A North Kent councillor wants to revive the idea of changing the makeup of municipal council.
Rhonda Jubenville believes there are still lingering urban-rural divides over 25 years after amalgamation, with feelings that certain areas of the municipality are being left out.
Jubenville plans on bringing a motion to the February 26 council meeting to have Chatham-Kent hire consultants to look at shrinking council’s size, as well as change the current ward boundaries.
Currently, Chatham-Kent has 17 councillors and the mayor. In her notice of motion, Jubenville points out that neighbouring municipalities have larger populations, but smaller councils.
Jubenville would like to see a third-party consultant perform a review and come up with recommendations before the 2026 municipal election.
A similar consultant report 15 years ago made recommendations about Chatham-Kent’s ward boundaries and council set-up, but the council of the day decided to maintain the status quo.
The issue was raised again when former Ward Six councillor Doug Sulman wanted the issue included as part of the 2018 municipal election, however with a lack of public support, council members voted against taking any further action.
