Tag: Municipal

Council Asked to Apologize

John Draper

At the Strategic Priorities and Policy Standing Committee meeting on April 2, there was a long discussion on the Community Grants process.  Towards the end of debate, Mayor Cleveland moved an amendment to a motion which would deny any grants to “either Green Wood Coalition or Moms Stop the Harm for the remainder of this term of Council.”  The amendment was supported by Councillors Mutton and Darling but not by other Councillors so it failed. Further, after the main motion passed without this amendment, Miriam spoke passionately about the issue. She said that these organizations “harm people”.  At tonight’s Council meeting, Missy McLean presented on behalf of Moms Stop the Harm and described the goals of that organization which she… Read complete articleCouncil Asked to Apologize

Downtown Parking Study says no Garage needed

John Draper

With the 2014 downtown parking study needing to be updated, a new study was commissioned in 2023 and its results will be provided to council at their regular meeting on April 24. One recommendation that I find surprising was that no new parking garage is recommended on Covert Street or anywhere else.  The report passes the buck to Council to make some key decisions and there are some recommended strategies (that’s how consultants describe “actions”).  The good news is that no large expenditures are recommended for the next 10 years; that is, except for a suggestion that it would be good to buy the privately owned parking lots on Second Street and Albert Street, which are currently leased to the… Read complete articleDowntown Parking Study says no Garage needed

First quarter 2024 Financial Report

John Draper

It’s refreshing to see a timely report on budget performance. At the April Council meeting, Finance Director Adam Giddings will provide a report on the Operating and Capital actual expenditures in Q1 compared to the amounts budgeted. The report is comprehensive with a breakdown by department and includes comments as to why there are variances. The first thing to notice is that spending in Q1 is 22% below the amount planned – a good portion of that is because many planned hirings have not yet happened plus there have been some unplanned resignations.  But it’s not all because of that and although there is considerable detail in the report, some items are not explained – see the full report and/or… Read complete articleFirst quarter 2024 Financial Report

Police Force Expansion Linked to Possible New Building

John Draper

At the Community Protection and Economic Development Standing Committee meeting on April 3rd, there was a motion made to “get the ball rolling” on the Police request for a new building. As reported earlier, Police believe that they have outgrown their existing building on King Street and recommend a new building at a new location for approx. $34M. The Standing committee members (Mayor Cleveland, Aaron Burchat, Adam Bureau) all agreed that this would be a long term project and that it should be considered simultaneously with the possible expansion of the Force or a merger. Mayor Cleveland emphasized that he was NOT suggesting switching services to the OPP but perhaps there should be a West Northumberland or County Police Force…. Read complete articlePolice Force Expansion Linked to Possible New Building

Community Grants Process stirs up Council

John Draper

For the past several years, Cobourg Council has awarded grants – in kind or cash – to various local organizations that took the trouble to apply. During the 2024 budget sessions, Mayor Lucas Cleveland and Councillor Darling were unhappy with the process. An initial list created by Councillor Burchat was not approved – instead a budget of $30,000 was approved with instructions to staff on creating a new process. It was not entirely clear to Councillors, Staff or me but the idea seemed to be that some grants should be given ongoing approval – especially in-kind and/or those who have generally been approved every year. At the Standing Committee meeting on April 2, staff put forward an analysis of previous… Read complete articleCommunity Grants Process stirs up Council

YMCA Re-starts Joint Pool Discussion

John Draper

In 2015, the YMCA and the Town of Cobourg decided that they wanted to build a new aquatic centre (pool) alongside the Cobourg Community Centre for as much as $25M. The idea included some form of merger between the YMCA and the CCC. Considerable work went into the study but in the end, the idea was abandoned – see Cobourg Blog reports in Resources below. However, at the time a draft MOU was written, perhaps signed. At the next meeting on April 3 of the Community Services, Protection, and Economic Development Standing Committee, the idea of working together and an MOU will be discussed. Although not mentioned specifically, building a joint YMCA/Town pool at the CCC seems to be back… Read complete articleYMCA Re-starts Joint Pool Discussion

Cobourg Needs an Overall Master Plan

John Draper

At Cobourg Council’s regular meeting on 27 March, retired Urban planner Keith Oliver (not Kent Oliver as shown in Agenda) will once again be presenting his ideas. This time, Keith asks “do we have the tools needed to guide Cobourg’s future growth and development to the benefit of all”. He uses two examples but does not actually spell out what I would say: Cobourg needs an overall Master Plan. There are multiple specific master plans such as for Parks, the Waterfront, Culture and Downtown but no over-riding master plan for the Town that pulls it all together. The Strategic Plan might have been a way to do that but the current plan lacks detail and instead calls for annual “operational plans”. So… Read complete articleCobourg Needs an Overall Master Plan

Are the Town and County using KPIs?

John Draper

A KPI is a Key Performance Indicator and some commenters on this blog have questioned whether they are being used by Town and County staff.  As management guru Peter Drucker said: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” But it seems that, scientist Lord Kelvin beat him to the punch and called out a similar principle even earlier: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. So KPIs are clearly important. Certainly in the last year or two, there is evidence that both the County and Town Staff are using KPIs. Further, the County has put a “KPI Performance Dashboard” online with 22 KPIs that measure performance. Of course measuring is just the first step – but from the measurement,… Read complete articleAre the Town and County using KPIs?

County decides to negotiate re 310 Division

John Draper

In a letter to Cobourg’s Mayor, Northumberland County has requested their staff to “negotiate an Emergency Shelter Agreement” and to delay the March 28 implementation of the ECE bylaw.  At the County meeting on March 6, County Councillors expressed concern that if the bylaw were enforced as it stands, then the future of both Cornerstone and Transition house could be in jeopardy.  Mayor Cleveland said that an exemption would cover the concern re Cornerstone but the requirement for board members to be responsible for the behaviour of residents within a 500 metre radius – plus other requirements of the bylaw – could cause Transition house to not be viable.  The decision to negotiate appears to be what the Mayor was… Read complete articleCounty decides to negotiate re 310 Division

Cobourg Council to Regulate Transition House

John Draper

As previously reported, Cobourg is negotiating with the County to establish what is allowed at the new Transition house location at 310 Division. The idea is to get an agreement similar to what was agreed in Whitby. But there is a “Plan B”.  If an agreement cannot be reached, then Council has voted to implement a By-Law that would require “Emergency Care Establishments” to be licensed with requirements similar to that agreed in the “Whitby” agreement. At the Council meeting on 28 February, Council passed the Licensing by-law to be in effect March 28 which is the day after the next Council meeting. The date is a month later than the timeline originally proposed so it can be repealed if… Read complete articleCobourg Council to Regulate Transition House