Council Considers - December 17, 2019

  Council will consider the following reports and matters at its upcoming Council meeting to be held on Tuesday, December 17, 2019:

• A Court of Revision regarding the Debergh Drain – Realignment for Parcel # 660-03800.

• A Public Meeting under the Drainage Act to consider the Engineer’s Report for the South Branch of Lebo Creek Drain Hydro One Easement.

• Amending By-Law 55-19, Schedule E (Building Fees) to provide for a Tariff of Fees to be charged in 2020 by the Municipality of Leamington. Administration has identified that the Building Services fees are well below the average market comparators since the fees have not been adjusted since 2012. It is anticipated that increasing the Building Fees in Schedule E (Proposed) will establish Leamington Building Permit Fees to be comparable to neighbouring municipalities.

• A report regarding Zoning By-law Amendment Application ZBA #206, Removal of Holding (H) Symbol, 11 Iroquois Road.

• Awarding the Selkirk Drain at Alderton Street Headwall Improvements – Maintenance Tender Award project to Jeff Shepley Excavating Ltd., in the amount of $139,450.00 (plus applicable taxes).

• Awarding the Sturgeon Creek, Anfred Street maintenance project to Cecil Bailey Excavating Inc., in the amount of $28,002.64 (plus applicable taxes).

• Awarding the purchase of a Security Access Control System to Vollmer Inc. for the price not to exceed $59,000 plus HST. This project will include replacing existing readers with newer enhanced readers, capable of reading multiple different types of transmitters (proximity cards, fobs, and smartphones), adding new doors and areas, as well as upgrading the software to provide enhanced reporting and control of the system.

• Approving the proposed initiatives totaling $620,201 to be funded from the Province of Ontario’s modernization and efficiency grant. On March 20, 2019, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) announced municipalities would receive an unconditional grant from the Province to aid in transforming service delivery and identify more modern, efficient ways of operating municipal services in critical and complex areas.  

Recommended uses of grant:           

• Consideration of a By-law to provide for the 2020 interim tax levy in the Municipality of Leamington. Section 317 of the Municipal Act, 2001 provides that the council of a municipality may pass a by-law to levy an interim tax based on the latest available property assessment roll. The amount of this interim tax is not to exceed 50 percent of the total taxes for municipal, county and school purposes levied on the property in the previous year. Two installment due dates are recommended for the 2020 interim tax levy as follows: Wednesday, February 12 and Wednesday, April 15.

• A by-law to provide 2020 borrowing in the Municipality of Leamington be presented to Council for consideration. Section 407(1) of the Municipal Act, 2001 provides that a municipality may authorize temporary borrowing until property taxes and other revenues are collected in order to meet the current expenditures for the year. The borrowing by-law is presented to Council each year to establish the borrowing limits for the Municipality. For several years the borrowing request has been $20,000,000, and in the form of a line of credit.

• Consideration of entering into an agreement with Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario as represented by the Solicitor General for the purposes of providing police services as set out in the “Contract Policing Proposal” dated October 15, 2019 for a three year term with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), with an option to terminate upon one year written notice. The contract with the OPP will expire on December 31, 2019. Michael Mitchell was retained for the purposes of evaluating the level of policing being received by the Municipality and the level of human resources used to provide the same. Mr. Mitchell is nearing completion of the required review in order to prepare his first report to Council. If Council directs, the second phase of Mr. Mitchell’s work would involve community consultation to determine the public perception of the current service level and solicit input into policing priorities. 

• Authorizing entering into an agreement with Performance Sponsorship Group, Inc. to determine and market sponsorship and advertising opportunities and secure funding agreements in connection with the same for a one year term in a form satisfactory to the Municipality’s solicitor. Given the recent construction and rejuvenation of the sport and recreation facilities in Leamington, this is the optimal time for the Municipality to develop these sponsorship and marketing opportunities through the use of a marketing professional.

To receive further information, please refer to the Municipality of Leamington Council Agenda and Minutes at www.leamington.ca