

Addington Highlands and North Frontenac Township need to pass “mirror bylaws” in order to erect stop signs on the Skootamatta Lake Road where it intersects the Hughes Landing Road. AH passed its bylaw on Monday.

Council passed a bylaw to establish township policy on stopping up and selling road allowances leading to water. In Addington Highlands, it was theoretically possible for a person to purchase the shore road allowance in front of someone else’s property. The new bylaw prevents that scenario.

Fritz and Ursula Nussberger have withdrawn an application for an amendment to the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw to allow them to build apartments on the back of an office building that they are constructing. AH has no provision for multi-residential zoning and also the property is zoned commercial. Construction of the office building, which will house Land o’ Lakes Community Services, is proceeding.

Oct 9/08 - AH Council

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Feature Article - October 9, 2008 Addington Highlands Council –Oct 6, 2008By Jeff Green

Plans for revamping of Highways 7 & 41 intersection

Two engineers from Genivar Engineering attended a meeting of Addington Highlands Council this week (October 6) to discuss plans for improvements to the intersection of Hwy. 41 and Hwy. 7.

Currently Highway 41 cuts through Highway 7 at an angle, and Steve Taylor from Genivar explained that there has been a history of collisions at that location.

Genivar conducted three public meetings last fall and this spring, in which they presented several options before coming up with a recommended plan.

The recommended plan involves jogging Hwy. 41 to the west at Oliver Road (on the north end) and rejoining it to the existing road south of the hamlet of Kaladar.

In order to make the plan work, the province will need to purchase part of the lands of the former Kaladar Hotel.

“One of the virtues of this plan is that it does not require any changes to the Trans Canada Trail, which is important to the township,” said Steve Taylor.

Although the plan includes provisions for exit lanes and will make the intersection viable for traffic signals, it does not call for traffic lights at this time.

“The numbers are not there, according to MTO guidelines,” said Taylor.

Taylor said that the plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Transportation. There will be a 30 day period for people to comment on it, and then it will be left to the ministry to slot it in for implementation at some time in the future.

“It will not be for immediate implementation,” Taylor said.

He asked that the township pass a resolution in support of the plan before he submits it to the ministry. Council complied.

There is no expectation that these changes will come about in the near future, however.

“You and I won’t be alive to see this,” said Public Works Manager Royce Rosenblath to Reeve Henry Hogg after Council passed the resolution.

Township to receive land from Lions Club – For the cost of a survey, the township will assume lands it currently leases from the Land O’Lakes Lions Club in Northbrook.

Build Ontario – The township has decided to allow Jewell Engineering to prepare an application to the $200 million federal infrastructure Build Canada fund for the replacement of the Wager’s bridge near Flinton.

Jewell will prepare the application for free provided they get the engineering job if the application is successful.

“We need to replace the bridge in any case,” said Reeve Hogg, “and it would be nice to get 2/3 of the cost paid”.

Build Canada pays 2/3 of the cost for approved projects, but funds are limited and there will be many applicants.

Oct 2/08 - CF Council

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Feature Article - October 2, 2008 Central Frontenac zoning bylaw amendment meeting - Sept 30/08By Jule Koch Brison Rhonda Brunke and Lorne Ross are neighbours who own two properties on Hungry Creek near Henderson in Kennebec district.

The building on Brunke’s property was built in 1968 and Ross has owned his property since 1977. The first inkling they had that, unbeknownst to them, the zoning of their properties had been changed to EP (Environmental Protection) was when another neighbour recently applied for a building permit to Central Frontenac Township and was denied.

“I was shocked,” Rhonda Brunke told council on Tuesday night. “When I bought the property I specifically asked what the zoning was and was told by Central Frontenac Township that it was formerly a part of a commercial resort and the zoning was commercial… I pay taxes based on residential services, how can my property be zoned EP?”

Brunke and Ross applied to the township to have their properties rezoned as EP-X (Environmental Protection – Exception) so they could construct storage buildings.

David Sappleton of Tunnock Consulting presented a report on the application, recommending that the township amend the zoning bylaw to allow the rezoning.

He said that the Official Plan allows non-conforming uses that predate the creation of the Official Plan. He specified that the rezoning would not allow new buildings to have washroom or kitchen facilities, and that they must have an equal or greater setback from the creek than the existing buildings.

Councillor John Purdon asked why the Committee of Adjustment was considering a rezoning to EP-X, as opposed to Rural.

Township planner Glenn Tunnock replied that rezoning to Rural would be “poking holes in the ANSI”. The properties are within the Kennebec Complex Wetland, a 4000 hectare area that has been designated by the province as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).

Councillor Gary Smith asked if there were other properties in the same situation and Sappleton replied that there were, and allowing the rezoning would set a precedent, but that the restrictions would protect the environment.

Council accepted the recommendations of the planning consultant’s report and will prepare a bylaw to be passed at their next regular meeting. Ross and Brunke were asked to be in contact with township staff to work out the details.

Condominium Development application: Glenn Tunnock presented a report on an application from Chiarot Development Group Inc. (CDGI) to build a 6-unit condominium consisting of three duplexes on a 4.6 acre waterfront property on Sharbot Lake.

On March 5 of this year, Cameron Chiarot, CEO of CDGI, had withdrawn an earlier application for a larger condominium development on the same property because of an extra requirement from Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA). At that point Chiarot had already spent several hundred thousand dollars on hydrogeologial and environmental studies to satisfy the requirements of various bodies.

Over the summer Chiarot consulted further with MVCA and the township to determin the setbacks on the property and the “building envelope”. He decided to proceed with a revised application for a smaller development. The proposed units would have no docking or marine facilities, but would have a boardwalk leading to the shoreline with a viewing area.

Tunnock’s report recommended that council “defer approval of the application pending public written and oral submissions; seek opinion on a responsibility agreement for commercial systems; and hold a public meeting for a decision on rezoning.”

Claudette Miller, a member of the audience, raised several objections, including the possibility that the septic system could fail and it would be an expensive disaster for the township. She said that council should investigate the experiences of other municipalities.

Glenn Tunnock replied that the developer has to set up a trust fund to take care of such a possibility, and that the responsibility agreement between the municipality and the developer sets out all the costs. He said, “the possibility of the municipality having to take over the system is minimized”.

Councilor Gary Smith asked if the municipality has responsibility agreements with any other multiple residential units such as the Sharbot Lake Seniors Home or the Sharbot Lake Country Inn and was told that it does not.

Ken Waller, vice president of the Sharbot Lake Property Owners Association, commended the “patience of the developer and the approaches he has taken.” He said that the setbacks and CDGI’s plans for a tertiary level septic system go “way beyond what is required”.

A sticking point with some members of the audience and some councilors seemed to be the high population density proposed for the lot. Glenn Tunnock said that provincial policy encourages higher development in villages where there is a clear determination through hydrogeologic and environmental studies that the site can carry it.

Council passed a motion to receive Tunnock’s report.

Oct 9/08 - SF Council

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Feature Article - October 9, 2008 South Frontenac CouncilOct 7, 2008By Wilma Kenny

OFFICIAL PLAN UPDATE:

Mayor Davison announced at the beginning of the meeting that the vote on updating the Official Plan (including the ‘restarting the clock on severances’ issue) would have to be deferred, as one member of council (Del Stowe) was absent.

AUDITOR’S REPORT:

Vicky Leakey of KPMG reported that she found the Township’s 2007 financial records to be in order, and well kept. Noting that the township’s various reserve funds had increased from $8.8 to $9 million over the past year, she commented, "You had a good year." When the mayor asked whether she thought a fully amalgamated system of books would be easier to manage, Ms. Leakey demurred, saying she was not in a position to say, but added that the present system was clearly more work, though she "couldn’t comment on the extent."

ROAD PROPOSAL TURNED DOWN

Mel Hughson (not present at the meeting) has proposed to construct a 600 foot public road off Freeman Road, with a turning basin at the end, with the intent of severing three lots from the property: two with frontage on the new road and on Freeman Road, and one with frontage on the new road. The retained parcel would also have frontage on the new road. Councilor Ron Vandewal pointed out that several such short roads could create significant road clearance demands, and Councillor Fillion asked "If we don’t allow severances on existing township lanes, why would we allow this?" Council defeated a motion to give approval in principle to Hughson’s proposal.

BRADSHAW SCHOOL

Council approved Building Official Alan Revill’s recommendation to accept Paul McNichols’ tender for the installation of an updated electrical system for the Bradshaw School in Bedford.

WINTER PREPARATION

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth brought tender recommendations for winter sand provision and snowplowing and salting/sanding, which were approved by Council. There is some concern that the sandpit being used by the low bidder might not have sufficient sand (17,000 cu yds) of the quality required. Segsworth assured Council that the sand quality would be monitored, and back-up plans were in place. Councillor Vandewal suggested that this sort of concern raised the question of whether council should be requiring contractors to post bonds.

PROVINCIAL ROAD AND BRIDGE FUND

Council approved a transfer of $250,000 to each of the four districts from the Provincial R&B Fund to offset any deficits in the capital road building program, with any surplus to be transferred to district road reserves.

SYDENHAM WATER SETTLEMENT AREA

The township wishes to undertake a study "to establish boundaries that could be used to direct development within the area that could reasonably be expected to be required to connect to the Sydenham Water system." Council directed the CAO to work with Ainley and Associates to develop a draft proposal and cost estimate.

Oct 2/08 - NF Council

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Feature Article - October 2, 2008 North Frontenac CouncilBy Jeff Green

Staff proposal for North Frontenac Library branches deferred

The Plevna branch of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library has been closed for the past 18 months because of mould problems, and a plan by the Township of North Frontenac to purchase a portable building from the Limestone District School Board to house the library has been embraced by Kingston Frontenac Library Staff.

However, the solution they are proposing may not be popular in the hamlet of Ompah, which is located 10 kilometres from Plevna, because a library staff report recommended that the two branches be amalgamated, probably in Plevna.

“The size of this portable is greater than Plevna and Ompah combined, thereby offering an opportunity to consolidate and improve services at a location beneficial to both communities,” is one of the recommendations in a report by Patricia Enright (rural branch manager) and Doug Brown (facilities manager) that was presented to the library board last Wednesday, September 24.

The report was accompanied by a proposed resolution which set out that the township would be required to purchase and outfit the portable and find a suitable location for it, and the library would then “provide and set up the book collection, shelving, furniture and equipment.”

All of this is in keeping with the relationship between the library and all of the municipalities it serves. The municipalities provide facilities, and the library provides service.

It is a further recommendation, “that the library transfer the combined library collections, staff, and hours from Ompah/Plevna to the new facility”. This recommendation is more controversial and led the library board to defer the entire matter until at least the next meeting of the library board in late October.

Frontenac County Warden Jim Vanden Hoek is the county council representative to the library board, and when he received his meeting agenda two days before the meeting (September 23) he contacted North Frontenac Township to find out what they thought about the proposal.

North Frontenac Chief Administrator Cheryl Robson said the library staff proposal seemed premature to her. “Our council has not decided whether to get the portable or not. We have to look at all the costs involved, including moving costs, repairs, hooking up to hydro and internet, and putting in washroom facilities. As far as consolidating branches, that was news to us,” Robson said.

North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam sent an email back to Jim Vanden Hoek before the library board meeting asking that the matter be deferred if possible, and suggesting that a meeting take place between the township and the library board and staff.

Vanden Hoek pushed for deferral at the board meeting.

“There was discussion about amending the motion, but it was preferable to defer it, so we could hear from North Frontenac,” Vanden Hoek said.

Chief Librarian Deborah Defoe described the report from staff to the board as “premature. The board really felt it was premature to discuss it when the township council had not really discussed it fully.”

Asked whether it was possible to establish a new branch in the portable without closing the existing Ompah branch, Defoe said, “Anything is possible, but we will have to look at operating costs. The portable is larger than the Plevna and Ompah branches combined, so that will have to be taken into account.”

Secession plan to be brought to the public

Ever since North Frontenac Council decided it wanted to look at secession from Frontenac County there has been a standing item on the council agenda to discuss putting out a request for proposal for a consultant to consider how the township could go about becoming a single-tier municipality.

It is through Frontenac County, and the county’s relationship with the City of Kingston and the Province of Ontario, that services such as ambulance and long term care, and social services such as welfare, childcare, and disability support, are funded for so-called “lower tier municipalities”. How this could be done differently would be one of the issues that a consultant would have to consider.

At the council meeting on Sept. 11, Deputy Mayor Jim Beam had said he was concerned that the RFP was not being pushed forward and he wondered where the whole thing was going.

“I think we should decide whether we are serious about this, and if so, get on with it,” he said at the time.

At the Sept. 25 council meeting, Mayor Maguire made reference to Beam's concern. “I realize you are wondering where this is going,” Maguire said to Beam, “but there are two ways of looking at this. One is to find out what are the steps that we have to take to ensure it would be appropriate to make any decision in this direction. The other is to have enough information to justify why we would want to separate. Every two weeks we seem to be getting squeezed or getting the short end of the stick or losing our assets.”

Jim Beam agreed with Maguire.

“Every time I turn over a piece of paper it is a reflection of the disregard towards the north,” he said. “But we don’t want to get the cart before the horse here. People are saying that there has to be public consultation. We need to have input from the ratepayers before we go much further with this.”

Mayor Maguire suggested that the next six months will be critical. “We will then have our house in order, and we’ll know exactly what to tell them [the ratepayers]. If we need to go to a municipal-wide referendum we can consider that.”

Council will consider establishing a sub-committee on the matter.