TBL Council – September

Francine Bastien 

Mayor Richard Burcombe chaired the meeting in the presence of all the councillors, the DG and the town clerk. Some 25 citizens attended. 

The mayor highlighted the 40th anniversary of Camlen Inc. and its importance for the Town. 

Question periods will now be recorded and posted on the town’s website. Participants are invited to ask a question and a sub-question. 

Editor’s note: This should help reduce the long and frequent monologues and opinions which have little to do with the agendas of council meetings. 

Questions – Given the recent action filed against the city by a lobby group, how many legal actions have been filed against TBL in the past 5 years? Four, answered the clerk. Two by the same pressure group. Short-term rental still causes complaints from citizens. What does the town do when it receives a complaint to this effect? The clerk explained that the offender is first informed of the situation; if it is not corrected, a formal notice is sent, followed by a fine, if necessary. 

A citizen reported rumours that major changes will be made to TBL’s territory through the law on the protection of agricultural land. The mayor replied that he was not aware of any resolution to this effect emanating from either the MRC or TBL. 

The state of health of the lake’s shorelines: TBL inspected more than two-thirds of the lake’s riparian areas and sent 51 letters to non-compliant owners. According to DG Gilbert Arel, there are still some recalcitrants who will receive notices of infractions. 

A citizen asked if councillors must ask permission from the mayor to meet with citizens. Councillor Patrick Ouvrard responded that “it is abject to say such a thing” and that he meets citizens completely freely. 

Agreements, contracts and mandates – A path will be built between the dog park and rue Jean-Lapierre at a cost of $194,800. 

Loan settlement – The refinancing of loans at a rate of 5.17% for road work amounting to more than $3M will result in additional interest costs of around $55,000 per year. 

Urban planning and environment – The town asked the MRC to support it in its approach to being administratively attached to the Estrie region rather than to the South Shore of Montreal. 

Leisure, culture, community life – Council awarded a $500 grant for the Walk Against Cancers and $1,000 for the “Pumpkin and Gingerbread” activity. 

Next meeting: Monday October 2 at 7 p.m. at the CLB