Perth meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Perth committee and council agendas take up infrastructure funding, renewable energy; no decisions recorded

Perth's Committee of the Whole and Council both listed provincial infrastructure funding and municipal renewable energy among items before them in October, but minutes for either meeting have not been published. The records available for all three recent meetings summarized here are agendas only, so no votes, motions carried or final outcomes are recorded.

Infrastructure funding: making the OCIF doubling permanent

The October 6 Committee of the Whole agenda includes a resolution supporting a request from the Municipal Finance Officers' Association to make the doubling of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund permanent before 2027 allocations. The agenda describes the doubling as an increase from $200 million a year to $400 million a year.

The October 13 Council agenda lists support for the MFOA letter requesting a permanent doubling of the same fund. Neither agenda indicates what, if anything, was decided.

Renewable energy and virtual net metering

The October 6 committee agenda lists a proposed priority municipal renewable energy policy, recommended by the Climate Change Advisory Panel.

The October 13 Council agenda lists a request for provincial and federal collaboration to enable Virtual Net Metering for municipalities. The agenda summary does not describe the proposed mechanism in further detail.

Communities in Bloom presentation

A presentation from the Downtown Heritage Perth BIA on 2027 Communities in Bloom, by Brodie Berrigan and Krista Mackler, appears on both the October 6 committee agenda and the October 13 Council agenda.

Other Council business

The October 13 agenda also lists Employee Service Awards for six staff members. The October 6 committee agenda lists approval of the September 8, 2026 Committee of the Whole minutes.

Climate Change Advisory Panel, October 15

The panel was scheduled to receive an update on the Corporate Climate Action Plan process and to discuss key messages for Council regarding the panel. The agenda also lists an update on the Lanark Climate Action Working Group from Councillor Isabel Anne McRae, and approval of the September 17, 2026 meeting minutes.

What the record does and does not show

No Planning Act public meeting was scheduled for the October 6 committee session, according to the agenda.

The agenda text provided for the October 6 Committee of the Whole is partly repetitive and cut off, so some items from that meeting may be incomplete here. Because minutes have not been published for any of the three meetings, this roundup cannot report what was approved, rejected, deferred or amended, and it does not report vote tallies.

Coming up

No upcoming meetings were listed in the data provided for the next 14 days, so there are no dates to flag for attendance this week. Agendas and minutes for Town of Perth meetings are posted by the municipality; readers should check the Town's website for the next scheduled Council and committee sessions and for the minutes of the October meetings once published.

Residents who want the exact wording of the infrastructure funding resolution, the renewable energy policy or the virtual net metering request should consult the agendas themselves, which remain the authoritative record.

Perth council approves museum plan, appoints building official; climate panel explores communications strategy

Perth council voted last week to adopt a five-year strategic plan for the Perth Museum and appointed Paul Nixon as the town’s new senior building official. The decisions came during the June 23 council meeting, alongside a consent agenda that included a zoning by-law amendment and a request for a development charge reduction.

Council approves museum plan, appoints senior building official

Council adopted the Perth Museum Strategic Plan 2026–2031, which will guide museum operations and programming over the next five years. The plan’s specific priorities were not detailed in the agenda. Council also appointed Paul Nixon as Senior Building Official. The appointment was part of the consent agenda and approved without separate discussion.

The consent agenda included two other items: a zoning by-law amendment (No. ZBL-04-2025) for 53/55 Craig Street, and a request to apply for a 50% reduction in development charges for five years. Additionally, council approved the designation of an Indigenous Healing Circle in Last Duel Park. No vote tallies were provided because the meeting’s minutes have not yet been published.

Climate panel discusses communications, infrastructure updates

The Climate Change Advisory Panel met on June 24 to discuss a draft communications strategy aimed at raising public awareness of the town’s climate initiatives. The strategy includes both short- and long-term goals. Panel members also received updates from Chief Administrative Officer Michael Touw on the status of solar panels, and from the CAO and Director of Environmental Services on the Infrastructure Master Plan.

A representative from the Lanark County Climate Action Working Group provided an update on regional efforts. Councillor McRae led a discussion on “event greening”—making municipal events more environmentally sustainable. The panel did not vote on any items; the meeting was for discussion and information only.

Coming up

No council or committee meetings are scheduled in the next two weeks. Residents can check the town’s website for future agendas and minutes.