WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — The time has come for the public to have their say. On Wednesday December 4, a public meeting with Council will be held at the Whitewater Region Municipal Council Chambers, 44 Main St. in Cobden, ON. The meeting will begin at 6:00pm. Residents are encouraged to submit comments in writing or attend the Public Meeting to express concerns or opinions on the proposed 2020 Tax Supported Operating and Capital Budgets, Waste Operating Budget, Water and Wastewater Operating Budgets and the proposed list of 2020 User Fees and Charges. The by-law adoption is set to happen at the meeting of Council on Wednesday, December 11.
A presentation was given to the Council of the Township of Whitewater Region and was led by Treasurer, Sean Crozier, and department heads on November 13. Whitewater News sat down with Mr. Crozier on Wednesday, November 27 to follow-up and for clarification before the Public Meeting next week. The Township is expected to have $1.2 million in Reserves at the start of 2021 and there are no scheduled projects in 2020 which will take on more debt.
The General Government department’s budget will see a salary increase in accordance with the salary and renumeration by-law and has budgeted for a new website at a reduced cost. According to Mr. Crozier, some of the grants are being moved from General Government to other operating departments, in keeping with the Strategic Plan. The $5 thousand event grants budgeted for the Tourist Booth will now come from the Planning and Economic Development department. The $7.5 thousand operational grant budgeted for the museum, $83 thousand grant budgeted for the libraries and $5 thousand grant budgeted for the Muskrat Watershed Council are now under the Miscellaneous budget. There is $20 thousand budgeted for grants in the Parks and Recreation department and moving forward, the grants from Parks and Recreation will be given to partners who focus on offering recreational services.
Dog owners will see an increase in dog licenses for 2020, with Councillors seeking stricter penalties for those who do not license their dogs. Licenses for sterilized dogs will be $15 before March 31 and $30 after March 31. Unsterilized dogs will be $25 before March 31 and $40 after March 31. Impoundment fee’s have gone up slightly to compensate for the increase in cost to the pound contract.
Planner and Economic Development Officer, Ivan Burton, gave the Planning and Economic Development department’s presentation. He stated for special projects in 2020, there will be $25 thousand budgeted for benches across the villages and hamlets in the Region and $30 thousand will be budgeted for streetscaping and signs. Building and Planning user fees will see an increase in multiple categories. The Zoning Compliance Report will see a 50 per cent increase to $100 per roll and while the base rate for Building Permits will remain the same, agriculture permits will see an increase from $0.12 per square foot to $0.18 per square foot.
Jonathan Wilker, Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator, gave the budget presentation for the Fire and Emergency Services department. Some of the special projects mentioned were the acquirement of the long-awaited and anticipated half-ton truck. There is also $15 thousand budgeted for a dry hydrant project, $25 thousand for flood management and $60 thousand for uniforms, building repairs and maintenance, based on requirements. In 2020, user fees for permits will be enforced for events and commercial campsites. Events will need a special permit at a cost of $75 per event and commercial campsites will be charged $150 per season. To commence in 2021, Mr. Wilker says there will be a new permitting system with a fee for Recreation and Open Air Burn permits but they will have no charge for 2020.
The Recreation and Tourism department has eliminated the Streetstrut, will spend $62 thousand on the Cobden boat launch in 2020 and will be looking at the continued requirement for the arena’s ice making and plant repairs. Jordan Durocher, Manager of the Recreation and Tourism department, says they have budgeted to transfer over $50 thousand for a future roof on the Beachburg Arena, the Cobden arena will see $8 thousand spend on a heat exchanger and Westmeath’s arena will see $8.5 thousand spent on a compressor overhaul. The Westmeath area will also have $20 thousand spent on abandoned well and roof coating. The arena in Beachburg will see $118 thousand spent on a furnace, heater and ice resurfacer. Together, the arenas in Cobden, Beachburg and Westmeath are approximately a $300 thousand expense. A slight increase in the ice rental times will be seen in 2020 to help lower the deficit to the tax payer. The tournament rate will remain the same at all three arenas.
Roads are one of the services which does not generate revenue but does come at a large, but necessary expense. Cold patching will see a $10 thousand increase from the 2019 budget and there will be added attention given to gravel surface roads. Building repairs and maintenance has been budgeted for repairs to the sand dome at Mineview. According to the Township, they are undertaking a roads needs study as a part of its Asset Management Plan (AMP). They will use this to provide a priority list regarding both paved and gravel roads. The following roads are on the Township’s radar for consideration, subject to completion of the AMP: Kohlsmith Rd., Westross Rd., Grant Settlement Rd. which is already half completed, Mineview Rd.’s third lift and Zion Line’s third lift.
Special projects for roads include the budgeting of $315 thousand for a new excavator and $100 thousand for roadside mower, the 2019 tractor. Lacroix Bay road repairs from the flooding this spring is budgeted around $609 thousand and $75 thousand is budgeted to engineer the design of two areas of significant erosion, rock outcrops, visibility, health, and safety concern on Olmstead-Jeffrey Lake Rd. There is $360 thousand budgeted to install hardened shoulders on Powers Rd., similar to those installed on Grant Settlement Rd. The Township says this will provide a connection for cyclists between Beachburg Village and the Ottawa River recreational area.
Waste and Recycling will see changes in 2020. Due to the closing of Bowman’s earlier this year, there was an increase in collection costs plus the introduction of recycling processing costs. The contract for recycling pickup is budgeted at $281 thousand for 2020 and the contract for garbage pickup is budgeted for $240 thousand in 2020, when 2019 saw $108 thousand budgeted for garbage pickup. The cost for recycling processing for 2020 is budgeted at $48 thousand. Properly sorted and cleaned recycling costs under $100 per ton to process and the cost rises to $210 per ton for recycling not sorted or cleaned.
The Waste and Recycling department will see the introduction of a waste collection fee, an increase in advertising due to the program changes and an increase in cost for grinding. “The new waste collection fee will be $156, which is the equivalent to $3 per week” said Mr. Crozier. He said with the collection fee, users will be able to put two garbage bags of reasonable size and unlimited recycling at the curb for pickup. If more than two bags are needed, a yellow bag can be purchased from participating retailers or Township for $5 per bag.
The Miscellaneous budget was presented and is for services the Municipality offers but does not generate revenue from. Work will be done on the McLeod Drain, other Municipal drains and the Industrial Park will see the on-going decommissioning of the water system. The McLeod Drain project is budgeted for $15 thousand and $56 thousand is budgeted for drainage contracted services for improvements to Municipal drains. The Cobden and Muskrat Stormwater Review is budgeted at $35 thousand and $7.5 thousand is budgeted for the museum’s gazebo improvements.
Throughout the Township, there are just over one thousand water users. The Water and Wastewater department indicated there will be a harmonized water rate for the Region in 2020 for all classes. Residential and small commercial will be $74.13 monthly, medium commercial will be $111.19 monthly, high commercial will be $148.24 monthly, multi-residential units will be $59.30 monthly and metered will be $7.03 per cubic metre. There are a total of 499 wastewater users in the Township. They will see an increase in the monthly rate to $92.11 in 2020 and a metered rate of $12.98 per cubic metre. The only change in Sewage System user fees is the Septic permit for a class four sewage system, leaching bed, will be $400 which is a $155 increase. The Septic permit for a class four sewage system, filter bed, will be $450 which is a $170 increase.
Mr. Crozier says the increase in rates mirrors the rates of neighbouring municipalities and there was an increase in the dollars collected through the tax rate, or the dollars generated from taxes. He said the flood earlier this year caused an increase in Emergency Management services and even though there is still a few weeks left of 2019, all departments generally operated within budget for the year.
