Right before Christmas, Council met for a short year end regular session, followed by a lengthy special session to have preliminary discussions about the 2025 municipal budget. Audience members were no doubt amused to see that Councillor John Lennox showed up to the meeting in a Santa Claus hat and a Grinch beard, but he removed his costume during a break period.
The special budget meeting on December 18 opened with a reminder from Mayor Tony Fraser that the budget being discussed was only a draft. Interim CAO Calvin Pol then commenced with a presentation, which at first focused on the financial difficulties being faced nationwide. The Mayor was very concerned about the large impact that the cost of the Township’s insurance can have on the property tax increase rate.
Council heard presentations regarding the expenses and accomplishments of various departments within the Township this year, as well as the departments’ expected expenses and needs in 2025. These departments include fire services, planning and development, public works (including a detailed breakdown of road needs and a long-term paving plan), and waste and storm management.
By far, the lengthiest discussion was regarding the recreation and culture department. Many items, particularly non-essential upgrades or repairs for recreational facilities, were listed as “not in budget” and will be saved for a future year.
In an email to the Times in November, Councillor Lennox noted that he sees a “minor debate rising within our community” regarding recreational needs. Specifically, a member of the community who is an IT specialist sent an email to members of Council and Township staff, expressing that there is nothing wrong with the sound systems at the arenas, in contradiction to a budget recommendation. In his email, the community member suggested a very cheap solution to resolve any minor sound quality issues, rejecting any notion that a $100,000 fix would be needed. The community member noted: “$100,000.00 of community raised funds should be given back where it belongs, firstly towards those most vulnerable. We are all aware of the homeless people living behind the Arena, let’s find a real solution for them, before they either freeze to death, or create another fire which results in injury to persons and property.” Much discussion took place between Council members regarding the needs of the arenas and other recreational facilities.
The December 18 special meeting ended with Mayor Fraser reminding Council members to spend time familiarizing themselves with the draft budget, but to refrain from attempting to make decisions, since this must be done by Council as a whole.
The first meeting of Council in 2025 (and the only meeting this year thus far) took place on January 15. The session opened with a public meeting regarding a request to allow an existing apartment building in Morewood – formerly a school – to have an increase to 14 dwelling units, up from the current 10 units. The plan is to use the former school’s gymnasium for the additional units. During the presentation, Council heard that the plan for the additional units conforms with the Township’s plan and priorities, but that there were some concerns from governing bodies and members of the public regarding well and septic tank capacity, parking spaces, and the current maintenance status of the building. Council heard that Township staff are likely to recommend a “holding provision” for the matter in a future meeting until adequate services for the building can be ensured. The matter was deferred.
Next, Council approved the “delegated authority bylaw”, which allows Township officials, such as municipal Directors, to make routine decisions without having to consult Council regarding each decision. This bylaw was first introduced last year, and Council voted to approve it again for this year.
Deputy Mayor Theresa Bergeron then took the floor to provide her thoughts on a key issue in North Dundas – municipal water service and how it directly correlates with growth. She pointed out that with a property tax increase of approximately 12% expected as part of the approved budget this year, it’s clear that increases which would be absorbed by population growth in other municipalities instead become the burden of existing taxpayers in North Dundas due to stagnant growth, which she posited is due to the lack of available new water connections.
The Deputy Mayor proved herself to be very knowledgeable on the topic of water, explaining how years of clearing forests and tile draining farmland has led to aquifers not being replenished like they used to, significantly increasing demands on the water table. Since all homes in North Dundas rely on groundwater – whether from private or municipal wells – this raises significant concerns for future sustainability.
Another point brought up by the Deputy Mayor is that the Lactalis factory in Winchester consumes enough water to supply 3,500 homes. She asserted that the tax levy being paid by Lactalis doesn’t compensate for the water they use, since the water use prevents the kind of residential growth needed to take the tax burden off of existing residents.
“Lactalis is actually the largest dairy products processing group in the world, and they have clout” said Deputy Mayor Bergeron. “They need water to expand, we need water to grow.” She then proposed that Lactalis’ resources and influence could help secure the funding needed to begin drawing water via a pipeline from the St. Lawrence River, rather than municipal wells.
Councillors John Lennox and Matthew Uhrig agreed with the Deputy Mayor’s sentiment. Councillor Uhrig noted that he wouldn’t want North Dundas to grow to the point of being “Kemptville lite” or “Barrhaven 2.0”, but that a solution to allow sustainable growth is needed. The Mayor revealed that he and some other municipal officials, as well as officials from Lactalis, would be attending a meeting with provincial officials regarding the local water problem.
The last item for discussion was the draft municipal budget, with Council members having the chance to ask questions. Council moved into closed session to discuss employee negotiations following the conclusion of routine business. The next regular Council meeting is scheduled for February 12.
