Council Matters - March 25, 2020

Leamington Council met electronically on March 25, 2020 and discussed items related to the current COVID-19 pandemic in additional to regular business. The two areas are outlined as follows:

COVID-19 Related Reports:

Electronic Meetings and Delegation of Authority: On March 19, 2020, the provincial legislature passed the Municipal Emergency Act, 2020, amending the Municipal Act, 2001. The amending legislation provides enhanced means for members of municipal councils to meet electronically in situations where emergencies are declared pursuant to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Council directed Administration to bring forward an amendment to the Council Procedural By-law to allow for electronic participation in meetings during an emergency as declared pursuant to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and to bring forward a by-law delegating certain duties to the Chief Administrative Officer in order to ensure continuity for business purposes.

Penalties, interest, fees, and tax payments: Council directed Administration to waive all penalties and interest on any overdue balances through to and including April 30, 2020, waived all returned cheque or electronic payment fees through to and including April 30, 2020, and directed Administration to bring forward a by-law to defer the second installment of the interim tax due date until May 15, 2020.

Regular Business Reports:

Sewer Separation: Awarded the Lorne, Gladstone, William, Henry, and Melrose Sewer Separation project to Major Construction (2010) Ltd., in the amount of $3,498,337 plus HST. This is part of the Municipality’s continued effort to separate combined sewers.

Operational Excellence Funding: Authorized entering into an agreement with Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, Represented by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks for Optimization via Operational Excellence Funding for the Leamington Pollution Control Centre. The total amount of funding is $20,000 and is to be used to implement operating procedures to improve performance and capacity at a facility without the need for new investment in infrastructure. Operational Excellence has been demonstrated to improve environmental performance, increase wastewater treatment capacity, enhance climate change resilience, and improve asset management.   

Software Purchase: Authorized the purchasing order to Wonderware Canada East in the amount of $95,345 including net HST to purchase new Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition software for the Leamington Pollution Control Centre. The Wonderware System Platform purchase is based on the recommendation made by Summa in the 2019 Strategy Report.

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