Committee of the Whole – June 3, 2024

Please note that all Committee of the Whole decisions are subject to Council approval. The next Council meeting is scheduled for June 24, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding agenda items or decisions made at Committee or Council meetings, please email Amber at amcdonald@ramara.ca.

Ramara Fire and Rescue Services 10-Year Capital Forecast

Fire Chief Tony Stong presented the Ramara Fire and Rescue Services’ 10-year capital forecast. A 10-year capital plan ensures that the Township of Ramara plans, budgets, and maintains assets to maximize asset lifecycles and ensures efficient use of available budgets. However, the 10-year capital plan can change based on council decisions, development and budget availability. Also, prices are subject to change due to inflation and costs. The Committee approved receiving the ten-year capital forecast as information.

Automated Speed Enforcement Update and Community Safety Zones Recommendations

Since the Fall of 2023, under the direction of Council, staff have been working on implementing Automated Speed Enforcement (A.S.E.), including updating Community Safety Zones (C.S.Z.) within the Township, as A.S.E. can only be implemented in C.S.Z. areas or school zones.

As part of the rigorous qualifying process for the Township to run an A.S.E. program, there are eight additional items that must be completed. These include agreements with Ministries, the County of Simcoe, and the Township of Essa to establish a joint processing centre. Once all these requirements are met, with an estimated timeline of early fall, the Township is legislatively mandated to post signage for 90 days in the community safety zones where the A.S.E. will be used.  The Committee has approved for staff to continue with the implementation of the A.S.E. program and to draft or update any by-laws that include the C.S.Z. areas, and to bring forward all agreements and corresponding by-laws when they become available. Additionally, the Committee has approved for staff to provide communication to the Township, in addition to the legislative signage, to ensure residents and visitors are well-informed about the program.

Stop Sign at Laguna Parkway and Poplar Cres.

Councillor Bell provided information regarding the public not obeying the traffic signs at the Laguna Parkway and Poplar Cres four-way stop. It has been advised that the public continue to go through the stop signs, predominately in the north and south direction, and asked staff what can be done to inform the community of the sign.  The Committee approved for staff to provide a report outlining the process for adding additional safety measures in the area, including costs.

Bayshore Village Effluent Application Rate

At the April 29 Committee of the Whole meeting, as part of the annual waste and water performance reports discussion, members of Council asked about the areas sprayed on vs approved in the current ECA.  After Staff investigation, staff found that since 2020, 3.534ha in the south field and 1.932ha in the north field have not been used in the allowable spray area, bringing the daily application of spray rate from 71 m³/ha/day to 56 m³/ha/day. This resulted in sections in the south field being disconnected during irrigation pipping, which was replaced in 2020 and never reconnected. Once the two sections in the south field are reconnected, the spray area will increase by 3.71 ha. The Committee approved to receive the report as information. The Committee also approved that staff draft a letter to OCWA asking why they were not utilizing 14% of the approved spray field over the last four years.

Bayshore Village – Discolouration in Water

Councillor Gough shared feedback from Bayshore residents concerning the discoloration of their drinking water, which is caused by high iron content. Staff provided possible solutions and estimated costs to address the water discoloration issue. The Committee approved a staff report in consultation with OCWA regarding the removal or reduction of iron in the water to alleviate discoloration.

Condominiums Composing Solution

Members of Council discussed the County of Simcoe’s 18-month, multi-residential organics pilot project, which will allow the County to evaluate on a case-by-case basis the best way to collect organics from multi-residential buildings, such as condominiums. The Committee approved that staff write a letter to the County of Simcoe to review and support the FoodCycler program, including the benefits for multi-residential buildings, and request financial support to implement the project in Ramara Township.

Proposed 2024 Committee of Adjustment Procedural Bylaw

The Committee of Adjustment, as described in the Planning Act, is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal an independent body of Council-appointed citizen members that oversees specific planning applications, such as minor variance and consent applications. In order to provide clearer communication to the public, staff are presenting proposed updates to the Committee of Adjustment Procedural Bylaw.  This update provides the public with clear communication on the procedures and process of the Committee of Adjustment, including member and staff duties, refund eligibility and process for re-circulation and inactive files.  The Committee approved forwarding the 2024 Committee of Adjustment Procedural Bylaw to the June 24 meeting for Council consideration.

Shorewall Replacement Costing – Bayview Avenue

At the November 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting, Marina Del Ray requested an unopened road allowance at the end of Bayview Ave to create a turning T in exchange for upgrades to the existing Shorewall. At that meeting, Council directed staff to obtain quotes to repair/replace the shorewalls on both sides of the canal that lead to Marina Del Rey from Lake Simcoe.  Staff reached out to four contractors, with one contractor advising that the Shorewall would need to be replaced and provided an estimate quote at$164,056.79, including HST from the removal and replacement of 200 linear feet of Shorewall- 100 feet on either side of the canal). The Committee approved deferring the Shorewall replacement project and directed staff to submit the proposed turning T to the County of Simcoe for comments and approval.

Hot Mix Paving

Staff requested quotations and received four bids for hot mix resurfacing for the following roads:

• Concession Road 4 - Highway 12 to County Road 47
• Simcoe Road - Ramara Road 47 to Laguna Parkway
• Laguna Parkway - Simcoe Road to Paradise
• Patch work on Concession Road A (just West of the CN Tracks)
• Patch work on Ramara Road 46 (West of County Road 169)
• Patch work on Concession Road BC

The Committee approved to contract with Dufferin Construction for the hot mix paving at various locations at the contract price of $1,103, 500, plus HST.

Poplar and Lake Parking Lot Estimate

Council requested that the staff investigate the possibility of creating a parking lot at the intersection of Lake Ave and Poplar Crescent, as well as another potential lot at Concession Road 2 and Ramara Road 47. The committee approved the staff to write a report outlining a public consultation plan that will take place before the 2025 budget discussions to gauge interest in creating parking lots in these areas. The committee also approved forwarding these items to the 2025 budget discussions.

Infrastructure 10 Year Capital

Staff presented the 10-year capital plan for infrastructure. The Committee approved to defer the report to the next Committee of the Whole meeting.

Infrastructure Tender Award – Concession Road 9 Box Culvert Replacement East of 169

Staff provided a report outlining the tender award for replacing the Concession Road 9 Box Culvert east of County Road 169.  Staff outlined that the work will occur after the fish spawning season, after July 1.  Based on the proposed timelines from the contractor, the work is estimated to start in mid-July, depending on weather and availability. The Committee approved that Council contract with Four Brothers Construction for replacing Bridge 12 at the bid price of $1,022,455, plus taxes. 

Ditching in Bayshore

Deputy Mayor Bell and Councillor Gough visited Bayshore to address concerns about ditching. Staff provided feedback on the ditching process, including seeding. The Committee approved for that staff write a report regarding the process and methods to remediate after ditching, including costs and that the ditching program proceed as specified for 2024.

Municipal Insurance Pool with the County of Simcoe

In 2022, the Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) of the County of Simcoe were presented with information about the benefits of insurance pools for municipalities by the Waterloo Region municipalities' insurance pool, Intact Public Entities, and AMO. After expressing interest, Axxima conducted a feasibility study in the winter of 2023-2024. Although the primary goal of establishing pooled insurance was not strictly to save money, the study revealed that there would be financial savings. The next step is to create a detailed implementation plan, which is estimated to cost $200,000. The County of Simcoe will cover this cost, and the plan is expected to take approximately 6-8 months to complete. The Committee approved to receive the report as information.

Statement of Council 2023 Remuneration and Expenses

As outlined in section 284 of the Municipal Act, 2001, the Treasurer is requested to provide an itemized statement on remuneration and expenses paid in the previous year to each member of Council in respect to their services as an officer of the municipality on or before March 31. As outlined in By-law 2023.07, Ramara Township also provides expense reimbursement for reasonable and permitted expenses such as expenses related to conferences, training, mileage, etc.  The Committee approved to receive the report as information.

View Council Remuneration and Expenses

Council Appoints to Boards, Committees, Commission and Committee of the Whole Portfolios

The Committee approved to defer this report to the next Committee of the Whole meeting after the Mayor has had discussions with members of Council regarding their preferences for their Committee of the Whole portfolios.

Community Benefits Charges Follow-Up

At the July 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting, staff provided a report regarding the Community Benefits Charge (CBC). The Community Benefits Charge is a new growth-funding tool under the Planning Act that allows single-tier and lower-tier municipalities to levy a charge for developments with ten or more residential units and five or more storeys. These charges would fund capital costs of any public service associated with new growth, including parkland if those costs are not recovered from development charges and parkland provisions. At the July 24 Council meeting, Council approved deferring the decision to create a Community Benefit Charge strategy.

At the April 23, 2024 Council meeting, a request was made to follow up on the subject. Staff provided a report outlining the costs and details of the strategy and proposed deferring the decision to create a strategy until 2028 when Ramara would have foreseen development that would meet the requirements for CBCs. The Committee approved receiving the information and taking no further action.

Couchiching OPP Detachment Board.

As a result of changes to the Community Safety and Policing Act, the Couchiching OPP Detachment Board was formed earlier this year to replace the Orillia Police Services Board. The board consists of two members (community member and member of the Council) of each municipality, including the City of Orillia and the Townships of Oro-Medonte, Ramara and Severn. Also, one member of the Ramara Township staff is represented on the Committee. As the board was formed after the approval of the 2024 Budget, $5,000 is requested to help cover any expenses, including the anticipated expense of the Ontario Association of Police Service Boards (OAPSB) Spring Conference that is held at the beginning of June. The requested amount will come from the Community Policing reserve and any money not used in 2024 will be set aside again in the reserve. The Committee approved $5,000 to be allocated from the Community Policing reserve to fund expenses related to fund expenses related to the Couchiching OPP Detachment Board for 2024.

Investment Update

Staff provided an overview of the Township investments, including investment type, return, and maturity date. The three investments are CIBC Notes, which are principally protected at maturity, represent deposits of CIBC, and comply with the Municipal Act. The Committee approved receiving the report as information.

View Investment Report

Municipal Water and Wastewater Services Billing Policy (appeal process).

The Committee approved the Mayor’s reading of a past closed motion that stated the following, ' that no more requests for the reduction of water bills or increase to the number of dogs allowed on a property come to Council.’ The Committee approved to review the water billing by-law at a future Committee of the Whole meeting.

Upcoming Staff Reports

• A report with an upgrade/expansion of Heritage Farms/South Ramara
• A staff report to make changes and strengthen the current fill by-law requirements regarding development 
• How many waste site (soil remediation or large-scale dumping) locations are approved in Ramara Township.

Special Council Meeting – June 3, 2024

Water and Wastewater Open House

The Council approved to cancel the Water and Wastewater Open House on June 6 and approved for staff to create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document from the questions received from the public. Staff will present the FAQ document at the next Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for July 8. After Council's approval, the FAQ will be communicated to the public.

Reminders

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For More Information

For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting Agenda or view the meeting on the Township of Ramara's YouTube Channel.

The Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents a timely update on decisions of Council. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.