Chatham-Kent council, which in February backed a call for a third-party review of council size and ward boundaries, decided not to proceed by the narrowest of margins Monday.
Chatham-Kent council, which in February backed a call for a third-party review of council size and ward boundaries, decided not to proceed by the narrowest of margins Monday.
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On Monday, a staff recommendation that Strategy Corp performed the service for $68,251, funded from the strategic development reserve, failed on a tie vote.
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That surprised North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville, who had proposed seeking the review in February.
“I’m perplexed and disappointed,” she said after the meeting, noting Monday’s recommendation wasn’t making any final decisions on council size or boundaries. “I feel bad that there was a waste of time and resources from municipal staff.”
Currently, Chatham-Kent council has 17 councilors across six wards, plus the mayor. Some in the community have felt council is too large, while others believe the municipality’s geographic size warrants it.
Municipal reviews were done in 2008, 2011 and 2015, but there have been no changes in council numbers or ward boundaries since amalgamation in 1998.
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Council owed it to constituents to take another look at the issue, Jubenville said.
But other councilors expressed concern about potentially having fewer voices around the table.
South Kent Coun. Trevor Thompson said a smaller council wouldn’t improve representation, especially given the number of boards and committees.
“It’s not just Monday nights that councilors deal with,” he said. “We are adding workload to whoever’s left.”
Fewer councilors would mean less diversity of opinion and have a significant impact on rural representation, he added. “This is not a road that we should be going down.”
According to census data, Chatham-Kent’s population has increased about two per cent in 10 years, from 103,671 in 2011 to 104,316 in 2021.
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This growth has contributed to a variance in the ward population averages, particularly within Ward 6 (the former city of Chatham), Ward 2 (South Kent) and Ward 4 (North Kent), a staff report said.
“The upcoming Chatham-Kent official plan review is expected to result in potential expansions or adjustments to certain urban boundaries,” the report said.
Chatham Coun. Brock McGregor said the municipality is overdue for a change, adding council had a responsibility to move ahead.
The cost of a consultant is relatively small compared to other municipal expenditures, he noted.
“With the 2024 changes to the federal (Chatham-Kent-Leamington) riding, resulting in . . . a (riding) population of 134,226, 15 per cent higher than the quota, and Ward 6 having the worst representation by population in the municipality, Ward 6 residents have the dubious distinction of being underrepresented at every level of government,” he said after the meeting.
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