Township of North Frontenac

July 2011
Along with your Tax Bill comes a short message from your Mayor. First I would like to address the frequent power outages we experience in our area. We as your Council can do very little about these outages as they are the responsibility of Hydro One. What we can do is to advise folks of our 72 hour self sufficiency plans; that is in the event of an emergency, such as a power outage, along with no telephone service, we should make plans to be self sufficient for 72 hours. To do this one should make plans with neighbours to check up on one another, particularly those of us who are elderly.
The Township has moved in a somewhat different direction to date, with more emphasis on Road Maintenance than on Road Improvement or Road Construction, and this seems to be working for most. Cost savings have been achieved through a different way of thinking and approaching difficulties. Examples are the Salt Containment at the Ward 1 Garage and the rehabilitation of the Folger Road Bridge, to name a few.
Council had the task of receiving an Organizational Review commissioned by the previous Council. This has required a number of meetings to fully digest and to partially implement. The work on this is still ongoing as Council has adopted some measures to enhance the working environment for the well-being of all our employees. To add to the workload the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Reviews; Asset Management; and Crown Land Stewardship Program Enhancements have been ongoing. Many thanks must go to the Staff members who are involved with these processes, as without them the whole process would have been more time consuming and difficult.
We are not complaining; we just want you to know that we have not been standing still. It has been a busy six months since Council took Office; however things seem to be coming together with some plans for the future. A War Memorial to our Veterans is planned; the 200 acre MVC land at Canonto Lake will be rehabilitated for hiking and recreation; the Beach at Palmerston Lake will be cleaned up and new facilities placed; a repair of the Clar-Mill Community Hall on Buckshot Lake Road is about to take place; and yes, resurfacing the bald spots on Buckshot Lake Road and other areas will take place in the very near future.
Public consultation has taken place and will continue to take place on matters of importance to all of us. We on Council welcome advice from our Ratepayers. Those of you that have Internet Service should be frequent browsers of our Web Site. I am told that it is one of the nicest and one of the easiest to navigate through.
With respect to permitting future growth and development on Private Lanes the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, has required the Municipality to provide further justification to demonstrate consistency with the Provincial Policy Statement, prior to the Ministry approving the Township's Official Plan Amendment. This may stop some development; however, Council will continue to work with the Ministry, to consider what works best for our municipality, while respecting the environment and public health and safety.
Our Recycling Program has been quite a success! Our Waste Disposal Sites had 20 years of life left in 2002; however, 9 years along we now have 29 years of life left. The success belongs to you who recycle as we on Council along with Staff can only provide the program.
The Ompah Fire Hall/Ambulance Base is an ongoing task. Councillor Inglis and I have been working diligently with County of Frontenac Councilors and County/Township Staff to try to bring this project to life.
On Sunday, August 21, 2011 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM I will be holding a Mayor's Reception at the Ompah Community Hall. It will be a time to come and meet the past, present, and future leaders of your Township. In addition, you can enjoy some refreshments and conversation with your neighbours.
Mayor Bud Clayton
Letter from the Mayor
The Mayor's Letter on this page was sent to all property owners in August with the 2011 Tax Bills and is also available in pdf format here.
