February 18, 2020: Mayor's Report
February 4th
I attended Planning and Committee of Adjustment Meetings and the Public Meeting for the 2020 Proposed Draft Budget.
There were a number of comments from residents at the February 4th meeting:
A) There is no budgeted projects for the Village of Marmora
Hayes Street and the swale on Crawford Drive are in the 2020 proposed budget.
The Village of Marmora has ongoing expenses and projects not common with rural areas, e.g. street/traffic lights, water/sewer facilities and infrastructure, sidewalk snow clearing, buildings and facilities such as the community centre and library. Budget decisions on projects are made in accordance with our Asset Management Plan, Road Needs Study and funding opportunities provided through grants and provincial incentives as well as tax revenue.
B) Instead of awarding the contract to service the north, we should send a driver and equipment.
We do not have sufficient labour or equipment to maintain service standards due to the geography and employment standards set by the Ministry. Council approved the tender to provide services through a contract which was evaluated at the time and considered to be the most cost effective and efficient option.
C) We are spending tax payers money not our own.
I would like to point out that every one of us sitting at this table are tax payers and I assure you we are all conscious of the tax impact. Marmora boasted having one of the lowest assessments over the past few years. We are still one of the lowest. Council and staff consider every opportunity to share services, implement change to modernize technology to achieve efficiencies, etc.
A 5% increase is a lot but we must protect our personnel resources and infrastructure investments. We must catch up or we will not be sustainable in the long term.
D) The position at the water treatment plant should not be replaced for the term of the maternity leave.
Water quality and sewage treatment is monitored by qualified staff in accordance with Ministry regulations. It is paramount that we have adequate staff to cover the day to day operations and emergencies. Due diligence is essential for liability reasons. Negligence in regard to the operation of the water and sewer services could have a catastrophic outcome to the municipality. If there was to be some contamination, the health and well-being of our residents would be at risk, the municipality would be subject to legal action and the Mayor and Council could be held “personally” liable. I am not prepared to put the public at risk or to personally take that risk.
E) Residents appealed to the Council to keep the swale improvements on Crawford Drive in the budget.
I personally support this project.
February 5th
I attended Board of Health Meeting. A great deal of emphasis was put on the coronavirus statistics, the repatriation initiative of transporting residents from China to Trenton and the process to accommodate them in quarantine for 14 days at the Trenton Air Base.
February 7th
I attended the LPAT Case Management Study regarding the Fair Trade Rezoning approval of 25 & 29 Forsyth Street. Council unanimously approved the rezoning application. The decision has been appealed to the LPAT by Lori Tannahill.
Steven Cook was the Case Manager. In summary, Lori Tannahill, the appellant, Kat Kinch, the municipal solicitor, and Tony Fleming, Fair Trade’s legal counsel were given the opportunity to comment on the options to process the appeal. They are: i) a full hearing before the Tribunal or ii) a decision made by written report of the LPAT.
The appellant requested a full hearing. The municipal solicitor and the solicitor for the applicant objected to a full hearing. The appellant requested additional time to meet with a planner to further her submission. The case manager recessed the hearing for fifteen minutes to reassess the information before making his decision on the two options.
Mr. Cook determined that a full hearing would not be necessary but he would permit the appellant some additional time to meet with a planner and set a final date for submission to March 27th and allowed time for the municipal representative to review and comment by April 7th. So, the decision will be made by the tribunal to the Municipality in written report. The decision of the LPAT is final.
February 11th
I met with two residents on site regarding:
Snow removal on Rose Avenue
LPAT enquiries
February 11th
I attended a Personnel Committee meeting to discuss the Treasurer vacancy.
February 18th (today)
I attended Planning and Development Committee Meeting at Hastings County.
I was invited to attend an appreciation ceremony at the Board of Health to meet Minister Hajdu, and other representatives dealing with the repatriation of residents from China to Trenton.
From left: Mayor Panciuk, Warden for Hastings County Rick Phillips, Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis, Medical Officer of Health Piotr Oglaza, Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu, 8 Wing Commander Col. Ryan Deming
At 1:00 p.m., I attended the Finance, Property and Personnel Committee and Budget Meeting at Hastings County.
Tonight, I am here for the regular Council Meeting and hopefully approval of the 2020 Budget.
Mayor O’Neill also spoke to the Budget before debate:
Before we start the debate on the Budget, I am asking Tonia to explain the rules of debate as per the procedural bylaw and Roberts Rule of Order to maintain some kind of time limits.
I will also ask Alex to identify the major impacts on the budget.
This document includes the annual operations and capital expenditures of the municipality. It is the direction that Council gives to staff to provide the identified services and standard levels of service to the tax payers. Approval of this budget also sets standards to ensure that investment in our infrastructure, equipment and resources are sustainable over the long term. Staff have done an excellent job to prepare this budget document and I believe they have incorporated public input, considered Council’s individual input and met timelines proposed by Council for approval of the budget. Thank you.
This year, the budget was prepared with public input, staff recommendations, in accordance with our various reference documents such as the asset management plan, etc. There are also numerous financial obligations that we have no control over such as policing, conservation authority, county, liability insurance, benefits, etc. These costs have all increased. As well, it was recommended that $30,000 be budgeted to defend the LPAT appeal.
The following timetable was followed:
The initial preparation of the budget commenced on August 27th, 2019 staff provided an opportunity for public input at a round table meeting.
October 2nd, 2019 A special open meeting of Council with Senior Management staff to review the past years accomplishments and project carry overs. (Only 1 person attended)
The week of October 8th and October 15th – CAO and Treasurer met with Council members individually for input
December 6th – draft detailed budget document circulated to Council members for review and from then Council had the opportunity to provide comments to Treasurer and CAO
January 10th – budget document was available in the Town Hall and on-line for the public’s review and information
February 4th – Public Meeting for the 2020 Budget. We heard input from the public which I mentioned in my Mayor’s report.
February 18th – tonight, we are hoping to pass the Budget for the 2020 fiscal year.
As you can see by this timetable, there has been considerable opportunity for the public to review and comment on the budget document. Council also have had this document before them and they have recommended some changes which we will vote on individually. Depending on those decisions, the budget may or may not be amended. Then we will vote on the 2020 Budget document, as amended.