Before we get into the notes I just wanted to make a point of clarification as I would like to avoid miscommunication and information being taken out of context.
The notes are what I perceive as highlights from the council meeting and are my interpretation of what I hear at the meetings and they include matters which I think the public will want to be aware of.
These notes are not fully inclusive of all items on the agenda and are not verbatim notes. If you have questions or want clarification about anything I have noted I would definitely recommend reading the official agenda first (link provided below) as well as reading the official meeting minutes when they are available. You can also watch the video recording of the council meeting to get the full context.
My intent for these posts is to keep the community informed regarding what is happening in town as I know it can be difficult to attend meetings/watch the recrodings and read through all of the agenda’s and minutes.
May 26th , 2026
Click here for agenda
Click here for video recording of meeting.
Amy’s Highlights of the Town Council Meeting
Deputations
-Town of Grand Valley Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Updates,Presentation Carley Dixon, P.Eng., Regional Vice President,
Public Sector & Shannon Glassford, R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited
-2025 Town of Grand Valley Annual Performance Report – Municipal Stormwater Management System, Town of Grand Valley Annual Report – Water and Wastewater Capacity. Page 17 on agenda– Issues have been identified with flow-Only 508 of the 541 units committed can be accommodated.
From the report-“We believed repairs to the sanitary sewer system had resolved the higher-than-normal flows that the Town began to experience in late 2022. This was based on data from September – December 2025 (see Figure 1 below) after repairs had been made. Even December 2025 was lower than the 2021 / 2022 December flows. However, in preparing
this report, we reviewed data from January to April 2026 which showed higher than historical flows when compared to 2021 and 2022. This could be for several reasons:On April 15, 2026, Burnside observed additional leaks within the sanitary sewer
infrastructure on Emma Street.The river breached its banks numerous times in early 2026 (March 9, 10, 11, 12, 31,
and April 1). Flooding extended over two maintenance holes on Emma Street repeatedly during this time. This would have contributed to some excess extraneous flows into the system (i.e., inflow and infiltration). As a result, even though repairs had been completed, the results in early 2026 cause us to be concerned and additional work is needed.
Public Questions
New Property Tax Payment Methods – Jay Vas- Page 53 on Agenda– “The new payment provider you chose to collect credit card payments for property taxes is charging absurd fees. I was happily paying my bills via credit card for 3 years. They
now want more than $20 to process my payment. I am kindly requesting you go back to the old method of accepting credit cards or find alternate solutions that aren’t so egregiously price”. Council discussed and it was noted that this new way of processing credit cards takes the burden off of all tax payers as the credit card fees were being charged to the town. With the new method those that are using the credit card option are paying the fees and not all of the tax payers. If the correspondent does not want to incur credit card processing fees there are other payment options available. Council directed staff to respond with that information.
Staff Reports
CAO
-Canine Control – Dog Count- Page 61 on Agenda-Staff time costs for the 65 hours going door-to-door equate to approximately $3,000 to date. Mailing costs for reminders will be approximately $1.50 per notice, including printing and postage cost. Council discussed and reviewed and directed staff to send notices to properties that were found to have unregistered canines and give them 30 days to get the license. If they do not get a license for their canine during that time they will incur a fine.
-Council remuneration Review- Page 69 on Agenda. Council discussed. Deputy Mayor Renstch spoke against the increase and said he feels the increase is too high. Council Jonker agreed however he felt the Mayor should be an exception due to all the duties required for that role. Councillor Dart said he would have been fine staying where it was. Council voted to increase the mayors remuneration but keep the deputy mayor and councillors where it is.
Table 2 – Proposed 2026-30 Council Term Grand Valley Council Remuneration rates
Position 2026 Current Proposed 2026-30 Change % Change
Mayor $20,040.83 $23,500 +$3,459 +17.3%
Deputy Mayor $16,038.48 $20,000 +$3,962 +24.7%
Councillor $15,032.95 $15,600 +$1,567 +9.8%
End of my notes
Disclaimer- These are my personal notes from the meeting. The purpose of these notes is to give an update on what is happening around the Town of Grand Valley.
Leave a Reply