City councillors expected to formally name new deputy mayor next week

City councillors were back in the chambers Wednesday for this session's first general committee meeting, setting the stage for what the next four years may look like.

On Wednesday, councillors approved on consent Mayor Alex Nuttall's request to appoint two-term Ward 5 councillor Robert Thomson as Deputy Mayor. Former councillor Barry Ward, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in October's election, had previously held the position.

"My job was to put the person forward who I thought best fit the position, finding somebody who was very good for me, who could really help me with some of my own blind spots but also work on some issues while I'm not around," the mayor told CTV News ahead of the meeting. "I find Robert to be a stabilizing force; I find him to be someone who works very well with his council colleagues."

Councillors also heard from city staff the latest developments of the city's Stormwater Climate Action Fund. An updated brochure for property owners is expected next month, ahead of the final approval of a staff report early in the new year.

Preliminary appointments to various committees, such as the health unit and library boards, were also approved at Wednesday night's meeting. However, Nuttall says those will likely change in the coming weeks after a strategic planning session on December 3, which will outline the main priorities for the current term.

The new mayor says he wants to ensure councillors are assigned to the committees that best suit their interests, backgrounds and the council's goals as a whole.

"Once we get out of that, we'll be able to very quickly make the permanent changes to both the structure of our committees as well as the individuals sitting on those committees to ensure that we are able to meet the requirements of the priorities that are set by your Barrie city council," says Nuttall.

However, the new mayor says the work that lies ahead for this council won't be easy, clarifying comments he made during his inaugural speech last week. He says that the current economic climate and some decisions by the previous council have not necessarily set this council up for success. "I think we have a worsening economy; we have very little to work with in terms of reserve funds," says Nuttall. "When I looked at the per capita reserve funds set aside for the City of Barrie versus others, we are extremely low, and that's going to have an effect on the city going forward, especially with the amount of growth that we're seeing coming here."

When city council meets next Wednesday, final approval is expected for the appointment of Thomson as deputy mayor.