Kudos to municipal council for revisiting and mostly reversing the decision to dump dust control on gravel roads in Chatham-Kent.
The initial decision alienated many rural residents, and contributed to several petitions circulating seeking communities separating from Chatham-Kent.
Hard surface replacement for gravel roads is the way to go. But getting there will take time. Suppressant is still needed.
While we are at it, thumbs up to Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy for bringing the matter back before council and believing they erred in their decision making.
Another pat on the back for Bondy for doing a little of his own research into how quickly suppressant could potentially be applied.
The Chatham representative took it upon himself to call a local trucking firm that does dust suppressant to ask if it could still be done this year. He was told yes.
However, other councillors jumped on Bondy, for taking it upon himself to ask about such things.
One councillor said the move circumvents the normal request for proposal process.
Poppycock.
What Bondy did was simply ask if it could be done. That is not procuring the company to do the work. It merely provided other councillors with more information.
Let’s also be frank here. If municipal administration wants to see council proceed in a particular direction, the reports are at times compiled with that slant in mind.
It happens at all levels of government. Bureaucracy outlasts its elected bosses, and can get so entrenched it can believe it is the boss.
Extra information is a good thing. Just remember to always follow the facts, not conjecture.
Oh, and an FYI to folks ticked off a rural councillor did not bring dust suppression back before council – most couldn’t. Seven councillors voted against the initial decision during 2025 budget deliberations.
That’s democracy at work. They expressed their view and voted for their constituents, and as a result were unable to force the matter back in front of council.
Looking beyond this incident, if a councillor could drag previous decisions they did not agree with back before council, the potential exists for meetings to turn into horrific versions of the movie “Groundhog Day.”
