Councillor John Brennan is raising a notice of motion directing staff to investigate and report on the requirements to add a referendum question to the ballot for the 2014 municipal election.
Brennan said the question relates to undertaking an environmental assessment study to proceed with the potential development of a sewage treatment facility “so that the voters of Erin could have a direct voice in what is probably the most important issue that will confront our community in the foreseeable future.”
Brennan said the report should deal with what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done by, in order to get a question onto the ballot.
He said there needs to be clarification as to who should be allowed to vote on the issue.
“Should it be all of the electorate or only those people impacted directly by having to hookup and pay for a sewage treatment facility. Is it possible to restrict the question to a specific part of the electorate? Or are there legal ramifications.”
Brennan also stated that going ahead with the environmental assessment would not guarantee when or even if a facility would be built. He said decisions would still need to be made as to how to phrase the question.
“I don’t want to get us to the point where we decide we want to do this – and then find out that we cannot.”
Councillor Barb Tocher suggested the Municipal Act would be the governing body to determine whether the referendum would be binding or not.
