Council Rundown
June 13th
The Regular Meeting of Council on June 13th was preceded by a Special Meeting for a presentation from Municipal Tax Equity by Mr. Peter Frise, regarding municipal taxation and the Town’s Property Tax Levy Bylaw. The Regular Meeting featured the approval of the Town’s new Strategic Plan 2023-2027, the approval of a new Condensed Work Week Trial, and a Member Motion regarding research into a skateboard park.
Our Gateway to Growth: Strategic Plan 2023-2027
Since January, The Town has been undertaking the preparation of a Strategic Plan to chart its course for the term of Council and beyond. The final draft of the plan was approved by Council on June 13. The document features six priority strategic goals: 1. Housing, 2. Pride of Place, 3. Infrastructure, 4. Quality of Life, 5. Economy and 6. Town Government with a number of key objectives under each. A media release with the final version of the plan will be published in the coming days.
Condensed Work Week
Council has approved a trial condensed work week policy to provide staff with the option to work a 4-day work week at the Municipal Office and Public Works Department. The trial period will provide management with the opportunity to assess the potential policy and to bring back a recommendation to Council in early 2024 on whether to continue with this policy long-term. Amongst other benefits, the trial will allow the Municipal Office to be open longer, from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Similarly, the Public Works office will be open 7:45 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday. Despite the Public Works Office being closed on Fridays, the emergency after-hours Public Works contact information will be readily available to the public for urgent matters that cannot wait to be addressed until Monday. Residents will of course have the option of speaking with staff at the Municipal Office.
Member Motion: Skateboard Park
A member motion from Councillor Kallioinen was put forward to have staff begin doing research into the feasibility of a skateboard park in Espanola. Discussion ensued regarding the timing of this proposed work given that there are a number of major capital projects underway in Espanola at this time that require significant staff time including major infrastructure projects and park replacements. Additionally, it was discussed that key vacancies in the Recreation Department would need to be filled prior to considering significant work on a project of this nature. Council opted to defer the motion to December for these reasons.
Mayor and Councillor Announcements
Deputy Mayor Kelly expressed the great turn-out at the Pride Flag raising to recognize Pride Month in Espanola on June 1st. She thanked the Espanola Pride Association for their involvement and all those who attended.
Councillor Nadeau expressed his regrets for not being able to attend the Seniors Appreciation Day that took place on Tuesday this week, June 13th, due to his employment obligations. He expressed enthusiasm for the events and that it appeared there was a great turn out.
Councillor Kallioinen echoed Deputy Mayor Kelly’s comments regarding the Pride Flag Raising and his pleasure in attending the Seniors Luncheon at the Elks as part of Seniors Appreciation Day on June 13th.
Councillor Duplessis expressed his thanks to the various departments involved with assisting for the Knight Cruisers' Car Show event, all school Track and Field events, and the Seniors Appreciation Day.
Mayor Gervais echoed Councillor Duplessis’ comments regarding the hard work of the Town’s various staff and departments with recent events. He also expressed his gratitude to the Knight Cruiser’s for their $500 donation to the Shelley Newton Memorial Fund. The fund is primarily used to sponsor free swims for the community.
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.