The MRC Pontiac Council of Mayors held its monthly meeting last Wednesday. At the meeting, the annual audit of the finances of both the TNO (Territoires non organisé) and the MRC was presented, among other interesting resolutions.

The primary purpose of the audit was to compare revenue expenses budgeted for 2022 with the final amounts actually spent by the MRC and TNO .

The audit was performed by Simon Thibault of Axè CPA Inc.

Overall, for both expenses and revenue, budgeted and real amounts largely correspond to each other with the notable exception of revenue and expenses related to grants that couldn’t be budgeted as they were applied for and disbursed over the . . .

course of the year.

At the end of the year, the TNO posted a budget surplus of $123,982 for 2022, while the MRC posted a surplus of $320,701 after all transactions were accounted for.

For both the TNO audit and the MRC audit, the auditor found no instances of fraud or any other outstanding problems with the MRC’s finances.

Ice storm and flooding:

The mayors gave information about their follow-up plans after the ice storm, which will be included in a resolution at next month’s MRC meeting. Ideas included holding a public meeting with Hyrdo Quebec along the lines of the one planned for February’s outage in the upper Pontiac, clarification on when municipalities can declare a state of emergency and requesting an investigation into why workers from Hyrdo One and private contractors weren’t better utilized when responding the damage caused by the ice storm.

Referring to both the ice storm and potential damage caused by recent flooding, Fire and Public Safety Coordinator Julien Gagnon advised the council that the Ministry of Public Security will reimburse municipalities and individuals for costs incurred during emergencies on a graded scale, meaning that the more money spent by municipalities on emergency response, the greater proportion of expenses covered.

“We have to make sure that all residents and municipalities keep every bill and every picture so when we do ask for reimbursement, we do obtain it. Every expense incurred that’s outside daily activities like overtime for your employees, filling sandbags, removing sandbags after, detouring a road, getting extra gravel or any of those expenses that are extra are admissible.”

The council was also updated on the MRC plans and the status of closed roads across the county at the time.

“We have to be vigilant,” Gagnon said.

Other resolutions:

The council passed a resolution requesting more money from the province to offset the cost of public transportation.

A notice of motion was passed indicating that a law will be proposed which will increase the fee for filing an application for review of property assessment for the MRC Pontiac.

A resolution was also passed in response to resolutions sent to the MRC by Shawville, Clarendon, Bristol, Île-du-Grand-Calumet and Mansfield-et-Pontefract requesting equilibration of assessment roles for 2024, 2025 and 2026. Equilibration essentially means bringing assessment value in line with the values that properties are actually being sold for.

A resolution was passed that established a committee that will work towards the establishment of a hub for federal workers in the Pontiac.

A resolution was passed supporting the application from Vidéotron for the upgrade of fiber optic transmission infrastructure in the Pontiac.

A resolution was passed which gave $1,000 to Bourse Pontiac for a scholarship for a student pursuing studies in hospitality, tourism, outdoor activities or sports next year.

A resolution was passed which established a renewable energy committee, whose mandate would be to develop a strategic plan for expansion of renewable energy in the Pontiac.

The council was also advised that the public security committee that municipalities could submit priority areas for 2023-2024 to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ). Each municipality can submit one area related to “network safety” and one for “interventions in personal safety”. The SQ will attempt to make at least one patrol in these areas every 35 days.

Finally, the MRC also announced the date of the annual Tree and Forest Festival, which will be held on May 26 at the MRC offices in Campbell’s Bay. The day will include free trees and a BBQ which will raise funds for Bouffe Pontiac.

You can watch the entire meeting on the MRC’s Facebook page.

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