[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