Chatham-Kent council has approved a series of changes to its committees of council and local boards following the municipality’s 2026 review, ahead of the upcoming term of council.
Among the changes approved Monday, the Age Friendly Committee will be dissolved to avoid duplication with the mandate of the Accessibility Advisory Committee, whose objectives are being addressed through that committee and the municipality’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice initiatives. The Accessibility Advisory Committee’s terms of reference were also approved, along with a change moving its administrative support to the CAO’s department, better aligning the committee with its broad mandate.
Council also approved updated terms of reference and a bylaw for the Committee of Adjustment, which will now be comprised of six citizens of the municipality with representation from both urban and rural communities, rather than one member from each of the municipality’s eight wards, due to the difficulty of recruiting qualified members from every ward.
Council authorized the Deputy CAO and clerk to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Chatham-Kent Public Library Board formalizing the existing operational and budgetary responsibilities of each party. The library board approved the agreement at its June 23 meeting.
Terms of reference for the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission were also approved, with the commission remaining a seven-member committee composed of the mayor and one councillor from each of the municipality’s wards, pending a broader review of the commission’s composition expected to come before the new council.
Council also adopted an updated Chatham-Kent Local Boards and Committees of Council Policy, reflecting the municipality’s revised ward structure and Council composition following changes approved in February 2025 that increased the number of wards from six to eight and reduced the size of council from 18 to 15 members.
Administration noted that the Chatham-Kent Board of Health’s current composition does not align with requirements under the Health Protection and Promotion Act and Ontario Regulation 559, and said proposed changes to the board’s terms of reference will be brought forward for its consideration at a November meeting, before being presented to the new term of council for approval.
