Sarnia council reprimands mayor, councilor; city ​​council notebook

City council reprimanded Sarnia’s mayor and a councilor Monday for code of conduct violations, but didn’t dock their pay.

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Mayor Mike Bradley and Coun. Bill Dennis were faced two-day pay suspensions, as recommended by integrity commissioner Benjamin M. Drory. Dennis and Bradley breached the code section barring use of indecent, abusive or insulting language, Drory said in separate reports.

Council voted 4-3 in favor of reprimanding Dennis and 6-2 to reprimand Bradley.

Dennis and Bradley declared conflicts, and Coun. Adam Kilner, a member of the local Children’s Aid Society board, declared a conflict and didn’t vote on the report concerning Dennis.

The debates centered on council’s discomfort at being duty-bound by provincial rules to judge their peers.

“Politicizing other members’ behavior is interfering in our ability to do proper governance,” Coun. Brian White said. Council judging each other exacerbates tensions, and often doesn’t correct behavior.

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It’s important to acknowledge how code violations impact citizens, said Coun. Anne Marie Gillis, who made the motions for the reprimands.

It would also be better to have a system for meting out penalties under the provincially imposed system that doesn’t involve municipal councilors passing judgment, she said.

Coun. Terry Burrell agreed.

“We have to work with the person again next week,” he said.

“It’s not the proper forum for this type of discipline.”

Most important is for council to be respectful, Coun. Chrissy McRoberts said.

“And we’re paying an integrity commissioner every time this is happening.”

Bradley, Burrell and Coun. George Vandenberg voted against reprimanding Dennis.

Burrell and Vandenberg voted against reprimanding Bradley.

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Northgate Plaza towers plan approved

HAS $400-million plan for 23-storey residential towers in Sarnia’s Northgate Plaza has council’s approval, after more parking was added.

The 848-unit, 1,069-parking-space plan received unanimous approval for rezoning and official plan amendments.

Agent Michael Davis, with Siv-ik Planning and Design, said a positive meeting was also held with neighboring businesses who had concerns.

Detailed design work could take up to 18 months, and construction on the first phase up to two years after that, Davis said.

First-phase occupancy within five years would be reasonable, he said.

Council opposes housing-target dollars for road extension

Sarnia will not put $400,000 in provincially awarded Building Faster Fund money toward the city’s proposed Wellington Street extension project.

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It makes more sense to put that money towards affordable housing projects, like the $16.5-million Kathleen Avenue project in Sarnia, said White, who was part of a 5-4 majority against using the money for the $20.6-million road and sewer extension project in the city’s east.

The Building Faster Fund is aimed at home creation, White said, adding the housing project instead of the road project — proposed to unlock more housing in the city’s Development Area 2 — “would just have a greater impact.”

Building affordable housing is the responsibility of the County of Lambton, said Coun. Terry Burrell.

“That’s not really in our bailiwick,” he said.

He, McRoberts, Dennis and Bradley, voted in favor of the losing proposal to allocate the money to the Wellington Street extension project.

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Sarnia’s current investment plan for the funds is to transfer them to the County of Lambton, a staff report says, noting that plan is flexible and can be revised by council.

Input sought on proposed advisory committee rule changes

Council will wait to hear what city advisory committee members think before approving proposed rule changesincluding what goes on committee agendas.

Council unanimously approved giving more time for committee member feedback on changes proposed by clerk Amy Burkhart, including a recommendation that committees not set their own agendas.

Committees also wouldn’t be bound by council’s code of conduct, amid other changes about quorum requirements and committee membership.

Delaying will mean extending the current two-year committee terms, ending Dec. 31, Burkhart said, to give time to recruit new members under a potential new system.

Committee members are volunteers, Burrell said.

“The least we can do is have their input on the restructuring that is suggested.”

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