TRURO - A request by the Village of Bible Hill to have a seat on a local joint flood-advisory committee has been rejected by the County of Colchester.
However, county council, which has a joint committee with the Town of Truro, did agree to a request from the Millbrook First Nations band to accept a representative from that community.
“We at that time thought it was only fitting that they could be included too,” Mayor Bob Taylor said, regarding a request from Millbrook Chief Robert Gloade to have a representative sit on the committee.
The village commission recently wrote to council asking to be included on the flood-advisory committee and during Thursday night’s council meeting, Coun. Wade Parker, who represents District 11 in Bible Hill, said he agreed with the request.
“I believe, actually, they should have a representative there,” he said. “I feel our some of our flood issues do pertain to them.”
Taylor and other council members, however, said that the village is already represented by county councilors.
“We’ve always looked after the village of Bible Hill, whether it is cleanup, whatever it is,” he said. “This is our mandate and they are part of the county and I think they are going to be well represented.”
It was also noted that anyone from the village commission is welcome to apply for one of the citizen positions that are available and which have been advertised.
And committee member Christine Blair, who represents District 1 for the county in Bible Hill, said she also believes the village’s interests will be well looked after.
“As a representative of Bible Hill where a lot of flooding takes place …,” she said, “… I am content with the way things currently exist.”
Blair said she attends one or two village commission meetings per month and she is fully aware of their concerns. She also pledged to work closely with the village “on any issues with regards to flooding.”
Commission Chairman Tom Burke said he was not surprised with council’s decision, given that similar requests in the past have also been denied.
“We did make that assumption that they would look at it that way,” he said. “I guess after repeated requests, nothing has changed.”
Burke said the commission would like representation on the committee because it is Bible Hill commissioners who receive calls from residents when flooding becomes an issue in the village. And he believes that would make it easier for the commission to have first-hand information available that could be shared with village residents.
“I guess all we can say is we asked and we got our response.”
But the possibility of having a commissioner apply for representation as a citizen member is an avenue that can be explored, he said.
