Following our January 14, 2019 Council meeting, I can report that the following has been decided:
1. Committee membership has been decided and applicants are currently being advised if their applications have been accepted. We were blessed with many volunteers on several committees which meant that not all volunteers were appointed to the committee of their choice. Please get involved in your community by volunteering to assist on special events. It is a great way to get involved.
2. The preliminary 2019 Capital and Operating Budgets were presented by Treasury and discussed at the Council meeting. While many priority items were discussed and will be incorporated into the next Draft 2019 Budget, the provincial grant levels are still to be determined leaving some uncertainty until they are received. Council remains committed to providing outstanding service to taxpayers while maintaining low tax rate increases.
3. Of the 9109 eligible voters in the October municipal election, 47.3% cast their ballots. Complete statistics can be found at calendar.seguin.ca in the agenda package for January 14, 2019. It is item 7b.
4. The Township of Seguin will allow cannabis retail outlets although it is doubtful we will see any in the immediate future since we do not meet the level of population (50,000 residents) required to host a retail outlet under current Ontario laws.
5. The remaining residential lots on North Sandy Plains Road are now serviced by hydro and are available for purchase through realtor Steve Elsasser.
6. Further options will be investigated regarding the winter maintenance of the sidewalks in the Village of Rosseau. Currently, the Township does not have appropriate equipment or resources to clear these sidewalks. The Public Works department will continue to investigate options.
7. Council decided to delay any decision on changes to Council remuneration until staff can do a thorough comparison of council compensation packages between similar townships. We are hoping this report from Treasury will be back to Council by April 2019.
8. The Report from the Integrity Commissioner regarding past Councillor Buszynski conflating the role of councillor and professional planner was presented by Commissioner Harold Elston on January 14, 2019 and is now available at seguin.ca as the last item on the Integrity Commissioner page.
9. Seguin Township is a very active place with regular programming throughout the Township including Pickleball, cards, darts, exercise programs and skating. All events are posted at calendar.seguin.ca. Three very special events coming up are the Robbie Burns festivities on Sunday January 27, 2019 at the Orrville Community Centre, Winter Whirl in Humphrey on February 2, 2019 and the Annual Sled Dog Mail Run on Saturday February 16, 2019 beginning in Humphrey. All the details can be found at seguin.ca under Calendar of Events.
10. Public Works department and all of our road maintenance staff deserve a very special shout out for keeping our roads cleared, and sanded throughout the winter. They help keep us safe and worry free on township roads.
11. To see the Seguin January newsletter, please click HERE.