Brownsburg-Chatham council had a busy meeting on July 4 with several significant decisions made or introduced for future consideration.
Cost of new fire station
A new fire station will be built in Brownsburg to replace the current building, which is in poor condition. On July 4, a notice of motion for a regulation was introduced to council to authorize spending up to $5,058,250 to build the new fire station. Grant funding from the Québec government will comprise 70 per cent of the expense. The regulation still must pass second and third reading by council before it becomes law.
On July 4, Brownsburg-Chatham council also approved the appointment of Jason Neil as the new Director of Fire Safety—or fire chief, for the municipality.
Brownsburg-Chatham council approved a regulation on July 4 authorizing up to $2,663.920 to be spent on exploring possible options for the future of the Aréna Gilles-Lupien in Brownsburg. The arena is in significant need of upgrades or even replacement. Mayor Kévin Maurice said several options for the future of the arena will be explored, and demolishing the current building is just one of them.
“All scenarios are on the table,” he said.
Budget surplus
Council received the town’s 2022 financial report which indicates a budget surplus for Brownsburg-Chatham of $1.7 million for 2022.
“We are supporting residential development at a competitive tax rate,” said Maurice.
The mayor said the surplus will be used for further projects to benefit residents.
“We assume it will be adequately reinvested in the community,” he remarked.
New speed limit
Get ready to slow down on Montée Robert. On July 4, Brownsburg-Chatham council approved reducing the speed limit on the rural road to 50 kilometres per hour. The previous speed limit was 70 kilometres per hour. Montée Robert is a popular connector road between Route 148 and Route 344.
Regulation updates
Notices of motion were introduced to Brownsburg-Chatham council on July 4 to update the municipal regulations on nuisances and door-to-door soliciting. The regulations are being updated to be consistent with those of other local municipalities to allow for consistent enforcement by the Sûreté du Québec.
New roles
Recreation and Communications are now two separate municipal departments in Brownsburg-Chatham. On July 4, council approved the creation of a Communications Coordinator position, a role which had previously been included in the recreation department. Director-General Jean-François Brunet described the change as part of the municipality’s effort to optimize services. Karine Giroux will serve as Communications Coordinator and Megan Charron will serve as Recreation Coordinator.
