Council Meeting Summary: October 8, 2024

The following is a brief recap of the main issues and matters that Council dealt with at the meeting held on October 8, 2024. A video recording of the meeting will also be posted at Lakeshore.ca/TV. 

These highlights are not official minutes of the meeting and are meant solely for the purpose of general communications. The approved minutes provide the only official record of Council Proceedings and decisions.  

Council: 

• Received a presentation regarding the HomeSealSaver and HomeEnergySavery programs through Save On Energy Ontario.  

• Received the 2024 Water Wastewater Master Plan Update – Draft Final Report prepared by Jacobs Consultancy Canada Inc.; directed the Corporate Leader - Operations to utilize this plan as a reference document to support the Municipality of Lakeshore’s infrastructure improvements and to incorporate the implementation plan, as recommended, into future budget submissions for Council consideration; and directed the Corporate Leader- Chief Financial Officer to undertake a Development Charge Study Update and a Water Wastewater Rate Study update at a cost of $95,000 as recommended, in the report for Council consideration. 

• Directed Administration to proceed with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementation Plan and award the implementation to BDO Canada and Microsoft Dynamics 365 with implementation cost of $800,000; preapproved a one-time 2025 Digital Transformation and Cloud Services (DTCS) operating budget increase of $120,000 entering into an annual software service agreement with Microsoft; approved temporary project staff for project team backfill with costs of $350,000; approved a budget variance of $365,940 to be funded from the working capital reserve; and preapproved a $128,000 2026 DTCS operating budget increase. 

• Approved an amendment to the Lakeshore Canadiens agreement to allow for the installation of cameras for the purpose of streaming games of the Lakeshore Canadiens Junior C team within the Atlas Tube Recreation Centre’s Rock Rink. 

• Appointed Ed Hooker to the Essex County OPP Detachment Board 1 as the Municipality of Lakeshore’s at-large community representative for the 2025 calendar year, subject to a satisfactory police clearance; and directed the Corporate Leader – General Counsel to forward Council’s appointee for the at-large community representative as the Municipality of Lakeshore’s recommendation to the Town of Essex and the Town of Tecumseh for their consideration. 

• Awarded the Request for Proposal for Professional Services for the update to Lakeshore’s Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan to Aladaco Consulting Inc. for a total cost of $127,200 including applicable HST. 

• Adopted By-law 96-2024, being a By-law Imposing Special Annual Drainage Rates upon Land in Respect of Which Money is Borrowed under the Tile Drainage Act.