Confidential/Closed Session; Audit of 2005 Township Financial Statements; Final Revisions to the Business Licensing By-Law; Silverbirch Encroachements, Plan 1244; Rules Re: Correspondence; Cancellation of Council Meetings on November 13REPORT ON COUNCIL October 10, 2006 Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:04 a.m. – 4:24 p.m. Regular Evening Meeting: 7:02 p.m. – 7:40 p.m. Four Members of Council present. Deputy Mayor Pierre Paul Maurice absent.
CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 3:15 p.m. – 4:23 p.m.
AUDIT OF 2005 TOWNSHIP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: Doug Holmes and Heather Snyder of BDO Dunwoody, the Township’s auditors, reported that the financial statements for 2005 are in order.
FINAL REVISIONS TO THE BUSINESS LICENSING BY-LAW: The members of Council discussed what the objective of the Business Licensing By-Law should be with regard to trailers in Trailer Parks. Councillor Peggy Breckenridge observed that Council had to decide what was wanted: was it a situation like that in Awenda, where trailers and tents arrive and leave? Or was it to be like a trailer park where trailers stay year round. Councillor Panasiuk emphasized that the chief concern was that a trailer park not turn into a substandard subdivision. He spoke about the distinction between a seasonal cottage and a trailer in a trailer park. In the case of the former, occupants have a right to use the cottage every day of the year if they wish. In the case of the latter, owners of a trailer do not have a right to occupy their trailer for roughly half of each month from November to April.
As a result of the discussion (and of a suggestion for a member of the public), two revisions were made to the draft Business Licensing Bylaw with regard to Campgrounds and Trailer Parks. One was to forbid all trailers that would be assessed by MPAC, except those that would be assessed solely because of size. A second revision had to do with the restriction of use to 14 days per month between November and April, the revised version reading: “No lot shall be occupied by a person or persons for more than 14 days per month between November and April.”
SILVERBIRCH ENCROACHMENTS, PLAN 1244: Initially the discussion concerned one particular encroachment on a strip of land owned by the Township between the shore lots and the water in Plan 1244 on Silver Birch. The decision was to advise the owners that the existing encroachment agreement will expire on January 1, 2008, without renewal. (The discussion revealed that public access to the water is difficult from the strip of land in question, and that roughly 3/4 of the lots encroach on this strip of Township property in some way. These encroachments are to be dealt with in due course.)
RULES RE CORRESPONDENCE: Council discussed the appropriateness of a letter addressed to a private individual appearing in the correspondence book. It had been included because the writer of the letter asked that it be placed there. The person to whom the letter was written was not consulted. There was no motion to forbid publication of such letters; when the matter was raised at the October 30th meeting of Council, it was decided that the next Council should set Township policy about such correspondence.
CANCELLATION OF COUNCIL MEETINGS ON NOVEMBER 13: As the next meetings of Council would ordinarily fall on November 13th – municipal election day — Council decided to cancel its meetings. Council will meet next on November 27th.
