Strong Mayor Powers Come to Woodstock

Thursday, 2 November 2023 08:37

Mayor Jerry Acchione and the City of Woodstock now have access to strong mayor powers after the expansion of Bill 3.

WOODSTOCK - The expansion of Bill 3, the Strong Mayors Building Homes Act, has now come into effect for the City of Woodstock.

The new legislation has come into effect as of Nov. 1, 2023, with the purpose being to give the heads of Councils, which now includes Woodstock, more responsibility to deliver on shared provincial-municipal priorities.

This also includes the building of 1.5 million new homes over the next 10 years.

"To ensure the City of Woodstock is taking advantage of every opportunity to increase the number of housing units in the city, I confirmed our intent to reach the housing target assigned to us by the province," said Mayor Acchione. "This allows us to access the $1.2 billion Building Faster Fund to help offset the cost of growth that is already occurring."

As indicated in the Mayor’s Report at the Oct. 5, 2023 Council meeting, Mayor Acchione has issued Mayoral Decisions to delegate:

-Appointing a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
-Determining organizational structures as well as hiring and dismissing staff
-Appointing chairs and vice-chairs of local boards and committees

In his report, the Mayor indicated his intent to honour the role of the elected Council as much as possible by delegating these powers where he is able.

Acchione has also directed staff to prepare the 2024-2028 Capital Budget as usual for presentation to Council on Nov. 16, Nov. 21 and Nov. 23 (if required).

The next step in the process is to develop Woodstock’s housing pledge, which must be submitted to the province by Dec. 15, 2023.

If Woodstock is successful in hitting its target, it’s estimated the City will receive between $4-5 million to fund housing supportive infrastructure.

“There is no question that the availability and affordability of safe, appropriate housing is a significant concern for Woodstock. I am looking forward to our discussion on ways to increase housing density and initiatives to include in our housing pledge on Nov. 9."

The special meeting of Council takes place Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public and will be live streamed on the City’s You Tube Channel.