Members Present: Councillor – Laurie (Smokey) Golden, Deputy Mayor – Debbie Myles, Councillor – James Mielhausen, Councillor – Megan Myles, Mayor – Milt McIver
Members Absent: Nil
Staff Present: Bylaw Enforcement Officer – Carol Hopkins, Clerk – Cathy Addison, Fire Chief – Jack Burt, GIS/IT Coordinator – Kara Smith, Chief Administrative Officer – Peggy Van Mierlo-West, Manager of Community Services – Ryan Deska, Treasurer – Teresa Shearer, Deputy Clerk – Tessa Swanton, Public Works Manager – Troy Cameron, Chief Building Official – Wendy Elliott
Others Present: Nil
Note: Members of Council and staff were present in the Municipal Office Council Chamber and the meeting was held via zoom, an electronic platform, for members of the public to attend.
Call to Order and Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof
Mayor McIver called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and Council members were reminded to disclose any pecuniary interest and the general nature thereof that may arise during the meeting.
Councillor Myles declared a pecuniary interest “on STA budget because I own/operate tourist accommodation in the municipality”.
Councillor Mielhausen declared a pecuniary interest “on Treasurer Report No. TR 22-03, specifically any discussion relating to Item 4 within the report, short term accommodations, as I own a STA within the Municipality.”
Approval of the Agenda
#04-01-2022
Moved by Councillor Laurie (Smokey) Golden, Seconded by Councillor James Mielhausen
That the content of the agenda be approved as presented.
Carried
Consideration of Agenda Items
1. Treasurer Report No. TR 22-03
Re: 2022 Budget – Draft #1 (Revised)
Council
· Consider reviewing Council compensation due to inflation costs in 2022
· A fair Council compensation review may attract a more diverse pool of candidates for the 2022 election
· Council directed staff to move forward with the review; staff will prepare a report to Council regarding the compensation review for approval
Administration
· The Pay Equity Review generally takes place every 4-5 years; however, some municipalities are moving forward on this review in 2022 due to significant inflation costs
· Ward and Uptigrove is willing to prepare a wage review in 2022; inflation is expected to remain consistent or increase in the coming years
· Council directed staff to complete a joint Council/staff compensation review for 2022
· The cost for the reviews is approximately $10,000 for both studies to occur in 2022
GIS/IT
· Staff are drafting a Request for Proposal (RFP) for network support
· GIS/IT is a new budget category
· Explore if the Building Reserve could help subsidize the GIS/IT budget
· GIS primarily supports assets, Public Works, and By-law
· Working alongside other municipalities to identify cost savings for IT
· Software licence costs are increasing and require one licence per user
Having declared pecuniary interests, Councillor Mielhausen and Councillor Myles did not participate in this portion of the meeting.
STA (Short Term Accommodation)
· The support for short term accommodations includes monitoring software, complaints management, records collection, and legal representation
· The Municipality utilizes Cloud Permit, an existing program that is being utilized by the Building Department, which resulted in reduced costs for licensing
· To date, staff have received 232 STA applications, scheduled 50 inspections, and issued 5 licences
· Data from the HAMARI website regarding STAs suggests 523 active STA listings right now; 76.9% have been used within the past 30 days
· 52 new STA listings have been added in the past 30 days
· STAs are being rented at an average nightly rate of $246.00
· Once a STA licence is issued, the STA will be added to the STA map on the municipal website
Councillor Myles and Councillor Mielhausen resumed participation in the meeting at this time.
Fire
· Station 10 renovations includes drainage work
· Discussion ensued on the MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario) compensation and limited funds received in 2021
· Wages include fire calls and training costs; the increase in wages is due to a high number of search and rescue calls in 2021
· The call volume in 2021 was 178 calls compared to the average of 120 calls
· Station 20 renovations did not occur in 2021; the renovations will be included with the generator work
· Breathing apparatuses; masks were purchased for each member of the Fire Department
Policing
· Anticipating two police officers in Tobermory and they are searching for office spaces; the Municipality needs confirmation of this endeavor
Building
· The Department will be utilizing RSM Building Consultants for more inspections in 2022
· The reserves will assist with low revenue years in the future
By-law Enforcement
· Staff will prepare a report to Council of parking revenues and allocations for 2021
· Contract enforcement is going well
· Parking fines are high; hopefully people become more aware of the paid parking program
· The Parking Management System is the online parking ticket system
· Staff to locate the budget for Park Pass and report back to Council
· More signage displaying QR codes for paid parking will be placed on paid parking roads
· Dedicate contract enforcement to assist with parking education at certain locations
· The biggest problem for 2021 was lack of enforcement at Little Cove
· Park Pass was mainly included in the credit card fees
· The Lion’s Head Shuttle Service wants to continue operation in 2022; however, they may not be interested in utilizing the Lion’s Head Arena parking lot; a report will be presented to Council in the future
· Continuing with contract enforcement with James Special Services and awaiting names for the Appointment By-law
Health and Safety
No discussion was noted.
Emergency Planning
· Arena generator replacement will be included within the Lion’s Head Arena construction project; however it will be a separate budget item not included in the approved funding
Capital Projects
· Fire Hall and Office generators will be funded from the Generator Reserve
· Opening balance from 2018 changed under the Facilities Department
· The Treasurer combined categories together regarding Facilities in the Capital Projects Reserves
· The Treasurer prepared a policy in 2021 and combined several reserves together; the Treasurer will bring back a report to Council outlining this change
· The digital sign could be purchased and used in different areas
· Unsuccessful with the Tobermory Water Plan grant application; the OCIF grant has been used towards roads and Little Tub Water Treatment; staff to report back to Council on the designated project(s) for the OCIF grant
· There is a report in the Regular Council meeting regarding OCWA which provides information on water treatment; moving forward with a cistern approach for 2022
Reserves
· Chi Cheemaun Festival Committee Reserves are in place; the festival has been on hold for years due to COVID-19
· Tax Sales Reserves can be used in the future to pay off tax arrears as some tax sales may not be successful
· Land Sales Reserves can be utilized for various areas
Discussion on Changes from January 24, 2022 Special Council Meeting (Budget)
· Tobermory Water Treatment Plant; obtain clarification from Public Works
· Staff would like to prepare tenders for bridge construction; a report will be presented to Council outlining options on tenders and RFPs
· Going through the environmental assessment (EA) for the Heron Point Project
· Progress on North Shore Road; the EA is on the 30-day review period for comments from the public and agencies
· Parks Canada installed a cistern at the Parks Canada Visitors Centre; Public Works can contact Parks Canada
· Streetlights for Pike Bay were used to replace streetlights throughout the Municipality; experienced issues with streetlight supply
· The BWDSB and the Tobermory Daycare are in discussions right now regarding funding and the agreement for moving the daycare operations into St. Edmunds Public School
· Mayor McIver thanked everyone for their contributions relating to the successful funding granted to create 39 child care spaces at St. Edmunds Public School in Tobermory.
· Successful in application for RED (Rural Economic Development) funding for a two year Downtown Revitalization Coordinator Project focusing on critically analyzing the downtown cores from an economic development perspective; intended to be a community driven process; requires a $75,000 municipal contribution over two years; Management is recommending that the municipal share come from Parking Reserves; flexibility to hire someone for a shorter time period than two years
· Tobermory Water Treatment Plant costs; staff will provide clarification to Council
#04-02-2022
Moved by Councillor James Mielhausen, Seconded by Deputy Mayor Debbie Myles
THAT Council receives Draft #1 of the 2022 Budget for their consideration.
Carried
#04-03-2022
Moved by Councillor Megan Myles, Seconded by Councillor James Mielhausen
That Council directs staff to proceed with a Council Compensation Review in 2022.
Carried
#04-04-2022
Moved by Councillor Megan Myles, Seconded by Councillor James Mielhausen
That Council directs staff to proceed with a Non-Union Staff Compensation Review in 2022.
Carried
Other Business – Nil
Reading of By-laws
By-law No. 2022-17
Being a By-Law to Confirm the Proceedings of the Special Council Meeting of The Corporation of The Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Held Monday, February 14, 2022
#04-05-2022
Moved by Councillor Laurie (Smokey) Golden, Seconded by Councillor Megan Myles
That the listed by-law(s) be given 1st, 2nd, and 3rd reading, and enacted.
Carried
Adjournment
We are attempting to make every document accessible but there may still be difficulty in recognizing all the information. Please contact the Accessibility Coordinator if you require assistance and we will make every attempt to provide this information in an alternate format.
Please note that third party sourced documents found within this package will not be converted to an accessible format by the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula; however, upon request, we will attempt to obtain these documents in an appropriate accessible format.
#04-06-2022
Moved by Councillor James Mielhausen, Seconded by Councillor Megan Myles
That the meeting adjourns at 10:45 a.m.
Carried
