The twon of Bay Bulls has delegated the approval of shed permits to its twon manager. Photo by Keith Gosse/The Telegram file photoArticle contentA recent move by the Town of Bay Bulls is something it hopes will free up council for other matters.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentDuring its Sept. 15 meeting, the town council voted to give its town manager the power to approve sheds and other auxiliary buildings when applications come to council.Article contentArticle contentWhy the change?Article contentAccording to Mayor Keith O’Driscoll, the delegation of authority is about freeing up his council to tackle other more timely issues in town.Article contentArticle contentIt’ll also get permits and such into the hands of residents quicker, he says.Article content“This is mainly just to streamline those cookie-cutter buildings that residents are trying to move along because they’re in a short window or whatever the issue may be,” said O’Driscoll.Article contentHow will this speed up the process?Article contentCurrently, council meets once a month.Article contentThat means, depending on when the application gets filled out and appears on an agenda, it could be more than a month before work can start.Article contentBay Bulls felt like that handcuffed a resident’s ability to move ahead with a project on their property.Article contentWith such a short building season, it made sense for them to delegate that authority to manager Ashley Wakeham and her team.Article contentArticle contentFor a town that is filled with a workforce that goes offshore or does turnaround shifts on the mainland, the policy change will help them get to their projects quicker.Article contentArticle content“There’s a window of opportunity to do any type of build if that’s the case, and we’re just trying to help our residents more than anything else,” said O’Driscoll.Article contentDoes council still play a role in the decision process?Article contentAll future applications for auxiliary buildings in Bay Bulls are still subject to the regulations they already have in place.Article contentOn top of that, any decision that the town manager and her team make on structures will still have the regular oversight. All approvals will still go back to council for final approval, while another application that needs additional work or policy direction still gets brought to the table.Article contentThere are also no changes to the town’s regulations.Article content“All the procedures that they need to meet, their setbacks, size, yardage, heights, all that stuff, that’s already identified in the application,” said O’Driscoll.Article contentHow will this free up council’s time?Article contentThe way O’Driscoll sees it, the move to delegate the authority around auxiliary buildings will speed up the process and free council up to tackle other matters.Article contentIt’s budget season for towns across the province, and by having some extra time, the mayor and his council can get deep into that now without having to worry about making time for small building applications.Article content“We’re all volunteers, and it’s just we’re just trying to make it work better for our residents, and residents actually love it,” said O’Driscoll.Article content
Why Bay Bulls is shifting shed approvals to town manager
