Oxford Council in Change Mode Tonight
Negotiations with unionised staff at Town Hall are moving along well, according to Oxford’s Chief Administrative Officer. A proposal brought to council by Linda Cloney outlying changes to vacation time, overtime pay, and wage increases for the next three years, tied to the Canadian Price Index (CPI) was unanimously endorsed by Council.
CAO Cloney asked Council to consider changing the scheduled Monday night meetings for the Regular Council Meeting and the Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting, with a proposal to look at Wednesday as the preferred day of the week.
Cloney noted this would give staff more time to prepare the council package with three business days’ advance delivery to councillors and the public.
Switching to Wednesday would also make it less likely that a meeting would need to be rescheduled due to holidays, which often result in Mondays being unavailable. Council approved the proposal unanimously.
Every October in a non-election year, Council is required to elect its Deputy Mayor for the next year.
Councillor Arnold MacDonald was acclaimed in the position for another term, which will end in the fall of 2024, with the election of a new council.
Cloney suggested it’s a good time for folks to think about potentially offering as candidates for the 2024 municipal election. She encouraged those interested to contact the Town for information, and to reach out to existing councillors for helpful information on what being a town councillor entails.
Rounding out the evening on a positive note, Council approved waiving building permit fees for the much-anticipated Community Centre.
A Development permit has been issued, but given that municipalities are not exempt from building permits, the Town would typically expect a project of this size to bring in a few thousand dollars’ in building permit fees. Councillor Paul Jones put the motion to the floor to waive those fees, receiving unanimous support from his fellow councillors.
This is one more step on the way to breaking ground for Oxford’s new Community Centre, which has been in the planning and fundraising process for over two years.
To be located on the former grounds of the Oxford Regional High School, it will replace the Oxford Lions’ Community Centre that existed at Salt Lake, near the entrance to the town from the Trans-Canada highway.
That facility was unexpectedly lost to the community due to the sudden appearance of a massive sinkhole on the property in the summer of 2018.
While private and provincial funding has been secured for the facility, an anticipated allocation of funding from the Federal government is still pending.
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