Progress on the Community Hub project in downtown Chatham could come to a grinding halt if local politicians move forward with a proposed referendum.
In a motion coming to council on Monday, North Kent representative Rhonda Jubenville is requesting that her fellow councillors instruct municipal staff to draft a report on how to proceed with a referendum on the Community Hub to determine public opinion on the project.
Jubenville’s motion also calls for the project to cease all financial and physical operations until the results of the referendum are known.
Most recently, CK Council voted in favour of moving forward with final design plans for the multi-year project that would see the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, CK Public Library and CK Museum amalgamated into the former Sears building in downtown Chatham.
If council moves forward with the referendum, municipal administration will return with a report outlining legislation within the Municipal Election Act and inform council of the referendum process, the notice required, the appeal process, by-law requirements, results and implementation, and potential costs.
Jubenville’s motion cites “great public concern and opposition to the Downtown Community Hub Project” and that “residents of Chatham-Kent are not being heard or acknowledged.”
However, there have been numerous opportunities for Chatham-Kent residents to provide input on the project, including three public information sessions, two online public surveys, and three stakeholder engagement meetings. Several one-on-one meetings with local advisory committees and boards were also held, and more than two dozen deputations were presented to council on the project during a meeting on October 21.
Jubenville also claims in her motion that taxpayers of Chatham-Kent will be greatly affected by the decisions regarding the Downtown Community Hub Project.
However, municipal staff have previously made it clear that funding for the Community Hub has already been set aside in reserves as part of Chatham-Kent’s 2024-2027 multi-year operating budget. Administration has also emphasized that the project is not expected to have further financial impact on taxpayers in the future.
Chatham-Kent administration has also expressed concerns about the impact that the request for a referendum would have on the next steps of the Chatham-Kent Community Hub project. Specifically, a delay in the project could result in Chatham-Kent losing out on the ability to use the “buy back” provision of the purchase of the Sears building, depending on the timing of a referendum.
The referendum motion was originally on the schedule during the October 21 meeting of council but was pushed due to time constraints.
For more information about the Chatham-Kent Community Hub project, click here.
