Tillsonburg council briefs

Jeff Helsdon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Fourth quarter variance is positive

Tillsonburg ended the fourth quarter of 2024 with a $2.26-million positive variance from its budget.

Treasurer Renato Pullia presented the fourth-quarter report at the April 28 meeting. Portions of the surplus were allocated to certain reserves, but how to use the remainder will be discussed at a future council meeting. Of the total, about half was a labour surplus from gaps in filling positions. That portion was allocated to the employment reserve.

Record year for building permits

Tillsonburg had a record year for building permits for $147 million worth of construction.

The majority of this was driven by industrial, commercial and institutional construction. Development Commissioner Cephas Panschow noted this was the first time residential was less than half of the value of the permits. Usually, it’s 90 per cent of the value.

Concession Street fix?

Mayor Deb Gilvesy questioned when a fix for Concession Street East, between Broadway and Lisgar Ave., was coming during a presentation on year-end reports.

She asked if this was in the 10-year forecast.

Carlos Reyes, Director of Operations and Development, said fixing the road was discussed in a meeting earlier in the day. His hope was it would go to tender in the next couple of months.

“It might be deemed one of the worst roads in Canada,” Gilvesy said.

Pedestrian crossover at Annandale School

A compromise was reached on a planned pedestrian crossover in front of Annandale School.

Although Tillson Ave is a county road, Tillsonburg council weighed in on the topic recently, raising concerns about parking for the business across from the high school and traffic issues.

Carlos Reyes, Director of Operations and Development, reported county staff had proposed moving the crosswalk a few meters south, which the business owner approved of.

Coun. Chris Parker asked if there were any sightline issues for the house on the corner when backing out of their driveway.

“It looks like they will be backing out to the stop line for the crosswalk,” he said.

Reyes said the county had taken this into account.

Pickleball changes

A deal was made with the Tillsonburg Pickleball Club for exclusive access to the courts during certain times, but it comes with a fee.

Julie Dawley, Recreation Program and Services Manager, said if the club wants exclusive use they need to pay, which is the same as for other user groups with exclusive access.

Coun. Kelly Spencer asked if other groups would be able to reserve the courts for a fee.

Dawley said this is not being talked about at this time, but many other communities are moving to that model.

“There’s lot of avenues for people to play at the drop of a dime, but if we start booking it up, we might run into some issues,” she said. “I can see that down the road that may be the way we go, which is something other communities are experiencing too.”

The agreement approved was to give the club dedicated use on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a rental fee of $4 per court per hour.