County Council Highlights for Feb. 7, 2024
Warden Spotlights Black History Month and Paramedic Recruitment Campaign
Warden Hilda MacDonald is encouraging residents to take part in local Black History Month events during February and spread the word about Essex-Windsor EMS’s new paramedic recruitment campaign.
“This year’s Black History Month theme is ‘Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build,’” the warden noted in her opening remarks to Essex County Council at Wednesday’s meeting. “And our region certainly has a rich history of black excellence stretching back well over 200 years.”
Information about local Black History Month events is available on the Amherstburg Freedom Museum website and Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island’s Black History Month web page.
MacDonald lauded the open paramedic recruitment campaign launched last week by Essex-Windsor EMS. She noted that “council is putting more paramedic resources on the road this year and we need to replenish the ranks.”
“Essex-Windsor EMS is reaching out to recent graduates and experienced paramedics, connecting with colleges and participating in job fairs to not only tell its story but also the story of our diverse and dynamic region,” the warden said.
New Electronic Documentation Software Expected to Aid EMS
A five-year agreement with a new electronic software platform provider is expected to have financial benefits and help Essex-Windsor EMS continue to improve services based on real-time data, says a report to council.
Essex County Council approved proceeding with a five-year contract with Medusa ESO Medical for $1.1 million plus HST, with an option to extend it up to another five years.
The company will provide software for electronic ambulance call reports, records management forms, community paramedicine medical records and data analytics. The software includes a situational awareness dashboard that shows the level of service in the region in real time. The dashboard helps alert the EMS leadership team of impending surges and allows it to make quick decisions to support paramedics in the field.
Essex-Windsor EMS, which responded to 70,236 requests for service in 2023, has been using this type of software service since 2017 and the contract with the current provider is ending this year. The decision to move to Medusa ESO Medical is the result of the responses to a request for proposals issued in November 2023 by the County of Essex along with Lennox and Addington County, Bruce County, Dufferin County, Durham County, the City of Hamilton, the Niagara Region, Norfolk County, the City of Ottawa, Greater Sudbury, Thunder Bay, the City of Waterloo and Rainy River.
Tax Increase Lowered to 4.81 per cent as Ratios Set for 2024
Council adopted tax ratios for 2024 that include the removal of discounts for excess commercial, excess industrial and vacant industrial land.
The removal of those discounts – set at 30 per cent for commercial land and 35 per cent for industrial land – will affect 607 properties and reduce the tax levy burden on other tax classes, says a report to council. That has the effect of lowering the residential tax increase for 2024 to 4.81 per cent.
Vacant land is not being used and has no buildings or structures. Excess land is the undeveloped part of a commercial or industrial property that is not being used by the existing business.
The report notes that overall raw assessment for Essex County has increased 2.64 per cent over 2023. As well, council maintained the Essex County Tax Assistance Program for Low-Income Seniors and Low-Income Persons with Disabilities, and the county’s Charity Tax Rebate Program.
Revised Procurement Policy Adopted
An updated Procurement Policy that adds details and addresses issues not included in the previous policy will help ensure the County of Essex is following public procurement best practices, says a report to council.
The revised policy was created in collaboration with local municipalities, construction associations and municipalities elsewhere.
County of Essex Advances Regional Interests at ROMA Conference
Delegations from the County of Essex met recently with Ontario government officials to advocate on three issues of importance to the County of Essex and the region as a whole.
The presentations were made in Toronto at the 2024 Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference, which was attended by more than 1,600 municipal leaders, government officials, public servants, sponsors, exhibitors and media. Premier Doug Ford and multiple Cabinet Ministers attended the conference this year as did the leaders of the Liberals, NDP and Green Party.
County officials delegated to three ministries about three separate priorities:
1) The need for the Province to revisit a looming regulatory change to the recycling program that will perpetuate inefficient collection practices and create a financial, operational and environmental burden to municipalities, particularly rural ones.
2) The need for provincial support for significant infrastructure upgrades as the region prepares for accelerated growth associated with historical investments like the battery plant, the new regional hospital and the new border crossing.
3) The need for continued provincial investments in team-based, interdisciplinary models of health care to alleviate systemic pressures associated with a chronic physician shortage and a lack of primary and urgent care clinics with weekend and evening hours.
Read more about the County’s advocacy efforts at the 2024 ROMA conference!
County Reviewing Discretionary Funding for External Agencies
Council has directed administration to prepare a report prior to 2025 budget deliberations about the value organizations that receive discretionary funding from the county provide to local municipalities.
Administration will consult local municipalities to find out if they are satisfied with the services. As well, the organizations will be invited to make presentations to Essex County Council and local municipal councils about the benefits they provide local municipalities for the funding they receive.