Email icon Back to Search
gavel

Highlights of the March 15, 2022 Council Meeting

 Council welcomed the public back to the gallery at their March 15th meeting. As the province moves forward with the provincial re-opening, the municipality has also started to open council chambers to the public, requiring pre-registration due to limited seating. As well, meetings will continue to be live-streamed and available on the website. For more information about attending Council meetings in-person please see these links:

Mississippi Mills Council approved an Affordable Housing, Attainable Housing, and Housing supply direction report presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on March 5th.

As part of the approval, Council has agreed to allocate $10,000 to help develop an Affordable Housing Grant Program. The intention is to have this operational during the next term of Council.

Another action item from the report will see the Municipality enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Carebridge Community Support Corporation to develop a not-for-profit housing development. The location of the property will be 34 Victoria St.

Council amended the Fees and Charges Bylaw to include exemptions for not-for-profit developments and directed staff to further review the Development Charges bylaw as part of the 2024 review to determine any opportunities for additional exemptions for not-for-profit housing.

Mississippi Mills is pleased to announce that Jeff Letourneau has been hired as the Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer. Mr. Letourneau is a chartered professional accountant and has over 20 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors. The Director of Corporate Services will be responsible for overseeing the finance department, human resources, IT, and other strategic projects for the municipality. An interview panel consisting of Mayor Lowry, Councillor Holmes, CAO Ken Kelly, and three members of senior staff unanimously ranked Mr. Letourneau as their top candidate for the position. Mr. Letourneau’s first day was on Monday, February 28th. 

After a review of neighbouring municipalities, and to further support the new term of Council starting November 15th, 2022, Council adopted a revised Elected Official Remuneration policy. It is standard practice to review Council remuneration the year of an election and to have changes take effect in the next term of Council. This policy will include per diems for extra meetings, allowances for mobile and internet usage, and an increase in pay that is in step with municipal practices. To encourage diversity and remove a barrier to participating on Council, the revised policy also includes a capped stipend to assist with costs associated with childcare or caregiving services to support future members of Council. 

In support of the Agricultural Committee recommendation, Council voted to hold an additional Public Meeting on April 5th for Official Plan Amendment 29, the Prime Agricultural Area Review. The first public meeting was held on May 4, 2021 followed by almost a year of consultation. This second public meeting will give residents an additional opportunity to provide comments on the Prime Agricultural Area Review.  

Staff will soon be preparing the Old Registry Office for sale. At the March 15th meeting, Council declared the building as surplus and have added it to the Sale of Lands bylaw.  The Old Registry Office is a Heritage Building, and was transferred to Town of Almonte in May 1996 and is currently being used for storage. A Building Assessment Condition Report from 2017 showed that the building was in good condition given its age but would require a number of repairs and updates.   

The Committee of the Whole heard the following items, which will be brought forward at an upcoming Council meeting for final approval:

  • Firefighter Remuneration Policy Resolution
  • 2021 Annual Drinking Water System Report.
  • Community Awards Policy
  • Lame Duck Restrictions Information Reports

The municipal office at 3131 Old Perth Road is only open to the public for payments and for scheduled appointments only. Only one (1) person is permitted at the front desk at a time, and all members of the public are required to wear a face mask while in the building. Staff will continue to check emails and voice messages regularly to continue to serve residents; please allow additional time for a response. Water samples can be dropped off at the Almonte Library branch. Payments and documents can continue to be dropped off in our secure dropbox/safe at the back of the municipal office. 

Upcoming Meetings:

  • Hybrid Regular meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole – April 5th, 2022, at 6 p.m 
  • Hybrid Regular meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole – April 19th, 2022, at 6 p.m