August 10 Council Highlights

Grey County Council met on August 10, 2023, in the Council Chamber and virtually on Zoom. The meeting was immediately followed by a session of Committee of the Whole. Recordings of the meetings can be found on Grey County’s YouTube Channel.

County Council

• Council accepted the minutes of the August 10 Grey County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.  Council  Committee

Committee of the Whole

• Council heard a presentation from Ryan Mallough of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB). Mr. Mallough spoke to the challenges businesses have faced during the pandemic and recent years. Thousands of businesses received loans through the Canada Emergency Business Account during the pandemic and these loans are due by the end of the year. Mr. Mallough asked Grey County to support CFIB in requesting the loan repayment deadline be extended, noting the significant impact it would have on small businesses across the country. Council voted to send a letter of support to local MPs and the federal ministry. Grey County will also help make local businesses aware of the CFIB petition.
• Grey County recently participated in the Intelligent Communities Forum Intelligent Community of the Year program. Grey County finished in the Top21, becoming a member of a global network of intelligent communities. The Intelligent Communities Forum researches how communities use information and technology to build inclusive prosperity, solve social problems and enrich quality of life.  Report  Publication
• Council supported updates to the Grey County Housing Action Plan. Updates were developed with input from municipal staff at all Grey County local municipalities. Collaboration is an important pillar of success for the plan which includes 19 actions and five potential new opportunities. As part of the plan, Grey County has created the Affordable Housing Fund with annual contributions equal to 1% of the levy, reviewed potential surplus lands that could be used for housing projects, development charge deferrals and exemptions for qualifying affordable builds and more.  Report  Presentation  Action Plan
• Council received the comprehensive deployment review of Grey County paramedic services. The review uses data and modeling to project future needs for paramedic services across the County. Call volumes have increased by over 33% in the past five years and are projected to increase 68% over the next 10 years. Staff will create a long-term capital and financial plan to support the recommendations of the review. These recommendations include adding additional staff hours and bases in the communities of Feversham, Ayton, Thornbury, Cobble Beach and Holstein, and reconstructing the base in Durham.  Report   Deployment Review

• Council received the findings of the five-year council compensation review. This review is completed to ensure councillor compensation is set at a level that aligns with similar municipalities. Council voted to set compensation at the 50^th percentile of comparators. This works out to $24,250, or approximately $2,700 more than current compensation. This places Council no further ahead or behind other comparable municipalities. Council will consider the impact of this adjustment with the 2024 budget.  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.