Council votes against seeing all legal correspondence
A motion to have Brighton councillors see all correspondence between staff and municipal lawyers was defeated during a recorded vote Monday night.
Councillor John Martinello had tabled the motion, essentially asking for all legal correspondence to be emailed to councillors so they could make better informed decisions, but it was knocked down by a 3-2 margin.
Councillor Brian Ostrander was one of the votes against the motion and saw the request to see all emails as micro-managing staff.
But Martinello tells Quinte News, he doesn’t see it that way and councillors have a legal responsibility to have full transparency on municipal legal dealings.
Councillor Ostrander also noted a mistake in the motion that suggests council is the client in the relationship, when the municipality is considered the client.
Councillors Martinello and Roger McMurray voted for recieving the emails, Mayor Walas and Councillors Laura Vink and Brian Ostrander voted against, while Steven Baker and Mary Tadman were absent.
New stage/washrooms could be coming to Memorial Park
There could be a big change in Brighton’s downtown area next year if a planned improvement at Memorial Park goes ahead.
The current gazebo in the park, used for various performances and events, is falling apart and is becoming inadequate for what event organizers want to do there.
There are also no proper bathroom facilities on site, so a staff report suggests building a new stage and washroom complex, with a total cost around $200,000 at the higher end.
CAO Bill Watson says it could make a huge difference for residents.
The town has already budgeted $40,000 towards improvements, while the Rotary Club and the Brian Todd Community Fund have agreed to pitch $25,000 and $10,000 respectively.
The plan would see the municipality put in another $25,000 next year and handle some site maintenance work and then apply to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for half of the funding.
The new stage, which has already been designed by volunteers, won’t impact the cenotaph and has been endorsed by the local Legion, who says it can be used during various ceremonies, including Remembrance Day.
Watson says they hope to find out in the spring if the OTF funding will be provided and if it is, it may only take six months to get the facility built.
CAO: Wastewater lagoon working at 90%
While ammonia issues in Brighton’s wastewater treatment system have popped up again, the CAO maintains the system is working fine, as far as consultants are considered.
Bill Watson says JL Richards and Associates assures the municipality the wastewater lagoon is working at close to 90%, is doing its job when it comes to controlling three-of-four provincially regulated parameters and that periodic ammonia spikes aren’t a major concern.
Watson says the municipality has been told how to deal with the problem, using a $6.5 million filtration membrane which would last about 20 years, but a decision on that hasn’t been made.
Some councillors would rather see a fully mechanical wastewater plant built, which would be a longer-term fix and allow for more expansion within the town.
A motion on that is set to come up at the next council meeting, but Watson says it would take close to five years to figure out the process, select property and get the facility built.
