Council Connect - November 25, 2025

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, November 25, 2025

Council Connect: Highlights from November 25, 2025, meetings of Council

Special Council Meeting

Draft New Zoning By-law, Review of Proposed Key Text Changes: Council received a report and heard a presentation about the new Zoning By-law project, its status, and a summary of key changes to the draft document. The project involves replacement of the 3 existing pre-amalgamation zoning by-laws with a modern consolidated by-law for the entire municipality. Over the course of the project, several zoning issues have been identified by Council including parking of recreational vehicles/trailers (RV) and commercial vehicles/trailers and disconnected tractor-trailers in residential zones, zoning regulations for cannabis greenhouses, and whether to permit short-term rental (STR) accommodations. Regarding STRs, three options for regulation in the draft Zoning By-law were presented to Council for consideration: Not Permitted, Permitted in Specific Locations, and Permitted Town-Wide. Council directed Administration to include STRs in specific locations in the draft Zoning By-law, as well as consider how existing STRs outside of specified locations will be managed. The full draft Zoning By-law will be presented to Council at a Special Council Meeting on December 16th, with a public meeting to follow early in 2026.

Regular Meeting of Council

McCord Lane Salt Shed Cover – Emergency Replacement: Council received a report documenting emergency replacement of the McCord Lane Salt Shed cover after a major wind event damaged the cover beyond repair. The structure is essential for winter control operations and Administration deemed this as an emergency repair under the Town’s Purchasing Policy at a cost of $38,532 (excluding HST) to be funded through the Municipal Building Lifecycle Reserve.  Council received the report and approved the allocation of funds from the reserve.

The Town of Tecumseh Business Improvement Area 2026 Proposed Budget: Council heard a presentation from members of the Tecumseh BIA Board on its 2026 strategic plan and budget proposal. A 2025 highlight video was also viewed. The proposed budget will be considered for Council's approval at the December 9, 2025 Regular Council Meeting.

Tecumseh Hamlet Secondary Plan Area Municipal Class Environmental Assessment - Study Completion: Council received a report on the completion of an Environmental Study Report for the Tecumseh Hamlet Secondary Plan Area documenting the planning and design process leading to the selection of the preferred municipal infrastructure for future developments in the area. After a Notice of Completion was published on the Town’s website and social media accounts on June 24, 2025, Administration heard from landowners, utility and transportation providers, Caldwell First Nation, and regulatory agencies during the 30-day public review period that followed. No comments received during the 30-day public review period resulted in revisions to the preferred alternatives recommended in the Environmental Study Report (ESR).

OPP Detachment Board - Appointment of At-Large Community Representative for 2026: Council endorsed the appointment of Don Williamson as the at-large community representative for the Essex County OPP Detachment Board North (Lakeshore, Essex, Tecumseh) for the 2026 calendar year following the appointment made by Essex Town Council on November 17, 2025. Provided Lakeshore Municipal Council endorses the appointment, Mr. Williamson’s one-year term will begin in 2026.

Implementation Plan – Town of Tecumseh Tourism Marketing Strategy and Destination Development Plan: Council received a report recommending the initial implementation actions for the Tourism and Marketing Strategy & Destination Plan that was received on June 24, 2025. Implementation is set commence in 2026 and Administration recommends the following priorities: Tourism Brand & Digital Presence, Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT), Wayfinding and Signage Strategy, and Seasonal Activation at Lakewood Park. A broader implementation plan will include alignment with the Economic Development Strategy (planned completion in 2027) and tourism resourcing capacity for the Town. Council approved report and the implementation plan.

Community Recreation Services 2026 Operation Revenue Strategy: Council received a report outlining the results of a comprehensive review from the Community & Recreation Services (CRS) revenue accounts, including Parks, Recreation Programs, Special Events, Pool, Community Facilities and Arena, as part of the 2026 Budget development process. Administration proposed revenue adjustments for the following: Tennis and Pickleball Court Access, Outdoor Sport User Group Agreements, Optimist Club Agreement, and the Commemorative Bench and Tree Program.  Revenues are projected to increase by $58,100 and adjustments reflect the impacts of the proposed 2026 Fees and Charges schedule. Council will consider the proposed revenue adjustments during the 2026 Budget deliberations process.

Financial Services Budget Variance Report – August 2025: Council received a report identifying projected year end operating budget variances, as well as a Capital/Lifecycle analysis comparing the status of approved capital project funding to current activity. Town departments continuously monitor financial results and revise forecasts accordingly to ensure budget allocations and strategies are aligned.   Administration is projecting a year-end deficit in the Operating Budget of $112,779. This is made up of a tax-supported deficit of $124,962 (primarily attributed to wage settlements, increased fleet repairs, and higher building and street light maintenance expenditures) and a rate-supported surplus of $12,183 (driven by lower than budgeted volume for wastewater treatment, higher than budgeted commercial water consumption and bulk water sales offset by greater non-billable water purchases for construction activity). The deficit amounts to .29% of the total Operating Budget. The 2025 Capital Budget consisted of 130 projects, and 24 vehicle/equipment purchases with a total budgeted cost of $127M. Several of these projects are large-scale where costs span multiple years. Projected capital expenditures to year-end total $71M, resulting in anticipated carry forward of $56M of project costs to future years. Full details can be found here in the report.

Tender Award for the Sullivan Creek Drain: Council approved the tender for the Sullivan Creek Drain, in the amount of $726,053.78 (including HST) from Murray Mills Excavating & Trucking (Sarnia) Ltd.  The project consists of restoring the drain back to its original design capacity through open drain maintenance and repair, as well as the replacement, repair and removal of existing culverts. The Town received a permit for the work from the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) on November 5, 2025.

Tecumseh Road Community Improvement Plan Area, Traffic Operational Review: Council received a report regarding a traffic operational review for the Tecumseh Road Community Improvement Plan Area.  The report detailed 2025 Regional Road Infrastructure Construction Projects, anticipated investments over the next 3 years and identified ongoing regional construction projects that have an impact on Tecumseh Road traffic. A review of traffic signal timing for the Tecumseh Road/Lesperance Road intersection indicated that the signals are timed optimally for east-west traffic movements, with priority given to that flow over the north-south movement. Results of live traffic monitoring (weeks of November 10 & 17) for eastbound and westbound movement along Tecumseh Road between Banwell and Manning during peak hours (3:00-6:30pm) indicated that trip times for eastbound movements fell within a range of 4 to 9 minutes and westbound movements fell within a range of 4 to 6 minutes.  Non-peak travel time for this span of Tecumseh Road projected 5 to 6 minutes, according to online mapping platform, Google Maps. The full report and attachments showing the observations of live traffic monitoring graphically can be found here.

Yard Waste Collection: Deputy Mayor Bachetti put forward a motion to extend the curbside yard waste collection period to Monday, December 1, 2025, allowing for one additional day of yard waste collection due to warmer fall weather which has prolonged leaves falling from trees.   Council supported the motion, and Administration will share the revised date through Town communication channels.

Opposition to Proposed Consolidation of Conservation Authorities: Council put forward a motion to support the Town of Kingsville’s letter of opposition to proposed consolidation of Conservation Authorities and directed Town Administration to send a letter supporting the opposition to the County of Essex who will forward to the province on behalf of local municipalities.

Next Regular Meeting: The next regular meeting of Council is December 9, 2025. The agenda and livestream will be available on the Town’s website. Follow the Town of Tecumseh on Facebook for news and the latest information.

Media Contact:

Aaron Carder
acarder@tecumseh.ca
519.735.2184 ext 136