Council Rundown
May 9th
The Regular Meeting of Council on May 9th was preceded by a Special Meeting to have a representative from Food Cycle Science Corporation provide a presentation regarding a Countertop Composter pilot project. The Regular Meeting featured one Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application Public Hearing and three items for discussion and decision in the Regular Agenda.
Zoning Bylaw Amendment
Zoning Bylaw Amendment Application Z02/23 was approved to permit up to 10 backyard chickens (hens only) at a Rural Residential residence on Lee Valley Road. While the Rural Residential Zone does not typically allow for agricultural/farming activities, it is not unusual for requests in these areas to come forward from time to time relating to the raising of hens.
Countertop Composting
Council approved a 100-household pilot project to offer a device called a FoodCycler, by FoodCycle Science, that takes compostable waste and turns the waste into a dry odorless soil amenity that can be added to soil for gardens, potted plants, backyard composters, and flower beds for example. The FoodCycler has been identified as an effective tool to help residents reduce volumes of waste being sent to landfills, in turn reducing greenhouse gas emissions and costs of waste disposal. The pilot project will provide 100 households with a subsidized FoodCycler. Participants will be expected to pay $150 for the 2.5-litre unit or $300 for the 5-litre unit. These costs are highly subsidized as a result of a $10,000 investment by the Town and further discounts provided by FoodCycle Science and the Impact Canada Fund. The retail price of the 2.5-litre unit without discounts is $500 and $800 for the 5-litre. As part of the pilot, FoodCycle Science will be working with the Municipality to track trends in waste volumes for participants to assess the success of the pilot in order to determine whether this is a long-term initiative that the Town should invest in.
Municipal Budget 2023
The 2023 Municipal Budget was approved with an overall net levy increase of 3.97% over 2022, setting the total net levy requirements for 2023 at $8,094,399 over $7,785,459 in 2022. This amount represents the funds to be raised from property taxes for the Town’s operating and capital budgets. The Executive Summary stated that the budget reflects a commitment by the Town to serving the needs of our community by supporting the positive, well-balanced, social, economic, environmental, and physical growth of the town. The average household in Espanola has an assessment value of $158,099 and can expect to see an increase of approximately 3.59% to their annual property tax bill over 2022 (approximately $87 per year), not including any changes due to re-assessment of property value by MPAC that may result from renovations for example.
The 2023 Municipal Budget reflects the expenses of maintaining current levels of service while inflation continues to drive up costs. The Town’s most significant investments are found within its capital and water and sewer budgets which are largely covered by reserves or grants. Highlights include the completion of the most recent Connecting Link project to repave and replace water and sewer infrastructure along Centre Street between McDonalds and Second Avenue, the continuation of the Trunk Watermain replacement from the Water Treatment Plant to Second Avenue and the resurfacing and replacement of sewer infrastructure on Mead Boulevard. The breakdown of the capital budget by area can be reviewed in the graphic below (the Transportation category refers to capital road infrastructure investments primarily while Water & Waste Water refers to capital investments in water and sewer infrastructure beneath the road or at the plants).
The Executive Summary of the budget can be viewed at the following link: https://pub-espanola.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=9242
Mayor and Councillor Announcements
Councillor Nadeau expressed enthusiasm for the turn-out at the Career Fair, hosted by the Town’s Economic Development Department on Tuesday, May 9th.
Councillor Kallioinen echoed these statements and expressed his enthusiasm for the recent Open House held on Wednesday, April 26th at the Recreation Complex as part of the public consultation process for the development of a new Town Strategic Plan.
Deputy Mayor Kelly expressed pride in the recent success of the annual Smile Cookie campaign hosted by Tim Hortons and the importance that this will have for the Espanola Helping Hand Food Bank. Deputy Mayor Kelly congratulated all those involved.
Deputy Mayor Kelly further echoed Councilor Kallioinen and Nadeau’s comments regarding the Career Fair.
The Council Rundown provides a summary of each Council Meeting. The official record of each meeting is the Meeting Minutes and can be found in the Council Meetings section of the website. Video recordings of meetings are similarly available in the same section. Any questions regarding Council Meetings can be directed to Joseph Burke, Town Clerk at [email protected] or by calling 705-869-1540.