Council Connect-October 14, 2025

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Council Connect: Highlights from October 14, 2025, meetings of Council

Special Council Meeting – County Road 46 Environmental Assessment

Council received a report and heard a presentation about the completed County of Essex and Town of Tecumseh County Road 46 and Concession Roads 8 and 9 Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study. The study report reviews alternatives for improving County Road 46 in Tecumseh, as well as Concession Roads 8 and 9 between County Road 46 and Highway 401, to accommodate development and increased traffic. The report sets out a technically preferred plan that was developed following extensive public consultations by Tecumseh, the County of Essex and consultant BT Engineering. The preferred plan includes expanding County Road 46 to four lanes plus a centre turn lane with a 1.8-metre-wide sidewalk on the north side of the road in Oldcastle and from Concession Road 9 to the future Lauzon Parkway extension. It recommends two-metre paved shoulders to accommodate cyclists on the rural section of the road. The plan also recommends Concession Roads 8 and 9 be enhanced to include two-metre paved shoulders on the west side and separated three-metre multi-use pathways on the east side. The study report will be available for public review and comments for 30 days. Hard copies will be available at Tecumseh Town Hall and the County of Essex Administration Building through the clerk’s office.

Public Council Meeting – Desjardins Drain

Council held a meeting to hear comments from affected landowners about proposed repairs and improvements to the Desjardins Drain. It also passed first and second readings of a by-law allowing the work to proceed. Affected landowners will be given notice of the Court of Revision meeting to be held November 10, 2025, when those eligible may appeal their assessed costs. The details of the proposed work are set out in a report by drainage engineer Mark Hernandez, of Dillon Consulting Ltd., dated September 30, 2025.

Regular Meeting of Council

Sale of Property Abutting 12726 Dillon Drive: Council approved the sale of a 300-square-foot piece of property to the owner of 12726 Dillon Drive for $1,730.26 in compliance with municipal policies. The parcel, which is surrounded by private properties and has no public access, was acquired by the Town of Tecumseh through tax arrears.

Essex County OPP Detachment Board 2024 Annual Report: Essex County OPP Superintendent Mark Locus and north board chair Paul Sweet presented the detachment’s annual report for 2024. The report includes crime, traffic enforcement and community well-being data, as well as information about initiatives and successes.

2024 Fiscal Year-End Budget Variance: The Town of Tecumseh ended 2024 with a surplus of $576,717, which is the result of a tax-supported surplus of $903,361 and a rate-supported deficit of $326,644. Council approved transferring the tax-supported operating surplus funds as follows: $100,000 to the Sick/Vacation Pay Reserve; $100,000 to the Post Employment Benefits Reserve Fund; and $570,970 to the Infrastructure Reserve.  Transfer of tax supported capital surplus funds were also approved as follows: $70,000 to the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve; and $62,391 to the Infrastructure Reserve. Council also approved transferring $80,283 from the Water Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund and $246,361 from the Wastewater Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund to cover the rate-supported 2024 deficit, which was related to water and wastewater services.

New Town of Tecumseh Business Improvement Area Constitution: Council approved an updated constitution for the Town of Tecumseh Business Improvement Area that reflects changes and progress made by the organization since 2019.

Sylvestre and Desro Drive Trunk Storm Sewer Project: Council approved spending $3.98 million to install a new trunk storm sewer along Sylvestre and Desro Drive. The Town of Tecumseh would be responsible for $3.51 million, which will come from its Road Lifecycle Reserve and Storm Sewer Lifecycle Reserve. Council also approved hiring Dillon Consulting Ltd. to provide engineering consulting services for the project. The work is part of a larger stormwater management system required for future development in the Manning Road area. The stormwater management infrastructure is being built by Tecumseh, the County of Essex and private landowners. The new trunk storm sewer will be part of the East Townline Drain. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2026 and will include the installation of local storm sewers and the reconstruction of Sylvestre Drive from 1608 Sylvestre Drive to Desro Drive and Desro Drive from Sylvestre Drive to Manning Road (County Road 19). The Town of Tecumseh has applied for federal and provincial grants that could cover some of the cost.

Sewer Use By-law Update: Council approved updates to Tecumseh’s Sewer Use By-law that will give the Town stronger authority to review and take enforcement action when there are unauthorized discharges to the municipal storm water and sanitary sewer systems. There are also additional requirements for spills reporting when the staff become aware of such discharges.

Tecumseh Road On-Street Parking: Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti gave notice of a motion to temporarily prohibit on-street parking along portions of Tecumseh Road to help alleviate traffic congestion around the intersection with Lesperance Road.   The notice of motion was deferred.

Next Regular Meeting: The next regular meeting of Council is October 28, 2025. The agenda and livestream will be available on the Town’s website. Follow the Town of Tecumseh on Facebook and X for news and the latest information.