Short-term rentals are on the agenda when Algonquin Highlands staff and council meet for a special council meeting July 10.
Mayor Carol Moffat said during the mayor’s report on CanoeFM July 2 that it will be an E-meeting as they have been doing for several weeks.
She emphasized it’s not a public input session.
“This is simply a meeting where council will get our feet wet. We’ll receive a staff report. We’ll find out what other folks are doing.”
Moffatt conceded it is a contentious topic.
“Short-term rentals are a really important aspect of our community and our economy. They’re problematic as well. So, we need to find a balance there.”
Moffatt added, “we’ll make sure there’s plenty of notice for the public input process going forward.”
She encouraged anyone who wants to watch the proceedings to check out the township website or the mayor’s Facebook page for a link.
Office reopening
As of last week, the Algonquin Township office is open. Moffatt said as staff transition back, there are protocols in place for the public. “It’s to keep public and staff safe, of course,” she said. Moffatt reiterated they’re doing visits by appointment only for now. People have to call ahead and book an appointment with the staff person they want to see. It’s also “BYOM,” or bring your own mask. Moffatt said staff are eager to get back to work but also have trepidation as it’s still “a worrisome time.” “There is no such thing as business as usual, which I think we all know. But we are encouraging folks to continue doing their business with staff by phone and slowly getting back to an 8:30-4:30 routine with staff in the office. So, we’ll see how that goes.”
Square at landfills working well
Moffatt said the new digital payment system installed at the Maple Lake landfill is working out well. The township put the touchless pay system in place a couple of weeks ago, which is allowing them to collect construction and demolition waste, and things such as tires and electronics after a long COIVD-19 related ban. Those items can be taken Friday, Saturday and Sunday of each week. “The first couple of weeks went really, really well so we’re really glad about that,” the mayor said.
