REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR of DEVELOPMENT AND MUNICIPAL LIAISON
Chuck McDonald (Retired)
Development and Municipal Liaison is the interface to our local townships with regard to all activities under their jurisdiction
The following report is built around my Job Description. The numbered items that are bolded and italicized are my responsibilities. The paragraphs in plain text are the reports on my activities to meet the expectations.
1. Maintain interaction and communication as necessary with both municipalities in order to ensure adequate environmental protection and development control consistent with the values of the majority of Kawagama Lake cottagers and residents.
I have been in frequent contact with administrative staff and councillors throughout the year
Meet with Municipal Councils and Administrations as necessary (at least once each year).
No meetings have been scheduled yet.
Continue to monitor and provide input to Council regarding the proposed expansion of the Stanhope Airport consistent with the majority view of the KLCA Board of Directors and keep the membership informed with updates on the KLCA website and through the February newsletter.
Attend Council meetings when appropriate.
I have attended all of the Algonquin Highlands Council meetings and public meetings concerning the proposed Stanhope
Airport expansion and have posted reports on the progress earlier this year on our website. We wrote two letters to Council expressing opposition unless they were successful in obtaining grants from the Federal and Provincial governments. They were successful with the application and they are proceeding with it. At the April 2 Council meeting they voted to open a line of credit with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for up to $ 3.6 Million. This is the full amount of the estimated cost and is necessary because the grants are released gradually as the municipality submits receipts for completed work. The Reeve and the CAO expect that the project will be pretty well wrapped up by the end of October.
2. Monitor minor variance applications regarding lake properties and attend public municipal committee meetings when a proposal appears to threaten environmental damage.
I continue to review all minor variance applications. I have only red flagged one this year because it poses a risk of contaminating either the lake or a pond or both. I won't know the outcome on this application before Reflections goes to press.
3. Monitor major development projects and proposals. Keep Lake Plan Chair and KLCA Board informed of potential issues with recommendations as appropriate.
No major projects or proposals have surfaced this year.
4. Monitor "good ideas" that we become aware of and make recommendations to the KLCA Board as appropriate.
The last "good idea" was the Lake of Bays By-law requiring cottagers to maintain lake front buffer of natural vegetation to prevent runoff to the lake after rain storms and during the spring melt. Dysart already had similar protection in place and Algonquin Highlands passed such a bylaw shortly after our meeting with them in the late spring of 2008.
5. Maintain familiarity with Municipal Budgets.
Both Councils have been particularly sensitive to the need to hold the line in a year when the assessment freeze came off. They have all tried to keep the municipal tax rate to a zero increase over last year. The County of Haliburton did the same and only the education portion went up marginally.
In order to accomplish this they had to defer several projects such as the renovations to the Stanhope fire department building, renovations to the Stanhope Municipal office building and no enhancement of the Reserve Fund.
