Hilton Township Council Minutes |
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M I N U T E S Regular Meeting June 4, 2003 - 7:00 p.m. Council met in the Meeting Room of the Municipal Building on the above date. Present were Councillors Pat Garside, Annette Fischer, David Leask and Jim See. Reeve Rod Wood was absent with notice. Lyn Garside, Road Superintendent and Randy Gardner, Building Inspector, attended as well. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-90 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that in the absence of Reeve Rod Wood, we do appoint Councillor Annette Fischer as Acting Head of Council. A local contractor had asked to attend the meeting to discuss an issue relating to building permits. The contractor attended but advised he would rather discuss the issue when Reeve Wood was present. He advised he would reschedule the matter for a future meeting of Council. Moved by Jim See 2003-91 Seconded by Pat Garside Resolved that we do accept the Agenda, as presented. Moved by David Leask 2003-92 Seconded by Jim See Resolved that we do accept the Minutes of the meeting of May 14, 2003, as presented. A resident from Ellwood Boulevard attended the meeting to discuss the issue of an existing deck being repaired and enlarged. The seasonal residence is a legal non-conforming structure as it was originally built in 1965 with part of the structure being built on the shoreroad. Such buildings are restricted from any repair that will increase the size or height of the building. The owner had been advised that purchasing the shoreroad allowance would help to alleviate the problem, although it would not resolve it entirely. A zoning amendment would also be necessary to allow the additional two feet of deck that had been constructed. The owner was prepared to follow through on both the zoning and shoreroad applications to remedy the situation as much as possible. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-93 Seconded by Jim See Resolved that we do approve in principle the application made by Michael and Brenda O’Neill to purchase that part of the original shoreroad allowance lying in front of Lot 8, Plan H562 and further declare that these lands be deemed surplus to the needs of the Municipality. This approval is subject to the provisions of the Municipal Act and any other requirements set by various agencies as well as the required Reference Plan of Survey and deposit being received by this municipality within one year of this date. Moved by David Leask 2003-94 Seconded by Jim See Resolved that we do approve in principle the application made by Michael and Brenda O’Neill to reduce the minimum building setbacks from the front boundary of Lot 8, Plan H562 (Ellwood Boulevard); subject to the applicant having first completed the purchase of the shore road allowance in front of the subject property. A concerned resident attended the meeting to provide Council with additional information on the uncontrolled commercial fishing taking place in the Tenby Bay area. Tom Desjardin advised that many aboriginal bands to the east of St. Joseph Island have approached the Minister of Natural Resources on their own to seek licenses that will control the commercial fishing of their members. The license allows officers of the Ministry of Natural Resources to enforce rules regarding quotas, areas to be fished, net sizes, etc. Without such a license, the MNR officers have no authority to regulate any of the fishing operations carried out by the band members. The Clerk advised she had spoken with an MNR official who confirmed the MNR has received mounting complaints over the past few years of such incidents. Council agreed to pass a resolution at next month’s meeting and forward it to the Minister of Natural Resources and all Northern Ontario Municipalities. Lyn Garside, Road Superintendent, advised an entrance had been installed by a contractor without the necessary permit being obtained. The Clerk was directed to advise the owner of the property that the existing entrance had not been constructed to municipal standards and would have to be corrected as well as payment for the entrance permit still needed to be received. Correspondence was received from Walker Engineering regarding a request from a resident to open a municipal road allowance to provide alternate access to his property. The proposal refers to the road allowance around the perimeter of Deer Lake, Concession Y and Z (Big Point). The designated road allowance is located in swampy terrain and would not be viable for road development. Walker Engineering has discussed this matter with representatives of the MNR who appear willing to “trade” the existing right-of-way for a corresponding area within the abutting crown lot where the topography is better suited for road construction. Council would like written confirmation from the MNR to this effect. If authorization to open the road allowance is given, the new road must be built to municipal road construction standards, as outlined in our by-law. Reference was made to a “Municipal Class Environmental Assessment” being completed prior to a roadway being authorized. It was unclear if Walker Engineering would be completing this study on behalf of their client. The Clerk was asked to contact Walker Engineering to clarify the issue. Moved by David Leask 2003-95 Seconded by Jim See Resolved that we do tender for 1400 Cu. Yds. 5/8” Crushed Gravel, Class “A” and 600 Cu. Yds. 2” Crushed Gravel, Class “B” to be tailgate spread on Township roads to the satisfaction of the Road Superintendent. A letter was received from Bob Thorpe, Fire Protection Adviser with the Office of the Fire Marshal. Mr. Thorpe is working with many area municipalities to ensure all are in compliance with the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. The requirements have become more stringent and more emphasis is being placed on educating the public on fire safety issues. Fire Chief Joe Books advised that Deputy Chief Brian Hamilton had resigned from the position due to work commitments. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-96 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do accept with regret the resignation of Brian Hamilton as Deputy Fire Chief. The Clerk provided Council with a report on a meeting held in St. Joseph Township with Chris Jones, Meridian Planning Consultant and Steve May, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) representative. The meeting was to address the redrafting of the official plan and zoning by-law and any concerns the MMAH may have. Meridian Planning requested additional information for the official plan from the Island Clerks. Hilton Township volunteered to submit the required information linked to vacant lots as much of the preliminary data had already been recorded. An Open House will be held on Saturday, July 26th at the Richards Landing Town Hall from 10:00 am till 12:00 pm to provide ratepayers with an opportunity to review the background research and preliminary land use mapping. A second Open House will be held September 13th in Hilton Beach. Council reviewed a copy of correspondence sent to Walker Engineering from the Planning Board. The letter noted the requirement for comments from the Algoma Health Unit as well as drainage and utility service plans before the Tenby Bay Subdivision proposal could be reviewed further. The Building Inspector’s monthly report was reviewed by Council. It was noted that considerable time, both on the part of the Building Inspector and the Hilton Township Clerk, had been spent regarding the need for individuals and contractors to obtain a building permit prior to the commencement of any construction. A full page ad detailing the need for this was placed in the Island Clippings and a similar notice will be included with the final tax mailing of the three participating municipalities. The Clerk advised Council that a building permit had been issued to the owner of a property that had previously been granted temporary authority to continue to operate a home occupation within a storage building on their property. “Home occupation” is defined in the zoning by-law as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use of the property as a private residence. Island Councils decided to forego the annual ‘spring’ joint meeting, normally scheduled to approve budgets for shared services such as the Museum and Planning Board. A suggestion was made by the Township of St. Joseph that the joint council meeting be rescheduled for the fall in conjunction with public meetings to be held for the new official plan. Council agreed with the suggestion. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-97 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do approve the 2003 St. Joseph Island Museum Budget in the amount of $20,260.00 (with our share being $2,202.79). Hilton Township’s financial statements for the Year 2002, as completed by BDO Dunwoody, had been distributed to council members for their review at last month’s meeting. Council had no concerns or questions regarding the statements. Moved by Jim See 2003-98 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do accept the 2002 Financial Statements for the Township of Hilton, as prepared by BDO Dunwoody. Our annual contribution to the Jocelyn Recreation fireworks celebration was approved. Moved by Jim See 2003-99 Seconded by Pat Garside Resolved that we do contribute $250.00 to the Jocelyn Township Recreation Committee’s fireworks display. The following resolution was passed in response to recent news items regarding the PC Party’s proposal requiring voter approval by referendum to increase local taxes. This platform is especially difficult to accept given that many of the financial pressures facing municipalities come from provincially mandated programs and service requirements. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-100 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do object to the proposal by the Progressive Conservative Party concerning a mandatory referendum on any increase to municipal taxes. A special meeting to further review the 2003 budget will be advertised for June 18th at 7:30 pm. The Clerk presented Council with a report on a Pay Equity Meeting she had attended recently. Several area municipalities are considering tendering for a new pay equity plan. Hilton Township Council completed a pay equity study in 1989, as required by legislation, as has ensured any subsequent wage adjustments have complied with the pay equity requirements. A notice was received from Tarbutt Township advising of a recycling meeting to be held the evening of June 10th. The current contract is due to expire June 30th of this year and participating municipalities must decide on how they want the future year’s costs to be distributed among the users. The Clerk advised she would be willing to attend the meeting. Correspondence was received from Walker Engineering regarding the recently released Regulation 170/03 (Safe Drinking Water Act). This Regulation will require small water systems that serve public facilities (campgrounds, motels, restaurants, resorts, trailer parks, recreational facilities) to achieve minimum levels of water treatment, sampling, testing and reporting. The compliance deadline for seasonal trailer parks and campgrounds for treatment requirements, if drawing from a surface source, is July 1, 2005; if using groundwater, the deadline is December 31, 2006. Some sampling, testing and reporting requirements commence June 1, 2003. Council asked the Clerk to respond positively to Walker Engineering’s offer to hold an Information Session. Moved by Jim See 2003-101 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do authorize the payment of Township bills for the month of May 2003 in the amount of $42,664.10 as per Voucher No. 05-03. The bills were made up of the following: Administration - $3,378.80; Algoma District Services - $17,896.00; Algoma Homes for Aged - $995.45; Building – $1,310.83; Fire - $148.43; Library - $7,074.00; Miscellaneous -$3,835.55; Roads - $8,025.04. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-102 Seconded by David Leask Resolved that we do pass By-Law No. 785-03 being a by-law to confirm the proceedings of this meeting. Moved by Pat Garside 2003-103 Seconded by Jim See Resolved that we do adjourn, Council to meet again at the Hilton Township Municipal Office on Wednesday, July 9, 2003 or at the call of the Reeve. ______________________________ Annette Fischer, Acting Reeve ______________________________ Valerie Obarymskyj, Clerk Treasurer |