Municipal Council Minutes

Municipality of the District of Digby
Municipal Committee of the Whole Minutes
February 8, 2010
Seabrook, Nova Scotia

Call to Order The meeting was called to order with Deputy Warden MacAlpine Warden in the chair at 6:08 pm. Attendance Councillors present:  Jim Thurber, Warden  Jimmy MacAlpine, Deputy Warden  Linda Gregory, Councillor  Randall Amero, Councillor Staff present:  Linda Fraser, Chief Administrative Officer  Gordon Wilson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer  Cora Lee Bremner, Executive Secretary Regrets:  Maritza Adams, Councillor
Prayer Warden Thurber asked everyone to pause to seek guidance for the meeting. Agenda Councillor Gregory added Smith’s Cove’s View of the Digby Gut as New Business #7. MOVED and seconded that the agenda be approved as amended. MOTION CARRIED

Hearings & Presentations Darla Purdy – NSP Low Income Program MOVED and seconded that Ms. Darla Purdy come before the Committee to make a presentation regarding the Nova Scotia Power Low Income Program. MOTION CARRIED
Ms. Purdy came before the committee to make Council aware of the NSP Low Income Program which has been created for people who own their own home, heat their home with electric heat, and are in a low income bracket. The program is very easy to access by making a quick phone call to Nova Scotia Power Low Income Program.
The person will be asked a few questions and if they qualify, an application will be sent out to them. Someone from NS Power will come and do a home audit and will do free upgrades. This program is free to the home owner. There was a question and answer period which followed the presentation. Council mentioned that it would be good to advertise this program in the Coastline Newsletter.
Linda Graham – Marketing Levy MOVED and seconded that Ms. Linda Graham come before the Committee to make a presentation regarding marketing levies. MOTION CARRIED  Ms. Graham came before the Committee representing many tourism operators who are opposed to the marketing levy that has been proposed by Digby Area Tourism Association (DATA). Some accommodation owners have received a call from a representative of DATA making them aware of the proposed levy; however, there are still a large number of people who have not been contacted. The majority of accommodation owners are against the proposed levy and have a lot of questions they would like answered, such as, how and where this money would be spent, and why DATA singled out accommodations to tax. A petition has been signed which has been forwarded to Council as well as a copy of the presentation.

Bernadette MacDonald – Tri County Women’s Centre MOVED and seconded that Ms. Bernadette MacDonald from Tri County Women’s Centre come before the Committee to make a presentation. MOTION CARRIED  Ms. Bernadette MacDonald came before the Committee to make a presentation regarding a program they are trying to get up and running in the Yarmouth area called Supportive Housing Youth Focus Team (SHYFT). This program is designed to provide a stable home environment for homeless youth. There are no programs offered in the Tri-County area to provide for these needs. The Federal Government has agreed to fund all capital costs which
include the house and its contents; however, it will not fund operations. They would like to get a total of $15,000 from Towns and Municipal units in the Tri-County area to help fund operations. There was a question and answer period following the presentation. This program will be provided for Youth in the entire Tri-County area. Deputy Warden MacAlpine advised Ms. MacDonald that this request would be considered during the upcoming budget deliberations.
 Deputy Warden MacAlpine gave the chair to the Warden who just arrived. Minutes January 11, 2010 MOVED and seconded that the minutes of January 11, 2010 be approved as circulated. MOTION CARRIED Business Arising/Old Business NIL Other Business Arising NIL Warden Thurber  No Business Arising Deputy Warden MacAlpine  No Business Arising Councillor Gregory Road Conditions

 Council agreed that road conditions have not been good this winter and they have received complaints. It was agreed that both the RCMP and EHS be contacted to get their input whether there has been an increase in accidents and ask their opinions on the road conditions. These comments are to be sent along with a letter to the Minister stating Council’s concerns.
MOVED and seconded that a letter be written to the Minister of Transportation outlining Council’s concerns with the road conditions. MOTION CARRIED Councillor Amero  No Business Arising Councillor Adams  Absent

New Business #1 Paul Gidney – 2010 NS Power Lifting & Bench Press Championships – Funding Request  Councillor Gregory declared a conflict of interest and left the meeting.  The funding request from Mr. Gidney for the 2010 NS Power Lifting and Bench Press Championships was discussed. It was mentioned that the funds would come from the Grants to Organizations 2010/2011 budget. MOVED and seconded that Council support the local Power Lifting Association to host power lifting championships in Digby in the amount of $800. MOTION CARRIED  Councillor Gregory returned to the meeting. #2 Senior Girls Basketball (Youth Program Budget) – Funding Request MOVED and seconded that Council give DRHS Senior Girls Basketball, who will be hosting Division 3 Provincial Championships in Digby on March 4-6, 2010, a donation in the amount of $200. MOTION CARRIED  This donation will be taken from the Youth Program Budget for 2009/2010. #3 Transport de Clare – Expansion of Service Area to Include Barton  Transport de Clare is looking to expand their service area to include Barton and would like Council to contribute $7,000 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. This would come out of the 2010/2011 budget.
MOVED and seconded that Council support Transport de Clare’s expansion of service up to and including Barton in the amount of $7,000 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. MOTION CARRIED
#4 Tri County Regional Science & Technology Expo – Request for Support – (Youth Program Budget) MOVED and seconded that Council give $100 to Tri-County Regional Science and Technology Expo. MOTION CARRIED
#5 Digby Salvage & Disposal – Organics Facility – Request for Letter to Waste Check  Mr. Thomas is requesting Council to write a letter to the General Manager of Waste Check, Gus Greene requesting that he assist Digby Salvage and Disposal with information he will need to open a compost facility in Digby County. MOVED and seconded that a letter be written in response to Digby Salvage and Disposal’s request to the General Manager of Waste Check, Gus Greene requesting that he assist Digby Salvage and Disposal in obtaining the information that they will need in building a compost facility in Digby County. MOTION CARRIED
#6 Councillor Gregory – D.A.R.E. Graduates  Councillor Gregory attended the D.A.R.E. graduation in Digby. There was one in Barton and Sandy Cove as well that she didn’t know about. It was agreed to congratulate the graduates from all three schools in the Coastline Newsletter. #7 Councillor Gregory - Smith’s Cove’s View of the Digby Gut  A letter has been received concerning the view of the Digby Gut from Smith’s Cove. There are several spots to look at the Digby Gut from Smith’s Cove and Council was unsure which one this letter referred to. Councillor Gregory is going to check and see which area this letter referred to.
Municipality of the District of Digby
Municipal Committee of the Whole Minutes
February 8, 2010
Seabrook, Nova Scotia

MOVED and seconded that a letter be written to the Department of Natural Resources questioning the closure of the look-off in Smith’s Cove. Included in this letter it should be asked why the look-off has been closed and ask if they have any intent to open it again. MOTION CARRIED Chief Administrative Report Maud Lewis Site Municipal Office Renovations  The CAO report dated February 8, 2010 was included in the COTW Package.  The CAO has received a letter from Minister Paris that indicated that they couldn’t provide capital funding for an interpretive centre.  There was a discussion of Council regarding how to proceed with this initiative. It was decided to get the CAO to look into Federal Programs that might be available through heritage.  The Deputy CAO has been investigating the work that needs to be done to the Municipal Office. It looks like the office will have to be vacated for four months. The Curling Club is not available, but the Deputy CAO is currently investigating the option of moving into the Airport. The Town of Digby has offered their Council chambers for those months. It was suggested to take the COTW meeting out into the communities again. The renovations were discussed as well. Request for Decisions/Direction NIL Department Reports Taxation  The Taxation report for January 2010 was included in the meeting package. The tax sale is scheduled to take place on March 12, 2010. There were a few questions regarding the upcoming sale. Building Inspection Report/Fire Inspection Report  The Building Inspection report for January 2010 was included in the meeting package.
Municipality of the District of Digby
Municipal Committee of the Whole Minutes
February 8, 2010
Seabrook, Nova Scotia
7
Airport/Dispatch  The Airport/Dispatch report for January, 2010 was included in the meeting package. Dog Control Activity and Financial Report  The Dog Control Activity and Financial report for January 2010 was included in the meeting package. There was a discussion whether the fee for euthanizing the dogs is charged back to the owner. It was suggested to look at the policy and discuss it at the By-law and Policy meeting. Coordinator Program Development  The Coordinator Program Development report for January 2010 was included in the meeting package. Kings Transit  The Kings Transit report for January 2010 was included in the meeting package.  The ridership for January was lower than two years ago and there has been a decline for the last seven months. There was a discussion on ways to find out why people are not using the service. It was decided to put a questionnaire in the next issue of the Coastline for people to fill out and bring back to the Municipal Office.  It was also mentioned that for future issues of the Coastline it would be beneficial to ask people if they like receiving the newsletter and ask what they would like to see in it.  It was suggested that there be an incentive to those who filled out the questionnaires which may encourage people to return them. Other Business N/A Updates from Previous meetings N/A Special Projects Updates N/A Strategic Priorities Update The Strategic Priorities Update for January 31, 2010 was circulated prior to the meeting. Notice of Motion N/A
Municipality of the District of Digby
Municipal Committee of the Whole Minutes
February 8, 2010
Seabrook, Nova Scotia
8
Comments from the Gallery N/A Adjournment MOVED and seconded that the meeting adjourn at 7:45 PM. MOTION CARRIED