Chatham-Kent council is set to finally vote on final recommendations to restructure the ward boundaries and the composition of council.
A final report by consultant StrategyCorp recommends three ward boundary options with the preferred option being trimming down the size of council from the current 18 to 15 councillors. That modified preferred option would also include five county wards with one or two councillors each and three Chatham wards with two councillors each.
The other two alternative options, which are being categorized as acceptable, are 15 councillors with six county wards having one or two councillors each and three Chatham wards with two councillors each. Option three would keep the size of council unchanged at 18 member with five county wards having two councillors each and three Chatham wards with 2 or 3 councillors each. StrategyCorp noted the new 18 councillor version would address the biggest issues with the existing ward boundaries.
Chatham-Kent's director of municipal governance and clerk recommends that council choose an option as proposed by StrategyCorp and direct administration to bring a by-law of that option to the March 3, 2025 council meeting for voting.
Council confirmed the 15 councillor option in principle at its December 16, 2024 meeting, but directed StrategyCorp to return to council with a report on ward boundaries in wards 5, 6 and 7, for the purpose of considering the impact of an "at large" urban ward in Chatham and review the boundaries between Wards 1 and 2 and Wards 4 and 3. The single Chatham ward with all of its councillors elected “at-large” is not currently on the table.
Consulting firm StrategyCorp said the preferred three-ward model delivers a significant improvement over the status quo towards voter parity and it has heard "no significant criticism" of its proposed boundaries.
"Since amalgamation, Chatham has been structured as a single ward with six councillors. While this is permissible under the Municipal Act, it is an outlier among Ontario municipalities. During the consultation, we heard that while six councillors in a single ward may have made sense at amalgamation, it seemed “unfair” to design a system in which some voters had the opportunity to elect and be represented by six councillors, while others would only have one councillor, when workable alternatives were available," StrategyCorp's report said.
On May 27, 2024, council approved a third-party review of Chatham-Kent’s council composition and ward boundaries to ensure the municipality can provide an effective and equitable system of representation for all residents.
StrategyCorp conducted a review to examine the size and structure of council, how councillors are elected, and the electoral ward boundaries for the municipality.
The goal was to generate recommendations that considered today's Chatham-Kent and expected population growth through the 2026 and 2030 elections.
Council remuneration could also be reviewed if the size of council is reduced. Options such as increasing councillor wages with no budget impact, a cost savings of $152,886 per year if three councillors are trimmed, or other options would be considered.