By: Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
The issue of how the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission is governed will be revisited by Chatham-Kent council March 9.
That’s when Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor will bring forward a motion directing administration to further probe the matter in order to provide additional information to council and the public.
McGregor’s motion comes on the heels of a special meeting held by council on Feb. 2 to discuss the PUC’s governance. At that meeting, a recommendation to bring the PUC into the municipal fold as a separate department failed in an 8-8 tie.
The new motion by McGregor is seeking deeper answers from administration regarding the dissolution of the current PUC.
The February vote followed a decision made by council at a meeting last December to forego changes recommended by KPMG
Financing, how a skills-based advisory committee will be decided and how other municipalities handle PUC governance are among the updates McGregor is seeking.
After conducting a comprehensive review in 2024, KMPG offered the dissolution of the PUC in its current form as one of the options available to council.
The KPMG analysis was the first PUC governance review undertaken since Chatham-Kent amalgamated in 1998. As part of the review, KPMG recommended council adopt a skills-based advisory committee for the new department to advise council. It was to be made up of technical, financial and sector-specific experts who would meet on a quarterly basis.
Chatham-Kent’s administrative team, as well as PUC general manager Darren Galbraith have stated they are in favour of dissolving the utility and placing the assets and governance model under the municipality’s purview.
Officials said that bringing the PUC into the municipal fold would save millions.
It’s estimated Chatham-Kent will need a $1.18-billion investment over the next 10 years to accommodate residential growth and meet the growing demands of greenhouse expansion.
