North Perth Mayor Todd Kasenberg has delegated his Strong Mayor Powers back to council and staff.
At the June 23 council meeting, Kasenberg chose to "delegate specific authorities back to Council and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) through official Mayoral Decisions," according to a media release from the municipality.
Last month, the Province of Ontario expanded Strong Mayor Powers to an additional 170 municipalities.
The provincial government stated that the powers were to "advance provincial priorities, such as building more homes, transit, and other infrastructure across Ontario."
However, the powers gave mayors the ability to fire and hire staff including CAOs as they see fit without council support or input, as well as push through budgets and other financial decisions, among many other things.
The delegated authorities in North Perth include:
- Delegating to Council the authority to appoint or dismiss the CAO
- Delegating to Council the authority to establish or dissolve Committees of Council and appoint their chairs and vice-chairs
- Delegating to the CAO the management of the Municipality’s organizational structure and employment matters
- Directing the CAO and Treasurer to prepare the draft 2026 operating and capital budget.
"By signing these mayoral decisions, we are responding to the province’s mandate while maintaining continuity in key areas related to CAO recruitment, organizational structure and employment matters," said Mayor Kasenberg. "I remain committed to thoughtful, informed decision-making that includes public and Council input and continues to serve the residents of North Perth."
Kasenberg was asked why he chose this route, which has been followed by many other mayors in Midwestern Ontario and all over the province.
"I was surprised to be the recipient of the powers, and see very little in our current operations that would warrant the use of those which I have delegated to staff or council. We have great teams at North Perth, so I continue to have confidence in our ability to collaborate to build our community in ways that enhance quality of life and place," Kasenberg detailed in an email to CKNXNewsToday.ca. "The specific delegations were as outlined, and represent things I can delegate. The budget powers cannot be delegated, the mayor must commission and stand behind a budget. We will use what procedures we can from our previous structured approach to budget building. I retain, as well, various veto and bylaw creation powers towards named provincial priorities that are coupled with council constraints, and will be very conservative in their use."
The mayor was also asked his opinion on the notion that these powers will help drive the creation of new homes, as the provincial government outlined when the powers were first introduced in major cities in 2023.
"Housing issues will not be solved, or likely even be aided by, strong mayor powers," Kasenberg insisted. "Housing issues in our community and society at large cannot be addressed solely by the private sector, which generally strives to create good return on investment for shareholders. Until governments and not-for-profit are enabled with dollars to drive more affordable options, we are generally stuck. It has been the frustration of my mayorship - we could make a difference through policy and actual units added if we had dollars towards the purpose. The local tax base can't sustain general obligations very well - see recent rises in property taxes above inflation for general municipal operations! - let alone try to carve out investment funds for housing."
In addition to delegating these powers, a dedicated webpage has been added to the Municipality of North Perth’s website to ensure accountability and transparency regarding the use of Strong Mayor Powers.
You can see the full breakdown of Strong Mayor Powers here: https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-municipal-councillors-guide/10-strong-mayor-powers-and-duties