Update For Residents. March 9, 2023 As many of you know, the Town of Witless Bay is currently in a time of transition at the town hall. Our longtime Town Clerk, and recently, Acting Town Manager, has decided to start a new chapter and has moved on from her position with the town. In addition, our short term acting town clerk has also wrapped up her employment with the town. Council would like to extend our appreciation for their contributions and hard work and wish them all the best in their future endeavours. The office structure at the town hall hasn’t changed in decades - while the demands and demographic of our town have changed dramatically! In order to provide the best service to residents and value for money, council are looking at this transitional period as an opportunity to evaluate the best way we can address staffing requirements that serve the changing face of our town. This will not have a negative impact on any current staff. We hear your concerns and recognize we have things to deal with such as accessory building regulations, permit application processes for both residents and developers, as well as timely responses on questions surrounding development regulations, land usage, and crown land applications. We are currently starting the process of reviewing the town plan and will be looking at concerns we hear loud and clear such as traffic calming, noise and light issues, recreation opportunities and town events. There will be plenty of opportunity for public input once this process gets started. We are asking for your patience in the short term as we have only one staff member in the office at the moment, and will have to postpone our monthly public meeting for March by a week or two. We know there are many pressing decisions that need to be made and are committed to making them. So what can residents expect?
The March Public Meeting will be delayed temporarily with an update to follow.
In April public meetings will once again be open to the public to attend in person. You will still be able to phone in via teleconference and we are currently investigating cost effective ways to broadcast a video stream so residents who would prefer the option of watching the meetings from their own home will be able to do so.
Town business such as billing, accepting tax payments, acceptance of permit applications, day to day operations, and normal service for the fire department will continue.
We will provide an update regarding the public meeting and how we move forward by Monday, March 20.
Council would like to thank residents for the support and understanding that you have shown us in the past 18 months since we’ve been elected. It’s been a pleasure to work with so many of you and hear what needs to be done to improve our town. We take your confidence in us seriously and are excited and ready to work hard to move the town ahead in a positive manner!