Gravenhurst Councillor Update Winter 2023
I would like to thank the voters of Ward 4 for putting their trust in me to represent them on Gravenhurst Town Council for the next 4 years. I have been appointed to serve as the Deputy Mayor, and I’m also the Council representative on the Municipal Heritage Committee, the group that recommends the designation of Gravenhurst properties of cultural heritage value as well as heritage conservation and education in general in our Town.
My other appointment is as Chair of the Town’s Committee of Adjustment, the body that rules on Consents as well as Minor Variances to the Zoning Bylaw. The Province’s newly passed More Homes Built Faster Act affects the Committee of Adjustment in several ways, one of which is that Lake Associations are no longer permitted to appeal decisions of the Committee of Adjustment to the OPT. Anyone may still participate in the monthly Public Hearings held by the Committee (typically on the third Friday morning of the month).
The Act has also removed the ability of the municipality to impose Site Plan Control (like re-vegetation, retention of runoff, etc.) on waterfront residential properties through a Site Plan Agreement. Town staff have been reviewing other mechanisms that we may be able to use to help preserve the water quality of our lakes.
The major order of business that the new Council is embarking on immediately is the review and passing of the Town’s 2023 Operating and Capital Budgets. The Budget gets tabled at Council this week on Wednesday, January 18th at 1p. It looks as though a tax hike of about 2.8% will be levied this year — about $15 per $100,000 of assessed value of your property. The council may adjust the budget through the deliberations that will take place on January 31st and February 1st. Your comments are encouraged, either at the Public Meeting to be held on January 18th, or by email to myself or Town staff. The budget document is available online on the Town’s budget page.
Of interest to lake residents also is the implementation of the Town’s new Short-Term Rental Licensing Bylaw that was passed during the previous term of Council. Details can be found on the Town website here.
I look forward to hearing your comments on these topics and any others that may interest you. Municipal government is our closest level of government, and municipal services affect us all every day. It’s important to me to understand how they are working, or not working, for you.
You can reach me through my Council email: randy.jorgensen@gravenhurstcouncil.ca
or by phone at (705) 646-4392.