Lengthy Schreiber Council Meeting due to Many Issues to be Tackled This Year.

The last council meeting for January had a full agenda. It opened with the approval and adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting. 
A motion was passed to extend the date for dog license purchases.
The date for the Winter carnival February was agreed on and set.
The Heritage Days dates were confirmed for July.
Attendance for the new council orientation was approved.
The Thunder Bay district municipal conference and AGM in March will be attended.
All accounts for payment were approved and ratified. 
Chelsea Commisso was appointed to the Public Library board for a period of 3 years.
Appointments were made to the festival committee.
The Asset management plan was brought forward for approval and will be incorporated in the Strategic plan. 
A bylaw to appoint a committee of adjustments was enacted. The committee will be responsible for requests regarding zoning bylaws and property standards.
A bylaw to enter into an agreement for a feasibility study lead to a discussion regarding the Queens successor.

Committee of the Whole:
Director of Operations report was presented. An inspection of the water plant was concluded. The heating system in the municipal complex has resulted in fully functioning propane system being installed. Each area of the complex will have individual heating controls which should result in a cost savings to the town. The outdoor rink is finally opened for public use for the season. The mayor confirmed that all street lights are now operational. The water report highlighted ongoing issues but was favourable overall. A filter optimization study would help to understand the turbidity issues and could take a year due to seasonal variations. The old oil furnace and storage tank will be sold off. 
Digital information pages including GPS locations for attractions are in need of an update due to spelling mistakes and directional errors. Magazine ads and media notices will also need to be updated in order to highlight new attractions such as the Railroad museum and splash pad.
The Schreiber housing survey was discussed in length. A fairly large percentage of residents participated with 96 responses submitted. Single detached homes seem to becoming more popular as people downsize after retirement. The budget survey will be brought forward at a later date.
Senior committee report included updates on current programmes and future events. Almost 40% of residents now members in the senior centre. There is a push to recruit volunteers to help with the upcoming winter carnival. The Schreiber Media centre was mentioned as a possible contributor to advertising events through their YouTube channel. 
The beautification committee is seeking donations to aid in the enactment of their activities.
Occupational health and safety meeting minutes were presented. 
Schreiber Public Library report was discussed in regards to the connectivity grant. The library has traditionally participated in the winter carnival and may sponsor some events.
The fire chief report focussed on the increase in calls and how technology has helped with responses but also caused a few false alarms. A request for some updates to equipment was discussed and approved. 
The water treatment report from OCWA was presented and included some further issues that are being addressed.
The treasurers report focussed on property tax arrears. Fewer defaults have been reported resulting in a decline in notices being sent out. Reserve fund transfers were approved to cover losses from last years events. A conversation ensued about the process and reasoning behind the current methods.
Under communications, the first item up for discussion was a report centred around the integrity commissioner. No further details were provided. As usual, the communications received are rarely discussed in a public forum. Contributions and support from municipalities in regards to elections was discussed as per a communication request.

Unfinished business focussed on non finalized items for the upcoming budget draft. The library proposed budget for the year was submitted and lead to an overview of expenses from various departments. A more formal meeting will be held to discuss the remaining budget items. 
An update to the fire department costs was submitted and Fire Chief Morrison was on hand to provide information on the current state of affairs with his department. Increases in incidents and responses has lead to higher budget requirements and will affect capital requests. 
OCWA expenses highlighted the importance of ongoing maintenance and the associated costs. Expenses for water treatment plant costs come from taxation and not water rates. There are some residents who pay quite high taxes and yet don’t receive water or sewage services from the municipality. 
Under other business, attendance of the NOMA conference in Thunder Bay was discussed and a selection will be made. The other conference will be AMO in London Ontario later this year.
The draft of the Workplace Harassment and Violence policy is nearing completion. 
Requests for meetings with ministers was discussed briefly. The meeting schedule for the month of February was finalized and the meeting was moved in camera.