Minden Hills council, at its June 26 meeting, gave CAO Cynthia Fletcher the go-ahead to put out a tender – in hopes of hiring an outside firm to have a look at the municipality’s development application process.
“We’ve had numerous discussions throughout my time here about the need to streamline and modernize Minden Hills’ development application process,” Fletcher told councillors.
She added they had worked “very hard” internally with staff and had made some strides, “but we would very much benefit from a third-party comprehensive review.”
Fletcher said she had done this at two other municipalities. “And it was of great benefit to have somebody, third party, fresh eyes, understands best business practices, to look at, and to review. It would involve input from all of our stakeholders. What it gives us in the end is tangible actions based on industry best practices, and better yet, a road map for implementing change.”
In a written report, she estimated it would cost $60,000 to $70,000 but would not know the final price until the project is bid on. She suggested the money come from the administration reserve, which has a current balance of just over $295,000. She said she would bring the final cost to council.
She stressed the review would, “look at every touch point throughout our development application process. I’ve found this to be a very valuable process to go through, a very valuable document that has allowed me to improve things in other municipalities.”
Mayor Bob Carter asked if there would be runway “to also look at situations of doing nothing, or reducing services, and what would be the impact if we had less resources going towards it?”
Fletcher said that was precisely why a “fresh set of eyes” was needed, including “bringing us what other municipalities are doing. There may be options for council to consider, including service or service levels.”
Coun. Tammy McKelvey expressed concern about spending the money, noting they did not know last year’s surplus number, would have a loan payment for work on Scotch Line and Bobcaygeon roads, are hiring a part-timer to help with short-term rentals, and just found out they were unsuccessful in getting a grant to fix the curling club roof.
However, Fletcher said she viewed it as a one-time cost. She said council did not have to endorse her idea but cautioned the township would not “make significant strides with business as usual and reviewing our development application process from end-to-end. We don’t have the internal horsepower to do that.”
She added, “I’ve been asked repeatedly since I’ve been here ‘fix it’ and I have a way we can potentially fix it, but I need help and support.”
Council approved her request.
Mayor addresses ‘red tape’
Addressing recent criticism over too much “red tape” at the township, Carter said on July 14, Minden Hills is working to review its procedures and requirements to ensure bureaucracy is eliminated and the process streamlined.
“This is a complex task as there are many policies (local and provincial) that influence development requirements,” he said.
In the last year or so, Minden Hills has implemented Cloudpermit Software to modernize application and review processes. Carter added staff have been consolidating the official plan and zoning bylaw documents and schedules to make referencing easier for applicants and staff. He also touched on the development application process review.
“Even with all this change, the township, so far in 2025, has issued more than 120 building permits and is processing more than 110 development applications,” Carter said.
He noted the planning and building permit application process can be daunting for small businesses and homeowners, and “the volume of applications (especially leading into the summer months) overwhelms our resources, and that is another area we are trying to address.
“Minden Hills is open for business and is willing to work with anybody to help in their success. We continue to improve our capabilities and our quality as we grow. “
