council

Highlights of the June 21st, 2022 Council Meeting

 At Tuesday night's Mississippi Mills Council meeting Mayor Lowry dedicated the moment of silent meditation in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Mayor Lowry also honoured former Pakenham Deputy Reeve Thora who passed away on June 15, 2022. Mrs. Pugh was also the first female member of Council in Pakenham.

Sally McIntyre, General Manager of Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, presented to Council about the Authority's programs and services. Staff were directed to bring back a report to Council identifying next steps.

 A public meeting was held regarding a proposed severed lot that will be considered by the Lanark County Land Division Committee as part of a surplus farm dwelling severance application.

The following items from June 7th's Committee of the Whole were approved:

  • Creation of a working group of 3 members of Council to review the LEAR with a consultant and bring forward the information at the September 6th meeting
  • ATV bylaw to ease restrictions for roadway access
  • The addition of a Zoning Review Fee for building permit applications and the approval of a Planning pre-consultation fee to be considered for the 2023 budget. 

As Tuesday night was the last meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole until August, Council held a special meeting to approve the motions from Committee of the Whole.

Some of the motions approved include changes to the animal control bylaw, which saw the definition change from service dog to service animal. The change in wording in the bylaw focuses on the needs of the individual that requires the service animal versus the species of animal.

Stemming from the  2020 Strategic Plan to help guide the delivery of recreation, cultural and childcare services for the Municipality, a Community Services Strategic Plan is in the works to help shape and lead the delivery of services over the next ten years. A consulting firm will be completing the public consultation component which will include online surveys, in person workshops, and paper surveys.

As part of the licensing process, the Municipality reviews applications regarding telecommunications towers.  After receiving a number of comments, questions and concerns as part of the public notification process, and a response from Rogers to all questions received, Council approved the issuance of a Letter of Concurrence. This is part of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network $300 million cell gap project to bring reliable connectivity in rural eastern Ontario.

As part of changes brought forward from the Province, Council approved amendments to the zoning by-law to change requirements for secondary dwelling units in Mississippi Mills. These changes are in line with the provincial plans to increase access to housing for Ontarians.

Council directed staff to move forward with modernizing Council Chambers. This will include updating the audio visual set up in chambers to meet accessibility standards and improve the quality of the sound and video. Funding for this project is from the provincial modernization grant that was received by the municipality in 2019.

The Municipality will be celebrating its bicentennial with a series of events in 2023. Seven working groups have been appointed and consist of members of the public, members of Council, and staff.

Upcoming Meetings:

  • Summer Recess: July
  • Hybrid Regular meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole – August 9th, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.
  • Hybrid Regular meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole – August 23rd, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.