Council Highlights - September 23, 2020
View the full agenda package for Council
Councillor Wayne Olson swears oath of office
Newly elected Ward One Councillor Wayne Olson swore the oath of office for Pelham Town Council on Monday night. Olson, who won the recent by-election held on September 15, participated in his first meeting as a member of Council. Welcome to Councillor Olson.
Updates on social gatherings
Fire Chief and CEMC Bob Lymburner updated Council on the most recent numbers and updates on COVID-19. Notably, the Province recently changed the number of people permitted in private, social gatherings, reducing the number to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors. To note, facilities like the Meridian Community Centre are unaffected by these changes, as it is a fully staffed and monitored facility with safety measures in place.
Public Skating
Public skating, among many popular programs set to return this fall, has seen an increase in demand for the Recreation, Culture, and Wellness department. Part of this is due to the fact that many neighbouring municipalities are not offering public skating this season. A report to Council will be drafted for the next meeting to outline options for how to proceed with the most equitable way to offer the winter program.
GIS Asset Management Position
Council approved the OCIF grant funding of the Asset Management position in order to be in compliance with Ont. Reg. 588/17 of the Asset Management Plan.
A report was issued to Council on July 13, 2020 requesting Council to approve a grant application to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM) Municipal Asset Management Program for a GIS Asset Management Specialist. Council approved this request to submit the funding application. FCM has acknowledged the receipt of the grant application but it will take six months for the review process and approval of funding.
The timing of hiring a position is critical in order to meet the July 1, 2021 municipal asset management planning regulation O.Reg. 588/2017; as a result, the contract position needs to be hired now.
The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) formula program guidelines allows eligible staff costs for municipalities only. It states: “Municipalities may allocate up to 40% or $80,000 of their formula funding per year (whichever is less) to hours worked by municipal staff whose responsibilities include: asset management planning; and/or Composite.” Confirmation was received from the OCIF Program Advisor that these expenditures are eligible under the OCIF grant. The 2021 OCIF Formula component has not been determined. A Provincial government announcement is still pending on the grant amount (if any) for 2021.
The completion of the Asset Management Plan is critical for future grant funding. It will be a requirement in order to be eligible for any capital grant funding by the Provincial and Federal governments.