Council met for roughly 3¾ hours, passing four by-laws, approving a major grant application, and receiving updates on emergency dispatch changes and municipal finances.

Paisley wastewater grant application approved. Council unanimously directed staff to apply under the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Fund (MHIF) non-development-charge stream to upgrade the Paisley wastewater treatment plant, estimated at approximately $5 million. The 40-40-20 federal-provincial-municipal cost-share would reduce the municipality’s exposure to roughly $1 million — well below the $4.8 million currently held in reserves. As a condition, the municipality must not enact a residential development charges by-law before March 31, 2031. The $35,000 previously budgeted for a development charges background study will instead be redirected to update asset replacement cost values (~$24,000) ahead of the 2030 asset management plan cycle.

Grading and drainage by-law approved in principle. After a Notice of Motion to reconsider an earlier failed vote, council unanimously approved (recorded 6-0) report CBO-2026-12 in principle, directing staff to complete a legal review and return the final by-law for enactment. The by-law would prohibit property owners from directing stormwater onto neighbouring properties and give staff an enforcement tool for situations not captured by existing planning approvals. Councillors cited active disputes in Tara and repeated basement-flooding complaints on Fifth Avenue in Chesley. Staff cautioned the by-law is primarily prospective and that retroactive enforcement of historic grading issues will remain difficult.

Telecom tower concurrence issued. Council unanimously confirmed that Sandra Halling of Shared Tower completed all ISED-prescribed public consultation requirements for a proposed 65-metre self-supporting lattice tower approximately 685 metres east of the Bruce Road 17 / Bruce Road 3 intersection near Tara. Staff were authorized to issue a letter of concurrence; ISED retains final approval authority. One public comment was received and addressed.

Waste Management contract. Following closed session, council passed By-law 71-2-26 authorizing a Master Services Agreement with Waste Management of Canada Corporation.

Medical Priority Dispatch System. Fire Chief briefed council on the county-wide MPDS rollout taking effect October 14, introducing colour-coded call tiering across 36 protocols. Under the new system, lower-priority calls will receive non-lights-and-sirens responses; the public may notice longer triage times at the 911 stage. Central County saw a 38% drop in Priority 4 (critical) EMS calls after its own MPDS rollout two years ago.

Finance mid-year outlook. Treasurer David projected a $146,000 property tax surplus for 2026, driven by final assessment values exceeding budget. Overall operations are expected to come in on budget; legal costs in property standards and the planning department are tracking above budget due to active enforcement matters.

Cemetery By-law 69-2026 — governing administration of all municipal cemeteries — received three readings and was signed after Bereavement Authority of Ontario approval was secured August 14.

Next regular council meeting: Tuesday, October 30, 2026 (rescheduled from the Thanksgiving Monday statutory holiday), which will be the final meeting of the current term.

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