The appointment of councillors to the town’s four executive committees has been postponed until Jan. 10 after Mayor Dan Onichuk withdrew his motion to make the appointments at Monday night’s regular meeting.
Some councillors had disagreed with the appointments as they stood at the Dec. 13 meeting, and the mayor now will be seeking their opinions on the proposed choices.
“It was my recommendation to table this item until Jan. 10,” Mayor Onichuk said after Monday night’s meeting.
“I have spoke with several councillors, and I’ve asked if they’d give me the indulgence of a little extra time to speak with the remaining councillors and get their input,” he added.
Meanwhile, the discussion of council representation on Rainycrest’s board of management did not continue at Monday night’s meeting because the motion made by Coun. Struchan Gilson last week to re-appoint representatives was deemed “out of order” and not consistent with the procedural bylaw, said Mayor Onichuk.
Mayor Onichuk added Coun. Gilson, as well as several other councillors, have been misinformed about what’s really been going on. “I intend to clarify it,” he vowed.
“I am confident the board members’ actions were appropriate and far exceeded the recommendations from council,” he noted.
Rainycrest’s board of management will be writing a letter explaining any decisions it has made so far, and what the reality of the situation is, said Mayor Onichuk.
This statement not only will be sent to members of council, but also to the Fort Frances Times for the public to read for themselves, he added.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 28, and Mayor Onichuk said the letter should be ready shortly after that.
In other news Monday night, Mayor Onichuk and Jim Cumming, with the Recreation Advisory Committee, drew the three winners of the town’s recreation and leisure survey draw.
(Those residents who turned in completed surveys by Nov. 30 were entered in a draw to win $250, $150, and $100, respectively, in Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce bucks).
The first-place winner was Cindy Yuill while Sherry Humphrey and Maureen Gustafson won the second- and third-place prizes.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•referred a request from the Rainy River Future Development Corp. regarding the town’s per capita contribution for 2005-06 (which amounts to $58,205) to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation into the 2005 budget process;
•received oral reports on division activities from the executive committee chairpersons;
•received a summary of the 2005 preliminary operating forecast, and an assessment results comparison between 2004 and 2005;
•referred a request from the Northern Action Group regarding four-way stops/traffic lights at four intersections in town to the Operation and Facilities executive committee, with input from the Traffic Safety Committee and OPP, for a recommendation;
•passed a bylaw to amend the licensing bylaw with regard to the licensing of trades; as well as a bylaw to amend the user fees bylaw with regard to licensing fees (this now means all tradesperson from out of town must have a licence from the town to work in Fort Frances); and
•passed a bylaw for approving the minutes of council from Dec. 1, 2003 to Dec. 6, 2004.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
