Chatham-Kent council voted in favour to bring in a third-party consultant to review and provide options for council’s size and boundaries.
The motion was brought in by Councillor Rhonda Jubenville, who says notes that the issue of ward boundaries and the number of councillors has come up a few times since Chatham-Kent’s amalgamation in 1998, and changes should be looked at.
Currently, council has 17 councillors and a mayor. There are six wards in Chatham-Kent.
“I think it at least needs a look, sending it off to a third-party consultant,” Jubenville said.
Mayor Darrin Canniff is in favour of the review. He said the provincial and federal government reviews its size and boundaries regularly, and it is fair to taxpayers to have a review done.
Jubenville’s original motion was changed with some friendly amendments and split into two.
Council approved reviewing the existing size of council membership to decrease the size of council, with the consultant providing various options. That motion passed by an 8-6 vote.
A review to consider respective communities of interest and options to ensure both rural and urban voices are included in each ward passed by an 11-3 vote.
Time will play a role in the review. A review will have to come back to council by December 2025 in time to prepare for the 2026 municipal election. If not, proposed changes won’t be able to take place until 2030.