Spaniard’s Bay councillors clash over bylaw

By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Olivia Bradbury

Tensions rose at the June 9 Spaniard’s Bay council meeting as councillors disagreed over a by-law for the takeover of private roads.

Councillor Terry Sheppard, who was not in the room but joined the meeting by phone, took issue with a condition that stipulated that “council may consider assuming ownership and maintenance responsibility for a private road where the road serves a minimum of three (3) residential dwellings.”

Sheppard argued that at an earlier, private meeting of council, council had decided not to include the number of dwellings in the condition, and had voted to that effect.

Councillor Sherry Lundrigan said that, at the meeting Sheppard referred to, some councillors had not felt comfortable with the idea of approving the by-law without including the number of dwellings. The topic had been further discussed at the committee of the whole where it was decided that the condition would be added. According to Councillor Debbie Newman, Sheppard himself also participated in the committee of the whole meeting by phone call.

Sheppard asked why council had had a dedicated meeting for the by-law only to change something at the committee of the whole meeting. Newman said it was because the by-law had been presented at the committee of the whole meeting as a topic of discussion.

Mayor Tammy Oliver said that, contrary to what Sheppard asserted, no vote would have taken place at the dedicated by-law meeting as it had been private, and votes can only take place during public meetings. She recalled the councillors being divided on whether to include or omit the minimum number of residential dwellings from the by-law, at which points she believes the topic was left to be discussed further by the committee of the whole.

Sheppard went on to accuse other councillors of holding a new vote at the committee of the whole when the odds would be in their favour.

 “It was already agreed upon when there was enough people there and when you guys got your votes,” he said. “Then we had another vote on it when you guys got your numbers. That’s what I see here.”

“No, Councillor Sheppard, that is not what I see here,” said Lundrigan. “You’re making insinuations. I am not voting for the road policy unless there’s a number of houses on the road. Not going at it. That’s it. And you’re insinuating that we are what, going against you because it’s something to do? If we don’t agree with not having houses on the road, we don’t agree with it.”

Councillor Ann Marie Singleton made a motion to accept the road takeover by-law. Mayor Oliver, Lundrigan, Newman, and Singleton voted in favour of the motion. Deputy mayor Gerald Sheppard, and councillors Terry Sheppard and Darren Smith voted against the motion.

With a vote of 4-3, the motion passed.

Deputy mayor Sheppard submitted his resignation later that same meeting, as was originally reported in the June 18 edition of The Shoreline.