At Monday’s regular Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Suzanne Séguin spoke out about the lack of any reports on the status of Cobourg’s Financial status and the impact of Covid-19 on the Town’s Finances.  Without that she said it was very difficult to plan for the future of our Town.  Since her statement was given as part of her “General Government Coordinator report” there was no chance for a rebuttal but no doubt Ian Davey will point to his dual role as Treasurer and Interim CAO.  But you have to wonder why in this age of computers, snapshot reports at quarter end could not be provided in a maximum of a few days.  Businesses do that regularly; why is it so… Read complete articleDeputy Mayor Disappointed with Financial Reports

The good news is that the Council’s agenda now includes a list of unfinished business from previous meetings which is much improved and very comprehensive.  The bad news is that the list is long and many items are overdue.  At Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting the list had 15 items with seven overdue or running late.  At each council meeting, this list is now reviewed with new dates often (but not always) assigned.  No doubt the Covid-19 virus is a major reason for the delays although no specific reasons are provided when the list is reviewed.  The items cover topics ranging from Affordable Housing to Taxi Licensing to Downtown Parking – some have been on the list for well… Read complete articleCouncil’s Unfinished Business

At the start of the what I like to call the “Covid-19 era”, the Town shut Victoria Hall to the public.  They also made Council meetings virtual but now that we have a gradual re-opening of everything, that has changed.  The Committee of the Whole Council meeting on Monday 14 September was “in person” and held in the Concert Hall instead of Council Chambers. With advance notice, the public were admitted.  However, You-Tube streaming was still available so there was no real need to go to the meeting unless you planned to participate with a delegation. Below are some screen grabs taken near the start of the meeting.  From what I could see, apart from Councillors, all but one person… Read complete articleNew Venue for Council Meetings

Today Mayor John Henderson announced that Tracey Vaughan will be Cobourg’s new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), effective Monday, October 5, 2020.  Her current position is Director of Recreation and Culture at Ajax which she has held for 8 years.  She also currently lives in Ajax.  From her resume on Linked-In (see link below), she has been working since 1998 after graduating from York University with degrees in Sociology and Psychology.  Her experience includes “nearly two decades of senior management experience within the municipal and public sectors”. The Mayor’s announcement continues with: In her current role as the Director of Recreation, Culture and Community Development with the Town of Ajax she designed and implemented several key strategic plans including the Diversity… Read complete articleWelcome to Cobourg’s New CAO