Written By David Gomez
ADELAIDE METCALFE - With preparations for the 2027 budget beginning months before a new council takes office, Adelaide Metcalfe is adjusting its usual process to account for this fall’s municipal election.
At its July 20 meeting, council agreed to postpone appointing two members to the township’s Budget Working Group until after the October 26 election. Treasurer Johnny Pereira said staff will still begin developing the operating and capital budgets in the meantime, while residents will be invited to participate through an online survey launching in August.
“The survey would be communicated through the township social media platforms, the township website, and the final tax bill newsletter,” Pereira said.
Staff are targeting December to present the draft budget, although final approval could extend into early 2027 as the newly elected council considers its first spending plan.
Council also received the Adelaide Metcalfe Fire Department’s second-quarter update, covering a period Fire Chief Dan Parker described as a return to more typical operations after a demanding winter.
Parker reported 19 incidents between April and June, including eight motor vehicle collisions, two fires, four alarm calls and three medical responses.
Training was also a major focus. More than 50 firefighters participated in an April exercise with the Strathroy-Caradoc Fire Department simulating a large barn fire. Crews tested tanker shuttles and attempted to supply an aerial truck, revealing limitations in the amount of water that could be delivered.
“It was quite insightful to say that we could not keep enough water to that apparatus,” Parker said. “It was a good heads up for all of us involved.”
The quarter culminated in an exceptionally busy June 29. AMFD responded to a large house fire with assistance from Watford, Strathroy-Caradoc, Brooke-Alvinston and Glencoe. A drone equipped with an infrared camera helped crews identify hotspots beneath a steel roof.
One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and dehydration and required hospital treatment. Parker told council the firefighter made a full recovery.
Crews later returned to the property for a rekindled fire while also responding that day to a train collision at the Kerwood Road crossing, another collision at Kerwood Road and Mullifarry Drive and an evening carbon monoxide alarm.
“You had a busy quarter and one particularly very busy day there,” Mayor Susan Clarke said.
Council received the fire department report for information.
