Picture caption: Centre Wellington Township Mayor George Pinkney says Wellington County is putting the money it recouped from court opponents back in the fund it was drawn from.
CENTRE WELLINGTON -- Mayor George Pinkney says Centre Wellington Township is unlikely to follow Wellington County's lead when it comes to legal costs from the battle over the Elora raceway.
Last Thursday, county council voted to allow the $26,000 a citizens' coalition owes in legal costs over opposing the Grand River Raceway to be used for the proposed Trans-Canada Trail in Centre Wellington.
But Pinkney and several of his councillors say the county decision will have little influence on what Centre Wellington does with the $59,800 owed to it by raceway opponents.
In late July the township rejected bids from the coalition asking council to either drop its claim, or use the money for charitable projects. Instead council earmarked the money to replenish its legal fund.
"I don't anticipate that to be reconsidered at all," said Pinkney. "The only way that gets to be reconsidered is if you have a motion that would allow it to be reopened. And I just don't see that happening."
Coun. Joanne Ross-Zuj said she would not ask for the issue to be revisited.
"I would say we made our decision. We didn't take that decision lightly and there was a lot of discussion around exactly what the money should be used for."
Ross-Zuj said in making its decision council unanimously agreed the money should go back to replenishing the legal fund tapped to fight two court battles against the coalition.
"We had put a substantial burden on our budgeting for legal fees and that has be replaced. That's where the impact was to the taxpayer."
The county's decision to allow the coalition funds to be used for the proposed 17-kilometre trail from Guelph to Elora followed a presentation by the coalition on Thursday.
Pinkney voted in favour of the option.
"I felt that was quite supportable because certainly the trail does need dollars. We've been working on that for a number of years and it was approved at county council that the trail go forward," he said.
He noted money for the trail has always been budgeted to come out of the planning committee fund.
The money the coalition owes to the county was to be directed back into the same planning committee fund. It is also the one that was drawn on to fight the coalition in court.
"In my opinion it's exactly the same as our decision," said Coun. Walt Visser.
"They took the money out of one fund, they're putting it back in that fund. It's going right back to where it came from. That's what Centre Wellington is doing. We took it out of our legal fund and it's going back into our legal fund."
Coun. Gord Feniak said the county's decision may have some bearing at the township level, but he's unsure if it will be enough to change council's position.
"I guess we'll discuss it. I'm always open-minded to see what people are thinking."
The coalition's Randall Howard said he was not surprised by the township's reaction to the county decision.
"I expect that it's going to take time for all this to play out. It's really just beginning," he said, explaining that currently the coalition is only dealing with the county. "I look at it as, 'let's kind of work at it as one healing process at a time in the community.' "
"I get the sense too that (township councillors) probably have to sit down and talk about it in whatever forum they choose, and I have no idea when they are going to get a chance to do that.
"I think there is a lot of time for things to play out."