1. Call to Order: 6:39pm
2. Attendees: Gordon O’Neill (Chair); Shelley Lonergan (Commissioner); Mike McKinnell (Commissioner); Angela Lonergan (Clerk)
3. Additions to the Agenda: Elect commission officer positions
4. Adoption of Agenda: Shelley motioned to adopt; Mike seconded. Motion carried.
5. Minutes:
a. July- Shelley motioned to adopt; Mike seconded. Motion carried.
b. August- Shelley motioned to adopt; Mike seconded. Motion carried.
c. October (AGM)- Shelley motioned to adopt; Mike seconded. Motion carried.
6. Monthly Financial Statement
We are waiting on a review by Aaron from Grant Thornton regarding an adjustment related to our investments. Angela requested a delay in reviewing the financials until we have an update from him. Should be ready to review at the December meeting. Shelley motioned to adopt; Mike seconded. Motion carried.
a. June
b. July
c. August
d. September
7. Old Business:
a. Community Hall doors and locks/repairs/ replacement: Peck’s hasn’t been down yet. Angela will reach out and find out how much it would cost for travel if they come down just for the village to do work and book an appointment. Will check if the Keypad locks we have purchased are programmable remotely. If not we would like them to bring one with them. Mike motioned to adopt; Shelley seconded. Motion carried.
b. Electrical Work Rec Hall & Community Hall (Include Ceiling Fans in Rec Hall): Work is completed and payment has been made. To be removed from agenda.
c. Life Rings on Wharves: Not installed yet. We have the rings. Gordie is going to pick up the appropriate rope.
d. Job Opportunities: The previous postings for lawn maintenance, snow removal, and garbage removal will be posted again. Angela will check with “Passages” to see how much it would cost to post an advertisement. Also, will check if they have special rates for monthly or yearly notices and the process for postings.
e. Road Repairs: No update. Gordie will call Todd Amero and Peter Scherer to request an update and discuss further.
f. Crystal Clear Water Filter: Angela advised she has booked Crystal clear to replace the UV bulb. Gordie confirmed he changed the filter in July and there is no need to change the filter at this time but a spare should be left for future use.
g. Clerk replacement and banking access: Angela booked an appointment at Scotiabank for November 15th to have Mike McKinnell added as a signer for the Village checks and to arrange for Angela to have a bank card to make deposits and to access banking information/statements online.
h. Audit questions from the floor: Angela met with Aaron at Grant Thornton regarding the questions brought up at the AGM.
QUESTION 1 Page 5 of Report under Liabilities what did the $19,393 under Payables and Accruals 19,393 consist of? (roughly as following numbers were rounded out)
$1,800 (insurance one month-usually paid in March but we weren’t billed until April)*
$6,500 Audit Accrual (Estimated cost based on 2024 Audit)
$8,200 Refundable HST on fire truck purchase that will go to Fire Department **
$2,800 Maintenance bill received late (plowing)
*Insurance amount would normally be billed earlier (by the end of March) and the amount would have reflected under Net Financial Assets -> Non-Financial Assets -> Prepaid Expenses (this year shows as — because the insurance wasn’t invoiced/Paid until after April 1.
**HST was $22,000. Will get back $15,850. $8,200 of this amount will go to the Fire Department because of the amount they paid in getting a new fire truck. Village paid $13,395 for registration and will get back $7,650. The $8,200 will go to Fire Department because the fire department paid for the truck.
QUESTION 2 Plain Language reports
The report format used by Grant Thornton is the format required by them to use for filing purposes. It is challenging because much of it is balanced and calculated for reporting purposes and filing. The format will not change and is all that is required to be presented. The clerks recommendation was that we could make notes on the report as we review it next year to try to give a more basic description at the AGM. Maybe like a basic layman’s terms translation and possibly create a “companion” report to give out with the Audit report at the AGM. The Commissioners agreed that we could make more of an effort to ask questions and make note of the answers to be better able to explain the report. Aaron from Grant Thornton did say in GENERAL individuals would want to be looking at two things:
Page 5 of report:
1-Under FINANCIAL ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents ($122,721 for current year)
Basically this is the “money” we have in the bank.
2-NET FINANCIAL ASSETS
This is basically our cash minus anything expected to be owing ($110,350 for current year)
8. New Business:
a. Levy Rate for the 2025-2026 fiscal year (currently 0.50). It was decided that the Levy rate would remain the same for the next year. Mike motioned to adopt;
Shelley seconded. Motion carried.
b. Hall rental rates, deposits, check in/out process, and special rates: The Commissioners discussed the increasing costs of running the halls, issues with some recent unscheduled hall use, and unplanned repair costs due to clogged drains/toilets after an event. A plumber had to be called to unclog the drains and toilets after the Community Hall was rented and the renters left behind a mess that was cleaned up by the Seniors group and cleaners when it was discovered. The renters also pulled out the Christmas tree and decorated it during their event. To help with the costs and maintain better control over the rentals we will be raising rental fees, adding a deposit requirement, and a check in check out process.
The new fees for April 1st through November 30th for smaller daytime events (ie birthday party) will be $50. Larger or evening events (ie wedding) will be $100.
The deposit fee for all events will be double the rental fee and can be paid by cash or cheque.
Prior to an event the clerk, or other representative of the Commission, will meet the renter at the location of choice to view the location. We will check the cleanliness of the Hall, functionality of toilets/sinks, review heat use and provide a key to the renter. The day following the event the clerk/commission representative will check the Hall for cleanliness, functionality of toilets/sinks, and ensure the heat/lights are turned off. If no issues are found the deposit will be returned in full to the renter.
The Seniors group will continue to pay $15/day(no deposit) for hall use. With the Community Hall being closed through the winter they can use the Rec Hall kitchen for their meetings.
Additional considerations to be discussed at the December meeting.
c. Community Hall shut down January to March: The commissioners discussed shutting down the Community Hall from January 1st to March 31st to help reduce the cost of keeping it open during the Winter months. The Library (during closed hours) and the Rec Hall Kitchen will be made available for use to groups during this time period in lieu of the Community Hall space.
d. Rec Hall double door leak: The double doors at the Rec Hall experiences some flooding during heavy rain/wind. Gordie advised the gutter needs to be moved to avoid this happening. Angela will reach out to Malcolm Amero to see if he would be willing to fix and get a quote.
e. Library gutters: The library gutters need to be cleaned. To avoid having to do future cleanings it was suggested gutter covers be added. Angela will reach out to Malcolm Amero to see if he would do and provide a quote for the covers and if he would possibly clean the gutters prior to installation.
f. GIC maturing in December: We have a $20,000 GIC maturing. At the banking appointment on November 15th the commissioners will discuss with the banking representative to discuss options.
g. NSFM (Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities fees: Angela reached out to Aaron at Grant Thornton and Ian Morrison (the director of operations and communications at NSFM) to ascertain whether or not the Village needs to pay the membership fee and how being a member benefits the Village. Aaron had indicated that there was probably some insurance benefit for the Village and it was probably best to pay the membership fee. Ian advised that being a part of the federation does help to ensure that our Insurance Broker fee is capped at 13.5% and that we can get/keep insurance. Without being a member the fee is generally 15% or more with no cap. Many of the other services they offer, particularly education sessions, do not really benefit the Village due to our size. It was agreed that the fee would be paid. Mike motioned to adopt; Shelley seconded. Motion carried.
h. Little Library box: It was requested at a previous meeting that the Village add a little Free Library. Mike McKinnell advised he gave Marlene Norwood a little wooden house to be used as a Free Library on her lawn on Water Street where she has her antiques shop. If the Library is not in place this spring we may revisit and possibly have one built and placed outside the library.
9. Next Village Meeting Tuesday December 3rd, 2024
10. Adjournment: 8:30pm
Election of Commissioner Positions:
The commissioners discussed the positions and decided as follows:
Chair-Mike McKinnell
Co-Chair-Shelley Lonergan
Commissioner-Gordie O’Neill
Questions from the Floor:
- Laurie Thomson from the Rec Auxiliary had a question regarding insurance.At a recent Auxiliary meeting the question was raised as to why they were paying for insurance on the It Takes a Village Park and whether the Village should be paying it or if both were paying creating an overpayment. The representatives in the group could not remember why this was so. Gordie advised that the Village pays for insurance on the property itself but the Auxiliary had to pay insurance to cover any structures/equipment on the property including picnic tables, gazebo etc. This topic had come up previously in the last few years as there was concern that the insurance company was “double dipping”. It was looked into and the Brokerlink representative confirmed that the insurance was set up correctly and that the Village was only charged for the property coverage while the Auxiliary was covering the structure liability premiums.
- Pat Moore inquired as to whether we were going to add two additional commissioners for a total of five. All commissioners agreed that this would be a good idea if they can find two more individuals who were willing to join. Mike McKinnell inquired if the commissioners would be willing to split the annual stipend amounts and Gordie advised that it is such a nominal amount for the amount of work that it would probably remain as is ($750/commissioner). The decision was made to post an expression of interest for the position of Commissioner to see if we are able to find two more individuals. Angela will post on Village Website, at the store and post office, and look into advertising in “Passages”. Mike motioned to adopt; Shelley seconded. Motion carried.
REVIEWED AND ADOPTED: December 3, 2024
Mike McKinnell-Chair
Shelley Lonergan-Vice Chair
Gordie O’Neill-Commissioner
Angela Lonergan-Clerk/Treasurer