A few minutes

This one is basically a cut and paste entry. The following are the minutes from my final Council meeting on May 16.
Pay special attention to every seconding of a motion. I thought it was pretty clever at the time but it's even better seeing it in black and white. :)
I've bolded the parts I want you to make note of.
You don't really have to read the whole thing if you don't want to. It's rather dry reading.
It is a pretty good idea of what goes on at the meetings though.

By the way, I should mention that I was pleasantly surprised the other day when the Mayor called me and mentioned that she had read my last blog entry.
She called to clarify that the names of people offering to be on Committees will be brought forward by the Committee Chairs themselves and voted on by Council.
It will be in September or so when it's done. That's fine since not much really goes on during the summer months in the Committees.

I'm happy to see that someone is actually taking a look at this blog after all.

Here are the minutes.

VILLAGE OF NEW MARYLAND COUNCIL
May 16, 2012

Present: Mayor Frank Dunn
Deputy Mayor Judy Wilson-Shee
Councillor Paul LeBlanc Councillor Gisèle McCaie-Burke
Councillor Tim Scammell
Councillor Scott Sparks
Also Present: Cynthia Geldart, Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk
Karen Duncan, Assistant Clerk

1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Dunn called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the agenda as distributed. MOTION CARRIED.

3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2012 regular session of Council as distributed. MOTION CARRIED.

4. DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST
No disclosures of interest were proclaimed.

5. PRESENTATIONS
Mayor Dunn presented Cynthia Geldart, CAO/Clerk with the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators’ Long Service Award. Cynthia received this award in recognition of her 18 years of municipal service in a management capacity. She began her career as Clerk in the municipal office in Centreville in 1994 and joined the New Maryland team in 2000. During her 18 year career she has achieved Level II in the National Advanced Certification in Local Authority Administration, served as the president of the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick, and helped draft the Local Government Resource Manual. She continues to promote education and professionalism in municipal fields and works diligently on behalf of staff, Council, and our residents.

6. PROCLAMATIONS
Mayor Dunn proclaimed the week of June 4th – 8th, 2012 as Epsilon Golden Games Week.

7. CORRESPONDENCE
The following correspondence was read into the record by the CAO/Clerk, Cynthia Geldart, as per the request of Mayor Dunn:

- a letter to Jacques Hebert, the Director of Spectrum Management Branch, Industry Canada, concerning noise interference in the New Maryland/Fredericton area on the 80-meter band of the radio spectrum;
- an email from Jason Hebert, Transportation Manager for School District 01, regarding school bus use on Daniel Drive;
- a letter from Mayor Frank Carroll, Village of McAdam, concerning an Ambulance New Brunswick policy;
- a letter from Minister Bruce Fitch, Dept. of Environment and Local Government, concerning nominations for the 2012 Environmental Leadership Awards;
- an email from the RCMP relating to the periodic survey of their Contract Partners; and
- a memo from the Department of Environment and Local Government concerning the Municipal Orientation event that will follow the quadrennial municipal election.

8. MEETINGS AND/OR SPECIAL EVENTS
Mayor Dunn noted that he did not attend any meetings and/or special events since the last formal Council meeting.

9. COMMITTEE REPORTS / UPDATES

Planning Advisory Committee

Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee reported that the Planning Advisory Committee met on May 7th with all members present.
- An update was given regarding the conceptual subdivision plan for NDR Developments.
- The Sunrise Estates subdivision entrance sign was discussed by the committee.
- The Building Permit Report for April 2012 was presented to the committee. A total of 17 permits were issued for the period. The estimated value of construction totaled $168,801 and $1,205 was collected in permit fees. Year-to-date figures to the end of April 2012 indicate that a total of 33 permits were issued with an estimated value of construction totaling $596,123. Permit fees collected totaled $3,670.
- A temporary-use permit was granted to allow a seasonal ice cream stand to be set-up on the property at 210 New Maryland Highway.
- The tentative plan application for Centennial Heights Subdivision 2012 was discussed by the committee. Details of the proposed development have been distributed to the various committees of Council for their review and suggestions. Once feedback has been received, the comments will be compiled and reported back to PAC for final consideration of any terms and conditions that may need to be included to any formal approval of the tentative plan.

MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
MOTION CARRIED.

Human Resources & Administration Committee

Councillor McCaie-Burke reported that the Human Resources and Administration Committee met on April 24th and May 9th. April 24th meeting:
- The committee met on April 24th with one member absent.
- An update was provided to the committee regarding the two newly hired staff members.
- A revised version of the committees’ mandate was reviewed and will be brought to the May meeting for one last review.
- The CAO informed the committee that she has provided staff members with a draft of the Attending Physician’s statement form and some feedback has been received. A revised version will be brought to Council at the next C-I-C meeting for discussion and approval.
- The committee is interested in receiving training for the set-up and use of Twitter since the use of social media is becoming more important.
- A possibility of having a part-time communication administrator on staff to do regular updates and maintenance to the Village website was discussed.
- Changes to the forms in the HR Policy manual were reviewed.
- A request from 1 Engineer Squadron to do a Village project was discussed by the committee.

May 9th meeting:

- The committees’ mandate report was reviewed one last time and will be presented to Council at the June C-I-C meeting.
- A social media training session is being organized by the City of Fredericton and our Council and senior staff members have been invited to attend. The date for the social media training session will be announced once it is known. Councillor Scammell has also agreed to help the members of the HR Committee with Twitter training as well.
- The committee discussed at length the fact that communication with our residents is an increasingly important issue and the expectation of residents for the Village to communicate via the website, Facebook and Twitter requires that an appropriately trained staff member works on this issue. It was suggested to hire someone part-time to work on communications projects, so our CAO will begin drafting a business case for a communication position over the next few months. St. Thomas University will also be contacted to determine if a journalism student may be available to work with us this fall.
- The committee reviewed the merit of sending out flyers similar to what was done in the past. Numerous residents have expressed their preference to receive Village information in the form of a flyer as they do not have a computer or access to the internet. Several options were suggested and will be examined further by Council.
- Some amendments to the HR manual will be brought to the June C-I-C meeting for discussion.
- The committee debated and agreed that the sign policy will need to be amended to indicate that the Village has first priority for signs and that there is the possibility that groups could be bumped.
- The committee had a discussion regarding responses to emails from the public, timelines, and who should respond to them.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke stated that she enjoyed being the Chair of the committee for the last 4 years and she thanked those who served on the committee. She also thanked the Treasurer for attending the committee meetings when needed. She expressed her pride for the amount of work that was accomplished in a relatively short period of time and added that there is always room for improvement.

MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
Discussion:
- Councillor Sparks suggested that RSS feeds on the website should be considered so that people who subscribe to them can receive electronic notifications about areas of particular interest to them.
MOTION CARRIED.

► MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the the Council for the Village of New Maryland transfer the sum of $369,383 (three hundred and sixty nine thousand, three hundred and eighty three dollars) from the General Capital Reserve Fund to the General Capital fund for the following purposes and amounts:

$ 5,000 for the equipment for the office; and
$ 364,383 for the office building expansion;
and that these funds were reserved for such purposes.

Discussion:
- Councillor McCaie-Burke explained that Council previously agreed to reserve the funds for the building expansion and associated equipment. The funds were reserved as per the motions of Council, and now need to be moved from the Reserve Fund to the Capital Fund for payment of invoices.
MOTION CARRIED.

► MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the the Council for the Village of New Maryland transfer the sum of $8,165.00(eight thousand one hundred and sixty five dollars) from the General Operating Reserve (Acct # 1015-013) to the General Operating Fund (Account # 1020-875) for the Municipal Office Building Expansion project, and that these funds were reserved for such purposes.
Discussion:
- Councillor McCaie-Burke clarified that in December 2011 a motion was made to move the funds from General Capital Reserve to General Operating. The auditors decided that the funds should have been moved to General Operating Reserve instead, before being transferred again, and therefore made an adjustment. Basically, the auditors have decided that the transfer needed to be done in two steps, from General Capital Reserve to General Operating Reserve and then to General Operating. This motion will make the adjustment that has become necessary due to the auditors’ entry.
MOTION CARRIED.

Recreation and Leisure Services Committee

Councillor Sparks reported that the Recreation and Leisure Services Committee met on April 30th with two members absent.
- The Development Officer attended the meeting to make a presentation to the committee regarding a proposed subdivision plan and sought the committee’s input regarding the 8% land dedication. The committee discussed the bikeway and trail that leads into Athletic Park and how it relates to the tentative subdivision plan. The committee recommended that no decision would be made until all members of the committee are present to discuss the matter.
- The Recreation budget was reviewed and an update for the Capital Project Summary was given.
- A request from 1st Engineer Squadron to work on some small projects this fall in the Village was considered by the committee. The committee came up with some suggested projects for the squadron to complete.
- The Day Camp Financial Assistance Request Policy was discussed by the committee. The committee made the decision to address the issue again in September. In the meantime inquiries about financial assistance will be directed to the Lions Club as they sometimes sponsor or donate resources to families in financial need.
- It was brought to the committee’s attention that the residents of Sunrise Estates would like the mounds of dirt that are currently in Sunrise Park to be flattened. They are posing a potential danger as recreational vehicles have been driving on them. The Recreation Department will look into the cost of flattening or removing the mounds of dirt.
- The Spring and Summer Recreation Guide has been uploaded to the website and has been sent out in the mail.
MOVED BY Councillor Sparks and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
Discussion:
- Councillor LeBlanc stated that he felt it is very important that we have a Financial Assistance Policy in place so that children do not miss out due to financial reasons.
MOTION CARRIED.

Transportation and Protective Services Committee

Councillor Scammell reported that the Transportation and Protective Services Committee met on May 8th with two members absent.
- The previous month’s session notes were approved by the committee.
- The Statement of Expenditures to the end of March 2012 was reviewed and it was noted that some accounts in the ERP budget were over-budget. It was felt that this may be due to the amounts being posted to the wrong accounts. This concern will be brought to the attention of our Treasurer.
- Research into the purchase of a sidewalk snow removal machine is ongoing and an update will be given as it becomes available.
- The April 2012 Fire Department Report was distributed to the committee prior to the meeting with no items of concern being noted.
- The April 2012 Transportation Report was reviewed as circulated. Our Public Works Supervisor informed the committee that Council wants boulevards to be installed between the sidewalk and the street wherever possible and in situations where they cannot be installed, Council wants an explanation why they cannot be. The plan for sidewalks has been changed so that boulevards will be accommodated in every location except one, and a solution to that problem is still being worked on. Our engineering firm is working on the tender document for the work on Bismark, Loddington and Newman Streets and will add on the other street if a solution can be found that will be to Council’s satisfaction.
- The budget for street sweeping is over budget this year because we did not have enough rainy weather for Public Works staff to sweep the centre of the streets as they have done is past years. This resulted in the contractor doing more of the work.
- The Animal Control Reports for March and April 2012 were reviewed with no items of concern being noted.
- Public Works staff members met two Corporals from 1 Engineer Squadron, who are based out of downtown Fredericton. They have approximately 25 to 30 cadets who will be available to volunteer their time and skills to work on projects in the Village after they return from training. The cadets have skills in basic carpentry, clearing brush, chain-saw work and are looking for a project that they can start and finish in one weekend. All committees are being asked to submit their ideas to Rockland, who is planning to meet with the Corporals again at the end of May with a list of suggested projects. The Corporals will advise Rockland which projects can be done and then they will train their cadets for the particular task.
- A tentative subdivision plan was reviewed by the committee. The plan has been previously reviewed many times by the Public Works Supervisor and the Development Officer, and they have recommended changes to the proposed street structure. Overall, the committee agreed with the suggested changes that were brought forward. The committee also suggested that rather than building townhouses on the corner lot as proposed, the developer could build a field house or a community centre and felt this suggestion should be taken to the developer for consideration.
- The committee was informed that NB Power is looking to expand the installation of LED lights and a new program is being developed now which will be rolled out provincially in the future.
- The committee bid farewell to Councillor Scammell as Chair of the committee and as a member of Council. Councillor Scammell advised that he would like to remain on the committee as a volunteer member with the Mayor’s approval. He thanked the committee members and staff for all the work done over the past 4 years.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor Scammell took a moment to thank the committee members, members of Council and Village staff for their hard work, dedication and support.
MOVED BY Councillor Scammell and seconded by Councillor McCaie-Burke the adoption of this report.
Discussion:

- Councillor McCaie-Burke commented on the over-budget items in the ERP budget. She has discussed this with the Treasurer and this has been corrected.
MOTION CARRIED.

Emergency Response Plan Committee

Councillor McCaie-Burke reported that the Emergency Response Plan Committee met May 15th with nine committee members, five staff members and three guests present.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke announced that the committee representative from Horizon Health, Debbie Giffin, has resigned from the committee due to work commitments.
- Dr. Cristin Muecke, who is the Regional Medical Officer of Health, Fredericton and Central Region, Dept. of Health, made a presentation to the committee regarding food and water borne illnesses.
- The committee practiced an emergency scenario led by our EOC Director. The scenario concerned municipal water contamination which related to the presentation made by Dr. Muecke.
- The Fire Department recently had four of its volunteer firefighters complete Emergency Operations Centre training.
- The Town of Oromocto will hold a 2-hour training session for Sentinel on May 30th from 10:00 am to 12 noon.
- The committee held a follow-up discussion regarding the public presentation of the Sentinel Emergency Alerts that was held on May 10th. Overall the committee was very pleased with the event but felt it would have been better if more residents attended. The Public Information sub-committee will meet soon to discuss the continuing promotion of Sentinel. Councillor McCaie-Burke acknowledged the hard work of the committee members and staff members who helped with the promotion of Sentinel to New Maryland residents. She also thanked Council for their continued support on this matter.
- The committee was informed that Industry Canada has responded to our previous letter that requested their assistance with improving the 80-meter amateur radio band signal in the Fredericton and New Maryland areas. Industry Canada has stated that their office is willing to assist us by providing direction and information on method use to isolate and mitigate transmission interference.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke was the guest speaker at the City of Fredericton’s EMO Committee meeting which was held earlier this month. At the meeting she spoke about our committee structure, the 5-year ERP Master Plan, and the promotion of the Sentinel System. Fire Chief Farrell also attended the meeting and spoke about the benefits of the Sentinel System for the fire department. The possibility of sharing a volunteer coordinator position between Fredericton, Oromocto and New Maryland was also discussed at the meeting. A resident has stepped forward and expressed interest in volunteering for the position.
- Certificates of Appreciation were presented at the meeting to Dick Rogers, who was the first Chair of the committee when it was established back in 1999; Connie Storr, who was instrumental in the development of the Village’s Pandemic Plan; and Rob Pero, Development officer.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke stated that she has enjoyed being the Chair of the committee for the last 4 years. She felt that the committee has accomplished much which is due to the hard work and dedication of its members.

MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
- Councillor LeBlanc suggested that brochures for the Sentinel System should be sent out in the mail with the next water and sewer billing in July.
MOTION CARRIED.

►MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland, as per the recommendation of the Emergency Response Plan Committee, adopt the amendments to the Emergency Response Plan as attached hereto in “Schedule “A”.
Discussion:

- Councillor McCaie-Burke explained the amendments include updates to the EMO fanout and the resources lists as well as the addition of a disaster scenario entitled “Heat Wave”, and the MOU with Faith Baptist Church.
MOTION CARRIED.

Water and Wastewater Committee

Councillor LeBlanc reported that the Water and Wastewater Committee met on April 25th.
- Some minor corrections to the previous month’s session notes were noted.
- An update was given on the expropriation status with Armco Capital for Well 3A. Councillor LeBlanc explained that since that meeting an additional update has been received and he read an email from our lawyer. The notice of objection from Armco has been withdrawn so we can now proceed with the preparations for the filing of the notice. This means that once the Village takes official ownership of the property, the Village can proceed with their plan for Well 3A without delay.
- The financial reports were presented and discussion took place regarding the $5 fee charged for the water meters and where the funds collected should be spent.
- The Water System Development Master Plan sub-committee presented some documents for the committee to review and discuss at the next meeting.
- The discussion of a proposed development was postponed as there was no information to present at that time.
- Flushing of water mains began this week and will continue into next week.
- The committee was informed that the New Maryland Esso property will be connected to the municipal sanitary system at pump station 3.
- It was brought to the committee’s attention that it would be to our benefit to start sampling Baker Brook on a quarterly basis in preparation for the new CCME guidelines so we know how the brook is functioning and if we have an impact on it. The Baker Brook lagoon is in the process of being decommissioned.
- Councillor LeBlanc, committee member Bob Landine, Public Works Supervisor Rockland Miller and Opus consultant Stephen Pyke visited the water treatment facilities at Shediac and Memramcook. Both facilities use the Maganzur treatment process which is one of the processes that Opus is proposing for Well 3A.
- Filling of residential pools is still not permitted under our by-law even though the water tower has been completed. An amendment to the by-law would be required in order to permit that.
- The Strategic Plan was reviewed.
- The website was reviewed and it was suggested that we may want to to have a banner moving across the home page that will announce new events to residents. - The next committee meeting will be held on May 23rd.
MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.

Discussion:

- Councillor Sparks commented that the sampling of Baker Brook is an excellent idea. He added that the Fredericton Region Solid Waste Commission samples Baker Brook where it enters their property and just before it exits the property so it can be determined if actions on the landfill site have an impact on the brook. He suggested that it may be beneficial for the Village to sample Baker Brook in a similar manner so in the event that something happens to the brook, it can be known whether or not it took place within Village boundaries. Councillor LeBlanc agreed and stated that for the time being the data collected will be for internal use.
MOTION CARRIED.

►MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland adopt the document entitled Municipality of the Village of New Maryland Five-Year Capital Investment Plan (2011 – 2015).

Discussion:

- Councillor LeBlanc explained that Council decided quite some time ago to put the Gas Tax Fund money towards the development of Well 3A for the next term of the program. Each year we are required to submit a revised Five-Year Capital Investment Plan, and this motion reflects that requirement.
MOTION CARRIED.

Finance Committee

Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee reported that the Finance Committee has not met since the last Council meeting.
►MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:

Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland adopt the 2011Village of New Maryland Audited Financial Statements as prepared by the chartered accounting firm of Grant Thornton LLP and as reviewed by the Finance Committee and Council on 11 April 2012.
MOTION CARRIED.

10. APPROVAL OF THE TREASURER’S REPORT
MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the Treasurer’s Report as follows:

(1) Cheques and direct payments from the General Operating account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $331,724.94;
(2) Payments from the Water and Sewer Operating account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $29,649.07;
(3) Payments from the General Capital account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $11,761.58; and
(4) Payments from the Water and Sewer Capital account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $15,512.64.
MOTION CARRIED.

11. PUBLIC INPUT / INQUIRIES

No items were brought forward by the members of the public that were in attendance.

12. NEW BUSINESS

Presentations by Mayor Frank Dunn and Cynthia Geldart, CAO/Clerk

Mayor Dunn presented Councillor Scammell with a token of gratitude on behalf of Council and staff, and thanked him for his hard work and commitment serving on Council for the past 4 years.

On behalf of Council and staff, Councillor LeBlanc presented a gift of appreciation to Mayor Dunn for his leadership and enthusiasm serving as Mayor of the Village for the past eleven years. He added that he is pleased that he will be able to work with him for another 4-year term as a colleague on Council.

13. DATE, TIME AND LOCATION OF NEXT MEETING

The Swearing-In Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the New Maryland Centre.

14. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT

MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell to adjourn the meeting.
MOTION CARRIED.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm.


The Transportation Committee section didn't go into detail of my little speech but it's in this blog a couple of entries ago.

I hope that your summer is going great.
Stay well,
Tim

Hi there

It's summer, I'm doing stuff, and I really don't have much to blog about right now. The boys are in volleyball camp this week which is great for them. A few of their friends are there to keep it fun. Next week will be interesting for them. This year they are too old to participate in the New Maryland day camps that they've loved since they were small. However, now they are the exact age that they can now become Counsellors (not Councillors, hehe) In Training at the camps. They don't get paid to be CITs but it should have them in line for the real jobs of Counsellors next summer. They're doing it for a couple of weeks over the summer. I know they'll have a lot of fun. Other than that. Things are quiet with me. I can't believe how much time I have now that I'm not on Council. There are so few emails and no meetings anymore. Apparently I'm not invited to be on any committees yet since the new mayor has to mull it over for the summer as to who will be joining the committees where there are openings. That strikes me as odd since the committees are still meeting over the summer. Why wait to fill the spots? It seems a no-brainer to me that if you have a volunteer for a committee who knows the stuff pretty well you should take advantage of the offer and use them. When I was on Council we were begging people to join committees. I'll let you know how this works out. The lads are playing AA baseball in Fredericton this season which is going pretty well. They're not getting to play the positions that I know they would be best playing too often. I think there may be some politics involved as to where certain players are from or who their parents are but this isn't Rec ball anymore and the rules of Fair Play don't apply. A couple of weeks ago one of the boys sat the entire game out and the coach said it was an accident and he forgot to put him in. Hmm. As long as they have fun that's all I care about but I don't think they're both enjoying it as much as previous seasons. I could be wrong. Summer has only just started. Stay well, Tim