Meaford Coun. Steven Bartley is resigning from his role after serving the municipality for over a decade.
Bartley, who has served on council since December 2014, will not be returning to the horseshoe when council returns from the summer break.
Mayor Ross Kentner says Bartley resigned from his role after his family plans to move to Chatsworth, outside the boundaries of Meaford.
“I know they wanted to remain in Meaford, but they couldn’t seem to find exactly the kind of accommodation they were looking for at their stage of life,” says Kentner. “Meaford’s loss will be Chatsworth’s gain.”
Kentner commended Bartley’s career as a councillor, saying he was often the go to person when dealing with budgets.
“He is a walking encyclopedia. He closely follows the budgeting process and the tax bills that come out of each of the nine first tier municipalities in Grey County. As a result, he is not only able to tell us how we compare to the other first tiers in Grey, but he is also able to track how we are actually progressing,” says Kentner.
Council will be meeting on Monday to declare Bartley’s seat vacant, and Kentner says he is attending a meeting today to determine what happens with the seat.
“It would be very rare for a municipality at this particular stage in the electoral term, the third of four years, for an election to be held, because we are trying to save money for the election that will be held in 2026,” says Kentner. “I think we need to fill the seat, the question is what manner will we use to do that and I think there are lots precedents and we are just going to be evaluating the different options.”
Kentner anticipates staff will come to Monday’s meeting with a report and recommendations.
“I think we are anxious to fill this vacancy, but not probably going to be having an election so close to the actual scheduled election,” says Kentner.
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