A notice of motion, NOM, is when a councillor gives advance notice of a topic he or she wishes to discuss. After hearing from the community concerning the recent Old School House File in Colchester, with the help of the community, I created the following list of motions to bring forward Jan 18th. If they get a seconder, debated Feb 1st at the 6:00 regular council meeting on You Tube, Essex Ontario.
1- That in advance of council designating any public property surplus which has Cultural or Historic value that the public is first consulted by means of social media, newspaper, town website, open houses, public meetings, etcetera. When properties are deemed to have Heritage value, the Heritage committee is also given notice and time to provide a recommendation to council.
2- That bylaws for designated public property surplus that there is only 2 readings on the first agenda that the bylaw appears and that the third reading be on the next agenda to guarantee public notice and transparency.
3- That Essex Council establish an ad hoc committee to come together to propose regulations and policies around Short Term Rental accommodations in the Municipality of Essex.
4- That when Essex council deems public property as surplus, such property will be sold by request for proposal and/or listed on the open market to ensure that properties are sold in a transparent manner and for the highest price.
I really feel that council and administration can better serve the public by having improved policies in place. I look forward to hearing the thoughts of my fellow colleagues on these suggested improvements.
