SWOX Housing Opportunities Committee considers tiny homes

Debbie Kasman, Tillsonburg Post Correspondent

At its Nov. 5th, Housing Opportunities Committee meeting, SWOX mayor David Mayberry informed the committee that he had met with developer Kirby Heckford to explore interest in different development options for a property comprised of 2.6 acres in the subdivision west of Highway 19 in Mount Elgin known as the “Layton property.” Heckford would like to build 40-50 tiny homes on the land. Mayberry suggested a hybrid model of one row of townhouses and the rest affordable tiny homes.

Septic inspector Niels Dube expressed concern regarding undersized lots, which could become a problem in future when the properties do not have enough space for a conventional septic system.

Chief Building Official Howard Leaver noted that residents in the area might not be supportive of a tiny home community in Mount Elgin.

Mayberry suggested stacked townhouse units as another option and will follow up with Oxford County regarding the capacity in the current water system.

SWOX exceeds legal expenses budget

At its regular council meeting on Dec. 17, South West Oxford Township staff informed council of a budget over-expenditure for the township's legal expenses for 2024. This over-expenditure resulted from an independent investigation required by the township's Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy.

The township received a formal written harassment complaint from one of the township's fire halls. As required under township policy, an independent investigation was initiated to address the complaint. An independent third party was engaged to conduct the investigation.

The total cost of the investigation was $11,911.25, plus HST, resulting in a total fee of $13,459.71. The township's approved budget for legal expenses in 2024 was $10,000. Due to this unexpected expense, combined with other legal services for 2024, the allocated budget was exceeded.

To address the budget shortfall, an estimated $7,010.71 (including HST) will be withdrawn from the legal reserve to cover this over expenditure. The current balance of the township's Legal Reserve Account is $102.29.