Pengally Bay Ratepayers Association representative Bob Weir spoke up about Carling Township’s communication with community members and asked for more transparency on matters related to governance in his presentation to council on Aug. 13.
He spoke of the discontinuation of live streamed meetings, proposed a finance committee and suggested more recreational events.
What the association is asking for
Weir said the township can improve the planning process and the quality of life within the municipality if council works on three main items — communications, finance and recreation.
“During the last election, every one of you said communication was a top priority, and ratepayers tell us they want to see more detailed and frequent communications … Carling contributes to regional services, but residents received few or any updates on them.
“In particular, talking about the library and museum, we hear afterwards that there might be a great exhibit at the museum, but we don’t even know — Carling pays for those services. Why aren’t we advertising that?” said Weir.
Weir also brought up the fact that council meetings are no longer livestreamed. Community members could contact the municipality and request a Zoom link to attend council until a few months ago. Now, Zoom links are no longer provided, and video recordings are posted days after the meeting on the township’s website.
Weir said that creating a regular newsletter — two or three times a year — with all the information the community needs to know about events, things to do and news regarding the municipality would be appreciated by ratepayers.
As the municipality grows and more people come to the area, Weir pointed out the township needs to work on more revenue sources — such as development charges or user fees — and not rely entirely on ratepayers. Weir also said creating a finance committee could “help out” the township in the budget process.
“It could save you time — you don’t have to analyze things in detail. They (the finance committee) would see what a good project is, and you’d be a lot more comfortable approving things,” said Weir.
In his last point, Weir said that community events in the municipality are “limited” and recommended investigating ways to diversify the activities available to community members — most of whom are an older population.
“There are limited events out there, limited communication … We see the community hub as a great facility, but underutilized and could be used more,” said Weir.
Council’s response
Some council members expressed their appreciation for Weir’s comments and highlighted the efforts made by the municipality.
“Thank you for putting our feet to the fire … Maybe we have dropped the ball in some of the things you’ve talked about, but we have started a lot of them. We’ve spoken about changing our structure for finance, and we’ve done a newsletter, but we’re due for at least another one,” said Coun. Pam Wing.
Mayor Susan Murphy said that events in the municipality rely entirely on volunteers taking the time to organize different activities — making sure these events are carried out is often outside the hands of the municipality.
Murphy added that there is “a lot to unpack” from Weir’s delegation and said council will look into having a public meeting to discuss these matters.