County CAO Marcia Wallace detailed first-quarter activity at the Committee of the Whole earlier this month. 

Most items were familiar because of budget talks.The Parks and Recreation Master Plan is in process. The County Museums offered Flashback February, and the Arrow Trail is in development. Infrastructure projects include ongoing facility assessments and broadband expansion.

Tourism management is more modest this year, partly because numbers are down and there is less need for it.

The CAO is optimistic that the planned expansion of the H. J. McFarland Memorial Home will be funded by a number of significant provincial grants.

As for Affordable Housing Corporation initiatives, the Picton project on Disraeli St. will be tendering in the near future. The Wellington project on Niles St. is still in the preparatory stages of environmental work. The report notes that the line of credit made available to the Corporation is an arrangement unique to its circumstances, and will not be necessary once tenant income becomes available.

In terms of infrastructure, the municipality issued 120 building permits in the first quarter of 2024, representing a construction value of $22,219,029.32 million; that number is down 33 per cent from the first quarter of 2023, a dip most likely due to this year’s higher interest rates. Application volumes remain steady, however, with more than 80 active applications in progress. 

“In this quarter,” notes the CAO, “staff fielded a staggering 700 planning inquiries (up from 100 inquiries in Q2 2023).” A whopping 8000 units of new housing are in the serious planning stages at Shire Hall.

The municipality issued 120 building permits in the first quarter of 2024. That number is down 33 per cent from the first quarter of 2023, a dip most likely due to the  high interest rates. Application volumes remain steady.  More than 80 active  applications are in progress and a whopping 8000 units of new housing are in the planning stages at Shire Hall.

Budgeted roadwork, water and wastewater procurements and improvements are underway.

The full report, available on the County website, contains details on every aspect of activity for the first quarter.

It notes that “the municipality is in a stable financial position. There were no draws on the municipality’s line of credit as the County remains in a strong cash position.”

Councillors praised the report’s transparency and detail. Councillors Maynard, Hirsch and Roberts expressed gratitude for an “outstanding” report. Councillor Hirsch asked about sharing information with the public.

The report notes, “Customer Service remains a primary way for members of the community to find information and will be a key metric for the Corporate Strategic Plan. This quarter, Customer Service received over 1000 calls, as the primary channel people use by over 10:1. Other means of seeking information include in-person inquiries at Shire Hall and emails to [email protected], closely followed by using the on-line submission feature of the County website.”

Ms. Wallace said she empathizes with the public about “the level of change taking place.” She noted that in the last four years what was a single communications officer is now a team that offers a “breathtaking” number of consultations and “have your say” public engagements.

Mayor Ferguson encouraged members of the public to refer to this and the other reports on the County website. 

“I think it appropriate to express appreciation to the CAO for the work that she has done and continues to do since 2019. We as a community are much stronger and further ahead than we might otherwise have been without her involvement, engagement, passion and enthusiasm. 

“We should all be sincerely grateful not just around here but also throughout the community.”