Barrie councillors are back from summer break and wasted no time getting down to business on Monday evening.
Council voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with the Canadian Mental Health Association to build a fence that would separate the David Busby Centre from its neighbours.
A Barrie resident launched a petition back in May to create the divide in the city's downtown core and received 60 signatures in support.
The fence would run along McDonald Street behind the centre.
Councillors also voted collectively in support of a program to provide local elementary schools with free transit within the city for field trips.
The city hopes this will encourage schools to plan more field trips, introducing students to city buses, increasing future ridership.
With the program, each school would receive three trips per year that would accommodate up to 30 students and five adult chaperones.
Both the Busby fence and field trip decisions need to be ratified next week at city council.
