Richmond Hill Council Meeting Wednesday May 26th at 9:30am
View agenda here and Livestream here
Meeting Recap
At the start of the meeting Acting Mayor Joe DiPaola stated that he does not want the additional compensation while covering Mayor Barrow's absence so therefore wanted to remove the item from the agenda as it was no longer required but Council voted (tied vote) and the motion to remove the compensation item failed so remained on the agenda
When the compensation item came forward Councillor Muench added a part b asking that Mayor Barrow convey his intention either retire or give a date for his return. The motion below as written passed.
On February 24th Council did authorize Mayor Barrow's absence for an undetermined length of time so why are they now pushing him for a return date?
"That as a result of Council’s authorization of Mayor Barrow’s absence, and for greater certainty, Mayor Barrow’s seat on Richmond Hill Council shall not become vacant under Section 259 of the Municipal Act, 2001 if he is absent from meetings of Council for more than three consecutive months."
Council did approve the final Community Energy and Emissions Plan and the Climate Change Toolkit
Items of Interest include:
Council Compensation – Remuneration when a Member of Council is Acting Mayor for an extended period of time - Read Staff Report here
Normally when an employee is placed in an acting role for an extended period of time their compensation is automatically adjusted to reflect the increased responsibilities of their new role.
Final Community Energy and Emissions Plan
That Council approve the final Community Energy and Emissions Plan “Richmond Hill’s Path to a Low-Carbon Future”.
The Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP) is a community plan to reduce our GHG emissions and promote related economic benefits by outlining Richmond Hill’s pathway to a low-carbon future.
In conjunction with the corporate Climate Change Framework, the CEEP was initiated under the “Resilient Richmond Hill” program to develop a coordinated approach to addressing climate change through mitigation and adaptation and is largely focused on improving the resiliency of community and corporate assets through climate mitigation.
Climate Change Toolkit
It was identified that there is a need to bring more people into climate action in ways that are inclusive and accessible; that speaks to the specifics of Richmond Hill and could be used to reach out to its diverse communities, using their knowledge level and lifestyle as a starting point.
The output is a community outreach toolkit, ‘A guide to talking to people in your life about climate change’.
See below if you want to make or submit any comments regarding the agenda items.
Public Comments: The public may submit written correspondence regarding agenda matters by email to clerks@richmondhill.ca. Written correspondence must be submitted by 12 p.m. Tuesday May 25th.
Electronic Delegations: The public may apply to appear as an electronic delegation by video conference or by telephone. Applications to appear as an electronic delegation must be submitted by 12 p.m. Tuesday May 25th by email to clerks@richmondhill.ca or by using the on-line form. The Office of the Clerk will provide instructions on appearing as an electronic delegation.
Public Forum: Any person who wishes to speak to Council on a matter not on the agenda must pre-register with the Office of the Clerk by 12 p.m. Tuesday May 25th by email to clerks@richmondhill.ca or by using the on-line form. Public Forum will be by video conference via the internet or telephone only. A maximum of five persons will be allowed to register for the Public Forum on a first come first serve basis.