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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-12-08_Council_Public Agenda Package Page 1 of 2 MUNICIPAL COUNCIL AGENDA Thursday, December 8, 2016 at 8:45 a.m. Chester Municipal Council Chambers 151 King Street, Chester, NS 1. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA/ORDER OF BUSINESS. 3. PUBLIC INPUT SESSION (8:45 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.) 4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: 4.1. Council – November 24, 2016 4.2. Public Hearing – November 3, 2016 5. COMMITTEE REPORTS: 5.1. Recreation and Parks Committee – November 21, 2016 – Councillor Connors 5.2. Any other Committees. 6. MATTERS ARISING: 6.1 Nomination of Deputy Warden. 6.2 PACE By-law Presentation – Jeff Merrill, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (appointment at 9:30 a.m.) a) Request for Decision prepared by Community Development Department dated November 29, 2016 regarding PACE Program. 6.3 Rural Internet Power Point Presentation – Inter-Municipal Proposal. 7. CORRESPONDENCE: 7.1 Presentation from Carol Nauss, Chester Municipal Heritage Society regarding yearly update to Council (appointment at 9:00 a.m.) 7.2 Letter from Municipality of the District of Barrington to Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM) dated October 24, 2016 regarding apprehension with the proposed changes to the resolutions process and to offer some possible amendments. 7.3 Letter from Village of Chester dated November 25, 2016 regarding Water Survey. 7.4 Letter from New Ross 200th Anniversary Committee regarding Time Capsule. Page 2 of 2 8. NEW BUSINESS: 8.1 Information Report prepared by Senior Economic Development Officer dated November 24, 2016 regarding Economic Development Sponsorship. 8.2 Request for Decision prepared by Department of Finance dated November 24, 2016 regarding Purchasing Cards (PCards). 8.3 Request for Decision prepared by Recreation and Parks Department dated November 29, 2016 regarding Designated Community Fund Grant – New Ross Legion. 8.4 Added items (if any) 9. IN CAMERA: 9.1 Legal Advice – Land Titles Clarifications Request 9.2 Contract Negotiations – Village Commission a) Fire Services (appointment @ 11:00 a.m.) 9.3 Contract Negotiations – Rural Internet Memorandum of Understanding 10. ADJOURNMENT. APPOINTMENTS ARRANGED 9:00 a.m. Carol Nauss, Chester Municipal Heritage Society regarding update on yearly activities. 9:30 a.m. Jeff Merrill, MODL regarding PACE By-law Presentation. MOTIONS REQUIRING APPROVAL OF COUNCIL FROM MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2016 RECREATION AND PARKS COMMITTEE 2016-482 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2016-483 RECOMMENDATION TO AWARD YOUTH SPONSORSHIP TO KATE MACKINNON MOVED by Susan Larder, SECONDED by Leslie Taylor, that the Recreation Committee recommend to Council that we give Kate MacKinnon of Chester $1500 to help cover the costs for attending the Snowboard Cross Competition in Bromont, Quebec from January 23 to February 6, 2017. MOTION CARRIED. 2016-484 ADJOURNMENT REQUEST FOR DIRECTION Prepared By: Tara Maguire, Community Development Director Date November 29, 2016 Reviewed By: Date Authorized By: Tammy Wilson, CAO Date November 29 ,2016 CURRENT SITUATION During the September 8 Council meeting, Council discussed a newspaper article regarding clean energy financing, a program that several municipal units are participating in. They requested more information on the program. The information in this report is compiled from the Town of Bridgewater, Efficiency Nova Scotia and Clean Foundation. RECOMMENDATION For information and discussion DISCUSSION What is a PACE program? The Municipal Government Act allows Municipalities the ability to spend money to provide financing and installing energy-efficiency equipment on private property. More recently the Municipal Government Act was amended to add the supply of water and water conservation as an item eligible for financing under the same program. These programs are referred to a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs. Under a PACE program a municipality can provide a low interest loan to qualifying homeowners interested in undertaking clean energy upgrades or water supply/conservation. Once the upgrades are completed, the homeowner repays the municipality over time on their property tax bill. Where are PACE programs being offered? PACE programs have been implemented across both Canada and the US. A number of Nova Scotia municipalities have adopted by-laws that allow homeowners to apply for financing that allows them to install clean energy upgrades to their property such as insulation, energy efficient windows and doors, solar panels and high energy heat pumps. HRM has had a PACE program since 2013 to allow for the installation of solar hot water installations (“Solar City” project). The Town of Berwick has a program in place for building envelope and heating upgrades. The County of Richmond also has a program to fund building envelope improvements. The amendments to the Municipal Government Act to include water supply/conservation on private property was just recently completed and thus there are no municipalities that have a By-law in place for this. REPORT TO: Municipal Council SUBMITTED BY: Department DATE: May 19, 2016 SUBJECT: PACE PROGRAM ORIGIN: Motion Number or Other Origin 2 Request For /Direction The Municipality of District of Lunenburg, Municipality of District of Shelburne, Municipality of District of Digby, and the Town of Bridgewater have partnered with Clean Foundation and the Province of Nova Scotia to provide Clean Energy Financing, also known as Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. The municipalities partnered on a Request for Proposals and have entered into a contract with Clean Foundation to administer the program for them. The Clean Foundation reviews and approves all applications on behalf of the Municipalities. The Municipality is responsible for setting the budget and determining how much they will provide in loans each year. The contract is structured to allow other municipal units to sign on as partners without having to retender or to develop their own program. Why consider a PACE program? Concerns about climate change, rising energy costs, stimulating green-sector economy, and improving the quality of housing stock are among the reasons that Municipal Council may want to invest a PACE program. The program provides a mechanism to finance projects that may otherwise not occur with the financing tool. The following benefits can be realized through a PACE program: For Residents:  Financing savings: PACE programs are usually structured so that the amount a homeowner pays is less than or equal to the money saved by the improvements, resulting in immediate cost savings.  Affordability: upfront costs of making energy improvements can be a significant barrier for many homeowners, even if they know that there is a reasonable return on their investment in the 5-10 year range. This is especially true for lower income homeowners who may not have cash or savings on hand and who may not be eligible to take on additional personal debt.  Flexibility: residents who may be interested in making energy improvements but are concerned that they may not see the full benefit of their investment because they may sell their homes in the near future are given peace of mind that they will only pay for those improvements as long as they own the home – since the lien is attached to the property, the next owner would be responsible for remaining costs.  Confidence: because the financing program is offered through a reputable funder, it tends to increase homeowner confidence that the measures being implemented will have genuine benefit, which increases uptake. For the Municipality:  Addresses climate change  Stimulates economic development  Achieves sustainability objectives, be more energy efficient  Improves the energy performance of the community  Demonstrates leadership  Increases the quality of housing stock in the municipality  Improves quality of life for existing residents and create an incentive to new residents 3 Request For /Direction For the Province:  Reduces energy demand  Helps to achieve climate change and energy goals  Reduces need to build expensive new power plants and transmission systems  Stimulates economic growth by injecting money through local home improvement and energy efficiency projects How does the model program work? Each participating municipality has set their own budget for the program each year and the maximum loan available to individuals. The financing is provided for a period of up to 10 years. The interest rate is fixed (currently 4%) and the municipalities do not negotiate different terms with homeowners. If a homeowner enters default, the interest rate will increase to the municipality’s tax arrears rate. Municipality Default interest rate Maximum Loan Amount Town of Bridgewater 12% $15,000 District of Lunenburg 10% $10,000 District of Shelburne 14% $15,000 District of Digby 12% $10,000 Interest rates are valid until March 31, 2017 and may be subject to change thereafter. Recently, the Province passed Bill 62, an Act which amends the MGA to allow Municipalities to expand this program to water conservation projects. This will allow municipalities to fund projects for the supply, use, storage or conservation of water. What is the administrative burden placed on Municipal Staff for participating in the program? According to MODL staff, the administrative work for each application is minimal. The following tasks are completed by Municipal Staff to process each application:  Tax Clerk reviews for outstanding taxes – less than 15 minutes  Director of Finance reviews and signs homeowner agreement – less than 15 minutes  Administrative staff files each agreement – less than 15 minutes  Process automatic monthly payments – approximately 30 minutes Is the program scalable? Yes, it is up to the Municipality as to how many participants will be funded each year and how much money is dedicated to the program. The main limiting factor would be availability of financial capital. The money for the program can be borrowed by the Municipality or the Municipality could use reserves to fund the program. The other limiting factor would be interest of homeowners to participate in the program. 4 Request For /Direction IMPLICATIONS Policy A PACE by-law, lending rate policy and a Clean Energy Upgrade Policy would be required in order to participate in the program. Financial/Budgetary If council is interested in pursuing the program, staff would prepare a supplementary report, along with a draft bylaw and proposed budget. The project would be included in the 2017-18 capital budget. Environmental This would support the work undertaken in the Integrated Community Sustainability plan and the Municipal Climate Change action plan by encouraging residents to undertake upgrades and retrofits that would reduce energy consumption. Strategic Plan Continually improve public satisfaction with municipal services; Strengthen and support environmental, cultural, and social resources; Continually reinforce the positive image of the Municipality through leadership in public engagement and communication; Promote conditions conducive to fostering economic prosperity. This is presently not a Strategic Priority of Council. If Council wishes to pursue a PACE By-law it is recommended that Council consider the matter, in terms of priority, at its Strategic Priority Setting Session January 19th and 20th, 2017. Work Program Implications Subject to discussions by Council at Strategic Priority Session – January 19 and 20, 2017, or as per direction given. OPTIONS 1. Direct staff to prepare the necessary by-law and policies to participate in the program. 2. Refer this to the strategic planning session in January. 3. No action. ATTACHMENTS List attachments here. COMMUNICATIONS (INTERNAL/EXTERNAL) REGIONAL RURAL INTERNET PROJECT PROPOSED MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING DECEMBER, 2016 WHY IS INTERNET AN ISSUE? •CONNECTIVITY IS CRUCIAL FOR MODERN DIGITAL ECONOMY •ACCESS TO RELIABLE HIGH SPEED INTERNET IS LACKING IN OUR COMMUNITIES VISION •ESTABLISH A REGIONAL ‘MIDDLE-MILE’ NETWORK •PROVIDE POINTS-OF-PRESENCE IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES •OPEN ACCESS NETWORK •ENABLING BUSINESS CASE FOR ISPS IN THOSE AREAS TO SERVE ‘LAST-MILE’ SOLUTIONS •REGIONAL APPROACH PROVIDES •CITIZEN-CENTRED APPROACH •DESIGN BENEFITS (E.G. REDUNDANCY FOR IMPROVED RELIABILITY) •ECONOMIES OF SCALE •CAPACITY & EXPERTISE BEYOND THE REACH OF INDIVIDUAL UNITS MOU CONTENT •ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIP THROUGH MOU •10 RURAL MUNICIPALITIES IN SOUTHERN NS •AGREE TO COMPLETE INVESTIGATIVE WORK •BUILDS BUSINESS CASE FOR FUNDING APPLICATION •PROVIDES SUFFICIENT DETAIL TO BEGIN DRAFTING INCORPORATION DETAILS FOR DEBATE SELECTION & OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE •STAFF REPRESENTATIVE FROM EACH MUNICIPALITY •TASKED WITH: •SELECTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT, •SOLICITING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST •SHORTLISTING PROPONENTS TO SUBMIT RFP FOR DESIGN/BUILD •RECOMMENDING PROPOSAL TO PARTNER COUNCILS THAT BEST MEET THE NEEDS OUR COMMUNITIES •OPERATES THROUGH HOST MUNICIPALITY (MODL) FOR PROCUREMENT, PAYABLES ETC. BUDGET •PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ADMIN COSTS:NOT TO EXCEED $100,000 •DESIGN BUILD PROPOSAL COSTS (UP TO 3 PROPONENTS:NOT TO EXCEED $90,000 •MAXIMUM BUDGET COMMITMENT:$190,000 •ANTICIPATED COST PER PARTNER UNIT: NOT TO EXCEED $19,000 FAQS WHY EOI/RFP •RANGE OF TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS ARE POSSIBLE •EOI PROCESS DRAWS OUT CONCEPTS AND APPROACHES •STRONGEST CONCEPTS INVITED TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR SOLVING INTERNET ISSUE •SOME COSTS PAID AT THIS STAGE IN RECOGNITION OF COSTS INVOLVED WITH PREPARING A PROPOSAL WITH THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL •THIS EOI/RFP PROCESS ALLOWS GROUP TO EXPLORE COMPETING TECHNICAL SOLUTION AND FUNDING/GOVERNANCE MODELS TO ACHIEVE GOAL GAS TAX •STAFF IN COMMUNICATION TO CONFIRM THAT GAS TAX FUNDING CAN BE USED FOR PHASE 1 RESEARCH •(UNDER CAPACITY BUILDING CATEGORY) •ENTERING INTO DISCUSSION WITH FED/PROV OFFICIALS RE: FUTURE PHASES: •DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY OF PROJECT FOR GAS TAX FUNDING IF PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PURSUED •DETERMINE WHETHER “STACKING” OF GAS TAX POSSIBLE IF FEDERAL GRANT FUNDS ALSO ACQUIRED FUTURE COUNCIL APPROVALS •ENTERING INTO MOU DOES NOT BIND MUNICIPALITIES TO CONTINUE WITH FUTURE PHASES. •FURTHER APPROVALS (OR OPPORTUNITY TO WITHDRAW): •PRIOR TO AWARDING DESIGN AND ENTERING PHASE 2: DESIGN •PRIOR TO MAKING INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING APPLICATION(S) (PHASE 3) •PRIOR TO INCORPORATION (PHASE 4) ARE WE MAKING A MUNICIPAL INTERNET UTILITY? •THERE ARE A RANGE OF MODELS ACROSS CANADA •ON ONE END OF SPECTRUM THERE IS COMPLETE PUBLIC OWNERSHIP FROM THE BACKBONE TO LAST MILE CONNECTION AND SALE OF SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS •ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM THERE IS PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH LITTLE OR NO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP. •WHILE EXACT MODEL NOT DETERMINED AT THIS POINT, THERE IS NO DESIRE TO BECOME AN ISP AND BEGIN THE RETAIL SALE OF INTERNET SERVICES TO RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES. WHY NOT WAIT? (SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT WE MAY BE DUPLICATING ISPS OR THE PROVINCE’S WORK, THAT RURAL BROADBAND MAY BE EXPANDED WITHOUT MUNICIPAL EFFORT) •ISPS HAVE DEMONSTRATED WILLINGNESS TO EXPAND NETWORK WHERE BUSINESS CASE EXISTS. PAST HISTORY IN CANADA HAS DEMONSTRATED THIS WILL NOT ACHIEVE NECESSARY LEVEL OF ACCESS TO BROADBAND IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. •PROVINCE IS ONLY NOW IN PROCESS OF DEVELOPING STRATEGY. IMPLEMENTING STRATEGY ACROSS PROVINCE LIKELY TO BE MULTI-YEAR EFFORT. ANY REGIONAL EFFORT IS MOST LIKELY TO CATALYSE PROVINCIAL EFFORTS FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, RATHER THAN DUPLICATE •OUR MUNICIPAL GROUP HAS DELAYED PROGRESS ON THIS PROJECT FOR THIS REASON IN THE PAST, WHICH HAS CREATED TIMING ISSUES FOR THE ANTICIPATED FEDERAL FUNDING CALL •COMPLETING THE PRELIMINARY RESEARCH IN PHASE 1 WILL GET MUNICIPALITIES CRITICAL INFORMATION ON THEIR POSSIBLE ROLE, AND DOES NOT OVERCOMMIT THE MUNICIPAL PARTNERS, •SHOULD THE PROPOSED SOLUTION NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR SOUTHERN NOVA SCOTIA OR DUPLICATE OTHER EFFORTS, THE PHASED APPROACH ALLOWS FOR REVISION OR REJECTION OF THE REGIONAL PROJECT KEY TERMINOLOGY •MIDDLE-MILE/BACKHAUL/BACKBONE •(MAIN ARTERY, OR HIGHWAY FOR INTERNET) •POINT OF PRESENCE (POPS) •OFFRAMP FROM THE HIGHWAY, LINK BETWEEN MIDDLE AND LAST MILE •LAST-MILE SOLUTIONS, •E.G. FIBRE TO THE HOME, DSL, CABLE, FIXED WIRELESS, SATELLITE •TECHNOLOGY USED TO GET INTERNET INTO HOMES FROM THE POPS •INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPS) •COMPANIES THAT RETAIL INTERNET SERVICES FEDERAL FUNDING •TOP PRIORITY FOR INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: INCREASING HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND COVERAGE •BUDGET $500 MILLION OVER FIVE YEARS, •FOCUS ON BACKBONE (MIDDLE-MILE) •TARGETING APPLICATIONS BY FEBRUARY 2017 •ISPS AND MUNICIPALITIES ELIGIBLE Fall 2016  Victorian Christmas Craft Sale November 24 thru 27, 2016 10am till 5pm at Lordly House  January – Membership dues payable  April – Annual Meeting  There will be no house and harbour tour this year Page 1 Volume 5, Issue 2 Fall 2016 Lordly Ledger Inside This Issue * Lordly House Remodeled * Surprise Visit from the Premier * Train Station * The Chester Seaside Farmer and Artisan’s Market * Explore Oak Island Display * Picnic in the Park * Guides * Donations for Lordly House * House and Harbor Tour * 150th celebrations * Croquet * Tea with Mrs. Lordly * Family Members visit Lordly House * Floor Lamps * Crafts and Conversation Lordly House Remodeled The interior of Lordly House underwent an extensive remodeling this year. Thanks and more thanks go to Frank Metzger and Wayne Cameron who spent countless hours painting and reorgan- izing the interior of Lordly House. Fran Underwood chose the period colours which enhance the rooms in the house. Numerous donations from our supporters of furniture, and other objects helped to create the look and feel of a family home. The Lordly family genealogy and information space will be expanded to house all of our local genealogy information and a children’s dress up area. Surprise Visit from the Premier The Honourable Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia paid a surprise visit to Lordly House this summer while in town for Race Week. He also visited a number of other places in town including the farmers market He is pictured here with our guides Mathew Covert and Nicole Corkum. Chester Municipal Heritage Society A Registered Charity On-going projects: * Copying and tagging graphic files * Outreach to community * Database updating * Open up storage under Lordly House * Sir John's Basket fund raiser this summer * Filling in holes and leveling larger lower areas in the park. * Complete repairs on the gazebo supports. Train Station Our Train Station continues to be a hub of pleasant activity again this summer. The Farmer’s market, Visitor Information Center, the Hawboldt Display and the Explore Oak Island Display de- lighted visitors from home and far away. Groups large and small of bicyclists, hikers, marathon groups, campers, and ATV riders used the Station as a very entertaining, educational and attractive resting spot and an opportunity to en- joy our Municipality. CMHS members are proud of the beautiful new look of the station. Additional municipal displays will be added to the centre section of the station next summer, so be sure to stop by and see them. The Visitor Information Centre will continue as part of the station as far as we know The new Polar Bear carving was a popular attraction for young and old alike. Having the carver, Olaf Peterson, on hand adding important details was a welcome feature. The Chester Seaside Farmer and Artisan’s Market The Farmer’s Market at the station grew like topsy and proved very popular. We are looking forward to next year when it reo- pens in the spring. Their Web Address is: https://chesterfarmersmarket.wordpress.com Explore Oak Island Display Several new additions to the Explore Oak Island Display includ- ed tree ring studies (Dendrochronology) and a well done, one of a kind replica of the famous Inscribed Stone found deep on Oak Island in the early 1800s. Several educational tours were given of the Explore Oak Island Display that included two private tours, three school groups and one for the popular Roads Scholars group. Picnic in the Park Can you believe 250 plus people picnicking, dancing and enjoy-ing the entertainment? That happened a number of times this summer. With the financial assistance of the Picnic in the Park group and labour do- nated by Barry Red- mond, the gazebo in the park received needed re- pairs and redesigned steps to make it a more friend- ly space for the performers. Money received from a municipal grant was used to paint it. More work on the support system is scheduled to be done in the spring. Updates and Activities Volume 5, Issue 2 Fall 2016 Page 2 Roads Scholar group from all across the USA Ms. Lanigan’s class Chester Picture used with permission Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 2 Fall 2016 Guides Our Guides this year were Mathew Covert and Nicole Corkum seen here with Fran Underwood. You will note in the picture not only are they dressed in period costume but Mathew also sports a period beard. Donations for Lordly House We have received a number of dona- tions a silver tea service and a set of chairs made by Douglas Morash, a lo- cal cabinet maker, from Bobbie Young in memory of her mother Susan Gaby Baker. The Georgian mahogany Pembroke table is a gift from Mr. & Mrs. Curt Winsor. A set of mahogany Georgian style dining chairs from Frank Metzger, a dining table from the Porters and a pair of 18th century arm chairs two Currier & Ives prints from Anja Pearre. Dudley Grove donated some very nice soup bowls and an ori- ental coffee set (pot & mugs) plus the Turkish rug in the dining room; Phyl- lis Walker donated a period platter (blue & white) The Manns, Oscar Straus and the Dyers donated multiple items House and Harbor Tour The house and harbor tour did not oc- cur this year because we were unable to find people willing to allow us to use their houses. We did hold the boat tour and tales fund raiser in its place. The house and harbor tour will not oc- cur next year as we seek to find anoth- er fund raiser to replace it. 150th celebrations Watch this year for special celebrations for the 150th celebration of Confedera- tion and keep an eye out for Sir John’s Table (ie. Charles Lordly’s Table), a contest, for cooks of all ages, to find the best tasting period dish in various catagories and a chance to taste the goodies. We will also be selling Sir John’s picnic hamper featuring local products and goodies. Auction The auction proved successful and will be held again next year, with some changes in the format. We are still looking for items and donations are accepted throughout the year. To do- nate please get in touch at 902-275- 3826 or 902-275- 2030. Croquet The croquet group enjoyed the park throughout the summer and they wel- come other people to come and enjoy the fun. This certainly is an amuse- ment that the Lordly’s would have been familiar with. Perhaps they played the game, who knows. Tea with Mrs. Lordly proved to be popular this year with our hostesses, Margaret Lordly aka Fran Underwood, Elea- nor Publicover and Jane Campbell from the Blandford Heritage Society. We will be continuing this next year. During the tea Elizabeth Publicover spoke about the work she had done on her genealogy and the importance of preserv- ing information from the past for future generations. Pouring Tea is Eleanor Publicover Elizabeth Publicover and Fran Underwood We looking for pictures and rugs for Lordly House Also bocce ball sets and rings game for the park. CHESTER-MUNICIPAL- HERITAGE-SOCIETY.CA The mission of the Chester Municipal Heritage Society is: To cultivate awareness of the unique heritage of the Munici- pality of Chester for the enjoyment and benefit of present and future generations through the preservation of historically sig- nificant properties and the delivery of educational program- ming. Mandate The mandate of the Chester Municipal Historical Society en- compasses the natural and cultural history of the communities that make up the Municipality of Chester, both tangible (such as artifacts, buildings, and archival records) and intangi-ble (such as oral history and customs). Chester Municipal Heritage Society133 Central Street PO Box 628 Chester, NS B0J1J0 Phone: 902-275-3842 or 3826 E-mail: lordlyhouse@ns.aliantzinc.ca Lordly Estate Municipal Museum Chester-Municipal-Heritage-Society..ca You may unsubscribe from these electronic emails at any time by clicking the blue text below: unsubscribe Page 4 Volume 5, Issue 2 Fall 2016 Family Members visit Lordly House We were extremely happy to host descendants of Edward John Lordly (1824- 1904), son of Joseph and Susannah Lordly and younger brother of Charles, at Lordly House on September 14th. Edward John Lordly was a successful general merchant in Halifax, operating Lordly & Stimpson at No. 8 George Street. Following a general decline in the economy during the 1870s, the store closed its doors and Edward found work as a Customs Broker. Edward married Mary Ann Major in 1855 and together they had eight children though only four survived to adulthood (Louisa Maria, Flor- ence Mary, Frederick John and Mary Alice (May). Frederick was a coal merchant in Halifax; he and his wife, Annie Laura Reading, had four children: Harold Percy, E. Franklyn (Frank), George Reading and Eric Medlen. It was Frank’s daughter, Mary Louise (first row centre), who travelled from Cape Breton for a tour of Lordly House and she was accompanied by chil- dren Kevin Van Den Broek, Josephine Van Den Broek, Rose Bowles and Linda MacLeod (Ann, Joan and Margaret were unable to visit us on this occasion). We always look forward to meeting Lordly descendants and hope more will find their way to Chester in the years ahead. Join us—become a member. Individual member $15.00 Family membership (immediate) $25.00 Additional donations gratefully accepted through the 1806 fund Membership forms are available on line or by calling 275-3826 Floor Lamps A grant received from the municipality also ena- bled us to purchase additional floor lamps for Lordly House making it possible to use the build- ing throughout the evenings hours. The remain- der of the grant will be used repaint and repair the mullions on the windows. We have also devised a new method for attaching the storm windows which will decrease the damage that was occur- ring when we removed and restored the storms each year. Municipality of the District of Barrington Office of the Warden P.O. Box 100 Barrington, Nova Scotia BOW lEO October 24, 2016 Betty MacDonald UNSM Executive Director Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities Suite 1304, 1809 Barrington Street Halifax, N.S. B3J 3K8 Revised UNSM Resolutions Process Dear Ms. MacDonald and UNSM Board, The Council of the Municipality of the District of Barrington has asked that I write to you on behalf of Council to express our apprehension with the proposed changes to the resolutions process, to outline our concerns, and to offer some possible amendments. The UNSM Board, along with general member consensus, is in agreement that the UNSM needs to become a much more focused organization to better influence and partner with the Provincial Government, and the Council for the Municipality of the District of Barrington completely agrees. There are however some specific concerns that will be outlined below. Who can submit resolutions? o Currently resolutions can be submitted by any Municipality, and we certainly agree that with all the localized issues this could easily mean an excessive amount of resolutions. o Proposed change to UNSM Board, UNSM Executive, Regions, Caucuses, or with 1/3 Municipal support being able to submit resolutions, is an improvement to current process but could also create a large number of resolutions and provide unnecessary control to a small group of individuals. Each of these groups can submit up to three resolutions each, which has the potential to be 20-30 resolutions. In 2015 there were 10 "A" level resolutions brought forth and passed. Will this new method truly reduce the number of resolutions brought forth, or only change who is bringing them forth. Phone: (902) 637-2015 E-Mail: dobcao@eastlink.ca Fax: (902) 637-2075 o A second concern with who is bringing forth resolutions is that the UNSM Executive is comprised of six individuals that can bring forth motions. There is no statement that the resolutions brought by these individuals need the support of at a minimum their councils, or better yet their regions. In essence six individuals could act on behalf of 51 Municipalities in this regard. o As the UNSM Executive is the committee responsible for deciding which resolutions should move forward, we would recommend that they not be granted the ability to submit resolutions independently, or that a separate committee be used, as is currently the practice. Steps to Submit o The steps to submit would seem to need an adjustment. It states that a unit must have the support of their region and then it be submitted to the Executive for consideration. At this point the Executive can determine that the issue is not significant for a large number of units and not move the resolution forward, even though the region has given its support. This seems to go against the role of UNSM supporting the Regional Committees. Resolutions Review Committee o The UNSM Executive should not be the review committee and also have the UNSM Board and Executive each able to submit up to three resolutions. Statements of Interest o It would seem that the Statements of Interest does not serve a significant purpose. To add an issue to a list to send to the Province does nothing to assist Municipalities. Then there are additional asks that the Municipality do the research, follow up with the Province, and report back to UNSM. Should there be direct issues that Municipalities need to address with the Province they should do so, without the need to create additional work for Municipalities, as is basically stated in Part C (a). Suggestions for a more cohesive approach: As the goal of the change to the UNSM Resolutions process is to become more focused as an organization, then there needs to be a drastic reduction in the resolutions coming forward. If, for example, only Regions could submit one to three resolutions, that would then be vetted and combined by the UNSM Executive or the Resolutions Committee, this would reduce the number coming forward and the duplication of similar resolutions would give good strong direction to UNSM. As we are now in the age of electronic voting maybe it is time for the UNSM to use the technology that is readily available to help clarify and define the most prevalent issues facing Nova Scotia Municipalities. For example: Each Region submits 1 to 3 resolutions, UNSM Executive puts forth the ten most prevalent resolutions, these get debated at UNSM Fall Meeting, and then each Municipality has one week to rank the ten on line from most important Phone: {902) 637-2015 E-Mail: dobcao@eastlink.ca Fax: (902) 637-2075 to least important. The UNSM could then take the top 3 concerns as the laser focus needed to move UNSM and the Province forward. UNSM would end up with a very clear mandate supported by the majority of Municipal units. Thank you for hearing our point of view, and we look forward to the healthy debate at the UNSM Fall Conference. Sj1&'jely, i ('.,?�I. l I ' I\JJk.T\ ,�..._, _ Wden L.E.(Nicke on Municipality ofthe District of Barrington Phone: (902) 637-2015 E-Mail: dobcao@eastlink.ca Fax: (902) 637-2075 INFORMATION REPORT Prepared By: Marianne Gates Date November 24, 2016 Reviewed By: Date Authorized By: Date CURRENT SITUATION For the 2016-17 fiscal year, Council created an Economic Development Sponsorship fund to sponsor events or initiatives within the municipality that are designed to help achieve Council priorities and generate local economic development benefit in one or more of the following areas: 1. Supporting business growth and employment. 2. Increasing visitor attraction. 3. Promoting the municipality to residents and visitors. RECOMMENDATION NA BACKGROUND Sponsorship is a form of marketing in which organizations pay to be associated with certain events. Additionally, sponsorship provides community relations benefits by increasing visibility and recognition as a good community partner. Organizations are recognized as good community citizens when they support initiatives that assist groups that benefit or improve the quality of life and/or programing in their community. Sponsor opportunities are evaluated by the following criteria:  Relevance to the community.  The Municipal logo must be displayed on some marketing of the event.  The audience should be significant in size or targeted. DISCUSSION  The following sponsorships were issued by the economic Development Officer as of Nov 1, 2016: Budget 2016-17 $5,000.00 Balance June 30, 2016 $3,250.00 REPORT TO: Municipal Council SUBMITTED BY: Marianne Gates DATE: November 24, 2016 SUBJECT: ED Sponsorship ORIGIN: NA 2 Error! Reference source not found./Direction Recent Sponsorships WNSR Regimental Association- Ad in book $100.00 Clarke Lodge Golf Tournament $300.00 Balance $2,850.00 IMPLICATIONS Policy Grants Financial/Budgetary $5000 Environmental None Strategic Plan Goal 6- Promote conditions conducive to fostering economic prosperity. Work Program Implications NA OPTIONS NA ATTACHMENTS None COMMUNICATIONS (INTERNAL/EXTERNAL) Goal Promote conditions conducive to fostering economic prosperity. REQUEST FOR DECISION Prepared By:Nancy Dove Date November 24, 2016 Reviewed By:Date Authorized By:Tammy Wilson, CA0 Date November 29, 2016 CURRENT SITUATION The Finance Department is responsible for reviewing, updating and implementing internal controls. When new systems/processes are being considered, it is always necessary to review our current practices (internal controls) and modify accordingly in order to properly adapt and ensure proper safeguards are in place.We are currently working on developing a work flow process to implement and put in place a Purchase Order (PO) system for procuring goods and services. This system will be developed following MODC’s Procurement Policy and spending authority.It will tighten controls over how we procure goods and services. It will communicate intent to the seller and form a contract between the buyer/seller with agreed upon quantities and prices.However, concerns with implementing a PO system have been identified in the area of low cost items (volume)and staff obtaining goods and services timely to maintain efficiency with their work flow.This concern is alleviated with the use of Purchasing Cards (PCards). RECOMMENDATION To overcome concern regarding the volume of low cost items and work flow, it is recommended that Council refer the Audit/Budget Committee the development of a PCard Policy and a process for the use of PCards for consideration and approval by Council. BACKGROUND MODC does not have a PO system in place. Currently each department is responsible to procure goods and services and to follow the Procurement Policy Guidelines.The PO system is now part of the Diamond GP (Financial Software) and ready for staff to work on developing a work flow process to successfully implement. DISCUSSION Having a PO system in place is crucial to MODC and will help tighten controls on how we currently procure goods and services. The recommendation of having PCards offers the following benefits to MODC and to the PO system: REPORT TO:Municipal Council SUBMITTED BY:Department of Finance DATE:November 9, 2016 SUBJECT:Purchasing Cards (PCards) ORIGIN:Finance Department 2 Request For Decision/Direction Reduce the volume of POs in the system. This is crucial with managing andreconciling outstanding POs in the system. Without PCards, we would be faced with manual POs for the small cost items…thisdefeats the purpose of having a PO system,as it is not a system generated PO andsubject to error… PCards will ensure staff can carry on with their work without disruptions.This will maintain productivity and efficiency for the various departments. It will streamline and create efficiencies as monthly statement will be uploaded inDiamond GP, which will minimize amount of transactions currently enteredmanually by staff. Provides control over purchases and accountability on staff -they will beresponsible to maintain all slips and reconcile to the monthly PCard statement. Purchasing $$ thresh holds will be in place, i.e., per transaction, per day… Department Heads will be responsible to approve PCards for staff and for reviewingand signing monthly reconciled statements. A PCard policy will be developed with clear instructions to mitigate wrongful use and this policy will become integrated/part of the Procurement Policy. A monthly consolidated PCard statement will be sent to the Director of Finance toreview and ensure staff are following the policy. This provides another internalcontrol check. IMPLICATIONS Having a PO system that also utilizes PCards will assist in tightening the internal controls around the procurement of goods and services for MODC. Spending authorities for PCards will be clearly identified and will become part of MODC’s Procurement Policy.Without PCards the benefits listed above are lost, it creates a week internal control over procuring goods/services, and it defeats the purpose of having a PO system in place if we are still using manual POs. This is an internal control that needs to be implemented to ensure proper safeguarding of MODC’s assets. Policy This will impact the following policies: Procurement Policy –will need to update to address PCards PCard Policy –will be required to be developed and thus will be new to MODC Travel/Expense Policy –although this exists as a separate policy it should be part ofthe procurement policy and will be addressed in the PCard policy. Financial/Budgetary The PO module is estimated to cost $40,000. This has already been budgeted and approved by Council. It is unknown at this time what fees would be required with PCards. If approved, a tender will be developed for various financial institutions to submit bids offering this service. 3 Request For Decision/Direction Environmental N/A Strategic Plan Implementation of PO system. Work Program Implications Implementing a PO system will require current work flow (business) processes to change. Staff are currently working on developing that process. New business processes will need to be documented for both the PO system and PCards. This will be done in conjunction with appropriate staff and training will be provided to assist with a smooth transition. OPTIONS1.That Council refer the Audit/Budget Committee the development of a PCard Policy and aprocess for the use of PCards for consideration and approval.2.Not allow PCards. REQUEST FOR DECISION Prepared By: Chad Haughn Date November 29, 2016 Reviewed By: Date Authorized By: Date CURRENT SITUATION The Municipality of Chester agreed to accepted donations on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion Brach #79 New Ross through the Designated Community Fund (Policy P-77). The Municipality accepted donations over the last 11 months and the Legion has now requested the release of those funds. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that Council approve a Designated Community Fund Grant in the amount of $1400 to the New Ross Legion. BACKGROUND According to the Designated Community Fund Policy, Council may issue a grant which is equivalent to the funds collected for a community project. In January 2015 the New Ross Legion President requested that the Municipality accept donations for the New Ross Legion Improvement Project and shortly thereafter the Municipality began accepting donations. Since January 2015, donations for the New Ross Legion have been recorded and kept in the Designated Community Fund Reserve Account. The Municipality received a total of $1400 in donations toward the Legion project. DISCUSSION The New Ross Legion has been working on their facility renovations and recently installed a new lift. As a result, they would now like to access the Designated Community Funds to help pay for this work. REPORT TO: Municipal Council SUBMITTED BY: Chad Haughn, Recreation & Parks Department DATE: November 29, 2016 SUBJECT: Designated Community Fund: New Ross Legion ORIGIN: Designated Community Fund Program 2 Request For Decision/Direction The New Ross Legion received a Recreation Grant in the 2016-2017 fiscal year ($1000 toward their Canada Day celebrations) and although community organizations are only eligible for one grant from the Municipality each year, the Designated Community Fund Grant Policy outlines that participation in the Designated Community Fund Program does not disqualify organizations from receiving other Municipal grants. IMPLICATIONS Policy The recommendation to approve the Designated Community Fund Grant to the New Ross Legion adheres to Policy P-77. Financial/Budgetary Approval of the $1400 grant does not impact the overall Municipal budget as the grant amount is equivalent to the donations received. Environmental NA Strategic Plan NA Work Program Implications NA OPTIONS 1. Approve the request to provide a Designated Community Fund Grant to the New Ross Legion in the amount of $1400. 2. Deny the Designated Community Fund Grant Request from the New Ross Legion.