March 24 Council Highlights

Grey County Council met on March 24, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chamber and virtually through 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 March 10 County Council and Committee of the Whole meeting, except for a motion regarding supplementary tax which was voted on separately.  Council   Committee
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 15 Long-Term Care Committee of Management meeting.  Minutes
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 17 Long-Term Care Redevelopment Task Force meeting. CAO Kim Wingrove presented the three redevelopment options considered by the task force for the redevelopment of Rockwood Terrace in Durham. The first option is building just a long-term care home. The second option is building a long-term care home, assisted living and village square with retail and office space. The third option is to build a full campus of care which would include all features of option two, plus a 60-unit seniors’ apartment building.  After considering costs and debt loads, the task force recommended moving forward with the development of a 128-bed long-term care home, assisted living facility, and village square. Council supported the recommendation.  Minutes   Report   Presentation
• Council received the February 4 Board of Health minutes. Dr. Arra provided an update from the health unit and spoke to the 2022 budget and the strategic direction of the Health Unit for the next three years.  Minutes
• On March 10, a motion was passed to redirect excess supplementary assessment back to local municipalities. Supplementary assessment is the additional taxes owed for a property that is under construction and increased in property value (new construction or major renovation/addition). Staff presented a report outlining the impact of this decision. The report cited the impact the decision has on existing tax policies, the risk of budget shortfalls if municipal assessment comes in low than projected, and the impact of the decision being implemented mid-year.  After receiving the report, Council voted and defeated the original motion from March 10. Report

Committee of the Whole

• Al Leach shared a presentation about the Children’s Safety Village. Al highlighted the great work the facility is doing to educate children about safety at home, on the farm and in the community. Al shared that Grey County’s previous funding for the village was very important in supporting programming. The village is requesting Council consider committing to ongoing funding for the site. Staff were asked to bring a report to a future meeting. Presentation
• Council received the annual traffic and parking report. This report highlights requests from the year from the public to adjust traffic speeds, parking and other regulations on County roads. Council supported staff’s recommendations.  Report
• Council approved the 2022-2023 Homelessness Prevention Program Investment Plan.  This program supports households experiencing or at risk of homelessness.  Report

• Council received an update on the Community Improvement Plan program. Through the program Grey County provides each local municipality with annual funding for their own community improvement programs for initiatives that align with County priorities, such as increasing the supply of affordable housing. In the first two years the program has attracted a combined public and private investment valued at more than $2.2 million.  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.