Township of North Dundas Council has had two Council meetings this month – one regularly scheduled meeting on February 7, and one special meeting which took place on February 13.
During the regularly scheduled meeting, normal business such as the discussion of by-law amendment requests was mixed with a happy occasion – the presentation of staff recognition awards. Awards were given out for the categories of great customer service, efforts to ensure safe work practices, and “innovation, sustainability, and leadership”.
Council passed a motion to purchase an easement that will allow a secondary water main to be looped from the existing water main at Wellings of Winchester into the Christine Lane subdivision. This will provide an additional water supply should there ever be a water main disruption on Main Street.
Council also passed a motion to purchase the property for a new municipal well to be drilled. The property will cost $495,000, taken from water system user fees. The reason for the seemingly high cost of the land is that the landowner will need to give up his aggregate resource license for the property as a condition of the purchase. The well will be drilled along Lafleur Road, along the existing pipeline coming from well field #7 on Thompson Road. The well is expected to add 822 water unit allocations, and depending on approvals, will be completed in approximately three years.
Since 20 water unit allocations were returned to Council at the previous meeting, Council heard requests for a number of specific new water allocations. Council members appeared to approve the requests in theory, so a plan was made for an appropriate by-law to be drafted for passing. It was a busy meeting for matters related to environmental services, with other matters being discussed on this topic as well.
Another item of routine business at the February 7 meeting was the discussion of remuneration for members of Council, other Township staff, and members of the Fire Department. Remuneration for Council will be adjusted annually by an inflation factor, and normal adjustments to wages and expenses were discussed for Township full time staff as well. A similar motion was passed to increase compensation for the Township’s firefighters – Councillor Lennox abstained from this discussion and vote due to pecuniary interest, being a firefighter himself.
The amount of business covered in the February 7 meeting was significant, with Council going through most motions with little discussion and a high degree of efficiency.
On February 13, Council met again for a special session, specifically for a closed discussion related to the Municipal Act. Council met in closed session for well over an hour, due to the fact that the discussion topic contained matters that were subject to solicitor-client privilege. Members of the public are not privy to the specifics that are discussed in closed session meetings, which are only allowed to take place in specifically prescribed circumstances.
The next formally scheduled meeting of North Dundas Council will take place on March 7.
