[0:10] good evening everyone I'd like to welcome to the town of St council

[0:13] meeting April 8th 2024 5:30 pm start time here at the council chambers the

[0:18] agenda is in front of us there any additions or changes to the agenda I

[0:20] have one addition uh your worship under correspondence I'd like to add a thank

[0:25] you from the stellon Westville police Youth

[0:28] Corps okay thank you make that a 6 or

[0:36] 8D and if that's all we'll ask for motion to approve the agenda please we

[0:40] move your worship I'll second that your worship

[0:44] move by councelor Pence second by councelor Knight all those in favor

[0:47] signify by saying I I contrary minded car n thank you item two you approve the

[0:53] amend distri Electronics they're also part of the package or any erors or

[0:56] emissions I so move I'll second that move by councilor

[1:02] ju second by Deputy Mayor Campbell all those in favor saying I I contrary

[1:07] minded most car nley thank you is there any business arising from the

[1:13] minutes hearing none we'll move on to a presentation for the 2024 2025

[1:18] operations and capital budget as well as the tax rates for

[1:28] 20242

[1:36] um Council has their packages in front of

[1:40] them so we'll start with the general operating budget which should be the

[1:45] first in your package we are presenting a balanced

[1:48] budget as required and we're proposing no tax rate

[1:54] increases the assessments for 2024 residential and resource at 229 M36

[2:00] 5700 commercial assessment at 94,5

[2:05] 196,00 maintaining the rates at a188 residential and resource and Commercial

[2:10] at $430 per $100 of assessment gives us total taxes of

[2:16] 8,379 712 and that amount carries down into

[2:22] the budget details below uh to describe the budget for 2324 is your left-and

[2:28] column the middle column is projected for 2324 not final but projected and the

[2:34] budget for 2425 is the right hand column so total accessible property

[2:40] taxes at the amount of 8,379 712 that's an increase uh in residential of 285,000

[2:48] and commercial for 359 to note this is tax rate

[2:52] allinclusive the town does not have any additional user

[2:57] fees special tax agreement for 21,000 uh that is a calculation based on uh

[3:03] revenue for both Alliant and Heritage gas the D transfer tax this is 100,000

[3:10] of Revenue and 100,000 of expense estimated uh this money is collected and

[3:15] remitted for the wellness center and the hospital so Net Zero impact on the

[3:20] budget grants in Le of taxes at 217 184 uh those grants are for the Post

[3:26] Office crcmp the department of M mines uh sco power and fire protection at

[3:34] nscc other Revenue owned sources at 166320 we are projecting a decrease over

[3:41] the prior year but this is where we do conservative budgeting this is mostly

[3:45] interest the impact of interest um so it also includes dispatch and of course

[3:50] we're no longer doing dispatch for the firefighters Association it also

[3:54] includes sale of service and we're not doing Recreation programming for day

[3:58] camps so it's reduced us for that as

[4:03] well unconditional transfers this is the financial capacity Grant and the HST

[4:08] offset both of which are outside the control of the Town budgeted at 52,6

[4:16] A4 conditional transfers at 105,000 that's for Street crime uh and student

[4:22] funding as well as for the malal and of course we're reduced for empal as we're

[4:25] not having a full-time Recreation person

[4:30] internal transfers at 235 175 for the 2425 budget year this is the transfer

[4:37] from the water utility to the general operating fund to cover the

[4:40] administrative costs funded by the general operating fund on behalf of the

[4:45] utility to note the 2324 projected we are projecting a $150,000 deficit so we

[4:52] are anticipating both the transfer from the water utility plus a transfer from

[4:56] operating Reserve to balance 2324

[5:02] overall there's about a 3.3% increase in Revenue to

[5:07] 9,742

[5:12] 575 on the expenditure side total legislative services at

[5:20] 12473 that's always higher than than actual projected because you don't tend

[5:24] to spend all of the money budgeted travel expenses are budgeted at $1,000

[5:29] per person generally not used we also have the nsfm and the fcm conferences in

[5:33] those numbers General government services at

[5:37] 1,1 15173 there is an increase here uh

[5:42] there's the overall increase of 2.25% there's also funding there for

[5:46] work on the town hall out of the security assessment sickle valuation is

[5:51] to be done this year we have the election so the election costs there's

[5:56] increase in Grants annual grants as requested by Council and there's an also

[6:00] an increase for some Heritage Pro

[6:04] projects Protective Services policing at 2, 323 472 this is a small decrease over

[6:11] the prior year um this does include the uh an estimate for the new contract but

[6:16] the prior year had additional sick leave costs which were not anticipating to be

[6:20] repeated in the current year that's the reason for the

[6:25] decrease Protective Services fire for 55125 4 there is a decrease within fire

[6:31] for the fire protection which is paid to our water utility and there is an

[6:36] increase for repointing of the brick on the building and costs for new members

[6:40] such as

[6:43] uniforms transportation services at 2, 357 767 there is an increase here as

[6:49] well there's an additional person whose Focus will be on Horticultural for the

[6:54] uh for the town there is the normal 2.25% increase there's also summer

[6:59] standby charges um which have been budgeted for not used in Prior years we

[7:05] always allow room for repair and maintenance on vehicles for unexpected

[7:09] situations uh gas and Diesel is up uh this there's an increase for the sweeper

[7:13] truck we didn't have it for as much last year as anticipated uh for some signage

[7:19] uh as well as regular storm sewer

[7:23] maintenance environmental services at 863 665 this is a decrease over

[7:28] projected for 2324 for the revised funding formula for

[7:34] Eric Recreation services at 43800 um just to note the wellness

[7:41] center is would be considered a recreation service we just defined it as

[7:44] a separate line item so Recreation services in total would be the

[7:48] combination of the two but at 143 800 it is a decrease over the prior year as

[7:53] we're not having a full-time person uh so with no day camps um but it does

[7:58] include regular maintenance on the fields and $20,000 for some playground

[8:04] pieces pick to County Wellness Center at 375 this is an estimate of the share of

[8:08] operations for the town of stellon for the wellness

[8:14] center cultural services at 83 892 that's the community center library and

[8:19] Deans nothing significant over the prior year financing for principal and

[8:24] interest is up to 592 273 we've added the principal payment for the Curve and

[8:29] the fire Tru uh there's also interest uh for the firet truck for the full year we

[8:34] were only a half a year last year plus the equipment that is planned in the

[8:38] capital budget for the current year outside service providers to the

[8:43] town 14968 this is pvsc Chad picture County

[8:49] Transit and homecoming nothing significant year-over-year

[8:53] outside service providers Province this number has decreased to 925 33 34 which

[9:00] is now just the school board we don't have Corrections and we don't have the

[9:04] housing deficit anymore those will be funded by The

[9:07] Province and the transfer the D transfer tax again we had 100,000 in Revenue so

[9:12] we have 100,000 estimate in expense and that again is a remittance to the

[9:16] wellness center and Hospital balance to zero overall total

[9:21] expenditures at 9,742 575 which is a 3.3% increase over the projected for

[9:28] 2324 [Applause]

[9:34] any questions on General

[9:41] operating okay if not um I'll move on to the general capital budget for the sorry

[9:46] the capital budget for the general operating

[9:52] fund we have a total of, 8,000 budgeted for Capital sidewalk

[10:00] plowing and attachment for 200,000 two public works for 120,000

[10:05] this is part of our annual replacement program we are working toward getting to

[10:09] one year but to catch up we have two trucks for the current year a onton

[10:14] truck we are replacing a 200 2004 model 7545 uh there's a required DFO study uh

[10:22] a stage discharge curve update and fish assessment on fish ladder and

[10:28] Spillway that's professional professional fees for that

[10:32] project power and pumping at 29,39 this is allowing for a general

[10:38] increase this is both power and pumping repairs and maintenance as well as

[10:44] electricity purification at 71032 we're continuing the powdered

[10:49] activated carbon for the better test and quality of the water there's increase

[10:54] for testing and for the training to maintain certifications at the water

[10:57] treatment plant

[11:01] transmission and distribution at

[11:04] 215501 we we always budget for unexpected repairs and maintenance this

[11:08] would be the water name breakes we hope to come in less than that number but we

[11:12] anticipate the worst case scenario admin in general at 262 675

[11:20] most of this is paid to the general operating fund which is to fund the

[11:24] administrative costs because the water utility does not have its own

[11:27] administrative Department depreciation at 425,000 that is a

[11:33] calculation relative to asset base that money is actually transferred from the

[11:39] water utility operating fund and put into reserve the purpose of which is to

[11:43] continually replace the water utility assets taxes at$ 138 929 that again is

[11:50] paid to the town of Stell and general operating fund and with no tax rate

[11:55] increase overall total expenditures at 2,934 44 there's interest in principal

[12:01] on debt at 43573 again decreasing interest is

[12:06] decreasing as the debt is slowly decreasing we need a transfer from

[12:12] Surplus to balance the budget at 311 373 we're projecting 274 856 for

[12:20] 2324 the utility does have an operating surplus of over 1 million just over $1

[12:25] million at the end of March 2023 so both of those transfers projected 2324 and

[12:31] budget 2425 are covered by the current

[12:43] Surplus okay then the water utility capital

[12:50] projects the PLC upgrade that is basically the brains of the computer at

[12:55] the water treatment plant for 120,000 uh fence at the reservoir this

[13:00] is to replace and move it to the top of the hill to for

[13:04] 27,000 and then the infrastructure project now this is the waterline

[13:08] portion of those infrastructure projects Kirk Avenue at 590,000 and the

[13:13] completion of Claremont for 78 so overall water utility capital

[13:18] projects at 1,445 th000 funded 926 th000 from water

[13:26] depreciation and icip federal and provincial funding for 519,000

[13:40] no a resolution read for this one but to approve just to

[13:46] approve I shall move I'll second

[13:51] that move by counc one second by Deputy Mayor Campbell all those in favor

[13:55] signify by saying I I contary mind it most car

[13:59] ask um thank you very much Brenda I hope my thingy was on it

[14:09] just thank you thank you Brenda for your work on this we appreciate it thanks to

[14:14] all the

[14:19] staff okay so we going to move on to a couple of

[14:25] proclamations the first one is law disease awareness month for May

[14:30] whereas lme disease is serious illness caused by bite of a back black leg tick

[14:34] infected with bacterium Boreal bori and whereas black Leed ticks carry a variety

[14:41] of disease or illnesses that can now be found in all parts of Nova Scotia and

[14:45] whereas awareness education and practicing preventive measures such as

[14:49] daily tick checks and proper tick removal can help reduce your chance of

[14:52] Contracting tick born ill diseases therefore it be a resolve that I mayor

[14:57] Danny mcil Stell and Town Council do hereby Proclaim May

[15:01] 2024 as lime disease Awareness Month have a motion please so move

[15:07] second that your worship um Susan do we have lighting for that they request that

[15:13] we light up we have lightning for do okay thank you so move by councelor P S

[15:19] by councelor KN there's no further questions all those in favor by saying I

[15:23] I contrary minded most car n thank you next is Proclamation for gelic Nova

[15:31] Scotia month whereas 2024 marks the 28th

[15:36] anniversary of gaic Nova Scotia month which is a time to embrace honor and

[15:39] celebrate the history culture language contribution and achievements of gales

[15:43] across the province and whereas gayy culture is an integral part of the

[15:47] identity of Nova scotian Gales represent one of the earliest non-indigenous

[15:50] cultural groups of s Mogi and whereas new generations of language Learners and

[15:54] cultural Champions are carrying on and building upon the legacy of gaic Nova

[15:58] Scotia tradition bearers and whereas the town of St committed to collaborating

[16:02] with gaay communities to support the growth of gaic as part of the linguistic

[16:06] landscape of Nova Scotia through opportunities for language acquisition

[16:10] and capacity building within communities to ensure gaic language and culture will

[16:13] Thrive misson therefore I mayor Daniel mcgil St St Town Council do here by

[16:19] Proclaim May 2024 at skake Nova Scotia month in the town of stellon no move a

[16:25] second that move by councelor Pence second by Deputy Mayor Campell on the

[16:29] question yeah on the question didn't do they raise a flag that's was so we is is

[16:34] there a date for that Susan that will be up to council you

[16:39] want to say it now sure yeah the only day we can't do it is May 1st because

[16:44] that's 'll they're not available then be in h

[16:50] Fox um Pi a date D April 24th Wednesday April 24th oh you want to do it before

[16:57] May uh yeah we should wait you're right

[17:01] uh Friday May 3rd y sounds good works for me yeah what time of day you want

[17:06] usually probably they're coming from Halifax so you want to do like 11 11 11

[17:11] sounds good y's going to wear his guilt I'll wear my

[17:16] guil I can reach out to them and work that out with them perfect thank

[17:21] you thank you your worship what time did you say 11 on May 3rd and I will send

[17:27] that out for councel okay good perfect um so did I call for the vote on

[17:34] I said you just know you didn't call for a vote it's been moved and seconded all

[17:38] those in favor saying I I to remind it most car answer thank

[17:42] you we move on to forun staff the first 17A Chief Mark hobc St Police Service

[17:49] the ston police commission met last week a couple times through this report any

[17:54] questions or comments on

[17:57] it

[18:06] I don't have any question or comments anybody

[18:08] else okay hear none have a motion to approve it please so

[18:14] moved I'll second that move by councelor Knight second by Deputy Mayor Campbell

[18:19] all those in favor signify by saying I I I cont minded Caren nany thank

[18:24] you uh 7B is fire chief Michael Selvin the fire department report is there any

[18:29] questions or comments on

[18:36] that I'll second that your worship move by councelor Pence second by councelor n

[18:41] all those in favor saying I I contary mind most car Nancy thank you 7 C is

[18:47] paage Draper marketing Communications any questions or comments

[18:51] on that one just mention the volunteer reception

[18:55] is uh Thursday April 18th at the St fire hall we're going to recognize our or

[18:59] valued volunteers that time good homecoming is taking place July 24th to

[19:04] 28 28th and there's uh on our social media post there's important highlights

[19:09] there's employment opportunities we're accepting applications for several

[19:12] positions right now within the town there are multiple summer positions that

[19:14] are open till April 14th for submissions and the position as Parks beautification

[19:19] coordinated with Public Works open until April 11th that's a new position we at

[19:22] it this year in their budget um no further comments or question have motion

[19:26] please so move I'll second that move by councel ni

[19:32] second by Campell all those in favor saying I contary mind motion carry thank

[19:38] you 7D is the uh Town engineer Blaine Murray questions or comments on that

[19:47] one I saw

[19:53] move move by councelor one second by councelor pil just on the question I'll

[19:57] highlight a couple of things the Kirk Avenue infrastructure upgrades

[20:00] attender Comm on April 4th so that's should be done now yeah uh Blaine will

[20:05] have um full report on those tenders at Committee of the whole for your approval

[20:09] okay perfect thank you very much and just want to read a couple of things

[20:13] um Public Works proposed a capital purchase for a new back coast snow

[20:17] bucket which we approved in council at our budget U because they thought the

[20:22] old one could not be repair but Public Works said IM mass and Company Bend some

[20:25] sheet metal and staff wellth the material together the department will no

[20:27] longer need a capital mer say the town $ 155 to $18,000 just thank you to public

[20:31] works for that and the lack of snow and March

[20:34] allow the staff to perform long overdue maintenance and plow equipment multiple

[20:38] snow and ice events with o brakes can make it harder to perform equipment

[20:40] maintenance the same people who plow the streets are the same people who fix

[20:43] water brakes perform minutes to sewer streets and buildings unlike bigger

[20:47] municipalities who have dedicated staff to each of these activities our staff

[20:49] are involved with it all so thank you the public works for that as

[20:53] well um all those in FA signify by saying

[20:57] I on the question worship I just want to

[21:01] bring up a point and thank the uh Public Works they're for the Heritage rooms are

[21:05] really good and coming over we depend on them wholly to have the Heritage room

[21:09] painted clean or whatever needs to be done and they do a great job just want

[21:13] to thank them for that on the question we have a very

[21:20] versatile bunch of employees I would say versatile and dedicated we appreciate

[21:26] this thank you councelor Pence so all those in favor saying I I contary minded

[21:32] K nley thank you move on to uh reports or correspondence uh 78a is province of

[21:39] Nova Scotia uh yes correspondence was received from Municipal Affairs and

[21:43] Housing on March 28 2024 dear Mayors and wardens it has been a tremendously

[21:49] difficult 18 months for Nova Scotia as it relates to extreme weather events

[21:54] we've endured generational hurricanes wildfires and floods that have had a

[21:57] devastating impact act on our communities and the residents we serve

[22:01] municipalities play a significant and key role in emergency preparedness

[22:05] response and Recovery I want to acknowledge your leadership during these

[22:09] difficult events and thank you for your commitment to the response we know that

[22:13] climate change is causing more frequent and severe weather events and as

[22:16] governments we share a responsibility to work in collaboration to protect our

[22:20] communities historically our emergency response has been has been very

[22:24] effective but with the increased intensity and frequency of events we

[22:28] need need to increase our capacity and strengthen our overall preparedness

[22:32] response and Recovery that is why today March 28th 2024 our government tabled

[22:38] legislation that will establish a new provincial Department of mun of

[22:42] Emergency Management once established it is the intention that this new

[22:46] department will have a mandate to lead direct and support a coordinated whole

[22:50] of government response to emergencies and transition to a culture of

[22:54] preparedness across the province within this new Department we will will work to

[22:58] strengthen our collaboration with communities and our partners across the

[23:02] province like municipalities so we better so we are better prepared for the

[23:06] future we are also launching the Nova Scotia guard which will be a group of

[23:11] individuals and organizations from across the province who will help

[23:14] communities during and after emergencies the Nova scoa guard will include

[23:18] volunteers with specialty skills such as firefighters as well as other members of

[23:23] the public to fill a variety of roles depending on the emergency needs those

[23:27] interested in volunteering to help Nova Scotia be ready in the event of an

[23:31] emergency can let the province know by completing the early registration form

[23:36] at uh ns. 211. CA the legislation introduced today also

[23:42] requires the support of our Municipal Partners in the months ahead we look

[23:46] forward to working with you and speaking with you about regulations respecting

[23:50] the relationships between municipalities and Regional Emergency Management

[23:53] offices the provision of fire dispatch Services through Regional Emergency

[23:57] Management office off the creation of vulnerable person Registries and their

[24:01] implementation as well as the development of a Regional emergency

[24:04] alert system and the participation of municipalities in the system this

[24:08] direction is built on significant engagement with Nova scotians over the

[24:12] past year and focuses on three key areas communication coordination and volunteer

[24:17] management combined these efforts will result in Greater preparedness impact

[24:21] and efficiency before during and after an emergency honorable John a lore

[24:25] minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing i' like to thank Minister lur

[24:29] for the letter and U pleased to see the I think it's interest or pleased the

[24:33] Department of Emergency Management new Department I think that's a great idea

[24:36] and the Nova scotian gar sounds like a good idea as well it'll be interesting

[24:39] to see how that plays out so thank you for the Prov for that any question or

[24:42] comments I just I think it's a fire our fire department is a big part of that

[24:47] and of course uh Susan uh when we had the last one yourself and Page jumped in

[24:54] there when we had the floods down in BL blue Acres I think we got a kind of a

[24:57] head start here on good point Thank You councelor n thank you for your time and

[25:02] effort thank you we don't need a motion for that nope just for information move

[25:08] on to uh 8B the province of Nova Scotia uh another um piece of correspondence

[25:13] from Minister um or honorable John lore um March 28 2024 and you are well aware

[25:20] of this one uh dear Mayors wens I'm pleased to inform you that a significant

[25:24] Milestone has been reached for our Province and all municipalities as of

[25:28] today March 28th a new service exchange agreement has been signed under this

[25:32] agreement which comes into effect on April 1st 2024 The Province will be

[25:36] making an historical annual investment of $82 million this is a $52 million

[25:42] increase from the 30 million in funding through annual Municipal Financial

[25:46] capacity Grant the collaborative spirit and dedication exhibited by both the

[25:50] province and municipalities over nearly two years of discussions have culminated

[25:54] in this agreement it truly represents a comprehensive understanding of the

[25:58] evolving needs and aspirations of Nova scotians furthering the prosperity of

[26:02] our communities as we move forward I encourage you to review the details of

[26:06] the service exchange agreement thank you for your continued dedication to serving

[26:10] your communities together we continue to make meaningful strides towards growth

[26:13] and well-being for all Nova scotians and that is where um the corrections and

[26:18] housing is no longer a an expenditure for the

[26:21] municipalities which is a big bonus of the town of stance we once again thank

[26:24] the province for that it's a big cost big cost it's not on our shoulders

[26:29] anymore and we appreciate uh 8C I received a request

[26:34] from gfl environmental um on March 27th uh regarding um a request for Council

[26:41] for a noise Bo bylaw exemption on behalf of gfl environmental

[26:46] we are submitting this letter to request your consideration for an exemption to a

[26:50] bylaw that would allow us to service certain customers Solid Waste streams

[26:54] before 7 a.m. under your noise bylaw providing services to local business

[26:59] within stellon area is restricting our employees from serving these businesses

[27:03] safely and efficiently during a time when traffic flow is low as an essential

[27:08] service provider we do not want to see any business have their Waste Services

[27:11] disrupted as this can lead to unslightly garbage overflow and increase pest

[27:15] concerns the customers who are affected by this bylaw are to name a few Tim

[27:20] Horton's Wholesale Club Jubilee Avenue doctor's office NCC Picto campus and

[27:25] stellon Town Hall all these sites require Early Access allowing gfl trucks

[27:30] to safely gain access to the waste containers before traffic becomes too

[27:35] heavy which would become an unsafe environment for our employees as well as

[27:38] motorists and pedestrians Tim Hortons is one location that requires us to be in

[27:42] and out before 545 a.m. due to patrons filling up their drive-through area

[27:48] Wholesale Club is another high-risk location where we must back in out onto

[27:53] North Ford Street this area needs to be serviced before 5:00 a.m. to allow safe

[27:57] and entry and exit when traffic is not at a high volume this site has also

[28:02] morning deliveries that would pose an access issue soes is another location

[28:07] that requires early morning Services the offices need to be completed prior to

[28:11] staff arriving because their staff enter where the waste containers are placed

[28:16] the soie store location must be completed before the delivery trucks

[28:19] arrive different times of the morning make it impossible to service their

[28:22] waste as you can see there are multiple locations that pose safety risks where

[28:26] traffic and parking are concern all locations are serviced for their waste

[28:30] and recycling needs multiple times per week we do not want to see any business

[28:35] within the town of stellon deal with service interruptions and request that

[28:38] you approve this exemption so we can safely provide these essential services

[28:41] to the town businesses community at no time do we want to cause a disturbance

[28:46] and we do everything we can to minimize noise in residential areas we cannot

[28:50] remove our backup alarms or caution strob lights from our trucks under the

[28:53] commercial vehicle act and we do try to stay clear of certain areas but

[28:57] unfortunately some areas need to be accessed for early safety

[29:01] reasons so if Council uh is going to entertain a an exemption uh how that

[29:08] would work is you would have your first reading for an amendment to the bylaw in

[29:13] May and in June there would be a public hearing and then in in June you'd have

[29:20] your second and final reading which would um provided the outcome of the

[29:24] public hearing I wish if I read through it and for the most part I I don't see a

[29:29] problem I was wondering should we have uh the police commission look at that

[29:35] because it is a safety issue uh so the the police have been contacted because

[29:40] they are the enforcers of the bylaws and um and in speaking with the police and I

[29:46] um and gfl the only way around this is the exemption to the bylaw the the only

[29:51] area that I have in I shouldn't say a question is uh is up here um on the

[29:59] other side the fire department where the uh used to be the doctor's office

[30:03] because and I say that because there there is residents there and uh you know

[30:07] I don't know they might not like the idea of 5:00 in the morning whatever

[30:11] somebody well it's come it's come to your attention because there has been

[30:15] complaints yeah okay so that's why it has come to your attention the ones on

[30:18] Main Street in commercial areas is is okay but in my ironically that's where

[30:22] the complaint has come from really well I guess the thing is we're going to have

[30:26] a public meeting on today will have to have a public meeting so my my

[30:31] recommendation is for Council to consider this with a first reading in

[30:33] May with a public Hearing in June yeah we should have with enough advertising

[30:38] no doubt we have a public he I know I know wouldn't want to be woken at 5:00

[30:43] because some people go to bed some people work shift but I can understand

[30:47] gfls side of it too you know you guys in they they have a solid argument there I

[30:54] you know I agree with that I agree with they have a solid argument and and you

[30:58] know it is a safety issue and we we're always on top of safety but again every

[31:03] every decision we have to make there always pros and cons to it so uh you

[31:08] know if the public is not if there's no adversity from the public well then okay

[31:14] all right Susan so we got to have a I move so okay so this is first reading

[31:20] amendment in May and then a second reading and public Hearing in June

[31:25] correct I'll second that soon so move by Council second by councel Pence all the

[31:30] fa saying I mind most car thank you it's a situation you damned if you do and

[31:36] you're damned if you don't one of those yeah unfortunately most of the

[31:42] things we rule on were're in the same boat you know there's always going to be

[31:45] somebody in favor and somebody against very true okay so we'll move on

[31:51] to 8D a thank you from stellon West Police corpse yes so um this is from the

[31:56] stellon Westville youth police Corp so the donation we give them every year um

[32:01] goes towards um they went to visit the Atlantic Police Academy um so they went

[32:06] overnight and uh by all accounts had a wonderful safe trip so that's a thank

[32:11] you from them than to hear like seven seven young seven or

[32:17] eight young people went for the trip so yeah from both stellon and Westville and

[32:21] we had um two of about we had uh Sergeant

[32:25] Venus Constable uh moral and I believe it was acting Sergeant

[32:31] Clark from Westville and forgive me I can't remember the second

[32:36] person well that's great to have your support yeah definitely is the uniforms

[32:41] look nice yeah they look sure yeah okay uh committee the whole number

[32:46] nine there's no report uh number 10 is the

[32:51] intermunicipal amended agreement County partnership for rown as the run thank

[32:55] you your worship um so I it on the board uh liazon

[33:00] committee and uh this has been discussed amongst the uh six municipalities

[33:06] present and was voted on in the uh in short what the uh amendments are first

[33:13] thing is we did an amendment last year for an additional year that was only for

[33:17] one year so this would be for the full five years because the first 5 years

[33:22] were done last year and we didn't have time to do a another five years so we

[33:27] extended only for one year with an additional uh money at a time this time

[33:32] it's uh it's going to be for 5 years and there's no addition the money so that is

[33:38] uh the essence of the uh amendments in 5A there's also one caveat I want to

[33:43] bring up uh so 5A the original Clause state that the participating

[33:48] municipalities shall not exceed the contribution made by The

[33:53] Province now this was removed by the amendment and the reason for it was

[33:58] because there's a new uh uh agreement that's being worked

[34:04] on between the partnership and the province that's hopefully going to uh

[34:09] come our way uh removing that Clause will give more flexibility to the

[34:13] partnership uh no addition to the uh funding will be uh granted unless

[34:19] approved by uh all the municipalities and uh and pass through motion uh so

[34:26] there's no um uh we don't have any obligation at this

[34:31] point the other thing that I want to bring to your attention is Clause 6A the

[34:36] two major differences uh from the previous Clause is that in the previous

[34:41] uh uh contract or agreement uh the money was due on

[34:46] January 31st now it is due on April 1st uh and the other thing that is a

[34:54] little bit of significant not a lot but you know that is a change

[34:58] financially that is uh previously it was a

[35:02] $250,000 uh contribution from all six municipalities it will remain $250,000

[35:08] this year but starting next year it will be $250,000 plus 2% cost of living

[35:13] increase and that would be the only thing that's changing for

[35:17] 6A uh that is it for me any question oh that sound reasonable

[35:26] yeah any questions for counc one yeah just ask what's your opinion on how it's

[35:30] working Simon uh I think it's working very good uh there's multiple projects

[35:35] on the go and Wade will be here in May to present and he will be here on a bi

[35:42] by anually basis twice a year uh to come and present uh Wade is a new CEO for the

[35:48] partnership he's an excellent individual uh both from a professional and from a

[35:53] personal standpoint um I like the guy a lot uh uh and not only that he is very

[35:59] eager uh and the amount of project that's on the go are are really good uh

[36:05] the simple fact that uh he's walking the street or he was walking the street

[36:09] before he got this promotion and he still is as a new CEO uh talking to our

[36:14] businesses see what they need uh and at the same time you know working on some

[36:19] of the issues that affects our businesses from a succession planning

[36:23] perspective from uh uh uh employment and and and shortage of of uh of employees

[36:33] uh so and and at the same time uh looking for project that will benefit

[36:38] the whole County on a bigger scale so there's uh uh many success stories uh

[36:44] from you know some of the uh bakeries that are opened in town and outside of

[36:49] the town uh and flower shops and other small businesses and uh I know

[36:54] personally one person that I know who approached me for some help in opening a

[36:59] a small store that I'm directing them to the P2 partnership to help them

[37:05] establish to be honest with you and that's something that I have encountered

[37:10] early in my life here in uh in Canada is that you don't know what you don't know

[37:16] so there's a lot of opportunities out there whether it is from a funding

[37:20] perspective or whether it's just from a resource perspective that you don't know

[37:23] about or know how to maneuver the system in a way that will benefit you and the

[37:28] assistance that the partnership is giving for

[37:31] those for those small businesses is invaluable uh because again uh first of

[37:37] all people are busy just working so so getting into the the research part of it

[37:45] is very hard so when you have someone that is already proficient at research

[37:51] and have done it multiple times and have the resource to understand where all the

[37:55] funding is and where all the resource is and what do they need to do uh that has

[38:00] been very very beneficial for those small businesses and as you know you

[38:03] know 90% of our economy is built on small businesses and don't quote me on

[38:08] that fact but that's a number that I heard um anyway so yes I am very excited

[38:14] about their their work and uh uh uh we're looking forward for the future

[38:20] thank you chairman uh and uh I I know when it started up of course it wasn't

[38:24] going to happen overnight things like that have to build you know you can't

[38:28] expect it my only concern was and you seem to have answered it for me was the

[38:32] CAO we seem to be changing caos uh you know we' G to three since we started you

[38:37] know which which which alarms me because get in the workforce and keep changing

[38:43] it's it's not going to help you going forward but I I hope the CAO stays and

[38:49] work and things work through but from a small business perspective we see it

[38:54] right here in St like you say the growth yeah thank you very much much for the

[38:57] report no thank you yes thank you to council for serving the Lo and I do

[39:03] concur I think wayo is a great fit for the position of CAO and uh occurring

[39:08] with councel I hope he stays around for a long time and helps build the

[39:11] Partnerships if everybody's okay with it I would like to move uh the amendment

[39:15] yeah and I think uh Simon is a great fit for a representative on that Bo I move I

[39:21] moved Tove to accept it the move by councelor seconded by councelor n is

[39:26] there any further questions this means rate a sign yes yeah okay uh no further

[39:32] question all in favor saying I cont reminded most car n we thank you item 11

[39:38] is the audit of financial statements for March 31st 2023 from pict County

[39:41] Wellness Center are they included in the pack there any

[39:46] questions yes it is for information is right no motion then that no Just for

[39:52] information and municipal election update yes so I have a staff report

[39:58] which I have submitted to you I won't read the whole thing um there are three

[40:02] recommendations that I'm looking for council's approval on tonight um we can

[40:07] approve them um each separately uh the first one I have the council approve the

[40:13] date of the advaned poll to be Saturday October 12th from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00

[40:16] p.m. this will be in addition to the mandatory Advanced polling station of

[40:20] Tuesday October 15th from 12: to 8 as per the elections act so do we want to

[40:25] have a motion for that now on the question your worship so that

[40:30] means it needs to be moved in second at

[40:34] first I

[40:45] move this is this is you have to have an advaned poll

[40:51] so Saturday October 12th so read that back again what are you asking for I'm

[40:55] asking for you to approve the advaned poll to be Saturday October 12th from

[40:59] 12: to 8: instead of nope in in addition to the

[41:05] a mandatory one on Tuesday October 15 you're looking for two Advanced polls

[41:09] you need two Advanced polls okay are they going to be written about Advance

[41:14] that's the second motion okay so this is just for you're going to have to have an

[41:20] advanced poll regardless yeah okay oh did somebody move on that Simon I'll

[41:24] second it that

[41:28] all

[41:30] right okay this is going to be the sticky one um number two that Council

[41:34] agreed to a full electronic method internet and phone from intell vote for

[41:39] the 2024 municipal

[41:43] election your worship I don't have a pro I'm question here I don't have a problem

[41:48] with that but I I sincerely feel that if we're

[41:55] going to go Electronics phone and internet or whatever that we should have

[42:00] an area here in town for people that are completely and they will are they going

[42:08] to they have they will have two Advanced polls and on Election Day people will

[42:12] have the opportunity to go to I think the last time they had it n NCC they

[42:16] will have that opportunity to go there and get assistance for telephone and

[42:21] internet voting good okay I'll I'll I'll I'll move the motion

[42:28] move by councelor Pence counc any further questions so just to be clear

[42:33] there will be no paper ballots correct no there's no paper ballots at

[42:40] all they will have an opportunity to go and talk to somebody with but when we do

[42:46] this and when you advertise it make sure that it is advertised the fact that we

[42:51] are going to assist people and they did that in 2020 as well I know they did

[42:55] yeah and and and the coun

[42:59] yeah counselor Pence myself and our biggest concern is for people that

[43:03] absolutely don't use the internet afraid to use the phone and like my God lover

[43:07] the lady Liv next door to me she didn't even trust her son to vote for her she

[43:11] wanted you

[43:14] know so so sorry to interrupt how is that going to work exactly for us

[43:20] helping them uh vote I'm just walk me walk me

[43:26] through it please

[43:29] no thank you that's my line so it would be no

[43:36] different you walk into I'm going to assume it's going to be NC as it was in

[43:40] the past you walk into the gym they will have an information officer at the door

[43:44] checking to see if they're on the voting list they're on the voting list you go

[43:48] over here someone will assist you uh they will have a computer there they

[43:53] will have their ballot um their thing that they received in the mail with

[43:57] their pin number they will go and the person the polling drro or polling clerk

[44:02] will assist them in in placing their ballot either by telephone or computer

[44:08] okay so um I'm assuming they're allowed to see the pen and help them enter the

[44:12] pen but then after that it should be easy enough for them to just click a

[44:16] button correct correct okay Susan uh go ahead I was reading

[44:24] through it there and it said uh they're using the prevention and the federal

[44:28] list now what about uh the new the newcomers the new people that are of age

[44:34] who vote now every month The Province updates their voting list with either

[44:38] through mail um or um through MSI registrations those kind of things

[44:44] that's how they update their list and it's updated monthly but is there uh uh

[44:48] so if somebody is not on the list they can get sworn in at that place like any

[44:52] other so they have to go to advance poll get sworn in correct okay or they can go

[44:57] visit Josephine McDonald and she can beforehand and she can set you up

[45:02] putting you on the list see her I see she can can they phone it into her but

[45:06] they have to physically visit do they that's a good question that I don't

[45:11] know I think you have to yeah I think you have to physically go see her uh but

[45:15] otherwise you can do it at your advaned poll or on the day okay so yeah no I

[45:20] okay and it's just just the questions up maybe for the future if there was

[45:23] something set up where people that wasn't on the list they could go and

[45:27] speak to and that's no different than paper ballot was before you just get

[45:30] sworn in okay all right good enough just as long as they're able to vote no um my

[45:36] question you mentioned the cost of going paper um so by having these people there

[45:42] to assist um say at the community college with the phone and the um is

[45:49] that going to cost us anymore that so if you were doing paper ballots you would

[45:52] need three extra staff okay but because you don't you're not going to go paper

[45:57] ballot now you would only have the the original uh information officer Deputy

[46:01] returning officer and pole clerk okay so that's what you would have anyway cuz

[46:05] you said like $5,000 if we did paper so yes and then with you would need laptops

[46:10] and that sort of thing for the voting list yeah and um if we do that this year

[46:17] and find out that a lot of people were not happy with that and that the voting

[46:21] 24 only okay this one year de go only in four years time somebody else can make

[46:26] that

[46:30] has that been moved a second that's been moved by uh councelor Pence and seconded

[46:34] by uh counselor Knight Knight thank you so if there's no further questions uh we

[46:39] have a discussion vot all those in favor by saying I I or oppos uh motion Carri

[46:46] and the third and final recommendation I would like your approval is that Council

[46:50] approve the electronic voting commence on October 6th 2024 at 12 a.m. to

[46:55] October 19th 2024 at 7 p.m. I'll move okay second that move by councelor Pence

[47:04] second by councelor night all those in favor saying I you

[47:10] start and just for council's information Josephine McDonald is commencing her

[47:14] returning officer duties on May 1st so uh now that we approved all this the

[47:21] question that I have is about the logistics of finding

[47:25] out the winner because in the last two

[47:30] elections the the media and no no offense knew before a lot of the

[47:39] candidates and to be honest with you you know that's not really I'm going to

[47:43] throw some caos under the bus here okay the results are sent to the caos and it

[47:48] is up to them to notify okay hold your respons well we'll

[47:54] hold your accountable then Susan I will be auditing I I am an auditor

[47:59] during the election so I will be there and I will guarantee you know sure I

[48:08] do well I did yes in 2020 you were acclaimed Council

[48:13] want the one before that I believe there was a I think there was the website

[48:17] crash I think there was some technical difficulties in 2020 in

[48:21] [Music] 2016 oh that I don't know I wasn't that

[48:25] was before my time

[48:31] sources

[48:35] okay all right your worship okay we move on to item number 13 open forums any

[48:39] like to speak at the open Forum okay next council meeting is

[48:43] Monday May 13 2024 5:30 here at the council chambers have a motion to adjer

[48:48] please

April Town Council

Transcript