council group pictureThe entire core services review could be made public if one councillor gets his way.

Rick Dubeau has it on tonight’s city council agenda.

Also on the agenda is a site plan agreement for the old Lionel Gauthier school, water and sewer rates and a carry over from last week’s budget meeting on the sanitation department.

Our live blog starts at 6:00pm.

(Keep refreshing the page as the night goes along for updates!)

They are starting with a vote to put a motion on the agenda by Dubeau for a FireFit competition, and is approved unanimously.

On to Luc Duval, who is presenting the sanitation department’s 2016 budget.

View the whole document HERE.

They are asking for an increase of 0.54% (or $2,400) and doesn’t include core services review options.

Those options could add up to around $125,000 in savings.

About 90 minutes into the discussion, an item came up on collecting garbage on one-way roads.  KPMG’s Oscar Poloni is in the audience and clarifies the recommendation was to eliminate curbside pick up and get users to use the dump.

Another portion of the items is to cut back hours at the Deloro Landfill, which was a hot topic during the 2015 budget deliberations.

Dubeau, Grzela, Rinaldo and Black voted in favour of looking at the hours, and the rest vote it down so the hours will seemingly go untouched in 2016.

Looking at tipping fees, the votes go the same way and that issue will stay the same.

Council also decides they will hold a Hazardous Waste Day for 2016.

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Since that last item took nearly two hours and Poloni is in the audience, we skip ahead to Dubeau’s request to bring in-camera items in the core services review public.

He says they should stay away from the reports that have to do with personnel but other portions should come to light.

“We can’t offer nothing, we can’t offer everything, it should be somewhere in between,” Dubeau says.

Poloni says he’s had time to follow it, adding his company was the one who recommended certain things be disclosed in-camera.

He says some have to do with cutting positions, and identify specific positions that wouldn’t be fair to bring to the public before a decision is made.

In a sense, he says for the city not to “show their cards.”

He says it’s in the best interest not to disclose the full report, and for the city to establish a time frame.

Poloni adds when he looks at the open-session report, he can tell what is in the closed session with the way the numbers fall.

Black mentions they’ve gone 0 for 4 on core services review opportunities tonight alone.

Rinaldo says she feels comfortable with the way the city hires workers in departments.

Black and Dubeau go over a bit of a back-and-forth, get a little heated but little information comes from it as they decide they will finish the discussion in-camera.

Doody says a lot of the recommendations look for a reduction of services, the quality of services they provide.  He says in some areas. he’s willing to take a look at while others he will “fight tooth and nail.”

Dubeau agrees to continue discussion in-camera, where they can openly discuss details without releasing sensitive details they don’t want going public yet.

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Up next are membership fees for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and FONOM.

Council approves both.

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Mushkegowuk Council has something on the agenda to have a program continue that polices reserves in terms of illegal drugs and alcohol.

Read about it HERE.

Council approves their support.

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Next, council addresses an agreement between AMO and their Quebec affiliate to collaborate on climate change.

Read the agreed upon statement HERE.

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Now to a site plan agreement on the old Lionel Gauthier school.

This would turn the building into a 28-unit apartment building.

Tonight’s vote has to do with Phase 1, as Phases 2 and 3 have to do with developing further buildings on the property in the future.

This will come back in the by-laws.

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We go back to Duval, asking for a slight increase to water and sewer rates in 2016.

He’s recommending a water rate increase by $15, and sewer rate by $35.

Timmins sits at $987 from 2015, and is the only large urban centre in Northern Ontario with a flat rate.

There is another option on the table, that will see a $30 increase overall.

Duval is leaning towards the $50 total option, as it would put the city out of debt for the water in 2018, and 2023 for sewer.

It would also cost the city less in interest down the line by a hefty margin ($725,000 paid with $50 option, $1.35M paid with $30 option.)

Black says he’s been trying for years to knock down the interest, adding he believes the interest on the $50 option is probably more.

Bamford says the city should keep rates low, and boast about it.  He will be voting for the $30 option.

Council will go ahead with a vote on the $30 option later on.

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Now to a site-plan agreement with Riverside Emerald.

This is essentially for landscaping options on the property.

See the specifics HERE.

Grzela says he appreciates the time put in on this project.

This will come back in the by-laws.

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To a maintenance contract with Spectrum Telecom Group, which goes without questions.

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To the approval of the 2016 council schedule.

Rinaldo points out one is scheduled on Halloween night, and Black proposes to scratch that date off the list and moved to November 7th to make up for it.

The schedule is approved.

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Now to Dubeau and his FireFit competition.

He is looking at the July 2nd weekend in 2016, and wants to have council investigate whether they are set up to host the event, as they would need resources, sponsorships, etc.

Black says he’s only watched it on TV in the past, and likes the competition.

Torlone asking Dubeau if he’s taking the lead on the event, and Dubeau says he’ll work with the tourism department.  However, at the moment, they are looking at the feasibility of having the event held in Timmins in the first place.

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and we’re on by-laws!

First is the approval of the Montessori daycare amendments on Maple South.

Rinaldo looking to clear up that the re-zoning is only for the one place.

Marks is against the re-zoning, applauds the work done to the report.  He says he’s not against business development but doesn’t feel the particular area is a good place to have it.

Black points out a history of residents pushing against developments over the years that have gone through anyway.  That includes the two hotels, one behind Boston Pizza and the other on Airport Road.

He adds daycares are all in residential areas in town.

Bamford, Grzela, Rinaldo and Black vote in favour, while Marks, Dubeau, Campbell, Wawrzaszek and Doody all vote against it and is defeated.

Site plan agreement at old Lionel Gauthier school is approved.

Direct sale of land on King Street for Jean Cyr is approved.

Site plan agreement for Riverside Emerald is up next.

Grzela wants to put this off till next week to resolve some issues on the southern side of the land and council approves his request.

Water by-law amendment for frozen waterlines is approved, with Rinaldo and Wawrzaszek opposing it.

Sale of land on Paul Avenue is approved after a bit of confusion.

Maintenance contract with Spectrum Telecom is approved.

Before going in-camera, Rinaldo asks about one particular matter that would take 45 minutes before questions.

Council votes to defer it anyway so there’s nothing more for us here.

and council is going in-camera?  Nope, it’s pretty late and this meeting is ADJORNED!