Council Connect: Highlights from the January 11, 2022, meetings of Council

Tecumseh Town Council met electronically this evening and here are the highlights:

Regular Meeting of Council

Two Lots on Chene Street Rezoned: Council approved the rezoning of a property at 165 Chene Street that has been severed to create two residential lots. Situated north of Dillon Drive, the property currently has one lot that contains a single-unit residence and a building that until 2020 legally operated as an auto body repair shop. The amendment approved by Council allows for the construction of a single unit residence covering no more than 40 per cent of the other lot. The amendment also removes an auto body repair shop from the commercial uses allowed on both lots. It permits up to 46.4 square metres (500 square feet) of the 230.6-square-metre (2,485-square-foot) building that once was an auto body repair shop to be used for a limited range of commercial uses, including general/professional offices, a pet groomer, a baker/chef/caterer or a yoga studio.

Engineer Appointed for Drainage Application: Engineer Mark Hernandez, of Dillon Consulting Ltd., has been appointed to complete a report in response to a petition by the owner of 3425 County Road 43 to convert part of a drainage system owned by the County of Essex to a municipal drain. The change under the Drainage Act is required by the County because the property owner is severing the land, and the County does not permit private landowners to access its drainage infrastructure. For the severance to be approved, the enclosed drain must be connected to the Town’s St. Louis Drain system that runs along nearby County Road 42.

Special Meeting of Council

Digital Strategy Plan Presented: Council received an update on the development of the Town’s new digital strategy by representatives of Perry Group Consulting Ltd., which has been hired to assist. Project manager Susan Chase and senior consultant Andy Will gave Council an overview of why a digital strategy is important and what other municipalities are doing to provide services digitally. The main points included: demand for digital services is increasing; municipal peers are pushing new services online; the uptake of digital services trends around 80 per cent; paper systems require more staff time; and the shift to working digitally requires culture change and leadership.

The public is invited to provide input to the digital strategy by going to the topic page on the Town’s PlaceSpeak platform. The page includes a survey, informational video and an opportunity to register for a Virtual Public Workshop being held on Thursday, January 27, at 6:30 p.m. The consultations with Council, the public and staff will assist in developing TecOnline – A Digital Strategy. 

Next Regular Meeting: The next regular meeting of Council is January 25, 2022, with a special meeting to be held on January 26, 2022. These meetings are scheduled to be held electronically. The agendas and livestream will be available on the Town’s website. Follow the Town of Tecumseh on Facebook and Twitter for news and the latest information.