Municipality of Chatham-Kent Council will continue to consider options for adjusting Council’s size and making ward boundary changes at the upcoming meeting on Monday, February 10, 2025.
StrategyCorp, the consulting firm hired for the project, is set to provide a presentation to Council and have provided a report prior to the meeting. The report from Strategy Corp includes the following recommendations:
“As discussed in our previous reports, StrategyCorp recommends the Municipality adopt a Council size of 15,” StrategyCorp said in their latest report.
“Two Options are presented to give effect to this. As directed, we have also included an updated ward boundary Option for a Council of 18. This version would maintain a Council of 18 and address the biggest issues with the existing ward boundaries.”
The full report can be read, here.
A spirited debate took place on Monday, December 16, 2024, when the issue was last on the Council agenda.
West Kent Councillor Melissa Harrigan entered a successful motion, confirming the 15-member council option “in principle” from the Strategy Corp report.
Earlier in the meeting, Harrigan had entered a motion to move forward with a 13-member Council, which was the preferred recommendation from the consultant.
However, this vote failed by a vote of 7 to 10.
The third option offered by Strategy Corps was to continue as an 18-member council, with slightly adjusted boundaries surrounding Wallaceburg and Chatham.
This option remains an option for Council to consider on Monday.
Administration is recommending Council choose an option proposed by Strategy Corp and direct administration to bring a by-law of that option to the March 3, 2025 Council meeting for voting.
