6 COUNCIL CORNER from By John Hirsch, Councillor Ward 9, South Marysburgh Last week, members of council, the mayor and I par(cid:415)cipated in an all-day tour of four farm opera(cid:415)ons hosted by the Agriculture Advisory Commi(cid:425)ee with big support the Prince Edward Federa(cid:415)on of Agriculture. This was a tremendously educa(cid:415)onal endeavor and we all asked lots of ques(cid:415)ons and learned a lot. We toured beef, sheep, cash crop and specialty market garden opera(cid:415)ons gaining greater apprecia(cid:415)on for the obstacles and opportuni(cid:415)es our farming community face. Council Ac(cid:415)vity Commi(cid:425)ee of the Whole (COTW) heard deputa(cid:415)ons from: Save Picton Bay - providing an update on their court case against Picton Terminals and the recent compliance orders from the Director, MECP. PELASS on progress of their Housing revitaliza(cid:415)on program which is funded in part by the County Patrick Maloney and Barry Davison on progress of the Millennium Trail project and plans for trailheads Jen Ackerman on the WPD closure regula(cid:415)ons All deputa(cid:415)ons can be viewed on the County's live stream or can be read in the agenda package for each mee(cid:415)ng on the County website at thecounty.ca. Council and Commi(cid:425)ee of the Whole dealt with: Possible user pay parking for downtown Bloomfield The farming assistance grant program and Wellington A report from staff on incorpora(cid:415)ng the value of tree lines/fence bo(cid:425)oms into our Official plan Crea(cid:415)on of a reserve for moderniza(cid:415)on with $700,000 provided by the province for the purpose An instruc(cid:415)on to staff to develop plans for a 10% cut in opera(cid:415)ng expenditures during our 2020 budget process. Speaking of the moderniza(cid:415)on reserve men(cid:415)oned above, I am disappointed at some of the reac(cid:415)on in the media to our decision to eliminate paper agenda packages for Councillors which is accomplished by equipping us with Apple iPads. It seems various commenters did not bother to enquire of Councillors how these devices will be used and the benefits they provide. The South Marysburgh Mirror So, to set the record straight: 12" iPads are needed (not a smaller size) because the very clever so(cid:332)ware we use to view agendas and their a(cid:425)achments requires a split screen view that would not work on a smaller model, or worse, render the text and images difficult to read. The electronic pencil replaces a mouse and is used to make nota(cid:415)ons and record notes on documents which we used to write by hand on our paper copies. These comments are most helpful as we address agenda items, reminding us of which issues we want to address, and are kept in perpetuity so we can refer back at any (cid:415)me in the future Internet access - essen(cid:415)al for on-the-fly research (wifi is not everywhere) and the ability to reach important County info from anywhere Cost saving is much more than the cost of paper - toner, wear and tear on printers are big items - as is the elimina(cid:415)on of the over(cid:415)me usually paid every second Friday evening as the clerk's office prints and assembles the agenda packages for our study over the weekend. All in all, I believe the iPads are an excellent piece of moderniza(cid:415)on that save costs as well. LOCAL EVENTS Elsewhere in this issue of the Mirror you will find informa(cid:415)on about the plans of the South Marysburgh Management Commi(cid:425)ee to replace the siding on the SM Town Hall and other refurbishments to keep this important heritage building in good condi(cid:415)on. I was happy to have been able to help the Commi(cid:425)ee obtain the requisite heritage permit from the County Planning Department. It should be noted that the County does not have to fund this effort. The Management Commi(cid:425)ee accumulates its funds through the rentals of our buildings and other ac(cid:415)vi(cid:415)es. Hats off to Eric DePauw and the rest of the commi(cid:425)ee for this ini(cid:415)a(cid:415)ve. I can be reached by phone, text and email www.jhirsch.com jhirsch@pecounty.on.ca 613-846-0046 And don't forget, for immediate service the County help line is available: 613-476-2148 ext. 1023 Email: info@pecounty.on.ca Or submit a request using the online form on the County website: www.thecounty.ca