Pine Meadow denied funding by County; North Frontenac ponies up $25,000

Jeff Green | Nov 25, 2015

North Frontenac Mayor Ron Higgins said he knew he was going to hear about it when he indicated at a meeting of Frontenac County Council on November 12 that he was not going to support a request for funding from Pine Meadow Nursing Home.

As a member of Frontenac County Council, Higgins said the grant would be “outside of the funding obligations and from a fiscal responsibility point of view, I can't support it.

When the matter came to a final vote one week later, only seven of the eight members of the County Council were present, and three of them, Deputy Warden Frances Smith (Central Frontenac), and Councilors John McDougall (South Frontenac) and John Inglis (North Frontenac) were in support. Even with Higgins and the two representatives from Frontenac Islands (Mayor Dennis Doyle and Councillor Natalie Nossal) voting against it, the vote still would have gone Pine Meadow's way if Central Frontenac Councilor Tom Dewey supported it.

The motion that came forward was for a $10,000 annual grant for 10 years, which would have raised the county tax rate by 0.14% in 2016.

However, even though he had indicated he would vote in favour when the matter came up on November 12, when it came time to vote on the 18th, Tom Dewey said he had changed his mind.

“I know I was in favour of this last week, but there have been questions raised since then, and I need to vote based on good sense. We don't know what will happen with Pine Meadow's finances down the road, and my fear is that approving this funding would have a detrimental effect on Fairmount Home, so I can't support it.”

The vote was lost 4-3.

Before the vote was taken, new information was brought forward by Frontenac County staff.

Kelly Pender, the CAO of Frontenac County, had said on November 12 that Pine Meadow “runs annual deficits of $500,000,” and when comparing the operations of Pine Meadow and Fairmount Home, he said, “Pine Meadow does not have 24-hour nursing staff available and Fairmount does. I think Pine Meadow could learn a few things from Fairmount”.

Pender backed down from both statements on November 18, saying that the Pine Meadow deficit was a “one-time event at their fiscal year end this past March, which resulted from transferring a loan to a mortgage after the renovation of the home last year... They also do provide 24-hour nursing, which is not what I indicated last week, but they do not have a secure ward for certain dementia patients like Fairmount does, and that is an expensive service.”

In another report to Council, County Treasurer Marian Van Bruinessen pointed out that it costs $51,344 in annual salary costs per bed at Pine Meadow as compared to $68,823 at Fairmount.

“It is evident that salaries and benefits are the greatest difference in operational costs between Pine Meadow and Fairmount Home,” she wrote, adding that although Pine Meadow has not provided a breakdown of actual wage costs, “The difference in wage rates might be attributable to the proximity to Kingston and the competition for health care providers from other long term care facilities and hospitals in the local area.”

North Frontenac Township funding decision

Two days after the county meeting, Ron Higgins presided over a budget meeting of his own North Frontenac Council.

He explained why he had voted against the Pine Meadow funding at Frontenac County, leading Councilor Wayne Good to say, “We should have passed a motion at this council telling you how to vote on issues like that.”

“It doesn't work that way,” said Higgins. “I do not represent this council at the county. When I am there I have to think about the interests of the entire county, not just North Frontenac.”

“I don't agree,” said Good.

Higgins then put forward another proposal. He said that if North Frontenac put in $25,000 on the condition that both Central Frontenac and Addington Highlands do the same, that would raise $75,000. “Since Pine Meadow has $31,000 in their capital reserve fund, they would then have $106,000 available to pay for the new windows,” Higgins said.

“I don't see that we can ask Addington Highlands and Central Frontenac to support this,” said Councilor Gerry Martin.

Higgins then proposed that North Frontenac simply donate $25,000 towards the windows. He asked CAO Cheryl Robson if there was any money in reserves to cover the donation without having to raise it from 2016 taxation, and she said there is money in the township's capital reserve fund that can cover it.

“I guess we don't have a choice,” said Councilor Gerry Martin when the vote was taken.

Council voted to make the donation.