April 12th - Regular Council
8a) To engage the residents of Oro-Medonte and reduce polarization, Mr. Merryfield's idea of a community advisory committee has potential. As I always say, "ideas are nothing without execution" (a throwback to my university days - Go Golden Hawks!). I eagerly await the staff report detailing how other communities have successfully implemented such committees.
11a) Document retention is critical in a public organization, and the township is making the necessary investments into their IT infrastructure to ensure records are appropriately maintained and accessible.
11b) Congratulations to Judith Banville and Pauline Chappelle, two incredible Oro-Medonte residents who were recipients of the Oro-Medonte Citizen of the Year and Oro-Medonte Senior Citizen of the Year awards, respectively.
11c) At the recent meeting, the topic of removing the holding provision on a subdivision in the horseshoe valley corridor generated a lot of discussion among council members. Ultimately, it was decided to defer the decision to a later date. My thoughts on the matter are as follows: a site visit would not materially change the effect of this change, and the erosion on the site was a result of clear cutting of the trees, which was not the heart of the issue. The issue at hand was whether or not the criteria set out in the registered subdivision agreement had been met to merit the removal of the holding provision. Based on the report submitted by Mr. Witlib, in my view, the criteria have been met. We should remember that there will be development in Oro-Medonte, but we need to be specific about when, where, and how it is achieved. This particular subdivision is situated within a specific settlement area in the township's 2012 official plan and the county's official plan. I look forward to seeing this project move forward.
18a) I agree with the delegation of duties regarding document retention. It is the Clerk's area of expertise to comply with the applicable legislation that governs document retention, and the wide scope of information required to be maintained and the even wider assortment of legislation that sets out the guidance for what is to be retained, by whom, and for how long make it much more efficient for the Clerk's department to undertake this task.
I hope everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather we recently had over the weekend.
Yours in Service,
Dave