The Blue Mountains council is requesting meetings with provincial ministries to address local issues such as assessment values, physician recruitment, attainable housing, wastewater treatment, and transportation.
At its meeting on May 10, The Blue Mountains council received notice from the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO) that its upcoming conference is being held in Ottawa from August 14 - 17. AMO is asking municipalities to submit their requests for delegations with provincial ministries by June 24.
There were no shortages of ideas for delegation requests from members of council. Mayor Alar Soever immediately suggested the town request a delegation with the Ministry of Finance. The mayor noted that assessment values in The Blue Mountains are rising and he foresees a scenario where assessment increases in The Blue Mountains will outpace those in the rest of Grey County. This would result in the town paying more to Grey County, as the county will decrease its tax rates by the average assessment increase across the county as a whole.
“The county will adjust its tax rate by a much lower amount than our assessment increase,” he said.
Other delegation suggestions from members of council included: Ministry of Transportation to discuss the town’s Transportation Master Plan, Health to discuss physician recruitment, Municipal Affairs and Housing to discuss attainable housing, Infrastructure to discuss broadband internet and Infrastructure to discuss water and wastewater issues.
CAO Shawn Everitt said members of staff would begin preparing briefing documents to be ready for whatever delegations they may be granted at the conference, which will be held face-to-face for the first time in two years.
“We’re looking forward to these delegations going back to in-person,” said Everitt. “I fully suspect they will be 100 per cent in-person and the virtual aspect will not be available.”
Mayor Soever and councillors Rob Sampson and Paula Hope will be attending the conference.
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