Local Government for Cobourg residents includes an upper tier: Northumberland County. Some services are provided by the County and not the Town and residents pay taxes to them as well as the Town (more on taxes here).
Northumberland County includes the following Towns/Townships (2021 population in brackets):
- Municipality of Trent Hills (13,861)
- Township of Alnwick/Haldimand (7,473)
- Municipality of Brighton (12,108)
- Town of Cobourg (20,519)
- Township of Cramahe (6,509)
- Township of Hamilton (11,059)
- Municipality of Port Hope (17,294)
The County is governed by a “Council” with members who are the Mayors of these municipalities. The Warden is elected by Councillors at the end of each calendar year. Also elected is a Deputy Warden who fills in with Warden duties if the Warden is not available.
Note that since not all municipalities have the same population, when a "recorded vote" is called for, it may also be a weighted vote per the following: Alnwick Haldimand (2 votes); Brighton (4 votes); Cobourg (6 votes); Cramahe (2 votes); Hamilton (3 votes); Port Hope (5 votes); Trent Hills (4 votes). This will often happen with contentious issues.
Here are the Councillors for 2022
Contact Info
- John Henderson - Cobourg -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Bob Crate - Trent Hills - Warden -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Mandy Martin - Cramahe - Deputy Warden -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Bob Sanderson - Port Hope -
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
County Services
Services provided by the County are:
- Social Services (e.g. Welfare)
- Affordable and Subsidized housing
- Long Term Care - Golden Plough Lodge
- Major Roads and Bridges
- Waste Collection and Management
- Paramedics (Ambulance Service)
- Economic Development (also provided by Towns)
- Tourism (also provided by Towns)
- Forest Management
Governance
Starting in 2021, Standing Committees have been established. These meet each month and are chaired by Councillors. Their role is to provide input to Council meetings from Staff - with a review. This is similar to Parliamentary committees and comparable to Cobourg's Committee of the Whole.
Standing Committees
2022 council participation
- Community Health: Chair Councillor Gail Latchford, Warden Bob Crate, Councillor Bill Cane
- Corporate Support: Chair Deputy Warden Mandy Martin, Warden Bob Crate, Councillor John Henderson
- Economic Development, Tourism & Planning: Chair Councillor Bob Sanderson, Warden Bob Crate, Councillor Gail Latchford.
- Finance & Audit: Chair Councillor Bill Cane, Warden Bob Crate, Councillor Brian Ostrander
- Public Works: Chair Councillor Brian Ostrander, Warden Bob Crate, Deputy Warden Mandy Martin
- Social Services: Chair Councillor John Henderson, Warden Bob Crate, Councillor Bob Sanderson
As well as Councillors, relevant staff will participate and citizens may make presentations. The County web site does not yet provide a way to request presenting at a meeting - contact the County Clerk for instructions.
Agendas and Schedules
The agendas for Council meetings and Committee meetings are on the County web site here. This page also has recent minutes and other information about Council meetings.
The schedule for all county meetings in 2022 is here. Note that Council meetings are at 9:30 am; morning committee meetings are at 9:00 am and afternoon committee meetings are at 1:00 pm.
Advisory Committees
The County has four advisory committees - they are listed here with their Agendas under Ad Hoc and Advisory Committees of Council agendas and minutes. The links included in their listing below go to their web pages.
- Northumberland Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Community Safety and Well-Being Collaborative Committee
- Agriculture Advisory Group
- Vegetation Management Advisory Committee - No web page