The meeting began with a presentation from Mike DeVos of Spriet Associates with regards to work on the Risdon Municipal Drain. Council authorized the project to proceed and set an associated Court of Revision date of April 5, 2023.
Brenda Slater of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) then provided an overview presentation to Council. Ms. Slater highlighted:
- Property values for the 2022 and 2023 tax years continue to be based on a January 1, 2016, valuation date.
- The process residents may take for resolving assessment concerns.
- The relationship between a property’s assessed value and the municipal tax rate, and what it means for the property taxes paid.
- Residents wanting more information about their property assessment can visit mpac.ca.
Fire Services Master Plan
Council approved the Fire Services Master Plan and Community Risk Assessment 2023, as developed by Behr Integrated Solutions. Funding for this master plan was provided Provincial Municipal Modernization Program.
This ten-year plan is comprehensive in nature. Of note, it provides direction for retention and recruitment of new firefighters and addresses how emergency response (the response model) will evolve as our community grows.
Council directed staff to bring the recommendations in the fire services master plan forward for consideration as part of the annual budget process.
Fernhill Drive Culvert Replacement
Council approved a budget amendment of $350,000 to allow for the replacement of a culvert along Fernhill Dr.
On February 10, 2023, staff were alerted to a large pothole on Fernhill Dr. Upon investigation, staff noted a significant sink hole had formed beside a large structural culvert, and that the culvert had significantly deteriorated.
This culvert had been identified for replacement in 2024 as part of the multi-year roads capital budget. Bringing the work forward to 2023 will minimize the road closure on Fernhill Dr.
Funding for this project will come from the OCIF (Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund) reserve fund.
In Brief
During the meeting, Council also:
- Sitting as the Court of Revision, approved the Schedule of Assessment for Government Drain No 2, Branch 6.
- Awarded construction work for the Komoka Drainage Works, Union Ave Branch, to J & L Henderson, the lowest bidder ($99,880 plus HST). The contract also includes replacing the wooden noise fence adjacent to the municipal drain.
- Received information about a review being undertaken of the Community Settlement Program for London-Middlesex.
- Received information on the budget-to-actuals for January 2023, and procurement activities for 2022. Further, Council approved the investment purchase for 2023.
- Approved a Liquor Management Agreement with the Optimist Club of Komoka-Kilworth for the Komoka Wellness Centre.
- Received the Community Services Advisory Committee meeting minutes for January 2023.
- Received the 2022 Annual Drinking Water System Performance and Summary Reports for the municipal water systems. There were no concerns or issued outstanding or identified in the reports for 2022.
- Received a report on the ten-year “road map” for ongoing upgrades and maintenance to the municipality’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that is used for control, monitoring, and analysis at water and wastewater facilities.
- Received a year-end summary of by-law services for 2022. Middlesex Centre provides services locally and to Lucan Biddulph under a service agreement. In 2022, by-law received 269 complaints, with animal control, property standards, and planning related issues being the most common.
- Received a year-end summary of building inspection services provided under service agreements with the municipalities of Lucan Biddulph, North Middlesex, Adelaide Metcalfe and Southwest Middlesex.
Next Council Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Middlesex Centre Council Meeting is set for Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. Meeting times are subject to change, so please confirm with the meeting agenda when posted.
For More Information
For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting agenda or contact the Municipal Clerk. You can view the meeting on YouTube.
Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents timely updates on council decisions. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.