Tag Archives: Mayor Robin Jones

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Some clarification regarding ongoing Village Budget discussions

The process this Council has adopted for developing the budget is to have several run throughs – line by line – of both the general and the capital budget.  The budget meetings are open to the public and in between meetings, there is lots of opportunity for council to consult with members of the community.  This past Monday night was our 3rd meeting to develop the 2017 budget and our 4th will be held on Monday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m.  All are welcome.  The meeting on Wednesday, February 1 @ 2:00 p.m. (referred to in Jan 26 Review Mirror) is to discuss and approve the contingency plan for managing the effluent in the lagoons this winter/spring. It is also open to the public, however it is not a budget meeting.

There are some areas in the general budget that will be reconsidered by Council on Feb 6 when another line by line review occurs.  The increases in staffing and marketing requested by the Harbour Committee will be part of the review. The draft capital budget was $60,000 by the end of round 3.  Funds required for road repairs are being researched and will be discussed on Feb 6.  Otherwise, we are likely getting closer to the capital budget for 2017.

I invite everyone to contact me or the Councillor of your choice if you have any questions about the budget.  The Village has many challenges that need to be addressed – new roof for the library, roads that are in dire need of attention, and of course the impact the warm weather has on the ability of the Snowfluent system to treat waste water.  At the same time, we are cognizant of the impacts of other rate increases and the cap & trade on monthly household budgets.  We are doing are best to take all of these factors into consideration.

You can call me at 613-273-9195 or email at rjones@villageofwestport.ca

 

 

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Beautiful Morning for a Walk in the’Port

The Village is a busy place this morning.  In addition to the birds and critters, Desi and I met up with lots of people on our walk.  It is the quintessential winter morning – fresh snow, sunshine & blue sky and just below 0 degrees.  I want to send a big shout out to Craig, Jamie and the rest of the crew – roads and sidewalks are in great shape.  Thank you from all of us who head out every morning for fresh air and exercise.

 

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Staff Changes tomorrow at Town Hall

I would like to officially welcome Mr Paul Snider, who begins his new role as our CAO/Clerk tomorrow, January 23, 2017.  Paul has many years experience working in municipal offices, the most recent as the Clerk in Loyalist Township.  And of course, Paul has deep roots in the Village.

I also want to congratulate Ms Anne Marie Koiner, who has been employed as our Deputy Treasurer/Deputy Clerk and will be appointed Treasurer/Deputy Clerk tomorrow at the Council meeting.  She brought her previous municipal experience to the village in 2015 and has worked diligently to ensure the treasury and its reports are up to date and accurate.

Please drop by Town Hall when you have a moment and extend a Westport “Home Town Pride” welcome to Paul and congratulations to Anne Marie.

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Closing out 2016 and looking forward to 2017

There were many challenges/opportunities and lots of changes at Town Hall in 2016.  Here are just a few of them.

The disappointment in February when we learned that we had been refused the Ontario Community Infrastructure 2 Grant (OCIF) to finish the work on the new waste water plant was deeply felt by us all.  After taking a few deep breaths and writing letters expressing our concerns to the Premier and other Ministers, we took stock of our application and used this as an opportunity to prepare a stronger one for 2017.  We submitted the OCIF 3 grant application in November and hope to hear a positive response in late January/early February.

Our first Engineer, Mr Leslie Whiteman, decided to leave our team for a new opportunity.   We miss seeing him, his wife and beautiful children in the Village.  This created the opportunity for the Village to begin its relationship with Mr Max Christie, who has been our Manager of Infrastructure since May.  Max brings with him a wealth of water/waste water experience and a common sense approach to infrastructure related issues.

In November, we faced a challenge regarding incidents that occurred before this Council was elected.   On November 30th, I attended court when the matters in relation to charges laid against the Village in 2014 by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change were dealt with – a plea of guilty on one charge, all other charges withdrawn and a $10,000 fine.  Council used this as an opportunity to contract our water/waste water operations with Ontario Clean Water Agency.  With the court case just behind us and with a full understanding of the amount of regulatory compliance required for both the water and waste water systems, Council made this decision. The short term contract duration of six months will permit Council to undertake a thorough review of service delivery options before embarking on a long term operations commitment.  We wish Mr. David Wallond, who worked for the Village as the water/waste water operator since January 2014, the best in the future.

And finally, our Clerk, Mr Scott Bryce, has retired!  His last day was December 23, although you will see him in Town Hall over the next several weeks helping us out on a couple of matters.   Thank you Scott.  The best in retirement to you and Linda.

One of those matters that Scott will be helping us with will be to provide orientation and transition to our new CAO/Clerk.  Council is pleased to welcome Mr Paul Snider.  He brings with him years of municipal experience, currently working in Loyalist Township as their Clerk.  We are extremely proud that Paul has decided to join the Westport Team. Welcome home.  Paul and his wife, Heather, will be attending the Levee on New Year’s day.  Drop by and say hello.

So, that is a wrap for 2016. We know that there will be new challenges in 2017, however be assured that Council will continue to make decisions in the best interests of you and the Village.

On behalf of myself, Councillors Brady, Huth, Parliament and Schwinghamer and the staff from the Village, we wish you and your families a Happy New Year and a safe and prosperous 2017!

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Water/Waste Water Update

The Village has contracted our water and water water operations with Ontario Clean Water Agency.  You may have seen their trucks at the water plant on Concession St today.  With the court case just behind us and with a full understanding of the amount of regulatory compliance required for both the water and waste water systems, Council has made a decision to move in this direction.  The short term contract duration of six months will permit Council to undertake a thorough review of service delivery options before embarking on a long term operations commitment.

Mr. David Wallond has worked for the Village as our water/waste water operator since January 2014 and we wish him the best of luck in the future.