October 27 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met on October 27, 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 October 13 County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.  Council  Committee

Committee of the Whole

• Council discussed a notice of motion from Councillor Soever about low participation in a County tax relief program for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. The program is meant to ease financial hardship for qualifying property owners facing tax increases. Local municipalities collect the County portion of property taxes on Grey County’s behalf and therefore administer this new program. Grey County will continue encouraging local municipalities to advertise the program and will provide additional administrative support if needed.
• Grey County’s development charges policy allows for conditional exemptions to encourage purpose-built rental housing and other development that aligns with priorities. Grey County has learned the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is not willing to finance developments with potential that deferred development charges become payable if conditions aren’t met. Council and staff discussed ways to build flexibility into the exemptions that may alleviate the CMHC’s concerns. Council authorized staff to use discretion in providing deferrals and will send a letter to the CMHC asking them to reconsider their approach.   Report
• Council provided County approval for the new Township of Southgate Official Plan.  Report
• With the term ending, Council voted to dissolve several tasks forces which have now concluded and will maintain the Agricultural Advisory Committee.  In addition, staff were directed to prepare a proposed Terms of Reference to establish three new committees for consideration by 2023-2026 Grey County Council: Community Services, Planning and Economic Advisory, Urban Road and Road Exchange Task Force.  Report
• Council received a verbal update on short-term emergency shelter services. The program has been running for about a month and has been supporting several clients.  Demand in the community is high and there is concern about capacity limits with winter weather approaching.

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.