HomeMy WebLinkAboutAdmin 01-84CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NEWCASTLE
40 TEMPERANCE STREET
BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO
L1 C 3A6
REPORT TO THE GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
MEETING HELD JANUARY 3 1984
ADMIN. 84 - 1
SUBJECT: THE IMPACT OF THE NEW PLANNING ACT ON
COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL MEETINGS
RECOMMENDATIONS:
TELEPHONE 623-3379
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration
Committee recommend to Council the following:
1. That this report be received;
2. That the General Purpose and Administration Committee meeting time
be moved to 9 a.m. as opposed to 9:30 a.m.
3. That the agendas for the General Purpose and Administration Committee
meeting be reorganized into the following format:
1. Roll Call
2. Public meetings under the Planning Act
-3, Staff reports from Planning and Development
(lunch hour - resume at 1:00 p.m.)
5 Minutes of the previous meeting
�. Delegations
6. Staff Reports
i) Clerk
ii) Administrator
iii) Treasurer
iv) Fire Department
v) Community Services `
vi) Public Works
vii) Unfinished Business h'
viii) Adjournment
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BACKGROUND AND COMMENT:
At the December 5th 1983 General Purpose and Administration Committee
meeting, a request was made for the Administrator to investigate ways
and means of streamlining the system with respect to handling planning
matters under the new Planning Act.
The Planning Act requires that all persons being heard at the public
meetings be afforded a fair and reasonable opportunity to make represent-
ation. It is a judgement call that must be made by the chairman of the
meeting with respect to what constitutes a fair and reasonable opportunity.
It is being suggested that in order to accommodate the new Act, that
the agenda be slightly altered, requiring first an earlier starting time
and secondly, the segregation of the Planning matters to the morning
part of the agenda. This would not preclude Council from dealing with
other matters should the length of time required for the public meeting
collapse to something less than the time alloted. This is why we
are suggesting the alteration of the agenda, so that the Clerk and
Administrator's reports could be dealt with right after the Planning
and Development reports. Should the occasion arise where it is not
required to use all of the morning time on Planning reports and public
meetings, we would then be able to utilize that time to deal with the
Clerk's and Administrator's reports.
At the same time by utilizing this approach, the Director of Public Works,
Treasurer, Director of Community Services and if required, the Fire Chief,
would be free to work in their offices until noon. While minimizing the
amount of time that senior staff are required at the General Purpose
and Administration Committee meetings, it should not lessen their value
to Committee members. As such, I would regard it as a far more cost
effective way of utilizing senior staff.
It should be noted that during the coming year staff will be introducing
from the Planning Department a new comprehensive zoning by-law which
should,in the long term, reduce the necessity for the current number of
amendments. The new by-law should, in the long term, reduce the
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ADMIN. 84 - 1 -3-
amount of time spent on public meetings. At the same time, the General
Purpose and Administration Committee structure seems to be working well
and as such, we should try to work within the system to accommodate the
new Planning Act. It should be noted that I have talked to a number
of other municipalities who are also finding it difficult to accommodate
the terms and conditions of the new Planning Act within meeting schedules.
Respectfully submitted,
Gam'/
DSJ:nof David Johnston, M.C.I.P.,
Chief Administrative Officer