Rideau Lakes Councillor Paula Banks put a motion forth Monday requesting all communication and information provided to and received by Mayor Arie Hoogenboom regarding the option for a municipal office to be built in Elgin be gathered into a staff report immediately and presented at a future meeting.
This motion follows Hoogenboom’s support of exploring the property further, citing during meetings and in media interviews it is a cheaper option than retrofitting the Chantry site.
While the mayor stood by his comments and spoke against the motion, Councillor Paula Banks said it was his remarks that led to it.
Some councillors feel Hoogenboom’s comments about an Elgin build being cheaper than a office retrofit in Chantry are misguided and has misled the public, given they’ve never received an official staff report.
The mayor says the motion is more about him vetoing the tender process for the Chantry build than anything he said.
Hoogenboom said in an interview with a local media outlet where the Elgin site was discussed, he was referring to a cost comparison provided from their hired engineering firm that showed a new build would be a cheaper option.
Both Jeff and Paula Banks alongside Councillors Sue Dunfield, Linda Carr, and Deputy Mayor Deborah Hutchings voted in favour of moving the Chantry project to tender, before Hoogenboom’s veto stopped the process.
They’ve long contested there’s no harm in receiving costing for the Chantry build, and green lighting this process does not mean they’ll move ahead with an office retrofit if they don’t like the price.
Council has also expressed concern about the offer and the true intentions of the developer of the Elgin site.
Hutchings said they’re being used for a road entrance permit.
The developer has previously been denied a permit by the Ministry of Transportation in an attempt to build future subdivision build.
Hoogenboom disputes that there’s ill intentions from the offer of the five-acre land.
Hoogenboom says a new municipal office in that location would encourage a housing start, which was one of his reasonings to implement his strong mayor powers to veto the Chantry office build moving out to tender.
One of the intended uses of strong mayor powers the province identified was increasing housing stock.
The vote for staff to craft a report passed 5-2, with Hoogenboom and Councillor Marcia Maxwell opposed.
Councillor Ron Pollard was absent from the meeting.
Council also passed a motion to have IDEA Consulting issue a report identifying all “flaws,” of the Chantry office project Hoogenboom feels exists, as identified in his decision letter, and report back to council.
Story by Grant Deme