The Record
Every entry below is on the public record. Walkerton Herald-Times, CKNX, or council minutes. Dated, defensible. Scroll to move through four years.
First budget cycle. Proposed investing part of the cash balance in liquid, interest-bearing instruments. Still my position today.
Originally a 13% draft. Publicly pushed for "something closer to inflation." Voted against the final rate.
March 28, 2023. The "Invest Reserve Funds" motion I pushed for directed staff to put Brockton's idle cash to work at CIBC: $2M in long-term principal-protected notes and $1.8M in short-term GICs at 4.5–5.5%. Year-one short-term interest: $23,346.
Framed the interest-rate arithmetic that later drove the 2025 plow-truck and surplus-return decisions.
One of two councillors, with Coun. Tim Elphick, on the record. Recorded vote; pull the minutes.
Cameras called a "last case scenario." Cost lands on residents through fines. Motion defeated.
Long-term notes gain $453,350 in market value. Short-term GICs earn $79,550 in interest.
Support the OPP; do not support unexplained increases outpacing inflation.
Would have added roughly $13,000 to the operating budget. Motion failed.
Backed returning the year-end surplus to ratepayers instead of spending it.
Long-term portfolio realizes $705,939 in gains and is reinvested. Short-term GICs earn another $46,163.
After two consecutive NO votes on above-inflation budgets, I supported this one because it started paying down long-term debt. The debt-paydown amendment I moved (Asset Management Plan Reallocation) was adopted as part of it. Five of the amendments I moved to shape the 2026 budget were signed in on January 7, 2026.
Moved the amendment that redirects 1% of the AMP allocation toward paying down Brockton's long-term debt, targeted at the highest-interest 5% debt first. Passed as part of the 2026 budget. Mover: Mitch Clark · Seconder: Coun. Tim Elphick.
Moved the amendment directing staff to increase the investable share of Brockton's ~$13M in reserves from roughly 20% up to 50%. Building on what Motion 23-08 has already delivered. Mover: Mitch Clark · Seconder: Coun. Tim Elphick.
Removed Line Item 1344 ($25,000) from the General Government operating budget. Existing salary grid and cost-of-living adjustments already address compensation growth in a structured way.
Removed a $20,000 capital allocation for a new cemetery mower. The existing mower is under warranty until May 2026 and the proposed replacement wasn't compatible with leaf collection. Would have created duplicate equipment. Mover: Mitch Clark · Seconder: Coun. Tim Elphick.
Removed a $7,500 one-time IPM allocation from the tax-supported operating budget. One-time initiatives belong in reserves, not the operating base, otherwise they permanently inflate the levy. Mover: Mitch Clark · Seconder: Coun. Tim Elphick.
Backed revenue-generating use of the Cargill facility. "It looks like we're gaining revenue."
Put the debt-ceiling warning on the record before a major arena ask hits the table.
$1.8M short-term GICs earned $149,060 in interest across 2023–2025. $2M long-term principal-protected notes now sit at $3.13M market value: a $1,126,539 unrealized gain. All figures from Report FIN2026-16, 2025 Annual Investment Report, received by Council April 28, 2026. Public document, fully verifiable.