Briefs and notes from the Feb. 17 Whitewater Region council meeting
Bylaws
Council amended the bylaw providing remuneration for council members to reflect the one percent Cost of Living Allowance to its honourariums. The mayor now receives $17,453 a year while the reeve and councillors each receive $10,485 a year. It also noted that all meetings be included in the honourarium.
Other items in this bylaw that did not change include paying the chairs of corporate services, public works, property and protection, protective services, environmental services, economic development, recreation/culture and planning an annual per diem of $1,700; each council member be allocated $3,000 per year in expenses related to conferences and conventions or any other municipal business function and that council be paid mileage to travel to all council meetings and council directed meetings.
The honourarium paid to Mayor Hal Johnson by the Ontario River Power Corporation is not included in this bylaw.
The bylaw to authorize a User Fee Schedule for all municipal departments was updated to reflect the increase to the Official Plan Amendment to $900 and the Zoning Bylaw Amendment to $700. All other fees remained the same.
A new bylaw regarding cleaning up of yards and vacant lots in Whitewater Region was passed.
Following the meeting, bylaw enforcement officer Doug Schultz noted while it was bylaw enforcement officer Jim McBain who created the bylaw for council to review, it was council’s decision to pass it.
Part of Mr. McBain’s job is to bring forward bylaws he believes are applicable to the municipality, Mr. Schultz said.
Mr. Schultz said all bylaws are complaint driven. When a complaint comes in, he will review the complaint information and do a follow-up. If he believes enforcement is required, Mr. McBain will then be contacted.
Another bylaw that was updated, was the bylaw to appoint bylaw enforcement and property standards officers. While Mr. McBain was previously listed, four more names were added as well as the statement “Any other person employed by Municipal Law Enforcement Services (MLES) as a bylaw enforcement/property standards officer”. It was noted the four names added are employees of MLES.
The bylaw to appoint members to the township’s property standards committee was also revised. The committee members were changed and they are now Andrew Coulas, Mel Langton and Ed Desjardins.
Motions Passed
Motions recommended to council from various committees were also passed.
They include: adopting the revised strategic plan; supporting the Legion’s Military Service Recognition book by purchasing a business card space for $325; receiving and filing the OPP 2014-2016 strategic plan; that winter maintenance will now be done on Lowe Court; that the county install a four-way stop at the La Passe intersection of Gore Line, La Passe Road, Harry Gervais Street and Lacroix Bay Road; that Terry O’Malley be hired as the township mechanic; that Lindsay Broadhurst be hired as a full- time machine operator; that council absorb the approximate amount of $9,000 for the survey costs in the industrial park; that council pay a levy of $20,068.64 for the Pembroke and Area Airport be included in the 2016 operating budget pending the development of a business plan by the Airport Commission; that the public works department improve the ditch to upgrade the drainage around the Westmeath Community Centre; that staff attend the abandoned municipal gravel pit located on Zion Hill Camp Road in the spring to view the state of the property and the property lines and report back to committee with a recommendation to solve the safety issue problem raised by the Zion Hill Camp.
