REPORT ON COUNCIL
February 11, 2008
Committee of the Whole Meeting: 9:04 a.m. 11:42 and 12:56 p.m. – 3:18 p.m.
Regular Evening Meeting: 7:06 p.m. – 7:55 p.m.
All Members of Council present.
CONFIDENTIAL / CLOSED SESSION: 1:38 p.m. – 3:17 p.m.
OFFICIAL TREE FOR TINY TOWNSHIP: Representing the Township’s Historical and Heritage Committee, Gordon Robbins recommended that the Sugar Maple, which is featured on our national and provincial flags, be designated as the Township’s official tree. Apparently First Nations peoples who lived in Huronia when Samuel Champlain arrived early in the 17th Century were already making maple syrup, a practice that became more efficient in the mid 1600s when they were able to trade furs for nails and axes and metal pots. Once logging and lumbering began more than a century later, the sugar maple was used by the wealthy in the area and farther afield for floors because of its tight grain and strength. By the 1800s, maple syrup had become a staple of the area and was sold throughout central Ontario. Township soils allow the tree to flourish; it provides shade in parks and is hardy.
Receptive to the idea of a Township tree, Council asked staff to report about rules and procedures.
SEPTIC RE-INSPECTION UPDATE: C. C. Tatham & Associates reported that last summer’s 1205 inspections covered the entire northeast corner of the Township (everything east of Methodist Point Road and north of Concession 16 east, including Farlain Lake). Their estimate is that the first pass of the re-inspection programme (only the north west quadrant is still to be done) will be completed by the end of the summer of 2009.
Only the 2002 inspections now have no outstanding problems. A total of 34 properties from 2003, 2004 and 2005 have orders not to occupy until remedial work has been completed. Both C. C. Tatham and the By-law Department check from time to time to make sure those properties are not in use. Follow up work is also being done on unresolved issues from 2006 and 2007.
Once the entire Township has been re-inspected, it’ll be time to start back at the beginning, since many properties will, by then, not have been re-inspected for more than 10 years.
DECISION RE GIANT’S TOMB ISLAND ROAD: At the January 28 meeting of Council, Delva Lacroix made a presentation to Council on behalf of four cottagers on Giant’s Tomb Island, asking that they be allowed to purchase the part of the township-owned road allowance behind their individual waterfront lots. The road is about 1.5 kilometres in length and the proposed purchases would be spotted at intervals along it. Council decided to leave the unopened road allowance as public land and to ascertain whether the Ministry of Natural Resources wants to add the road to the abutting Provincial Park lands.
GOVERNANCE REPORT RE COUNTY COUNCIL: Mayor Peggy Breckenridge noted that Simcoe County’s CAO/Clerk has prepared a report recommending substantial changes to the County’s political governance structure, without seeking advice from a consultant in the field or from the general public. The report is to be discussed at County on March 20 at 9 am.
COUNTY TO RECYCLE ELECTRONICS: On April 1, residents may take used electronic equipment to the North Simcoe Transfer Station for recycling any time during regular opening hours, Monday to Saturday. The usual modest weight charge will apply (the County will be running the program at a loss, but the GEEP recycling facility in Barrie will harvest the precious metals and recycle all parts of computers, printers, monitors, TVs, fax machines, modems, pagers, telephones, cameras, radios, speakers, and video equipment).
ONE BAG LIMIT COMING THIS FALL: Mayor Breckenridge drew attention to information in a letter from the Corporate Services Department of the County of Simcoe. When green bin organic collection begins this fall, the bag limit in Tiny Township (and elsewhere in the County) will be reduced from two to one. The following items are to go into the green bin:
fruit/vegetable peelings & table scraps
bones, fat, meat, chicken & fish
bread, rice & pasta
coffee grounds, filters & tea bags
vacuum bags, soiled paper towels & dryer lint
houseplants, hair & fur.
NOTE: Disposable diapers are NOT included. On the other hand, vacuum bags, dryer lint, hair & fur (all items that cannot be put into green bins in Toronto) are included in the Simcoe green bin programme.
COUNCIL SALARY INCREASES APPROVED: A report prepared by Doug Luker, CAO/Clerk, made a number of recommendations to bring Council compensation into line with that in municipalities similar to Tiny. The key recommendation was the first one:
That compensation for the Mayor’s position be adjusted to the median of the comparator group (adjusted for 2007-08 CPI) totaling $29,733, the compensation for Council members be set at 65% of the Mayor’s base compensation at $19,326 and that the Deputy Mayor’s base compensation be set at 75% of the Mayor’s position at $22,300.
While preparing the report, the Clerk/CAO learned that the Mayor’s salary was the lowest among the comparators and substantially below the median. He noted that in establishing the appropriate compensation for the Deputy Mayor and Councillors, he took into account the fact that Tiny has fewer Council positions than the comparators so that each of them carries a heavier work load.
He recommended that Council remuneration be reviewed in the last year of each Council’s term for implementation following the election of a new Council.
Members of Council were sharply divided about the report’s recommendations. Mayor Breckenridge and Councillors Claire and Cornell agreed with them, while Deputy Mayor George Lawrence and Councillor Nigel Warren expressed discomfort with the size of the increases and with the notion of voting themselves increases. The recommendations were carried 3-2.
(For the complete report, see Clerk’s Report CR-005-08 in the Regular Meeting of Council Agenda for February 11, 2008 under Reports of Staff/Committees/Consultants/Third Parties.)
