Part 2: Service Levels Debate, Budget Pressures, and Burn Ban Changes — 06/11/2026

While the Service Delivery and Organizational Review dominated the June 11 Committee of the Whole meeting, much of the discussion focused on how Council should actually use the report and what it could mean for future decisions across the County.

Throughout the discussion, several councillors returned to the same central issue: deciding what services residents expect and how much they are willing to pay for them.

Councillor John Hirsch was one of the first members to dig into the report's recommendations. Hirsch agreed with the consultants' conclusion that determining service levels should be the County's first priority. He noted that Council has traditionally made those decisions during annual budget deliberations rather than through a dedicated public process. Hirsch also questioned how the County could gather meaningful public input, acknowledging that past surveys and engagement efforts have often struggled to attract large numbers of participants.

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The consultants responded by suggesting more direct community engagement. Rather than relying solely on formal public meetings, they recommended staff attend community events, farmers' markets, fairs, and other gatherings to speak directly with residents about municipal services.

Adam Goheen confirmed that staff were already planning summer engagement sessions related to the budget process and said those conversations could be expanded to focus on service levels instead.

Questions about funding and affordability surfaced repeatedly throughout the discussion. Councillor Sam Grosso focused on one recommendation that suggested the County could potentially explore increasing its Municipal Accommodation Tax, commonly known as the MAT tax. Grosso questioned whether increasing the tax from four percent to five percent could negatively affect visitors.

The consultants explained that the County experiences tourism impacts that place significant pressure on municipal infrastructure and services. They pointed to other tourism-focused communities that have adopted higher rates. However, Goheen clarified that no MAT tax increase was being recommended through this report and that the review was simply encouraging Council to explore all available revenue tools.

Councillor Sam Branderhorst focused on another theme that appeared throughout the report: understanding the true cost of decisions. Branderhorst observed that many municipal discussions involve requests for new programs, projects, or initiatives without a complete understanding of the staffing, financial, and operational impacts that come with them. She expressed interest in tools and systems that could help Council better understand those long-term costs before decisions are made.

The consultants pointed to asset management planning as one of the most effective ways to connect service expectations, infrastructure needs, staffing requirements, and financial forecasting into a single decision-making framework.

Jane Lesslie raised several questions during the review discussion. She suggested that targeted phone surveys have historically produced some of the County's strongest public engagement results and argued that statistical representation remains important when gathering community feedback. Lesslie also explored how other municipalities generate revenue beyond property taxes and asked whether better implementation of existing asset management strategies could help address infrastructure funding challenges.

Another topic that generated discussion was the challenge of attracting and retaining qualified staff in a rural municipality. The consultants suggested that the County's best opportunity may be continuing to invest in workforce development, leadership training, succession planning, and broader job structures that allow employees to grow into new responsibilities over time.

Support for the review itself appeared strong around the committee table. Mayor Steve Ferguson praised the report's depth and said it provided one of the most comprehensive examinations of County operations he had seen during his time in municipal government. Ferguson highlighted the findings related to work intake and growing demands on staff, suggesting the review provides a useful roadmap for future improvements.

Chair Councillor Janice Maynard repeatedly returned to the challenges of public engagement and service expectations in a rural community. Maynard noted that the County's population fluctuates significantly due to seasonal residents and visitors, creating unique challenges when trying to measure public opinion. She also questioned how municipalities can balance expectations from newcomers and seasonal residents with the realities of providing services across a large rural geography.

At the conclusion of the discussion, committee members unanimously supported receiving the final review report. Later in the meeting, after returning from closed session, committee also supported directing the Chief Administrative Officer to develop an implementation plan and report back periodically on progress.

Open-Air Burning Changes Receive Support

The second major discussion involved proposed amendments to the County's Open Air Burning By-law.

Fire Chief Patrick Kelly presented the report and explained that the proposed changes were designed to address fireworks use during burn bans while also providing clearer definitions for partial and full burn bans.

Support for regulating fireworks during burn bans appeared unanimous around the table. Jane Lesslie commented that the change was long overdue.

The more detailed discussion focused on burn barrels. Kelly explained that fire department experience has shown burn barrels are often linked to emergency responses during high-risk conditions, which is why staff proposed limiting them during partial burn bans.

Councillors questioned the restriction and argued that many residents use properly maintained burn barrels safely. Noting that irresponsible use by a small number of people often leads to additional regulations for everyone else. After discussion, an amendment was introduced directing staff to reinsert burn barrels into the partial burn ban provisions before the bylaw returns to Council.

Committee members supported the amendment, and the motion carried.

What This Means for Locals

The Council is preparing for a broader conversation about municipal services. Questions about road maintenance, parks, facilities, recreation programs, customer service, infrastructure investments, and staffing levels could all become part of future public engagement efforts.

The service delivery review does not immediately change any services, but it creates a framework for future decisions. Residents may be asked not only what services they want, but also what level of service they expect and what trade-offs they are willing to accept.

On the fire safety side, residents can expect updated burn ban rules in the coming weeks. Fireworks restrictions during burn bans are moving forward, while staff will revise language around burn barrels before the final bylaw returns to Council for approval.

Taken together, the meeting signalled a shift toward more deliberate planning, clearer service expectations, and closer examination of how municipal resources are allocated across the County.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:47:52. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.