Fiscal Responsibility

---

We need to manage our tax dollars wisely. This means spending on areas that are necessary as effectively as possible and looking for efficiencies whenever possible. Certain members of the current council squandered taxpayer money in the following ways;

- behaving inappropriately resulting in nearly half a million dollars in taxpayer money being spent on Ministry of Labour investigations, Integrity Commissioner investigations (all of which pointed to wrong doing on the part of certain members of Council), wrongful dismissal suits and settlements, lost funding opportunities etc. These are all things that happened during the last term of council as a result of the actions of certain members of council and assisted by others running in this current election. 

- cancelling an Official Plan update resulting in approximately $40,000 in taxpayer monies paid to the third party planner for work that had already been completed.

- increased staffing costs by nearly $250,000 per year by alienating another municipality we had been sharing services with for nearly 30 years.

We simply cannot let ego's get in the way of spending taxpayer money and continue to pour money down the drain on wasted endeavours.

In my opinion there are two things that are critical to a well-functioning municipal government: 

Transparency and Community Engagement. 

These two are definitely linked and in a rural setting such as Amaranth they pose unique challenges. I think it is fair to say that over my lifetime spent in Amaranth it has shifted from a community that was largely based "locally" with people working either on home farms or in businesses within Dufferin County or a nearby local municipality to one where an increasing number of people travel a significant distance to and from work every day.....so we have seen a shift to Amaranth as more and more often a "bedroom community". Add to this certain areas within Amaranth where residents likely identify more with the nearby Town's than they do as residents of Amaranth.

I am thinking about Sylvanwood Estates as an example. Growing up I knew other kids in school that lived in Sylvanwood and while they are residents of Amaranth they go to school in Shelburne, engage in recreation in Shelburne, and spend a lot of their free time in Shelburne. Over the last 20+ years with the additional residential developments known as the Devonleigh Subdivision, Amaranth Country Estates and the under-construction Primrose Estates there are even more Amaranth residents that likely feel a big disconnect from the Township. Councils in the past have been mostly reactionary to issues and that is not a criticism, that is how a lot of small municipal councils work. The fact that we don't get many complaints or requests from residents in certain areas doesn't mean that they don't have concerns, it may indicate that they don't feel as though council, or the community in general, appreciates their input.

Historically there have not been many opportunities for Community Engagement within the Township. Most of our boards and committee positions are filled with members of council except for 1 seat on the Police Services Board that the Province mandates has to be filled by a member of the public. During my time on Council I have increased the opportunities for community engagement through the formation of additional committees which are 100% volunteer based meaning there has been no additional cost to the Township. These committees have given 25 community members the opportunity to provide input and recommendations for Township direction on specific issues on an ongoing basis including 6 youth positions to engage members of the community under 18 years of age.

I would like to continue this next term with the creation of certain committees that will reach out to members of the community and increase engagement for groups that haven't historically been engaged. Specifically, I am thinking of committees to engage the following groups;

- a committee for North Amaranth comprised of residents living near or around the Town of Shelburne to discuss issues specific to them and their area, how council can better serve and how Amaranth can work with the Town of Shelburne to provide better level of service to Amaranth residents within this area.

- a committee for South Amaranth that will be comprised of residents from rural Amaranth and will aim to engage residents from Laurel and the McKibbon/Hughson/Crago Rd subdivision.

- an Amaranth Youth committee which will aim to engage residents ranging in age from 15 - 25 years old.

- an Amaranth Senior Advisory Committee to help provide input to the Township on programming and supports for seniors and other services that the Township can provide to help keep seniors in their homes as long as possible.

This is not an exhaustive list and would be subject to interest. This is simply some suggestions and final committees would be at the discretion of Council along with public input.

I have a long history of working with youth in the community. I have spent over 1,000 hours of my own time volunteering with youth at both a weekly sports drop in and as a volleyball coach with Laurelwoods Elementary School. I have also created youth spaces on new committees that I have formed.

This term I would aim to start a youth engagement committee for residents aged 15 - 25 to allow the youth of our community to provide input to council on initiatives and policies that are important to them.

Over the years with the record growth experienced with Dufferin County urban centers (Orangeville, Shelburne and Grand Valley), Amaranth has experienced and increase in through traffic which has been a burden on our roads as well as a safety concern due to speed. 

On top of ensuring that the site lines are good at all intersections and there is adequate signage, traffic calming etc, it is vital that Amaranth consider long term planning for traffic management. In my opinion there are two potentially major traffic issues that need to be addressed;

WALDEMAR TRAFFIC/DUFFERIN ROAD 109 ACCESS

I have a number of concerns with traffic in and around Waldemar. Top of the list are issues with speed along 10th Line/Mill Street and Station Street. I have been advocating for speed bumps in selected areas as traffic calming measures but have been getting push back from emergency services. Staff have installed signs but I still maintain that speed bumps will be more effective and will continue to push for those.

Additionally I have major concerns with the traffic impacts of a potential development of any size on the Sarah Property lands. These additional vehicles will not only exacerbate current problems with speed on Mill Street and Station Street but will increase the hazardous conditions at the intersection of 10th Line and 109. This intersection is dangerous with poor sight lines in all directions and no sufficient merge lanes. I have been in talks with County staff about making an upgraded access to 109 from the Sarah Properties development a condition of any future development. I would like to see traffic directed from that development away from Mill Street and the 10th line/109 access point to a better location with more suitable sight lines.

SHELBURNE BYPASS

The Town of Shelburne has long been pressing the Province to allow for a bypass to alleviate their traffic issues in downtown Shelburne. While I agree that Shelburne requires a solution to this issue, one of the main options presented without consultation with Amaranth was to create a truck bypass along 30 sideroad west to 4th line. This does not take into consideration the fact that there are two large residential developments along 30 sideroad with another currently being constructed and this will exacerbate current concerns those residents have with both the speed and volume of traffic going by their homes. 

I think it makes a lot more sense to route traffic north to Dufferin County Road 17 where they can then travel west before reconnecting to Highway 89 west of Amaranth. There are far less homes to pass there and that will take traffic well away from the Town of Shelburne.

We are very fortunate in Amaranth to have a number of park spaces available for community use. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a plan in place to set aside funds to maintain or improve these spaces. Council needs a plan in place to maintain and improve these spaces for the benefit of all residents of the Township.

Waldemar Parks Committee

Through a request from a local resident (Kerry Gillard), I was granted approval for form a Waldemar Parks Committee in 2017. A call for volunteers was issued in the Spring of 2017 and the Committee was formed and began working on a plan to improve the park. 

A report was submitted and presented to Council on April 18th, 2018 by the Committee and outlined a number of  proposed short, medium and long term goals were laid out. They included;

- Iimprove drainage along trail (completed)

- Replace playground mulch (completed)

- Trim trees along trail (completed)

- Remove some trees at the front of the property to improve sight lines from the road.

- The installation of a covered pavilion which could be used for a skating pad in the

winter and for community events in the Spring/Summer/Fall.

- Improvement of the parking area which would include expansion of the parking area

to the north by removing trees and filling a small area.

- Upgrade the backstop and fencing around the ball diamond.

- Additional facilities such as a baseball net and a beach volleyball court.

- Surrounding the play structure with rubberized material

The report even provided cost estimates and suggestions for grants that could be applied for. Unfortunately there has never been Council buy in for park improvements. 

The entire report can be viewed starting on page 17 on the April 18, 2018 Agenda below;

 https://calendar.amaranth.ca/council/Detail/2018-04-18-1900-April-18-2018-Council-Meeting/1a83582c-f06f-4349-98c2-a8c1010e5edb 

Northern Parks Committee

During the current term of Council, Councilor Niedzwiecki and I attempted to start a similar committee to address the needs of residents in the northern part of the Township. Unfortunately there was  not enough interest to form a committee. If elected I will attempt to create a committee again to address the needs of residents in and around Devonleigh subdivision,  Amaranth Country Estates and Sylvanwood Estates. 

Funding for Park Improvements

Creating vibrant public spaces requires funding. In Waldemar I have negotiated a $140,000 payment from the developer of the Farmstead subdivision in exchange for a reduced park space within that subdivision which I will propose should be utilized for Park improvements. In addition, I have also negotiated over $30,000 in additional funding of cash and in-kind contributions for improvements to the Waldemar Park.

Similarly, I negotiation a significant cash payment from the developer of Primrose Estates on the north side of 30 sideroad at Mono-Amaranth Townline in exchange for a reduced park space in their development. I will propose that this money be set aside for park improvements in that area. Specific improvements will be sought from the public but some suggestions include a basketball court that can be used for skating in the winter and a trail connection to Fiddle Park so that people can safely walk or bike into Shelburne without having to utilize the busy roads.

Parks are very important for the physical and mental well being of all residents and needs to be prioritized.