Special Edition: Owen Sound Council Agenda for Monday March 11, 2024

See what's on the agenda and read up on the issues ahead of Monday's meeting

Owen Sound City Council meets Monday, March 11, with open session beginning at 5:30pm in council chambers. This week’s meeting follows a Special Meeting at 3pm which will not be live streamed for the public, as the agenda is in Closed Session.

You can view the meeting via Rogers TV or on the City’s Council and Committees webpage.

As some councilors have been talking about evaluating council remuneration (while others have taken steps to shut down the conversation), it’s worth noting that Monday’s Council Agenda package is over 440 pages in length.

In theory, councilors receive all of this information ahead of time so they can come to the table informed, prepared, and ready to debate or question the issues.

These are the people responsible for making decisions about your community’s financing and services. They are your representation and oversight, a critical layer of checks and balances in municipal governance, to ensure all of the funds raised through property taxes, user fees, non-tax revenue such as parking fines, and provincial funding are managed appropriately and responsibly.

Is this still a part-time position?

Is there any merit to concerns that remuneration of less than $30,000 a year prevents an awful lot of people from even considering running for council, given the required time commitments?

I’ll be honest with you – I do not have time to get all the way through a council package. I do my best, but I have a full-time job, two teens, pets, and a hobby or two, and am the editor of this local publication you’re reading. And I’m no busier than most of my peers. That’s just what life is now for so many of us who are trying to keep homes, families, jobs and businesses going in the current environment.

Can we be adequately represented by people who understand our interests and can come to the table fully informed and on top of the issues when the job of Councilor is treated as an activity for retired folks, or a side gig (at most) for working-class people?

I think council remuneration is a conversation worth having. Do you?

(Now, do we think we need 9 councilors? Apparently, council cannot discuss both remuneration and composition at the same time. But I believe it’s another conversation worth having).

Anyway, on to this week’s agenda, starting with…

Highlights:

• The Director of the Art Gallery will present a feasibility study on an approximately $16 million project to expand the Tom Thomson Art Gallery and combine it with the Library and Tourism, with a shared entrance/reception, staffing model, and resources.

• Corporate Services will ask council to approve bids of $5.2 million and $1.7 million for planned improvements to Alpha St and the 900 block of 1st Ave E, respectively.

• Staff will also ask council to approve a 3% cost of living pay increase for non-union staff and council members.

Keep reading for an in-depth look at what’s on the agenda, with links to reports and correspondence so you can learn more about the issues that matter to you.