Town of Westville
Regular Council Meeting
Monday, September 26th, 2011
Commencing at 6:00 pm
Council Members Present: Mayor Roger MacKay, Deputy Mayor Gerald
Jones; Councillor Charlie Sutherland; Councillor
Lynn MacDonald; Councillor Charlene
Thompson
Town Employees Present: CAO Scott Fraser, Recording Secretary Diane
Morrison
Visitors Present:
Media Organizations Present:
A number of Westville residents
ECFM Radio The News; Pictou Advocate
1. CALLING OF MEETING TO ORDER
1.1
Mayor Roger MacKay called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and expressed
Condolences to Deputy Mayor Gerald Jones on the loss of his Mother.
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
2.1 It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Thompson that the agenda be approved as amended. Motion carried.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
3.1 It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and seconded by Councillor Sutherland to approve the minutes of the Aug 29th, 2011 regular Council Meeting as amended. Motion carried.
4. BUSINESS ARISING FROM MINUTES
4.1 In reference to 4.1 Councillor MacDonald made a motion to have a meeting
September 7 th at 6:30 PM to review the Purchase Guideline Policy.
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Thompson to have the Purchase Guideline Policy reviewed at a meeting on the
7 th
of September, 2011 at 6:30 PM. Motion carried.

4.2 Councillor MacDonald inquired on Article 7.1 Biosolids. She asked if we had heard back on same and CAO Fraser noted he had made contact with Dr.
Cameron and she will be present at the September Council Meeting.
4.3 Councillor MacDonald inquired on Article 9.2 on the designated truck route concerning the sign placed on Angell Street for big trucks, she wanted to know if they can be charged if they do. Mayor MacKay noted we would have to check with Traffic Authority.
4.4 Councillor MacDonald asked for an update on Article 9.6 the July 4 th & 20 th
PRDA Meetings. She noted that the Councillors did get correspondence from
Gary Perrin our community representative. Mayor MacKay noted he was in contact with Gary Perrin and he provided him with a rough idea of what went on at the meeting but to date he had not received the Minutes. She asked if the CAO would contact the PRDA and get a copy of the Minutes sent to the Councillors.
Mr Fraser agreed to do same.
4.5 Councillor Thompson inquired on Article 7.2 New Horizons Seniors Grant. She asked if the benches had been ordered from the Grant provided and was informed by CAO Fraser that they had been ordered but not received to date.
4.6 Councillor Thompson also inquired on Article 9.8 concerning the Kiosk and if any discussion had taken place with the Garden Club or anything concerning the funding that may be available from a source in Pictou. CAO Fraser noted that this will be discussed under new business. He also mentioned the construction has begun on the Kiosk and after talking with the Rotary Club and Garden Club it has been noted that they are not sure that funding for the Pictou source will be available as previously mentioned. He did not that at this time the Town will put in fill as needed and they will work with the Garden Club to see if they can help with making some improvements.
5. APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS
5.1 It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and seconded by Councillor Thompson to approve/pay the accounts as presented. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS 6.
6.1
Police - It was moved by Councillor Sutherland and seconded by Councillor
MacDonald that the Police Report be approved as presented. Motion carried.
6.2
Fire Report – It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and seconded by
Councillor Sutherland that the Fire Report be approved as presented. Motion carried.
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6.3 Fire Inspectors Report
–
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and
seconded by Deputy Mayor Jones that the Fire Inspectors Report be
approved as presented. Motion Carried.
Councillor Sutherland wanted to express Thanks to Alan Morris for the terrific
work done by him while in this position.
6.4
Recreation Report It was moved by Councillor Sutherland and seconded by
Councillor MacDonald that the Recreation Report be approved as presented.
Motion carried.
6.5 Compost Garbage & Recycling Report - It was moved by Deputy Mayor
Jones and seconded by Councillor Thompson that the Compost Garbage &
Recycling Report be approved as presented. Motion carried.
Councillor MacDonald noted that the figures were down from the previous month and she was wondering if the reason was that this month reflected a 4 week period as opposed to a 5 week period last year. CAO Fraser noted that the report is compared to the previous month and that would have included an extra week and the Spring Clean Up collection was also included.
6.6 Environmental Health Report – It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and
seconded by Councillor Sutherland that the Environmental Health Report be approved as presented. Motion carried.
6.7 Transportation Report - It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and
seconded by Deputy Mayor Jones that the Transportation Report be approved as presented. Motion carried.
6.8
Building Report – It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and seconded by
Councillor Thompson that the Building Report is approved as presented.
Motion carried.
7 . CORRESPONDENCE
7.1 Correctional Service Canada – Restorative Justice Week
CAO Fraser noted that this was received and a request was being made to make a
Proclamation to observe Restorative Justice Week November 13 th to 20 th , 2011.
Commissioner MacDonald suggested that it would be a good thing to have the
Police Commission involved and Deputy Mayor Jones noted he would bring same up at the meeting. Councillor MacDonald requested that Mayor MacKay read same.
Mayor MacKay read the following Proclamation:
WHEREAS, in the face of crime or conflict, restorative justice offers a philosophy and approach that views these matters principally as harm done to people and relationships; and
WHEREAS, restorative justice approaches strive to provide support and opportunities for the voluntary participation and communication between those affected by crime and conflict (victims, offenders, community) to encourage accountability, reparation and a movement towards understanding, feelings of satisfaction, healing and a sense of closure; and
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WHEREAS, this year’s theme for Restorative Justice Week is “Re-visioning
Justice”, it is an opportunity to learn about restorative justice, educate and celebrate along with other communities across the country during this week.
THEREFORE, I, Mayor Roger MacKay, do hereby proclaim November 13 th to
November 20th, 2011 as Restorative Justice Week in the Town of Westville of the Municipality of Pictou, Province of Nova Scotia.
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Deputy Mayor Jones to read the Proclamation declaring November 13 th
to 20 th
, 2011 Restorative
Justice Week in the Town of Westville. Proclamation carried.
7.2 Westville Area Garden Club
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Thompson to move this to the Finance Committee. Motion carried.
7.3 374 F/L Chisholm Air Cadet Squadron
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Sutherland to allow the cadets to use the Gymnasium at the Westville
Municipal Building under the contract now in place and on a yearly basis from this date August 29 th , 2011 to Aug 29 th , 2012. Motion carried.
7.4 Property Valuation Services Corporation
CAO Fraser advised this was for informational purposes and a copy of same will be placed in each Councillor’s mailbox.
7.5 Military Museum
Councillor MacDonald and Deputy Mayor Jones asked to be excused from this discussion.
It was moved by Councillor Sutherland and seconded by Councillor Thompson that a donation for the Military Museum be sent to the Finance Committee for consideration. Motion carried.
7.6 Provincial PeeWee Female Fast Pitch
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Deputy Mayor Jones that a donation for the Provincial Female Fast Pitch Tournament be sent to the Finance Committee for consideration. Motion carried.
7.8 Dragon Boat Races
Deputy Mayor Jones wanted to congratulate the Westville Dragon Boat participants who took part in the recent Dragon Boat Races for a job very well done.
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8. NEW/UNFINISHED BUSINESS
8.1 - Unsightly Properties - Barry MacIntosh
8.2 - Extension of Sewer Line – Acadia to Retention Facility
CAO Fraser noted in July Town Council approved a budget for $400,000 to upgrade a sewer line to the Retention Tanks from manhole # 6 on Acadia
Avenue. The approval was based on a 50% cost sharing with the Province of
Nova Scotia through the P-Cap program. He noted at the same time the Town received confirmation from the Province that it would fund 50% of the project up to $200,000. The remaining would be funded through the Gas Tax Program.
He also noted that upon completion of a design by EXP. Public Tenders were called for construction and this closed on August 18 th . He noted that 6 Bids were received ranging in price from $160,000 to $283,000.
Staff is recommending the appointment of SW Weeks for this project and the costs of the project is currently projected as follows:
Construction $160,000
Engineering $ 25,000
On-site Supervision $ 25,000
Soft Costs $15,000
9% allocation fr PW $20,250
Cost
HST (non rebated)
$245,250
$11,036
Total
Funding
Total
$256,286
P-CAP Program (50%) -$128,143
Gas Tax (50%) -$128.153
-$256,286
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Thompson that we accept the Staff and EXP Recommendation to appoint SW
Weeks for this Capital Project. Motion carried.
Councillor MacDonald noted that since there is a difference in what the Council projected and actual cost maybe some of the extra funds could be used for the
Tennis Court in Victoria Park. CAO Fraser noted that money from the Gas Tax
Fund cannot be used for this type of work. He suggested anything for the Tennis
Court would have be a decision made by the Council and also questioned if the
Recreation Department was to look into ways to raise additional funds for a project such as this. He advised that Tom Arnold and Webster’s looked at the tennis court and the feel the surface isn’t that bad. They suggested that it be resurfaced and you could get 15 or more years out of it.
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CAO Fraser noted that we did apply for a Recreation grant for the $100,000 and it was approved for 1/3 of the cost and that would leave the Town holding 2/3 and they followed up with a $20,000 Project but they did not feel that this was a good use of funds. Councillor MacDonald asked if we could relook at the budget to see if some changes could be made to accommodate this. Deputy Mayor Jones said he will support Recreation so that it will shift some money to support the youth of the Town. He noted that we are using a lot of funds for Projects such as sewer, etc but the youth have to be considered as well. Councillor Thompson suggested that we send this to the Finance Committee for consideration.
8.3 Angell Street Sidewalk
CAO Fraser noted during July 2011 Council Meeting it was approved to budget
$35,000 for the addition of a sidewalk to Angell Street. He advised that the
Town’s Public Works Department will complete the work during the month of
September. Projected costs are as follows:
Labor
Materials
Soft Costs
$15,000
$12,000
$5,000
CAO Fraser also advised that residents will be given prior notice of construction and it is anticipated that the project will be done in 100 foot sections to minimize any inconvience the construction may cause.
8.4 North Main – Tourism Kiosk
CAO Fraser noted that construction has begun on the Kiosk at the corner of
North Main and West Street. He noted it will be one of the potential locations for the benches that we are waiting for and were purchased through the Age
Friendly Communities funding. He also noted that earlier in the year the Town had applied for funding through the TD Green Streets to revitalize the area by turning it into a green space. The application was unfortunately unsuccessful; however, they did encourage the Town to apply again in the future. The Rotary
Club has shown an interest in helping with this area. Councillor Thompson inquired as to why the Grant was not approved and CAO Fraser said that there were many applications and the funds were used for this year, but as indicated they did suggest that we try again next year. CAO Fraser also noted that it is hoped the Kiosk will be completed within the next couple of weeks and for the present time the Town’s Public Works Department will be able to secure some topsoil and seed a section so that it will be ready for further development. He feels minimal costs will be involved.
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8.5 Waste Receptacles
CAO Fraser noted that earlier this year due to an issue in the South Main and
Main Street area Council was asked to investigate replacement Receptacles.
Councillor Thompson provided information for a Nova Scotia based product that was quite affordable and offered 3 stream collections. Two units were purchased as a trial. He noted that at a recent Rotary Club meeting the members indicated they were pleased with the appearance of the new receptacles and asked the
Town to forward the information on how many receptacles would be required.
At this time staff are recommending 20 units be replaced with the new 3stream collectors. CAO Fraser also pointed out that the existing waste receptacles were a donation to the community by the Rotary Club of Westville. He also noted that the original price of the Receptacles were $380.00 each but after contacting the
Weymouth business he was advised that a bulk purchase for 20 would reduce the price to $360.00 per unit. CAO Fraser will provide this information to the
Rotary Club.
Deputy Mayor Jones noted that he had been in contact with the Pictou County
Solid Waste and made arrangements to have them visit the Highland
Consolidated Middle School the 1 st or 2 nd week of classes to educate the students.
He would also like to see another Receptacle on the route to the school.
Councillor MacDonald feels this is a great idea working together to make the
Town green.
8.6 Governance Study
CAO Fraser provided the response from the Province of Nova Scotia to fund
Governance Study along with a sample “Terms of Reference” which was the basis for the study in the South Shore area of the Province. He noted that the suggested study differs from the Terms of Reference that was submitted by the local governments in Pictou County. He also noted that in either case, costs in excess of $100,000 would have to be shared by the partners involved in the study. The Province is requesting a response by September 30 th , 2011. He noted there are a couple of options available. One would be to adopt a study similar to the one in South Shore and this would probably have a minimal cost associated with it to the Town of Westville. The other option would be to continue with the
Initial Terms of Reference. The second option would have a significant cost associated with it as it reviews in detail items such as existing infrastructure. He noted the letter from Minister MacDonell suggests that items from the initial
Terms of Reference such as policy, capital asset planning and staff requirements can be addressed at a later time, through additional studies. He noted that once
Council makes a decision Mayor MacKay can take this back to the Mayors and
Warden Committee with the position the Town has on the direction the study should proceed in. Deputy Mayor Jones has some issues with what is being offered. He noted the Government is willing to give us $100,000 to do the study but we do not know how much it is going to cost so we have no control over that.
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It may costs another $100,000 at the end of the day and we would have to give that to the Province. He also questioned the idea that we follow Lunenburg’s model as not appropriate as we are not Lunenburg and he questioned how can they compare that study with a study involving several Municipalities. He also questioned that they offered to do a Part 1 Study now with the $100,000 and maybe a Part 2 Study at a later date. He noted that many things can change in a short period of time and they may not be able to compare Part 1 to Part 2. He noted that we do not have control of the Study and he is all for being able to control the finances in our Town as we have good control over the budget and the different departments and to leave this wide open as it is now when at the end of the day we have no idea what it will cost and we will be responsible for paying the bill. He feels that we need more concrete numbers before proceeding with same. He also noted that he has no issue with Shared Services with another
Town and we know the costs involved but with Amalgamation we have to have a better understanding before we proceed.
Councillor Thompson agreed with Deputy Mayor Jones on many of his points and she noted that this Governance Study had been done before and she was wondering if part of the process would be to take the previous study of the shelf, dust it off and see what has changed between then and now. There are a lot of similarities and she doesn’t feel that we have to re-invent the wheel and with this money we could review and update the study to reflect today’s needs. She feels as Deputy Mayor Jones mentioned we cannot afford to sign on to something with an open cheque at the end.
Councillor Sutherland does not feel that Westville should have to pay one more cent towards the study. He feels that the offer of the $100,000 from the
Provincial Government to do the study should be accepted but that also should be the end of it. He noted that there is no extra in our Budget to pay for anything else. Councillor Thompson also feels that would be a lot of duplication from the original study and she would like to see things brought up to date if the original study was updated with the $100,000.
Councillor MacDonald asked everyone on Council what they think the biggest financial challenge in the near future will be. She feels it will occur next year when the Province changes the rules on the Memorandum of Understanding and the Municipal Units have to absorb the costs for public housing, corrections and education. She knows that at present we do not have money in our budget to have any cost overrun on the Amalgamation Study and that is one of the reasons we did not get into the Wellness Centre as owners as we were concerned with overrun which we know we cannot pay. She noted that the Town of Westville is just getting back on our feet and we have a good thing going here with a great staff, great group of employees and lot or work has been done. She mentioned that Mayor MacKay has been here a long time and has been part of bringing
Westville back on its feet. We know what other arrangements we have in place cost the Town and she feels that the citizens are happy with the way things are going now. It is nice to have the Public Works to respond quickly to any concerns and she shares Deputy Mayor Jones concerns that this Document from
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the Province suggesting we can do so much of the study now and a subsequent part at a later date and the fact that things can change very quickly. She mentioned that the last study she thinks was done in 1994 and she does not feel it would be relevant today. She noted that there is a lot of information provided in the Financial Indicators Document provided in our package this evening and when she looks at same she feels that Westville is not doing too bad and is fairly well positioned at this time. She made comment that if the study can’t be done right there is no point in going ahead with only a half a study. She feels the
Province is asking the Municipalities to do more and more and is it out of the realm of what we should be expected to cover. She agrees with Councillor
Sutherland that she never expected to pay more for the study. She feels that at this time it should be set on another burner and we should at this time be trying to deal with next year by working with the other Nova Scotia Municipalities concerning the Memorandum of Understanding as a group as this is going to have an effect on our finances.
Deputy Mayor Jones commented that there are too many hidden costs for the study to proceed with what is being offered at this time. We have to proceed with caution as at the end of the day it is the taxpayer that is paying for this.
Mayor MacKay noted that his concern is the taxpayers of Westville. He questioned what are the taxes going to be if we continue to go on the way it is at present, he realizes that we are doing OK but we cannot afford to keep the tax rate where it is right now and continue to get things done in Town that we need to have done. Reality is that we cannot continue to go the way we are with the money that we have coming in. He realizes that we are trying to get more
Commercial from Exit 21 but it will be some years before this materializes. He mentioned that it was said that they don’t think Amalgamation will be forced on us but he is aware that the 3 MLA’s in Pictou County are in favour of Pictou
County becoming one. He is afraid that the Province is going to tell Pictou
County they have had enough and are coming in to do what they want. He would like to see the Municipalities work together to hopefully solve this before that happens. He noted that we need to let them know we need to let them know that we all want to work together and the $100,000 is not enough to cover the complete study. He noted that the Province wants an answer and we have to let them know if we want to go ahead with the study as they have suggested or do we want them to proceed with the study presented by the local CAO’s. If we don’t accept this $100,00 he suggested that you go online and see how many people are getting fed up with the number of Councillor’s in this area compared to other areas and the total number of residents they are representing. He noted what happened in Cape Breton and HRM recently where the number of
Councillors were cut. Basically, what we have to do as a Council is determine what we want to do with the $100,000.
CAO Fraser mentioned that there were 3 different roads to take on this matter and they would come back to the Council with the actual costs. We could go with the study initially proposed and sent to the Province or you could go with study being suggested by the CAO’s or choose not to do the study at all. These will be Tendered and come back with costs and if all 6 units agree then it will come back with a price tag. Mayor MacKay believes all 6 Municipal units are going to stick with the original plan developed by local CAO’s.
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Councillor MacDonald questioned funding and Mayor MacKay thought the
Province would still be providing the $100,000 but he is not sure. He noted that there was a meeting scheduled for tomorrow and they will be meeting with
Minister MacDonell and he would ask the question at that time. Councillor
MacDonald noted that she believes that we have 2 things to deal with and that is the problem at hand and the long term solution. She feels the solution at hand is the Province not going to honor the Memorandum of Understanding during the next fiscal year that is not too far away. She also mentioned that even if all 6
Municipalities want the original study showing a cost of $250,000 we in
Westville do not have funds available to put into it.
Deputy Mayor Jones noted that there is no guarantee that property taxes will go down with Amalgamation but he feels some of the costs with public works, police and fire departments will go up. Councillor MacDonald feels that the
Province receives all 55 Municipal financial audits and they should be well aware that many are carrying deficits. She noted that it is very hard to plan for things that you do not know what is coming at you such as the PANS pension shortfall that has to be made up. She has difficulty knowing how the Province of Nova
Scotia can look at the Municipalities deficits and say that you seem to be doing all right so we are going to break the Memorandum of Understanding and as of the next fiscal year you will be responsible for the costs of Public Housing,
Corrections and Education and you can also pay for the Study your requesting.
Mayor MacKay stated that he is not going to stop the fight, that we have to do what is best for the taxpayers and if it means the 4 upper Towns coming together or the whole County we have to do what is best.
Councillor Sutherland noted that with the Municipal Indicators that were mentioned you compare Pictou County with Colchester Hants the 5 Towns in this
County are spending away more on Administration, for more money on Policing in Pictou County that they are per capita. We have to find a better way to do it and it needs to be done in a hurry.
Mayor MacKay noted that Westville’s response would be that we want the study as suggested by the local CAO’s and we do not want the study suggested by the
Province. Councillor MacDonald mentioned that the Terms of Reference study was so loaded up it was meant to be refused. Mayor MacKay again feels that the
Province may come back and say OK Pictou County we gave you a chance and now we will put an end to it.
Mayor MacKay asked if want at least the $100,000 as the Mayors and Wardens are looking for an answer. CAO Fraser also asked for a decision to be made on what study you want to have done and noted that some of the CAO’s study may be overkill but the questions being asked have to be answered to have the whole picture.
Mayor MacKay feels that each Municipality should know the state of their individual infrastructure. CAO Fraser noted that feedback at a recent meeting it was noted that Lunenburg study was in depth with a focus on Shared Services.
Councillor MacDonald suggested putting out an RFP for the study and see what this would entail as she is interested in knowing what it will do to our tax rate, how are we going to cost share debts as each Municipality is carrying a different level of debt and what is it going to do to our Services.
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Mayor MacKay suggested that we could move forward by putting out an RFP on the Study suggested by the CAO’s and also on the Province recommended study from Lunenburg. He noted we want to help the Municipalities and we also want to help the Province.
It was moved by Councillor Sutherland and seconded by Councillor
MacDonald that we ask the Province to put the RFP out on both studies, the
Lunenburg study suggested by the Province and also the study by the CAO’s
Terms of Reference to have Amalgamation in Pictou County. Motion carried.
8.7 Fire Inspector Appointment
CAO Fraser provided a Memo noting that the Pictou County Shared Services
Authority has hired David Shelton as a Fire Inspector except in the Town of New
Glasgow where they have their own. They also noted that in addition to Mr.
Shelton, building inspector Greg Smith will also act in this roll on an as needed basis. Staff recommended the following motion be passed by Council.
It was moved by Councillor MacDonald and seconded by Councillor
Thompson that the Town of Westville, hereby appoint David Shelton and Greg
Smith as its Municipal Fire Inspectors as per the requirement of the Nova
Scotia Fire Safety Act and Regulations. Motion carried.
Deputy Mayor Jones expressed Thanks to Mr Morris for all the work he has done for our Town.
8.8 Active Pictou County
CAO Fraser noted that from time to time there are questions about Active Pictou
County and recently Mayor MacKay and he attended a session and he has included the information received so that Council could see what they are involved with. CAO Fraser also advised that if the Council wishes we could have them attend a future meeting to explain what they are doing and see what the funding of $3300 from Westville is being used for. Councillor MacDonald raised a question that over the last year when we made a contribution of $3300 the position was empty for some time last year so she feels that there must be a budget surplus and she wanted to know if we should contribute or hold back this year if the money has not been spent. CAO Fraser was not sure the length of time the position was vacant but did note that any time it was vacated it was refilled very quickly. The lady that is in the position now has been there since quite some time and what they gathered at the presentation the funding is used to leverage funds from the Province so noted that if one Town was to cut funds the
Province would also be cutting. Councillor MacDonald wanted to ask if the
Province held back funds during the vacant times. CAO Fraser will ask them to clarify that for us.
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8.9 SNSMR – Municipal Indicators
Mayor MacKay noted that Councillor Sutherland spoke somewhat of the information provided during the Governance Study discussion. Councillor
MacDonald noted that this was useful information and it gives us a chance to see where the Municipality of Westville is and how we are doing in relationship with the other 54 Municipalities in the Province. It is a good working tool and she would like to hear CAO Fraser’s comments on Westville’s position. CAO Fraser advised that it is important to look at the indicators when trying to assess the condition of the local government. There is a group noted as the Public Sector
Accounting Board and they basically come up with the practices for local government and that includes statement preparation and a lot of the work on the
Service Nova Scotia web site is derived from the Public Sector Accounting
Board. He noted at times it is hard to read and if you were to go on line you can take a look it and it is much easier to read. Some of the more useful information
CAO Fraser provided in graphs for easier understanding. The first one shown is for the debt service ratio and that shows back in 2005 that the Town had a debt service ratio of almost 15% and that typically what Service Nova Scotia does when you reach 15% they really start to scrutinize for things such as Capital
Projects as it becomes more of a challenge to get the funding for them.
There are Municipalities that have higher ratios than 15% but the Province has set that number as a threshold to see why you are borrowing as compared to a lower ratio. You can see that in the last 5 years Westville’s ratio has dropped and this year it is reported at 6.4%. That will probably increase for the next couple of years but he does not feel it will go back up to 14% , at this time he feels it will level out between 8.5 and 10% and after that start to drop again.
The next one shown is Growth through Investment and it is kind of interesting when look at the different communities such as Spring that is comparable in size to Westville and Kentville which has been in the news a lot in recent years.
When you look at the average for Nova Scotia and see where Growth in
Investment will include the annual increase through CPI and Infrastructure.
Westville is a little bit better than average. This is one that Council’s have discussions on is Equalization revenue and he noted that it had dropped quite a bit over the last number of years. It is still one of the higher ones compared to the average in the Province but it is getting to the average that is around 11 to
12%. The last one shows Residential Tax Base which is sort of like your average tax bill for the Municipality and he did a comparison on that with the 5 Towns in the Municipality. He noted that it is not fair to compare the County to the Towns as the Counties do not have the same responsibilities that the Towns do. He noted there is a lot of other information on the site and he encourages the
Councillors to look at it. Mayor MacKay feels that it is all of the Council and
CAO working hard each day with dedication to get Westville where it is today.
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8.10 New Page Mill
Councillor Sutherland wanted to note the closing of the New Page Mill in Port
Hawkesbury and how the effects will be felt in Pictou County and more importantly here in Westville. Just to name some of the business he mentioned the new Truck Repair Shop at Exit 21, Salter’s Car Wash, Mr Tire, Arbuckle’s,
Savoie Mill, Tim Horton’s and he knows there are many more. He could like to have this Council invite the Mayor of Port Hawkesbury Billie Jo MacLean to come and speak to us on the impact of the closure. Coucillor MacDonald agreed to extend the invitation and also ask him to update Council on the Memorandum of Understanding as he is also the President of the Municipalities of Nova Scotia.
10. QUESTIONS FROM CITIZENS
10.1- Morris Campbell, North Main Street
On the study your Worship he noted that back in the 70’s there was a one man
Study done and at that time Pictou County could not afford it. He also noted that the Shared Services Fire Inspector information provided tonight shows that New
Glasgow can’t agree with Shared Services and they have their own Fire
Inspector. Same with the Police in Trenton and New Glasgow, they tried it years ago and it did not work and it will not work this time either unless people want it to work. We had Policing with New Glasgow and it didn’t work or at least we got rid of it, the same as the Public Works. If we can’t work together on the little things how are we going to do it as an amalgamated unit? We all have Councils,
CAO’s and Mayor and we have to do something. It doesn’t matter what happens your taxes are going to go up if we stay alone, amalgamate or use shared services
Mr Campbell feels that shared services is the way to go and not amalgamation and that we will all have to work to make it happen. He feels that making stockpile purchases of all supplies used in the Towns at a low rate would be beneficial to everyone. Another topic he mentioned was the sidewalk on Angell
Street and he feels that since he retired he has put a lot of money into the Gas Tax and he wants to see some of it come to Westville. He noted that the sidewalks in a lot of areas in Town are in very bad shape and he would like to see more done to replace or repair more sidewalks.
10.2 – Gordie MacIntosh
He wanted it brought to the attention of Council concerning the Designated
Truck Route they are looking at through the Industrial Park in Stellarton and how it could be very dangerous if a truck loaded with logs and a school bus was to meet on the bridge into Town especially in the winter time with snow build-up.
He does not feel there would be enough room for both vehicles if they should be there at the same time. Mayor MacKay noted that this something that the Traffic
Authorities would have to look into.
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10.3- Raymond Cameron
On the Governance Study he noted that Councillor Sutherland has been around a long time and he would remember how many years this studying has been going on. He questions what this study will bring out? His personal version of the whole County is that right now there is too much hate and jealousy between one
Town and the other. He can’t see it going anywhere until the Government forces a Study and forces the County to do something. Mayor MaKay noted that Pictou
County has to come together as one and we will all be better off for it. Mr
Cameron noted that the sooner it is done the better. He feels that each time a study is done it sits on the shelf for a time and then another study is done. He doesn’t know who is going to make it level out but feels that all the Towns and the Provincial Government have to come together. Mayor MacKay commented that he feels there is a lot more consideration being given this time when you read all the articles in the paper and on line, he feels that the people in Pictou
County have to come forward and tell the Councils what their views are on the matter to make this move forward.
11. ADJOURMENT OF MEETING
11.1 It was moved by Deputy Mayor Jones and seconded by
Councillor Thompson to move to in-camera. Motion carried.
11.2 It was moved by Councillor Thompson and seconded by
Councillor Sutherland the in-camera session be adjourned. Motion carried
Certified to be a true copy of the minutes of the August 29th, 2011 Town of
Westville Regular Council Meeting.
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MAYOR RECORDING SECRETARY
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