by Connie Tabbert
Editor
WESTMEATH — Joey Trimm has been a municipal councillor since Whitewater Region Township came into existence in 2001.
He was elected during the 2000 municipal election.
“We got a few things accomplished,” he said.
One thing was to make it easier to pay taxes through online banking and authorized debit, he said. This not only helped residents save time, but the township to save money, he said. By having money paid on a regular basis, there was no need to borrow money so there was no interest to pay, he explained.
The tendering process was also improved which allowed for more accurate records of process, Coun. Trimm said.
The five year plan, which was for roads only, was changed to a township strategic plan, which allowed for planning in all departments over a five year period, he said.
“This strategic plan guides us in the direction we want the township to go,” he said. “It’s a living plan. It needs to be updated yearly but covers five years. You get to decide yearly priorities.”
There was also headway made with development on Muskrat Lake, Coun. Trimm said.
He also noted that while the official plan is now sitting on a provincial minister’s desk, that wasn’t really a positive for council.
“We failed by not getting the official plan in place sooner and getting at the comprehensive zoning bylaws,” Coun. Trimm said. “The official plan took 11 years. It’s supposed to be reviewed every five years and we got it done just after the second review should have been done. That’s definitely not an accomplishment. That was a personal fail for me.”
While there had been talk of taking Muskrat Lake off of the official plan so it could be passed sooner, Coun. Trimm said by doing that, he feared Muskrat Lake would be forgotten about.
There have been difficult issues for council to deal with, but nothing scandalous or where council was in the wrong, he said.
Coun. Trimm will miss the activities of council and what’s happening throughout the township unless he makes it a priority to keep himself informed of what’s happening.
“As a councillor, it’s easy to be informed of what’s happening in the community,” he said. “It’s not so easy if you are not a councillor. I will miss the easy access to municipal information.”
