Council asked to support Quinte Humane Society build
Quinte West has been the most recent local municipality to be asked to support a new building for the Quinte Humane Society.
Executive Director Frank Rockett outlined the QHS plan for its new facility, to be built on land on Highway 2 near Wallbridge-Loyalist Road, right on the Belleville/Quinte West boundary.
Rockett has asked the city to commit $250,000 to the campaign, which represents 2.5% of the overall $10 million goal.
Some councillors noted the need for a new shelter, having visited the current one on Avonlough Road in Belleville, while others pointed out the need to have enough funds to operate the new building should it be built .
Rocket says the QHS board is continuing to put together building designs and funding proposals for upper levels of government.
Councillors decided to defer the request to budget deliberations.
Prince Edward County has decided not to support the new build at this time, while Belleville has also deferred its decision.
Quinte Humane Society Executive Director Frank Rockett makes a presentation to Quinte West Council, on January 21, 2019. (Photo: David Foot / Quinte News)
Consultant wanted for strategic plan outline
The City of Quinte West is looking for a consultant to help put together a framework for its next strategic plan.
The plan would identify critical issues facing the community and outline the process of addressing them.
Quinte West’s last strategic plan was implemented in 2010 and helped guide the focus of the last two councils.
A report presented by city staff says the consultant’s plan would have to create realistic goals and give a solid pathway to achieving them.
The report also stipulates the consultant include a public input component to its process.
Review underway on council expense compensations
The City of Quinte West is set to review its policies for compensating councillors for travel expenses, conferences and seminars.
Council decided to implement that review last year and on Monday that process got officially underway.
Council also saw a breakdown of remuneration amounts from similar-sized municipalities, showing that the mayor and councillors in Quinte West are paid at the “lower end” of that spectrum.
The average remuneration for a mayor on the list was $68,805 and for a councillor it was $29,022.
Quinte West’s mayor makes $59,000, the deputy mayor makes $32,000 and councillors make $23,600.
Report coming soon on plastic straw ban
While it may be tough to implement, Quinte West staff will put together a report on a potential by-law, that would ban single-use plastic straws in the city.
The request comes from 17-year-old Bayside Secondary School student Grace McDonald, whose recent online petition against the straws earned 500 signatures in just a couple of weeks.
McDonald told councillors that banning the straws would have extremely positive impacts on landfills, sea life and the environment in general and said that a plastic straw ban could even help attract more eco-friendly citizens and businesses to Quinte West.
Councilor Michael Kotsovos, who owns a restaurant in the city’s downtown, supported the idea to limit the straws but says it would be difficult to mandate how private business owners run their establishments.
There was no immediate timeline on when that report would come back to council.
Bayside Secoondary School student Grace McDonald makes a presentation to Quinte West Council, on a potential ban of plastic drinking straws, on January 21, 2019. (Photo: David Foot / Quinte News)
Voter turnout up for third straight election
Voter turnout in Quinte West was up for the third straight municipal election in 2018.
City Council saw a full staff report with a recap of the 2018 election showing 10,532 people cast ballots, out of 30,089 eligible voters, which represents a 35% turnout.
In 2014, voter turn out was 32.97% and in 2010 it was 29.32%.
City staff are crediting the use of online and advance polls as one of the reasons for the jump, with both of those voting options counting for for 43.4% of the overall ballots cast, compared to 35.76% in 2014.
The report also says staff and voters were both quite frustrated with the amount of changes needed to the voters list and will work on ways to improve that moving towards the next election in 2022.
Council approves donation of Bayside land to Hospice Quinte
Quinte West Council has approved the donation of land to Hospice Quinte for a new facility.
The city owns about seven acres near Bayside Secondary School and has agreed to give three to hospice to build its new residential home.
The land was purchased from the Hastings and Prince Edward School Board in 2016.
When asked about what would be done with the remaining acreage, Mayor Jim Harrison told council that the plan is for the city to keep ownership of the land and to perhaps eventually build a new Fire Station 3 there, some time in the future.
