Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj was unhappy after council voted 4-2 on Monday to withhold approval of a county wide economic development approach.
“I’m very disappointed that Centre Wellington would not be supporting this,” she said.
Township Economic Development Officer Dave Rushton told council Wellington North, Minto, and Centre Wellington have economic development staff, and the remaining municipalities in the county use their Chief Administrative Officers for that work.
He said Mapleton CAO Patty Sinnamon asked for a meeting because more federal funding is coming – but it is for regional economic development, and not for a single municipality.
He said it would take the same format as the Local Health Integration Network, where the Ministry of Health provides funds that are distributed to a particular area.
Rushton said Wellington has been left out “because it is not being represented. There’s a lot of opportunities going by the county, and we don’t want to see that.”
He said there are two federally funded economic groups in Wellington: Saugeen and Wellington Futures Development Corporations, which help business startups.
Rushton asked for council support for the start of a county initiative. It would include the county warden, the mayors of each municipality, municipal staff, including CAOs and economic development staff, the county museum and archives, county staff to be determined by the county, and staff from the Waterloo-Wellington and Saugeen Futures Development Corporations.
He said the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture has region wide grants that the county could seek.
Rushton added, “I’m not asking for money.”
Ross-Zuj said the county is currently working with the Futures groups through its finance committee.
“We’re trying to position ourselves well for Southern Ontario” where grants for such things as tourism will be available.
She said the idea is to “find common ground for investments,” and she added that at the meeting, “This was received very well by the mayors.”
She said the issue came to council as an extra item because the county is starting work on its budget and wants to know where it stands with the municipalities. It could proceed without the approvals, but would prefer to have them.
Ross-Zuj added, “Our tourism initiatives are scattered in all the municipalities. We should be working together.”
Rushton said the issue is not just tourism, but all business development. He cited the rural broadband issue, where Wellington County received a $1-million grant from the province to help provide high speed internet access to all rural areas. He noted a single municipality could never have obtained that funding.
Rushton said some municipalities with economic development staff are resisting a regional approach, but, “It’s not an issue with us.”
Councillor Walt Visser said he has seen how Centre Wellington’s economic development budget grew from a contract position to full time work and far more money than first intended, and said the county tax levy is a large part of property taxes.
“I’d hate to see another level of bureaucracy” at the county level, he said.
Ross-Zuj said, “We’re at the beginning stage.”
But councillor Fred Morris agreed with Visser. He said such a step is a gamble, like “peering into the mist.”
He said, Centre Wellington “took the lead” on economic development when no one else was willing. “For them to come to us now … ”
Further, he said, he fears if the county gets involved it will be at huge cost to the taxpayers.
Ross-Zuj said the county would not take anything away from Centre Wellington, but simply work together with all municipalities.
Rushton said the township would have “more of a say.” He noted the county recently bought space in a Guelph tourism book, but the township had no say over that expenditure.
He said in essence, development anywhere in Wellington is a plus for everyone. He said, for example there are lots of Centre Wellington residents who work at Musashi in Arthur.
Councillor Kirk McElwain, who worked on the county broadband committee, there is much federal money available, but only the county or a region can qualify for it.
He explained that Centre Wellington would be facing groups that act as regions when it comes to grant applications.
“It cuts down our odds, because we’re there as a township.”
When the vote was called, councillors Visser, Morris, Ron Hallman, and Bob Foster were opposed and the support was denied. McElwain and councillor Shawn Watters were in favour.
