April 27, 2017 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met on Thursday, April 27 at 9:00 a.m. in the council chamber. The council meeting was followed by a session of committee of the whole.

Grey County is piloting a committee of the whole meeting structure until June, 2017. Highlights of the day’s meetings are below.

County Council

• Council adopted the meeting minutes from April 13, 2017. Council  Committee

Committee of the Whole

Reports presented during Committee of the Whole are discussed by all members of Grey County Council for direction and endorsement. Resolutions passed at Committee of the Whole will be presented at the next session of Grey County Council where they will be formally endorsed and come into effect.

• Grey County received a notice of motion to contribute $4,000 towards the 70^th anniversary of the Wiarton Keppel International Airport in celebration of Canada’s 150^th anniversary. Council deferred the vote and a notice of motion will be made to discuss Canada 150^th celebration funding for all local municipalities.
• Agnes Macphail will appear on the special Canada 150 commemorative banknote. Staff shared a story about Grey Roots Museum and Archive’s involvement in getting Agnes on the note. Staff provided research and imagery for the note.
• Grey County adopted a local food strategy that will enhance support for local food businesses in Grey County by linking producers with consumers. Strategy
• Geoff Hogan, Executive Director of SWIFT Inc., updated council on the status of the SWIFT network project. A request for pre-qualification will be issued on May 12 and the request for proposal is expected to be issued in October in preparation for building in 2018. Grey will enter into a funding agreement with SWIFT and will waive refundable amounts to speed up the expansion of the network. Report
• Grey County will release municipal partnership funding of $5,000 to Owen Sound, Grey Highlands, Southgate and Chatsworth for investment readiness projects. Report
• Grey County has developed an Employee Wellness/Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevention plan for paramedic services. The plan will give staff the resources they need to mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress. Report
• Council endorsed proposed changes to the official plan to allow the expansion of the Hensall District Cooperative grain handling facility in Swinton Park. The organization will take steps to address some of the issues raised during public meetings, such as noise and dust. Report
• Grey County will maintain the same tax policies for 2017 that were used in 2016. The Ministry of Finance is reviewing the taxation of multi-residential properties in 2017. A future report may be necessary if the Province makes any changes. A new class has been added for landfills. Report

The Clerk’s Department maintains the official record for Grey County. This publication is intended to provide meeting highlights only. For official records, please refer to the meeting minutes, or contact the Clerk’s Department at 1-800-567-4739.