59 Carden St.

How they voted

posted by Nicole

(councillor Maggie Laidlaw was absent)

On approving a Brownsfield Redevelopment Grant Request for 288-290 Woolwich Street, vacant since 1992 when a gas station closed. The property is to be developed residential and the maximum allowable grant is $199,981.80,
passed 10-2 (councillors Kovach and Billings against)

On the bylaw and policy banning body-gripping animal traps, and the bylaw also being named Harper's bylaw after the dog that died in a trap two years ago.
unanimous

On an official plan amendment, zoning and draft plan of subdivision for the Southgate Industrial Business Park.
unanimous

On approving the response letter to the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Natural Resources regarding correspondence about the Dolime Quarry operation. This included updated information from the MOE wanting to stop excavating while new mapping information is studied.
unanimous

On the downtown Via Rail location being the preferred future GO Transit site.
unanimous

How they voted, budget edition

Posted by Magda
That staff talk to the province about regaining the $1.45 million in cut funding: 13-0

That staff discuss social services funding the with county, and do an operational review of that department: 13-0

Give an extra $25,000 to a coalition of neighbourhood groups: 13-0

To allow overnight, on-street parking between May 1 and Oct. 31: 10-3, with Farbridge, Farrelly, Bell, Beard, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Burcher, Piper and Wettstein voting for; and Billings, Findlay and Kovach voting against

Add an extra $200,000 to the police budget, earmarked for two traffic officers: 4-9, with Bell, Kovach, Piper and Billings voting for and Farbridge, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Burcher and Wettstein voting against

Remove a proposed communications coordinator from the budget: 5-8, with Bell, Findlay, Kovach, Piper and Billings voting for and Farbridge, Farrelly, Beard, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Burcher and Wettstein voting against

Remove the arts and culture supervisor: 3-10, with Farrelly, Kovach and Billings voting for and Farbridge, Bell, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Burcher, Piper and Wettstein voting against

Remove a real estate appraiser and negiotiator: 3-10 with Farrelly, Kovach and Billings voting for and Farbridge, Bell, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Burcher, Piper and Wettstein voting against

Give ARC industries $40,000 a year for two years to offset development charges on their new building: 13-0

Add $100,000 to the sidewalk budget: 3-10, with Bell, Laidlaw and Piper voting for

Add $50,000 to the sidewalk budget: 4-9, with Bell, Laidlaw, Salisbury and Piper voting for

Remove free downtown parking: 4-9, with Bell, Farrelly, Kovach, Billings voting for

Approve the city's operating budget: 12-1, with Kovach voting against

Approve the city's use fees and transfers to and from reserve funds: 13-0

Tell the county the amount the city is paying into social services is being cut by a bit over 1%: 11-2, with Bell and Farrelly voting against

Approve the city's capital budget: 11-2, with Billings and Kovach voting against

How they voted

Posted by Magda
Here's a rundown of the non-unanimous votes from last night's council meeting:

Create a steering committee to explore "the future direction and opportunities" of Guelph Hydro -- including mergers
For: Bell, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Piper, Wettstein, Farbridge
Against: Kovach, Billings

Start an air monitoring program to keep track of pollution especially around the Hanlon Expressway
For: Bell, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Piper, Wettstein, Farbridge
Against: Farrelly, Salisbury, Kovach, Billings

Defer the addition of more than 1,900 homes to the heritage register until February
For: 7 councillors
Against: Piper, Hofland

Continue sidewalk plowing
For: Bell, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Kovach, Billings, Wettstein, Farbridge
Against: Piper

That staff review and recommend improvements to the city's governance framework in each term of council
For: Bell, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Piper, Billings, Wettstein, Farbridge
Against: Kovach

Restructure the city's committees so they are overseen by a governance committee
For: Bell, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Piper, Wettstein, Farbridge
Against: Kovach, Billings

That meetings only be extended once past the 11pm end time, to 11:59 pm
For: Bell, Farrelly, Beard, Findlay, Hofland, Laidlaw, Salisbury, Piper, Wettstein, Billings, Farbridge
Against: Kovach

How they voted

Posted by Magda
It was back to business at city hall tonight, after a quiet month.

Here's a rundown of how councillors voted at tonight's planning meeting:

Approve Morning Crest subdivision, at 340 Eastview Rd. (read about this in the paper tomorrow): 11-0 (Karl Wettstein and Lise Burcher were absent)

Approve two subdivisions at 596 and 700 Victoria Rd. N. and 595 Victoria Rd. N. (read about this in today's paper): 11-0

Authorize the treasurer to secure $10 million of debt for a term not exceeding ten years: 11-0

How they voted

Posted by Magda
I haven't been very good about posting vote breakdowns. But here's how things went tonight -- at least until I had to leave the meeting to get my story in on time.

Motions that weren't unanimous:

• Direct staff to develop a policy for capital projects based on, among other things, establishing that debt servicing costs stay below 10% of the net revenue fund revenues: 10-3, with Billings, Bell and Kovach voting against
• Ask city staff to keep tax increases to a minimum: 3-10, with Billings, Bell and Kovach voting for
• Have council meeting to set priorities for capitol expenditures: 4-9, with Billings, Bell, Farrelly and Kovach voting against
• Have a council meeting to discuss a pay as you go policy for capitol expenditures, meaning buildings would be built from money that's been saved up, rather than from debt: 3-10, with Billings, Bell, Kovach voting against
• Council meet to set a reduced guideline for the 2009 budget: 3-10, with Billings, Bell and Kovach voting against
• Have the Wilson parking garage consultant come up with a conceptual design for a smaller and cheaper garage without underground parking: 2-10 (I was watching on tv by this time, and missed who voted how)

Unanimous votes:

• Approve audited financial statements for 2007: 13-0
• Start a reserve fund for ambulance service -- all ambulance surplus will be kept there, and used only to fund ambulance: 13-0
• Start a similar reserve fund to replace buses: 13-0
• Ask staff to look at when the hydro note needs to be monetized, and how to phase out putting interest from it in the operating budget: 13-0
• Authorize staff to start a growth plan for transit, and ask Wellington County to get involved: 13-0
• Direct staff to put in traffic lights on Edinburgh between Rickson and Kortright to help children get to Rickson Ridge Public School: 13-0
• Allow the Guelph Chamber of Commerce to serve alcohol during a softball tournament Aug. 23: 13-0
• Continue the taxi stand pilot project to May 2009: 13-0
• Reduce the speed limit on Eastview from Summit Ridge to the city limits from 80 to 60 km/h
• Put aside money for a mini soccer pitch in Mcalister Park: 13-0
• Move ahead with the water and wastewater plan, including trying to recapture heat from wastewater: 13-0
• Give the UG an exemption from the noise bylaw for frosh week: 13-0
• Approve a new policy for hiring the CAO: 13-0
• Approve a particular investigator to conduct meeting investigations: 13-0
• Start an emergency governance committee to keep the city going in case at least seven council members can't function because of illness or otherwise, for instance during a pandemic: 13-0
• Stop reading bylaws aloud at council: 13-0

How they voted

Posted by Magda
I've long been meaning to regularly put up vote breakdowns from council meetings. It's a bit of work -- can't promise I'll always do it. But here's the agenda for tonight's Guelph Junction Railway annual meeting (it's a pdf), and here's how councillors voted:

• Approve railway's financial statements: 13-0
• Appoint Deloitte and Touche as railway's auditors: 13-0
• Accept a bylaw governing the railway: 13-0
• Staggering appointments to the railway's board to reflect one-, two- and three-year appointments: 13-0

(The image is from the Guelph Junction Railway's Ontario Southland Railway website.)