COUNCIL QUICK HITS
By Kirk Winter
From the February 18 City of Kawartha Lakes Council meeting.
Councillor Announcements
Councillor Richardson
February 26 Bethany United Church is having a pancake fundraiser
Councillor Ashmore
Congratulations to the organizers of the Pleasant Point Radar Run which drew a crowd of over 1,000 people
February 28 the first phase of the Downeyville Hall renovation will be open to the public with a community concert
March 6 at Coronation Hall in Omemee the Concert Series continues with live music
Councillor O’Reilly
March 4 and 5 the LEX will be hosting the East Central Farm Show
Construction on Kent Street continues and neither Councillor Dunn or O’Reilly have received many complaints so far
Adoption of Cultural Master Plan
Councillor Ashmore asked Council to consider a change in wording in the proposed Cultural Master Plan. Ashmore is concerned that the City was committing to open-ended spending on culture over the next decade. He believed that only after the approval of a business plan should the Cultural Master Plan be approved by Council as a whole, and wanted something to that effect added to the document.
Ashmore continued suggesting that “we need to look at the figures and prevent frivolous spending. We should want to know now the year-by-year costs and show the public we are cognizant of spending.”
Mayor Letham believed that the wording was not necessary, and asked for insights from CKL CAO Ron Taylor. Taylor confirmed that “the Cultural Master Plan does not commit the City to any spending. All City expenditures on culture will be costed and debated in each year of the plan.”
The CAO added “it is difficult to cost out a decade” and felt that cultural items being costed and debated as part of yearly City spending was the route to go.
Ashmore was outvoted 6-1 in a recorded vote on the wording insertion.