Monday, December 20, 2010

Town Council Meeting- December 20th 2010

I went to the second Council meeting with our new Mayor and Council.

Well, I guess I'll start with the bad news: there is a POSSIBILITY that our water bills are going to be increased by 33% next year. The actual figures will not be known until March, so the final decision will not be made until that time. Mayor Morley has instructed the Office Staff to send out a notice of the Possible increase.

Our Fire Chief Dennis Mackie was in attendance to give a department head report. Our department is in need of Firefighters. Spread the Word! FYI, you have to be 18 years old to join, but they do have a youth program for anyone who is under 18 and is interested in joining the department.

We have 4 new members on the Library Board: Dan Boggess, Cheryl Dane, Heidi Quinn, and Nel Dalcin. Morley is the Township representative on the Board.

Paul has suggested that Council use the Jackfish Journal to keep the Citizens of Hornepayne updated on the Township happenings. Paul get's my big "A+" this meeting! Sue quickly came up with a name for the article "Councilor's Corner", and all agreed with her suggestion. It was also decided that Willy would write the articles.

Willy would like to see each member of Council oversee a department within the Township. In the past they functioned in this system; some years it worked well and other years it did not. The topic of "micromanaging" was discussed, but Willy assured everyone that his intent is not to "micromanage" but to support the department heads.
Sue informed Council of the 5 departments that were used in the past. They were:
  1. Recreation
  2. Administration and Finance
  3. Public Works Department
  4. Health and Safety
  5. Economic Development
Heather was not in attendance at tonight's meeting, and Sue thought the decision should not be made without her input.
If they were to go ahead with this, it can be assumed who will fill each role. Paul would most likely oversee Rec; Morley- Admin and Finance; Willy- PWD; Heather- Health and Safety; Laureen- Economic Development. Seems like a perfect fit to me!

I'm really impressed with our New Mayor and Council. (I'm sure I said this already, but...) Morley seems to be a bold strong leader. He does not strike me as passive or a push over. It's my opinion so far, that he cares for Hornepayne and he's going to do his best to take care of us. In a time when it might feel like we've been taken advantage of in the past, Morley's strengths bring some comfort.

Nobody would argue that Paul is one of the kindest men around, and his heart is an asset to our community. (I could go on and on and on about Paul! ☺)

I've always had good things to say about Laureen. I think she is a good councilor because she is down to earth. She looks at a situation practically and is able to come up with practical solutions. She's not governed by her emotions and she's always looking for the facts. I also consider her to be a creative woman. She constantly keeps her center fresh and new, and I hope we see that pour into our Town.

I like Willy's overall attitude. I think he not only expects a job well done by the employees, but he wants to help them achieve that goal. I would have liked him around when I was employed by the Township.

The next meeting of Council is Monday January 10th, and it will be held down stairs in the Township Office.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

FIRST MEETING - December 6 2010

Our new leaders officially sat in their seats last night, and held their first council meeting.

Morley seems to be a natural leader. He kept the meeting flowing and clear. He added some humor. I don't think he will be tolerant of any B.S. and I pity the one who plans on trying!

He has already taken steps to move us forward. They passed a resolution to start acquiring information about the nuclear thing. DON'T FREAK OUT! They don't know if it's a good idea for Hornepayne or not, they're just moving forward to learn about it so they can form an opinion. They're not dragging Hornepayne into anything, but they're going to provide us with all the education they receive. We're all going to learn together, and we'll all have a chance to express our opinions. As it stands right now, Morley and Willy think it could be good, and Paul and Laureen have their reservations. Heather didn't let on to which way she was leaning.

The council meetings have been moved from Wednesdays to Mondays, and I think it's to accommodate Willy's work schedule. He was unable to commit to our local committees for the same reason. His mechanical experience gives him an understanding of the Public Works Department, and he started asking questions about their operations. He asked many questions through out the whole meeting; I don't think he's in the B.S. business either. ☺

Paul was appointed to form the new recreation committee. He will sit on it as the Town representative. This is an exciting thing for recreation IMO, but I'm sure most will agree!

Laureen got the ball rolling for our future plan. She has asked for a meeting to be scheduled in March that will be devoted to future vision and goal setting. She gets a big "A+" from me!

The meeting was over 3 hours long.They had much to go through and they were learning the process as they went.

Well, we're off!!!