Toward the end of 2024, The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs was named the warden of Grey County, elevating her to the leadership chair for the county council.
Matrosovs’ election to the warden’s job could bring about change in the historically strained relationship between The Blue Mountains council and the county level of government.
For several years, TBM council members have decried what they see as unfairness in the county's financial formula, which bases each municipal levy on assessment, pushing The Blue Mountains' bill up and making it the highest financial contributor of all the member municipalities.
Property values in The Blue Mountains are significantly higher than everywhere else in the county.
Taxpayers in The Blue Mountains fund a sizable portion of the county tax levy and the argument has been made that the town doesn’t always receive full value for its investment.
This is a debate that has gone on for decades and will continue to be a talking point as long as property values continue to be significantly higher in The Blue Mountains.
Matrosovs becoming Grey County warden is a notable moment for the Town of The Blue Mountains. She is the third warden from the town (since full municipal restructuring was completed in the late 1990s) and she is the third female warden in the history of Grey County.
As warden, Matrosovs will have the opportunity to lead conversations about growth in The Blue Mountains and in Grey County.
Grey County is working on a regional housing strategy that could have huge implications for The Blue Mountains.
The county is also working on a road exchange project that would see the county take over some municipal roads and vice versa. Can these conversations be expanded?
With growth continuing in The Blue Mountains, there will come a time when some local roads would better fit the county system. If there is to be a Highway 26 bypass through The Blue Mountains, what role can the county play?
