October 11 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met on Thursday, October 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the Council Chamber. The council meeting was immediately followed by a session of committee of the whole. A recording of this meeting can be found on the County’s YouTube Channel.

County Council

• Council heard additional comments and correspondence about Recolour Grey, the County’s draft new official plan.
• Council accepted the minutes of the September 27 council meeting.  Minutes
• Council accepted the minutes of the September 27 committee of the whole meeting, except for a motion about the official plan that was voted on separately.  Minutes
• Council amended and passed a motion from the committee of the whole meeting regarding rural lot density in the draft new official plan.  Council directed staff to amend the draft official plan to give local municipalities more control over rural lot density. The amendment will be made and Council will have the opportunity to endorse the new official plan at the next council meeting.
• Council accepted the September 28 Board of health report and the August 24 meeting minutes.  Report   Minutes.

Committee of the Whole

• Council heard a presentation about corporate wellness programs and their benefits. Investments in employee wellbeing have many positive impacts from improved productivity and morale to fewer employee sick days.
• Council heard a staff report about video recorded meetings and recommended next steps for improvements. Council felt that interest in the videos has been low and voted to maintain the status quo for in-house recording of meetings.  Report
• CAO Kim Wingrove reported on progress made towards the County’s corporate strategic objectives over the past three years. A lot has been done to support economic growth and healthy communities, and to improve service delivery. Major projects include Recolour Grey (new official plan), a communications strategic plan, developing annual housing and homelessness reports, creating a plan for the future of child care services, and much more.  Report
• Next year the federal government is ending the one-third taxable allowance that councillors receive on their municipal income. Council supported a salary adjustment that will keep the net pay of council members the same as when they received the allowance.  Report
• County staff will work with the Township of Southgate and service partners on a plan to bring a new EarlyON centre to the Dundalk Arena. The project is 100% funded by the Ministry of Education. Once complete, the EarlyON centre currently operated by Kids & Us will be moved to the new location. Report
• Grey County will appeal a section of the Township of Georgian Bluffs Zoning By-law regarding minimum lot areas in agricultural zones. Report
• Council discussed the Warden’s remarks in a recent article that appeared in the Flesherton Advance.  News Clipping

Good News and Celebrations

• Hanover launched its first cultural plan on September 29, which included the dedication of a new mural beside the Heritage Square.
• On October 11 the Town of the Blue Mountains is hosting the ‘Weeding out the Myths’ marijuana information session.
• Former Councillor Norm Jack was recognized in Southgate last week for 43 years of municipal service, many as a Grey County Councillor.
• Councillor Barfoot was the seed spitting champion at Pumpkinfest.
• Town of the Blue Mountains councillor Bob Gamble is retiring after 41 years of municipal service.

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.