Survey Monkey... A way to have your say at MOK!

Survey One: About the number of councillors and if electing a mayor is a good idea

A marketing consultant in Bedford is conducting a random telephone survey of County residents over the next month. Residents are being urged to cooperate if called. About 300 responses will be registered by the consultants. 

All residents have an opportunity to provide opinions on the say types of questions... number of councillors, if Warden or Mayor leadership is best.

The Survey can be found if you follow this link at Survey Monkey... a free online survey service.

The survey takes about 5-minutes.

Regional Governance Study for Kings County

Hot on the heels of news about discussion opening between the Chair of the Village Commission of New Minas and the Mayors of Kentville and Wolfville, the Warden of the County finally brought forward a timeline for the stalled study of regional governance. 

During Kings Partnership Steering Committee discussions it was decided that the study should be stalled until the province released its third year of fiscal condition data for municipalities across the province. That data was released almost one year ago. It showed the Town of Berwick's fiscal condition is the least robust among the four municipalities of Kings County.

Fiscal Condition Kings County.

Fiscal Condition Town of Berwick.

Fiscal Condition Town of Kentville.

Fiscal Condition Town of Wolfville.

It was a pleasant surprise at the October 1, 2015, Special Council meeting, to see the Warden move an addition to the agenda that introduced motions putting the study back into play. Prior attempts by other councillors had been rebuffed. I'm looking forward to seeing terms of reference by January 1, 2016, and having this necessary work proceed in the new year. To date, there has been 2-years of unnecessary delay.

Chronicle Herald article on Kings County Regional Governance Study.

A $10.76 Million Municipal Complex Defeated

A motion that would have seen 10.76 million dollars spent on a new municipal complex was defeated on September 1, 2015. Three councillors, the Warden and Deputy Warden voted for the expenditure (Best, Brothers, Ennis, Hirtle, Lloyd). Four voted against (Bishop, MacQuarrie, Raven, Winsor) and one abstained (Atwater). Six positive votes were required for this motion to pass. 

Councillor Atwater's eleventh hour doubt on his ability to decide whether to support this poorly founded motion is to thank for its defeat. His withdrawal from the horseshoe provided the opportunity we now have to find a better solution. 

Emails, meetings, and phone calls continue. Some discussion indicates that the motion was not so much defeated as stalled. I want to be clear that, for me, the overall project as it was envisioned, with its close to 11 million dollar cost, is now permanently past tense. I believe any attempt to rejig motions to allow the project to move forward, as was done directly following its defeat, would be unethical. District 3 constituents, as well as other constituents I have heard from are glad the motion was defeated.

I have many questions that need to be answered before the needed relocation project can be re-envisioned. I trust that we will now be going back to the drawing board. A workshop, unfortunately to be held behind closed doors, is scheduled for this Wednesday afternoon. A special council meeting is scheduled for September 22 to deal with the municipal complex dilemma.

Meanwhile, I have been assured that we have no contractual or verbal agreements that would place the county at risk if, or when, we move entirely away from the current project.

Council needs to set fresh goals aimed at a solution to our relocation problem. What was placed before us is best understood, despite the significant work that went into it, as a rush job. The hurry, hurry mantra we were under blurred the vision of too many and was not in the public's best interest. 

Below are some of the things I believe councillors need to have clearer answers to, if council is make a decision that can be defended to our bosses, you, the people of Kings County. 

With the September 1, motion behind us, we are now positioned to use the winter months to work towards a build that can start next spring. We can reset timelines by adding the extra 6-months permitted by the province for an exit date from our current location. That will provide a full year (April 1, 2016, to April 1, 2017) to complete the build. We will have the advantage and cost savings of a summer season building schedule to help the work along. 

Several things are on my mind right now...

Location
1. Do we continue looking at building on the land in Coldbrook or do we re-examine the tenets upon which that decision was supported? (I have received strong support from many constituents for keeping the municipal offices in Kentville).

• Council was, at least this particular councillor was, left with the impression that there was a $45,000 cost avoidance if we moved out of Kentville... In other words, we needed to be in the county because we shouldn't pay "taxes to the town". But now I'm hearing that the annual costs are much less than $45,000 and that the annual bills for our current location are largely tied to the rent paid by the Department of Justice. An accurate detailed description of "county payments to the town" could remove a key cost barrier to staying in Kentville. 
• Council was, I think, left with the impression that there was not a suitable piece of land available in downtown Kentville. That too appears to no longer be the case.
• Council was told it was too late to jointly address the need for new space for the regional library and the municipal complex. But the opportunity to revisit that appears possible.

2. Our public works and economic development staff have yet to weigh in on where the best location is from the perspective of:

• Limiting the distance that needs to be traveled to access or provide municipal services for most residents, businesses and staff. 
• Supporting economic development of our region.

3. A last location question can be asked from a regional planning perspective. Where should a new complex be built if a decision is made in the years immediately ahead to form a regional government (as more municipalities in our province are now doing)?

Affordability/Setting a Budget
4. The question of how much the county can truly afford to invest in a new municipal complex has yet to be answered satisfactorily
5. Are there any investments in a new municipal complex that could be made at this time to help increase future economic development opportunities? For example, should the small business hub being called for by entrepreneurs and small businesses be included at the complex?
6. What would the cost implications (likely savings) be if we co-located with the regional library?

Net Zero Energy Goal
7. I would like to hear directly from experts in the "green energy" sector about the pros and cons of building to the Net Zero standard, in 2016, in Nova Scotia. For example, what are the possible maintenance costs for such systems over a 20-year period or the costs of operation relative to energy savings?My initial reaction is to be very attracted by Net Zero, and the prospect of a federal Green Municipal Fund grant to offset its costs, but as discussions in the community have continued it is clear we need to know more.

We now have an amazing opportunity, presented to us when Wayne left the horseshoe, to give this project the sober, second thought it deserves. 

Councillor Atwater has proven, again, to be no-one's dummy. For that, I'm thankful.

Centreville Park Update

Last night we gathered at 6 PM at the park with a mission to lay sod around the perimeter of the new playgrounds. 

This was the finishing touch to a large playground project that couldn't have been completed on time and on a limited budget without an extraordinary squad of community volunteers. Official Opening is August 22.

The donation of valuable time and skills was crucial to success every step along the way. It's beautiful. It's well-used. It's a testament to the "yes we can" attitude of this amazing community. 

A few yards of sod short? No problem. Evan Smith (on vacation) will go pick the remainder up with his truck and lay it today. Can't let vacation time get in the way of helping. Today's rain afterall is a bonus that is helping make the new sod happy!

Installing this playground was a key part of the park's renewal project. This project started with community consultations by recreation students from Acadia. Next project will be on stream soon... An outdoor learning centre, new bathrooms, and a brand new trail from the parking lot to link all the new amenities together. While the playground project drew minimally, but thankfully, on municipal funds, the next will be completed with a zero draw on property tax dollars. Well done Centreville!

August 1 Fundraiser at My Home Raised $1821

 “Colour Us Green” Backgrounder

The Project

This community-based, action-oriented project has been several months in the making and is currently underway. It aims to create positive environmental change in the small, tight knit community of Meadowview and beyond. Meadoview is nestled between a regional hospital, the Cornwallis River and a closed landfill site.

For decades Meadowview hosted the “dump” that served both town and county residents. This resilient community of just under 100 homes was so often littered with garbage falling from trucks or retrieved by residents for scrap that it was the subject of ridicule and slurs. The dump was closed in the 90s. Subsequently, contaminated water created the need for the installation of public water system and household wells were abandoned. The community has steadily rebuilt.

Now, twenty years on the community has launching its Colour Us Green initiative. The goals include: finding ways to economically green the area's homes; its community centre; as well as studying the feasibility of transforming the 20-acre brownfield site created by the landfill closure into a green energy generator.

The Partnerships

This work has been launched by the Meadowview Community Development Association and in partnership with:

1. The Clean Foundation;
2. The Nova Scotia Community College; and
3. The staff of the Municipality of the County of Kings

The Expected/Potential Results

1. A rewarding and very relevant work term placement for a student in the Nova Scotia Community College's Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program.
2. Recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Meadowview Community Development Association regarding how best to green its 100-year old building that operates as a busy community centre.
3. A feasibility study that will determine the economics and steps required to use a 20-plus acre landfill as a site for a solar energy farm. Biogas will also be examined although it is unlikely that the site produces enough methane to be viable as a green energy source.
4. Creating the possibility of a large economic development opportunity for the community and county through the transformation of a brownfield site. While this large acreage's life as a dump is long gone, and surrounding properties have greatly improved, some stigma lingers. Economic development in the community of any scale would be welcome; however, establishing a green energy site would have the advantage of introducing an initiative of significant scope that could launch the first large green economy initiative for Kings County.

The People and what they say about “Colour Us Green”

Joe Benjamin, President of the Meadowview Development Association:

“This project will focus positive attention on our community and could result in a large economic project in the years ahead. Our goal is to bring much needed jobs to our corner of the county. It's a huge bonus that these jobs could put us on the green economy map for Nova Scotia or even the Maritimes. That would be a big step up for us because after all these years we are still often identified with the many negatives of being neighbours to the landfill site.”

Ryan Ferdinand, NSCC ESET Student, is a recent graduate of Environmental Science, Mount Allison University:

“I enrolled in the ESET program at NSCC to gain skills I needed to become part of the green energy workforce. A central interest for me is how local communities can generate and use renewable energy locally, so this opportunity to have a job placement within a community development project of this scope is awesome.”

Dr. Wayne Groszko, NSCC Faculty in the Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program, key advisor for his student's work placement has been advising the community on its energy goals since the fall of 2014:

“At a first glance, we estimate that solar energy on the top of the closed landfill could supply the equivalent electricity needs of about 250 homes. This study will fill in the details of how much and how it could work.”

Pauline Raven, Municipal Councillor for District 3, is hosting of the August 1, Noon to Midnight, fundraising event. Rain date is August 2. This event addresses a funding gap for the project with any excess helping with green retrofits to the Meadowview Community Centre. She and her partner are looking forward to a steady turnout on August 1 at their 1494 Pereaux Road cottage in Delhaven. Raven introduced Dr. Groszko to the board members of the Meadowview Community Development Association after a discussion indicating an interest in exploring ways to “green” the community.

The Colour us Green project is a bold example of what the Ivany Report calls upon Nova Scotians to do---“Move the economic ball wherever they can.”

Playing it Forward

The project includes public presentations and discussions of the project and its results. The association plans to share its work on greening the community hall with other Kings County Hall Associations. Bullfrog Energy has expressed interest in helping the Development Association fund green energy upgrades.

The Meadowview Development Association is also supporting a Property Assessed Clean Energy initiative to make residential energy retrofits more accessible to lower-income households. This project was referred to the Municipality of the County of Kings Budget and Finance Committee. The association is waiting for recommendations to come to council chambers.

Clarification regarding potential suspension

Motions related to the suspension of myself and two other councillors from committees is in the media at the moment. I want to clarify, particularly for constituents of District 3, that should these motions pass they will not impact my community-based work.

My attendance at community and government meetings and committees related to key projects I work on with you were never "council committees" and never were eligible for travel reimbursement. These projects are where I mostly connect with residents. I truly appreciate and enjoy this work and it will continue as needed regardless of whatever attempts the majority block at council take to curb my connections with community. Some of this work includes:

• The new wharf at Halls Harbour;
  
• Speed limits in Centerville;
  
• Centreville Playground;
  
• Centreville Days;
  
• A new crosswalk and crossguard program for Aldershot Elementary;
  
• The feasability study for a solar farm at the Meadowview Landfill site (and other clean energy initiatives);
  
• Choices for Youth
  
• Retrofitting of social housing;
  
• Strengthening protection for agricultural land;
  
• Etc.
  

On the other hand, the council committees I serve on and could apparently be suspended from are: 

• Kings Transit; 
  
• Grandview Manor; and 
  
• The Joint Fire Services Committee that works to coordinate the work of the Kentville Volunteer Fire Department on behalf of Kings County and Town of Kentville residents.
  

For those of you interested in the details of these disciplinary motions that were placed on all Councillors' desk (for us to discover upon arrival at the Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 7) read on.

There is also some background information below that was received from the CAO about 2-hours prior to council.

As the night progressed the motions weren't addressed. The Warden decided that in the interest of the shortness of time available on July 7 they would be dealt with at a subsequent meeting.

If the motions had come forward I would have raised a Point of Order asking Warden Brothers to declare the motions out of order. In effect regardless of whether in practice, procedure or law these motions have a solid footing, they are best understood as yet another bullying tactic to silence dissent within lead by those who, in my opinion, appear bent on having democracy run amuck!

The Motions

"Council suspends the appointment of Councillors Bishop, Councillor Winsor, and Councillor Raven from all committees for six months effective immediately."
"Council prohibits Councillor Bishop, Councillor Winsor and Councillor Raven from submitting travel claim expenses for any meetings or conferences that they attend except for attendance at Council meetings effective immediately."

CAO's Background Info

Council has passed the following motion: "To direct the CAO to bring back a plan by September to go forward to react to the issue of Councillor walk-out." Given the time challenges that we are facing this evening with the inclusion of a Public Hearing and a Public Engagement Session in addition to Council, I am providing this email as an update (which will be repeated at Council this evening). I have spoken with our former Municipal Advisor, now Executive Director I believe, and we discussed the matter.  He agreed that the options available for Council include removing councilors from committees and not permitting travel expenses for meetings and conferences (outside of council meetings). Given that Council appoints members to committees, Council has the authority to remove members from committees.  Likewise, as Council approves travel to expenses for attendance at meetings, conferences, etc, Council can not approve those expenses. Any plan going forward would involve a decision of Council and, if any action is to be taken, then it appears that the options are to: suspend committee appointments and prohibit reimbursement claims for travel. The Walkout The walkout occurred on June 16 and was aimed at delaying a decision to purchase land in Coldbrook. Three of us excused ourselves from the in camera proceeding. That left only five councillors present and nixed the possibility of a vote.

This delay tactic was aimed at sober second thought on the pending decision. Our "antics" did not sit well with Warden Brother's apparent voting block of six on this particular matter. While Atwater, the sixth and crucial vote, was absent, he was available to return and vote two days later. That day became one of reckoning. Deputy Warden Hirtle, read a long, prepared vengeful speech and called for financial punishment of the councillors who had delayed the vote. Why a decision on the potential purchase of the Coldbrook land from Loblaws could not wait two weeks until council's regular meeting is still puzzling to me. But what seems clear is the lack of room in this county's governance's style for transparency, public engagement, and evidence based decision making. As always, do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or comments. I can be reached at 902.670.2949.

Potential Relocation of Civilian Airport to 14-Wing Greenwood Delayed

After 2-hours of in-camera discussions at the July 2, 2015, special council meeting the Warden would permit only one motion­:

“That Council direct the Warden, Deputy Warden and Chief Administrative Officer to meet with the representatives from Waterville Airport Cooperative Limited and the Freedom Aviation Society to discuss the temporary relocation of aircraft from the Waterville Airport to the Digby Annapolis Regional Airport and to report back to council as soon as possible.”

After this motion passed I sought permission to put another motion on the floor but this was blocked by the Warden. Given that the majority of councillors do not question the wishes of the Warden, it would have been unlikely that this motion would have succeeded but the motion I saw as necessary was:

“That, in the event that the date for the purchase of Waterville airport lands by Michelin be pushed further into the future, Council direct the Chief Administrative Officer to bring a recommendation to council regarding an extension of the date of closure for the Waterville airport.”

Councillors, or at least this councillor, entered this in-camera session without any prior information about the several items and updates to be shared. Council was also without the benefit of legal counsel during the in-camera meeting.

Residents deserve a public discussion of the current status of the airport relocation project. This needs to include information regarding the status of the Michelin purchase, the delays and/or potential at 14-Wing Greenwood, and any other items those with first hand knowledge of our current municipal airport deem necessary. 

My opinion is the time to look at sites other than 14-Wing Greenwood for the relocation of a municipal airport is well overdue. Kings County is letting the economic development that other municipalities enjoy through the presence of civilian airports to pass it by. 

We seem to have completely lost sight of the fact that an independent study showed beyond a doubt that our municipal airport at Waterville was a significant generator of jobs, that it provided aviation training for youth and residents, that it was a draw to the area for new businesses, that it provided service to existing businesses. Overall, it had great value to the Kings County economy. 

While the relocation was tied to an expansion of Michelin we need to create a win-win by halting our neglection of the pressing need for a stellar civilian airport for the Kings County. Perhaps we should be talking to West Hants about a partnership as all indications point to the need for a site within a 1-hour or less drive from Halifax.

Reporter Kirk Starratt has posted this article regarding the July 2 meeting.