By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Chatham-Kent council won’t be taking its show on the road.
At a recent meeting, council turned down the idea of hosting meetings in wards outside Chatham in a 11-6 vote.
The plan would have seen the first meeting take place in Blenheim next spring, with subsequent meetings held in the outlying communities each spring and fall for the remainder of council’s term.
The estimated cost of holding meetings offsite was $23,000 to be paid for in a one-time draw from Strategic Reserves.
South Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci said that while he understood that inclusivity was behind the idea, he couldn’t see spending $23,000 to do it.
“I just feel that from a cost perspective and time perspective I won’t be supporting the recommendations that are included in the report,” Ceccacci said.
The councillor said he would rather have money set aside to hold an open house or public information meetings if a challenging issue arises in a particular ward.
West Kent Coun. Melissa Harrigan agreed, echoing Ceccacci’s comment that the municipality’s upgraded social media presence is providing opportunity for engagement.
Mayor Darrin Canniff said he brought the issue forward as it was something that was uncompleted in council’s last term, asking administration to provide an update report on the matter.
“I felt obligated to bring it back again given that we didn’t finish that mandate,” Canniff said, admitting there is a cost and logistics to consider when hosting meetings away from the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre.
“Bottom line we have to look at, is there a benefit to it,” Canniff said.
Chatham Coun. Michael Bondy asked why the issue wasn’t brought forward during budget discussions and why the money would be taken from reserves.
Council heard from chief financial officer Gord Quinton, who said the project was a one-time ask from the current council and would be brought back before the next term if they wanted to adopt the practice.
The idea of holding meetings in all of Chatham-Kent’s wards was approved by the previous council. In 2019, as part of a pilot project council held its first community council meeting in Tilbury.
But then the pandemic occurred and the notion was shelved.
