by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
WHITEWATER REGION – A Community Improvement Plan has been approved by Whitewater Region council, and those opposed to it, have 20 days to appeal the decision.
The Community Improvement Plan (CIP) will allow business owners, and those residences who face onto a county road or Hwy. 17, to apply for grant funding from the municipality to make improvements, or enhancements, to their facades.
A public meeting was held prior to last night’s council meeting regarding the CIP. Nel Rooney, Michael Lariviere, Doug Shields and Donna Burns turn their turns at the microphone.
Nel Rooney spoke against the CIP, noting once the improvements are made, the taxes on that property would increase. She also questioned how the taxpayers and the township benefits from this program.
She also questioned how council will recoup the money given to business owners.
Chief Administrative Officer Robert Tremblay and Mayor Hal Johnson explained that the money is a grant and the total funding of $20,000, would be included in the 2018 budget.
As for taxes increasing, CAO Tremblay noted that the tax base would increase, so the necessary monies needed to operate the township would be spread over a greater number of properties.
Ms. Rooney questioned why council felt it necessary to provide this program.
“People cannot afford to make the changes,” she said.
Mayor Johnson noted people only have to make changes if they want.
Councillor Charlene Jackson said Ms. Rooney had valid questions, but again stressed what had been said, it’s purely a voluntary program.
However, by making improvements, economic development is encouraged because people will like the looks of the downtown and not only shop more, but may want to open a business.
“If we want to continue to be viable, we can choose to upgrade and the township is willing to give money to encourage that,” she said. “We are not forcing anyone to do this.
“It is totally up to the individual property owner if they want to apply for the grant,” she said.
Michael Lariviere, who noted he and his wife moved to the area about two years ago, was not aware until the day before the meeting that it was being held. He questioned why property owners were not made aware of the meeting.
He was concerned that by not making people aware of the meeting, council would consider it implied consent that the residents were in favour of it by not attending the meeting.
CAO Tremblay said it was published in three area newspapers, the township website, was on the radio and was discussed at previous council meetings.
Mayor Johnson agreed, saying, “I heard it on the radio three times. I don’t know how you could not know about it.”
Mr. Lariviere said if he doesn’t read newspapers or listen to the radio station the meeting was advertised on, then he wouldn’t find out about things unless someone told him.
“This is just arrogance,” he said. “If I am going to have to submit to this concept of implied consent..only four or five people were negative on it…then the whole community, the town of 1,000 population, and only four negative, or even 40, that would mean you think 960 people are in favour of it.”
While council tried to get Mr. Lariviere to discuss the CIP, he continued to talk about implied consent.
He then spoke about how taxes would increase once improvements are made and questioned if this was a “tax grab” for the municipality.
Councillor Chris Olmstead said the greatest grant amount a person can apply for would be $2,500, which would mean he or she did $5,000 worth of improvements. $5,000 in improvements would not greatly increase taxes on a property, he said.
“A tax grab is the farthest thing I was thinking about,” he said. “That’s the last thing anyone on this council was thinking about.”
This is a program that has been in place for 20 or more years and it’s something any council in this township has not taken advantage of, he said. Explaining, he noted, it’s not legal for a municipality to give funding to a business. However, the provincial government created this program, with parameters, so a municipality can provide grants to businesses for improvements.
Mr. Lariviere questioned how the $20,000 would be raised in next year’s budget.
Coun. Jackson noted the budget hadn’t yet been reviewed in full, but there are cuts that could be made.
CAO Tremblay said staff has also noted that $20,000 can come out of the recreation budget now that the township is operating the three indoor arenas.
Mr. Lariviere said this council has lost touch with the people in the community if they hike the taxes for people who cannot afford to pay more.
Mayor Johnson said there are nine people at the meeting who are opposing the CIP – does that mean council should say no?
Mr. Lariviere said since he was not officially notified by council that this meeting was taking place, if he hadn’t attended, council would assume that he was in favour of the CIP. He again reiterated he may not be for or against the CIP, but the point is he wasn’t notified of the public meeting.
Mayor Johnson said council and staff followed the procedure in notifying the property owners in Whitewater Region.
Coun. Jackson noted, “It is up to individual property owners to note what is going on in their municipality, be aware of where notices are given, if it’s by radio, by newspaper, by website, social media, whatever, it is up to the individual property owners to look after their interests for their property.
“The governments have stipulated what avenues have to be taken with regards to notices, and in this case, Whitewater has gone above and beyond the stipulations for notices and hopefully will continue to do so with all information.”
She continued, “We as a council cannot handhold every individual, we can’t force people to read papers, listen to the news, go on our website, even open up their mail, we cannot force people to do that.
“We’ve gone above and beyond on this issue and I would stress that it is up to individual property owners what is going on their municipality.”
Councillor Daryl McLaughlin said notices used to be placed in the local paper, which was the Cobden Sun – however, it has closed down.
“Now we don’t have a paper,” he said. “We do the best thing we can do.
“We do have a paper, but not a local paper, like the old Cobden Sun, which people always read.
“People don’t always read the computer, and I guess that’s what my concern is.
“I apologize,” Coun. McLaughlin said. “We do have the Whitewater News, which thank goodness for one person in this community who has the initiative to keep the Whitewater News going.”
However, his concern is there is nowhere to place public notices.
“I struggle with that, because we put it where we think is the best place,” Coun. McLaughlin said. “It’s always on our website. We don’t really hide anything.
“We don’t have one (newspaper) because we didn’t have enough support to keep it going.”
Mayor Johnson disagreed with Coun. McLaughlin.
“We have two reporters with us tonight, that are with us almost every (meeting) night, we have to give them some credit,” he said. “One of them is the editor of the local newspaper (Whitewater News) and the other is (MyFM).”.
“We’re lucky to have what we have.”
Coun. McLaughlin said while the Whitewater News does have stories, it does not have advertising.
“We do get all the reports,” he said. “It’s to try and get the public notices out, that’s where I was coming from.”
(The township, as well as other businesses, community organizations, and readers, have been advertising in Whitewater News since it began almost five years ago.)
Ms. Burns’ addressed a statement made by Coun. Jackson about enticing people to open businesses or develop subdivisions within the township. She said that in order to do either one, there are regulations and restrictions and it can cost thousands of dollars.
Coun. Jackson said even if business owners wanted to make improvements, they would still have to abide by the regulations set out in bylaws and building codes. As for subdivisions, she noted when the properties are sold, the development companies make their money back.
“They will make a profit,” she said.
Ms. Burns was still leery of council providing grants to property owners without there being strings attached.
CAO Tremblay said the person fills out an application and does the work. Once the work is completed, there will be an inspection to ensure what was on the application was completed, followed all guidelines and regulations, and then the grant money is provided.
Coun. Jackson agreed, noting the “only condition” is that the improvements “have to comply with the bylaws. This is not a free-for-all.”
M.r. Shields is concerned that in the future this council, or possibly another, could force business owners to make improvements to their facades, as that is happening in Arnprior under its CIP.
However, council agreed, to ensure that could not happen, a clause would be added to the bylaw advising no council could force an improvement.
Following the public meeting, council passed a bylaw to adopt Phase One of the CIP, noting that anyone opposed to it has 20 days to appeal the decision.
