MELANCTHON OFFICIAL PLAN UPDATE

Last official plan update posted on the New Draft Official Plan link on the Township of Melancthons website: October 2010.

Not posted on the November 17, 2011 agenda, but contained in the November 17 minutes (posted AFTER the Dec 1 Council meeting) the following was included:

Announcements November 17 minutes:
Mayor Hill advised that he erred in his understanding regarding the Draft Official Plan and he thought it would be here for the November 17th meeting but it will be done by the end of November and be on the December 1st Council meeting agenda.

Read that again...."but it will be done by the end of November and be on the December 1st Council meeting agenda."


And true to Mayor Hills word, on the December 1 agenda there under General Business, Item 11 number 5 Unfinished Business (2) is the item "Draft Official Plan". 

But there is no attachment with the agenda so ratepayers can see what the draft contains nor is there an update posted under the Draft Official Plan link (see opening paragraph).

Want to know why?

Well, the December 1, 2011 minutes (posted AFTER the December 15 meeting) show this little item:

Draft Official Plan ‐ the CAO advised that she had received an email from Jerry Jorden, 6 Township Planner advising that he is making substantial progress on the many revisions to the draft Plan, however, he is involved in another matter that has just scheduled an OMB hearing on January 4th and that means that much of the latter part of December will be taken up with preparations for the hearing. He advised that finalization of the plan is his highest priority and will have it available by mid December or by mid to late January.

Wonder of what year, but I digress.

And the Mayor stated the Draft would be on the December 1 agenda, but good Old Jer is explaining the last half of December will be taken up with another matter.  Why wasn't it finished by December 1 then?  Why wasn't it finished last December, or January, or February or March.....or anytime in the last FIVE FXXKING YEARS?

And here comes the transparency complaint.

"We will be as transparent as we can be....Mayor Bill Hill inaugural speech December 2, 2010"

Well that isn't entirely true.  They can be WAY more transparent, they choose not to be.  And they aren't even complying with the mandatory transparency rules as laid out.

Section 253(1) b. of the Municipal Act, 2001 provides:
Subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, any person may, at all reasonable times, inspect any of the records under the control of the clerk, including, minutes and proceedings of regular, special or committee meetings of the council or local board, whether the minutes and proceedings have been adopted or not;


So why aren't minutes, as soon as they are prepared, posted on the website.  Why must we wait sometimes 3 weeks to see what happened at a meeting?  This is NOT transparency.

The Highlands Quarry link has had nothing updated on it since July 7, 2011 yet recent minutes show an exchange of letters between Highlands and Council and now Council has decided to visit Highlands. 

And now the accountablity issue.

This sitting Council has been sworn in for over a year and we still have no Official Plan and none in the forseeable future.

This Council is accountable for the continued lack of an Official Plan that is in conformity with the PPS, and now Old Jer will be working hard to incorporate all those Source Water Protection criteria, wonder if he has even taken a look at that yet 

They are also accountable for payments to a planner who has continually product sweet dick all, well except some asisine report about plunking an industrial park on and adjacent to a wetland, next to the Melancthon dump site.