The Monday, November 9 meeting of council was the final meeting of the 2022–2026 term, and the newly elected council will be installed on Monday, November 16.
Aside from some presentations made to outgoing members of council, the agenda for this term of council’s final meeting was not unlike any other council meeting agenda over the past four years.
On Monday’s meeting agenda there was a range of issues for council to tackle, from a proposed zoning amendment on a rural agricultural property, to an update on the status of the future re-build of Johnny B’s auto repair shop that was destroyed by fire in May 2023, to a proposed new telecommunication tower on Highway 26, to consideration of a county hybrid planning model. All standard council business, and all important items to be before council.
Monday’s final meeting of this term of council lasted a little more than two and a half hours, also pretty standard for a regular meeting of council with a light agenda. The business of a municipal council continues to the final minutes of the final meeting of the term.
While there have been many issues before council over this four-year term, the proposed hydro-electric pumped storage facility to be located on our local military base has certainly been front and centre whether on the meeting agendas or not.
When this council took office at the end of 2022, the proposed pumped storage facility was a hot button issue, and had been for a couple of years. And as the next term of council is ready to be installed four years later, it is still a major issue that will be before this next term of council, particularly if the proposal is given the green light to move forward once the environmental assessment is completed. There will be a community benefit agreement to negotiate, and there will be significant work required over the next few years in order to ensure that this community is as ready as possible should the multi-billion dollar mega-project ultimately move forward.
This four-year term of council has also seen significant changes in municipal staff, particularly at the management and director positions.
For example, there have been five different CAOs during these four years: two of them were interim positions, while three had been intended to be permanent, or at least as permanent as anything gets in the world of municipal governance and administration.
The term began with Rob Armstrong in the CAO’s office, a position he had held for nearly five years. When Armstrong retired in 2023, municipal Clerk Matt Smith stepped in on an interim basis until Kymm Buckham was appointed to the role by council in May 2024. Buckham’s stint as CAO did not last long as she departed just six months later. Municipal Treasurer Valerie Manning was appointed as interim CAO until current CAO Shawn Everitt came aboard in April of last year.
These past four years have also seen changes in most of the senior management and director positions from planning and building to recreation, and everything in between.
While staff changes in municipal administrations are common, it would certainly benefit council and the residents of this municipality if those staff changes can be kept to a minimum over the next four years.
So the 2022-2026 term of council has come to an end, and next week the newly elected council will be installed, and after that they will roll up their sleeves and get to work.
Three members of the 2022-2026 term of council will not be returning. Both Mayor Ross Kentner and long-time member of council Harley Greenfield have retired, and councillor Eric Ennis was not successful on election day, and so will not return.
Current deputy mayor and soon to be mayor Shirley Keaveney made a presentation to outgoing Mayor Ross Kentner at the beginning of Monday’s meeting, thanking him for his service as mayor of the municipality over the past four years.
Retiring Councillor Harley Greenfield was also honoured by members of council for his nearly 30 years as an elected member of municipal council, including eight terms on the post-amalgamation Municipality of Meaford council. As I wrote in my July 9 editorial, “Nobody has served on the Municipality of Meaford’s council longer than Harley Greenfield, and three decades of experience will not easily be replaced.” Harley’s experience, knowledge, and understanding of Meaford’s history will be missed by this scribe indeed.
Councillor Eric Ennis was also recognized by council for his brief period on council after having been selected to fill the vacant seat left by Councillor Steve Bartley, who retired last summer with a year to go in the term.
So the term has ended, and the next term of council will soon begin.
The inaugural meeting of the newly elected Council will be held on Monday, November 16, at Meaford Hall, 12 Nelson Street E. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., and the meeting will begin at 5 p.m.
During the inaugural meeting, each member of council will make and sign the Declaration of Office. Members will also affirm the principles of the Council Code of Conduct.
The ceremony will include an entry procession, formal remarks, the presentation of the Chain of Office to Mayor-elect Shirley Keaveney, as well as the Mayor’s inaugural address.
The 2026–2030 council will consist of Mayor Shirley Keaveney, Deputy Mayor Rob Uhrig, and Councillors Tony Bell, Darcy Chapman, Brandon Forder, Amanda Greenfield, and Adam Vaughan.
As with any other council meeting, the Inaugural Meeting is open to the public, and all are welcome to attend. Full event details are available at meaford.ca/inaugural.
Best of luck to the seven members of the 2026–2030 term of council; there will certainly be many challenges ahead. Meaford voters have elected a council that has a good mix of experience along with three fresh faces, and they will all be put to the test in the coming months as the new council gets busy handling the business of this municipality.
