Clarence-Rockland ready for full-time business director gŏđŏ editionap.ca
planner or the town’s chief administrator may double as an economic development director. Both Mayor Marcel Guibord and Pierre Tessier, Clarence-Rockland’s chief admin- istrative officer (CAO), agree that it may be time for the City of Clarence-Rockland to have a separate portfolio for that position. “We have that in mind, definitely,” said Mayor Guibord. “We have grown and ex- panded quite a bit. A director would guide the newcomer so that we make sure we are not forgetting anything.” “As a general answer, I would say‘yes’,”said Tessier. “But you have to have something to promote. Where we’re at right now is for the city to take the time to (further) develop an economic development strategy.” fessional learning all across the district and those who administer district and ministry educational programs. Another feature of the budget is $5.63 million allocated to information technology services. This represents a drop of almost one per cent, or $500,000, compared to the budget for the 2012-2013 term. On the administrative side, the budget includes $2.89 million for the UCDSB direc- tor’s office expenses. The combined trust- ees budget allocation for the next term is $424,517.
Given that condition, though, Tessier af- firmed that Clarence-Rockland is expand- ing to the point where the CAO cannot jug- gle both the day-to-day managerial needs of the city and also provide the kind of one- on-one attention that potential investors in the community need to decide whether or not they want to become part of its eco- nomic profile. “Managing a city today is becoming more and more complex,” he said. The mayor noted there are “lots of busi- ness possibilities”waiting in Clarence-Rock- land for the right investor. “There is lots of land ready for develop- ment, or would be, if we had people asking for it.” Sylvain Charlebois, the economic devel- opment director for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR), understands the situation. Besides his own work for the UCPR, Charlebois often liaises with the chief administrators and directors for the mem- ber municipalities of the counties on po- tential economic development projects or
investors for their areas. He noted one com- mon priority for many investors. “They’re looking for investment-ready properties,” he said. Not something that a city manager can always find time to keep track of along with everything else that lands on the CAO’s desk. “I think, at the very least, every municipal- ity should at least have part-time people re- sponsible for economic development,” said Charlebois. Neighbouring Russell Township has had its own full-time economic development director for more than a year-and-a-half. The municipality no longer has to depend on the UCPR for help in promoting itself to investors or risk losing out because the CAO is swamped with work. “It makes a difference,” said Charlebois, adding that economic development needs people able to devote their full attention to both the big and small pictures. “I see our role as long-term planners and implementers of visions.”
GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Does the City of Clarence-Rockland need a full-time economic development direc- tor? The answer in some circles is a defi- nite “yes”. As one of the fastest-growing communi- ties in the United Counties of Prescott-Rus- sell, Clarence-Rockland continues to attract more and more interest from develop- ers looking to capitalize on the increasing need for residential housing and also the demand for services that both newcomers and long-time residents would like to have. For most small municipalities, the village
Upper Canada trustees okay budget
VISION@EAP.ON.CA PRESCOTT-RUSSELL
BROCKVILLE | The Upper Canada District School Board has its budget in place now for the 2013-2014 term. Trustees approved the $373.8 million budget at their June 19 session. The lion’s share of the budget is for regular operat- ing expenses for the entire Upper Canada school district along with $28.7 million for capital works projects. All extra money al- located from Ministry of Education special funding programs is also accounted for in the budget. Budget highlights include $45.9 million for special education needs in the district and $12.9 million for various district pro- grams. The budget also includes $1.2 million for teacher support services. This money goes towards salaries for staff who provide pro-
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