This survey was circulated in hard copy with the April Edition of the Blue Mountains Review. We had such positive feedback that we want to give more residents the opportunity to weigh in! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey below. None of the questions are required so if you wish to skip a section you may. All we ask is that you answer the questions relevent to you so that your voice can be heard!

Who am I?

I am a:

full-time resident of the TBM
part-time resident of the TBM

I have resided full or part-time in the TBM for:

> 20 years
10-20 years
5-10 years
< 5 years

I am involved in a community organisation:

yes
no

During the last 2 years I have attended Council or Committee meetings

> 10
5-10
1-5
0

I feel I know enough about most issues before council to have an informed opinion.

yes
no

I voted in the last municipal election.

yes
no

I will vote in the next municipal election.

yes
no

What is important to me?

Please rate the following issues in terms of importance to you.
5=very important 4=important 3=moderately important 2=slightly important 1= not at all important

How we elect our municipal officials:

Council recently approved the elimination of mail-in ballots and the institution of Internet and telephone voting only for the 2018 election.
I support the elimination of mail-in ballots.

yes
no

Currently, the five members of Council are elected to represent the entire Town. Some other municipalities have a ward system where councillors are elected to represent individual wards within the Town. Some argue that having a councillor represent a specific ward means that citizens have a specific person to go to with their local concerns, which might not be shared by people from other parts of the community. Others argue that having councillors represent individual wards will mean that it will be harder to get consensus.
I support changing to the ward system.

yes
no

How our municipal government runs:

Over the last year there have been concerns expressed over the way our municipal government has operated, in particular with the secrecy involving the alleged harassment allegations against Councillor Seguin, and the involvement of the Town in the restructuring of the Library. I am satisfied with the level of openness and transparency in the TBM government.

yes
no

Currently meetings of Council are held on Monday nights at 7 pm and the Committee of the Whole on Mondays at 1 pm.
I would like all meetings of Council to be held in the evenings so I could attend.

yes
no

I would like all meetings of Council to be held on weekends so I could attend.

yes
no

I believe that the minutes of meetings should include a record of who voted for and against motions, as is done in some other municipalities.

yes
no

I believe it is currently too difficult to make a deputation to Council.

yes
no

I support the concept of an Open Mike session following Council meetings to allow citizens to be heard.

yes
no

I believe that meetings of Council and Committees should be videotaped and archived so that a complete and accurate record is available.

yes
no

I believe that closed meetings of Council and Committees should be videotaped and securely archived, so that a complete and accurate record is available for any Closed Meeting Investigations.

yes
no

Historically, the Town had a number of committees with citizen participation, which provided council with advice on specific items such as the Harbour, etc. I support the idea of Committees to enhance citizen involvement in government.

yes
no

The Budget, Spending, and Property Taxes

I believe that Council has done a good job of keeping the budget and spending under control.

yes
no

Which of the statements best reflects your opinion about our tax rates:

Our taxes are too high; I would like to pay less even if it means a cut in services.
Our taxes are too high; I believe there efficiencies which could be used to lower taxes without cutting services
Our taxes are appropriate for the services we receive from our local government.
Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society. I would pay more for better services and government.

I support the new Purchasing of Goods & Services Policy which give staff more authority over spending by removing council from the tendering process for projects that are within the annually budgeted amounts.

yes
no

The Amount of our taxes going to Grey County

At the time of amalgamation of the TBM, the TBM contributed 20% of Grey Countyâ??s total revenue. Today our contribution has shot up to 26%. Last year we sent $13.8 million of our tax dollars million to Grey County, far more than the next largest contributor, Owen Sound at $7.7 million. Of your tax dollar 40.6% goes to the Town (Tier 2 govern-ment), 39.2% goes to the County (Tier 1 government) and 20.2% goes to the Province of Ontario for Education. Although we pay 26% of the County expenditures we only have 2 votes on the 18 person County Council, so very little say on how this money is spent.

Which of the following best reflects your opinion on the issue of tax contributions to Grey County?

As the wealthiest community in Grey County, we should pay the largest share, to help out the people in less fortunate communities, even if we don't have a proportionate say.
We should negotiate a new deal with Grey County, which gives us a vote on County Council proportionate to our percentage of the funding.
We should negotiate to cap our proportion of County expenditures at 20%, the level it was at amalgamation.
We should work to secede from Grey County and become a Tier 1 government.

The Library and provision of Library Services

I use the TBM Library.

yes
no

I use the:

L. E. Shore exclusively
Depot Branch exclusively
L. E. Shore and Depot Branch locations

I know what services the Library provides.

yes
no

I aware that the Town is obligated to provide and fund library services under the Public Libraries Act.

yes
no

I am aware that under the Libraries Act the operation of the library is governed by the Library Board, while the budget is approved by Town Council.

yes
no

In the last few years the library services and programs offered by the Library have:

improved
remained the same
deteriorated

I am aware of the issues surrounding the restructuring of the Library and the summary dismissal of long term Library staff.

yes
no

Recreation opportunities supported by the Town.

The Town provides funding for 21 municipally owned and maintained Parks. Please check which you have used in the last year.

green space
tennis courts,
picnic tables,
playgrounds,
swing sets,
pavilions,
public washrooms,
beaches,
river access,
a basketball court,
a shuffleboard court,
a volleyball court,
baseball diamonds,
skateboard park,
Tomahawk Recreation Complex - Soccer,
Tomahawk Recreation Complex - Golf,
Beaver Valley Community Centre (Arena),
Thornbury Harbour.

I believe the Town should increase, decrease, or maintain its level of support for our Parks

Increase
Maintain
Decrease

I believe the Town should increase, decrease, or maintain its level of support for Tomahawk

Increase
Maintain
Decrease

I believe the Town should increase, decrease, or maintain its level of support for the Arena

Increase
Maintain
Decrease

I believe the Town should increase, decrease, or maintain its level of support for the Harbour

Increase
Maintain
Decrease

Historically curling was a popular sport in Clarksburg and Thornbury with up to 150 curlers participating in the 1950s. Recently a local group has shown interest in re-establishing curling, by turning the arena into a multi-use facility by converting it to curling ice for part of each week, as is done in some other communities.

I would support this initiative
I would not support this initiative
I would rather support a dedicated curling facility.

Town Services such as policing, fire services, garbage pick-up, and snow plowing, and road maintenance. Please rate your satisfaction with the following services.
4=very satisfied 3=satisfied 2= moderately satisfied 1=not at all satisfied

Service levels provided by the Staff at the Town Hall

I have used the services or corresponded with Town staff.
I have not used the services or corresponded with Town staff.

When using Services provided by the Staff at the Town Hall I was?

very satisfied
satisfied
moderately satisfied
not at all satisfied with the service I received
did not use

Short Term Accomodation Bylaw

Since 2014 the TBM has had a Short Term Accommodation (STA) Licensing By-law, which provides for a system of licensing of STA premises (premises rented on a basis of 30 consecutive days or less). Under the STA Licensing Program, property owners must apply for and obtain a licence, and renew it bi-annually. The licence may be suspended or revoked by the Town should the property owner not comply with the provisions of the By-law which cover the responsible operation of the premises. Most common complaints deal with parking, maintenance, and noise infractions.

yes
no

Have you had reason to complain about an STA during the last 2 years.

yes
no

How would you rate the job the Town has done in regulating STAs?

good
adequate
poor

I believe the STA bylaw should be:

strengthened
relaxed
maintained as it is at present.

Sewer and Water

Are you currently serviced by Town Sewer and Water

yes
no

If you are currently serviced please answer the following 2 questions, if not skip to the questions below.

Are you happy with the sewer and water services you receive?

yes
no

How would you rate the sewer and water charges you pay

too high
reasonable
too low

Please answer the next 5 questions if you are not currently on Town sewer and water.

Would you like to have Town sewer and water.

yes
no

I believe I should have a say as to whether my area is serviced by Town sewer and water.

yes
no

I know or do not know if I will be forced to be hooked up if my area is serviced.

I know
I do not know

I know or do not know roughly how much I will have to pay to be hooked up to Town sewer and water.

I know
I do not know

I believe that the proposed deferred payment plan for hooking up is fair.

yes
no

The Official Plan and Development

Which of the following best represents your vision for the Town of Blue Mountains?

A seasonal resort community
A retirement community for wealthy people
An agricultural community
A combination of the above, where most jobs are low paying service industry jobs, filled by people from neighbouring towns because they can't afford to live here.
A community with a diverse economy, with year round well-paying jobs which takes advantage of our location, geography and other attributes.

The Town has how much new residential development.

too much
the proper amount
too little

The Town has how much new commercial development.

too much
the proper amount
too little

What type of job has the Town done in attracting new businesses which provide year-round well-paying jobs.

good
adequate
poor

The Town should zone some land light- industrial/commercial to attract new businesses which would provide year-round, good paying jobs to our community.

yes
no

Local Media

Which of the following media do you read
3=often, 2=sometimes, 1= almost never

Please rate the following media in terms of the quality of their coverage of local affairs in the TBM.
5=excellent 4=very good 3=okay 2=not very good 1= not at all good

I would likely subscribe to a local weekly or bi-weekly print newspaper which provided coverage on events in the TBM.

yes
no

I would likely subscribe to a local weekly or bi-weekly internet newspaper which provided coverage on events in the TBM.

yes
no