Notes from the regular meeting, which was held on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
Oxford County Library Request for Support of the Ox on the Run Pilot Extension.
Township of Blanford-Blenheim Council received correspondence from the Oxford County Library asking for support in regards to its request to extend the Ox on the Run pilot program.
The Ox on the Run program, a mobile library project that brings programs and services on the road and directly to the residents of Oxford County from the months of June to October, was first created in 2019 as a way to improve access to library services in the seven municipalities it serves.
In 2023, a two pilot program was created to allow Ox on the Run to operate year-round, however the pilot was cut down to 18 months due to the program being unable to begin operations right away.
Throughout June and September this year, the Ox on the Run team presented at council meetings across Oxford County to showcase their first-year statistics on the service. According to the correspondence from Julia Harris, Board Chair for the Oxford County Library, to the Blandford-Blenheim council, many councils showed their support in extending the program through to late spring/early summer 2025 in order to allow for a full two-years of data before making the project a permanent service.
In regards to the financial impact of extending the pilot program, Harris’ correspondence noted that there would be none for the current year’s operating budget, though current estimates anticipate a total of $186,785 required to run the project for another year.
“This represents a 0.5% increase over the 2024 Ox on the Run budget and includes estimated salaries and benefits, operating costs and estimated fleet costs. The County’s Asset Management team also suggests that if the Board is thinking of a permanent project and vehicle that the Library may want to budget an extra $100,000 be put aside to help offset the potential costs for a new vehicle,” read the report.Asset Management and Public Works estimate that a new vehicle will cost between $350,000 for a cube type van up to $1 ,000,000 for a purpose-built full feature bookmobile. With these costs in mind, it is recommended that the Library begin to build reserves for a potential vehicle by putting approximately $100,000 away each year for the next five years to help alleviate upfront costs of a potential $1,000,000 vehicle.”
Harris’ correspondence asked the Blandford-Blenheim council to officially show its support in extending the pilot program into mid 2025.
While Mayor Mark Peterson noted that the decision to extend the program would ultimately be up to Oxford County Council, he asked councillors if they would like to simply receive the correspondence as information or if they would like to support the library board, and Councillors Bruce Banbury and Daryl Barnes moved a resolution to support the extension.
The resolution to support the extension was then carried on a unanimous vote.
Solve the Crisis Campaign
The Township of Blandford-Blenheim Council received correspondence from the Region of Waterloo in regards to joining the Ontario Big City Mayors’ Solve the Crisis Campaign, and its motion urging the federal government to take immediate action to solve the homelessness and mental health crisis.
Speaking to the correspondence, Councillor Tina Young said it was something that was important to support as all levels of government should be working together.
“It’s not a surprise to anybody that this is on the agenda, and it was brought forward during the last meeting as a correspondence. Councillor [Bruce] Banbury and I attended the Western Ontario Municipal Conference a couple weeks ago, and this was a large conversation as well,” said Young. “This is impacting [communities] across Ontario. Rurally, people think that we’re not seeing it [the crisis], but we are it and it’s like a tidal wave that we’re kind of seeing coming our way; maybe not right right now, but we’re seeing things changing, even in our small communities. …It’s not just a government solution, but it’s something we all need to be a part of and I think it’s important to support this.”
The vote to support the Region of Waterloo was then carried unanimously.
Playground Projects Updates
Princeton Accessible Playground Project: The playground is currently in the planning phase and the goal is to begin construction in December 2024.
Plattsville Accessible Playground Project: Preliminary work is ongoing and in-house staff is making significant progress.
Contractors will begin equipment installation on November 18, and the flooring installation will begin on November 22, and the grand opening celebration is set to take place during the Plattsville Santa Claus Parade on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Elimination of the Vacant Unit Rebate Program
The Township of Blandford-Blenheim Council voted unanimously to opt-out of the Vacant Unite Rebate Program.
The application-based unit rebate for commercial and industrial properties was provincially introduced in 2001, and is a tax rebate program that allows vacant or partially vacant properties, which meet certain conditions, to receive some tax relief based on the length of vacancy.
“This program has been problematic in that proof of the vacancy is difficult to establish after the fact and applications were often filed repeatedly for properties despite the temporary relief intent of the program,” read the report from Denise Krug, Director of Finance/Treasurer. “In 2017, changes were announced to the program allowing municipalities to opt out, phase out or alter the terms of the vacant unit rebate program. Rather than provide legislative options, the Province required municipalities to design their own local policies followed by a submission to the Province for a special, locally specific regulatory provision. At that time, the area municipalities chose to maintain the program with the following change which was authorized in O. Reg. 325/01, subsection 20 and applies only to local municipalities in the County of Oxford for the 2018 taxation year and subsequent taxation years.”
Krug’s report noted that in the last five years, the Township has received a total of three applications, two of which came from the same property owner, and provided an approximate $6,700 in total tax relief.
By opting out of the program, staff would no longer have to include an estimated amount in the Townships operating budget.
Council then voted unanimously to cease the program at the beginning of the 2025 taxation year.
50th anniversary of the Municipality
The Township of Blandford-Blenheim was formed in 1975 and next year marks the municipality’s 50th anniversary.
Josh Brick, the Township’s CAO, said that staff will soon begin exploring options for commemorating the amalgamation of Blandford and Blenheim.
Brick said that the first option is collaborating with historical or archival associations within the Township’s boundaries.
“The township is very fortunate to have multiple active historical and archival associations within our boundaries, and these organizations have been instrumental in acting as stewards of locally specific knowledge and play a big part in making this information accessible to residents and visitors through exhibits and in some cases, holding regular business hours,” he said. “The first option that we’d outlined has to do with kind of piggybacking off of our current grants and donations program, where we would reach out to these local organizations and advise that up to $1,500 per organization is available through that grants and donation process to facilitate an exhibit or similar public open house that recognizes the 50th anniversary of the formation of Township.”
He said they would encourage the organizations to provide a high-level proposal outlining the anticipated use of funds and how it would align with the Township’s objectives in commemorating the anniversary.
The second option, he said, was an unveiling for a chain of office.
“Really the objective of this is to recognize the past Township Councils since 1975 and we’ve noted that the chain of office holds symbolic importance within a municipal council, and it represents the authority, history and unity of the Township,” said Brick.
He added that if a local organization did end up holding an exhibit, they could invite former mayors and members of council to celebrate the event.
“With that said, some of the financial implications, assuming that all of the historical archival associations that we’re aware of are interested in participating, that would represent a budget impact of $4,500 which we would fund through that grants and donation budget,” said Brick. “Based on some preliminary quotations, it’s anticipated that a custom chain of office would have a budget impact of $1,500 to $2,500 depending on the amount of detail that the council wants to see on it.”
Councillor Nancy Demarest said she could support both the options, and wondered if the chain of office (or livery collar) would include a logo or not, noting that they have been discussing update the Township’s logo recently.
Brick said that’s something that’s been considered and that some models have interchangeable pieces.
“Perhaps we could find a cheaper medallion that has a 50 on it, or something to that effect for the unveiling, and then if we kept that relationship with or if we get a future vendor, once we come up with a logo we would include that retroactively,” said Brick.
The Council voted to have staff contact local historical archival organizations in respect to a special exhibit for the Township’s 50th anniversary, noting that $4,500 will be made available through the 2025 grant donation funds to support the initiatives, and to direct staff to proceed with commissioning a chan of office, was carried unanimously.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
