Essex councillor Randy Voakes has been booted off the Committee of Adjustment by council.
Ward 3 Councillor Larry Snively brought forward the motion to remove Voakes from the committee at council's Tuesday night meeting.
The motion had unanimous backing.
Snively says he brought forward his motion because Voakes has been missing from the last three meetings without giving any notice. He says an absence could lead to a waste of taxpayer dollars.
"I'm concerned," says Snively. "I work for the rate payers, for the taxpayers and what happens if we don't have quorum there? There's a cost to it — you know, for staff. Then you have the public coming in with their applications and we can't have the meeting."
Town of Essex councillor Randy Voakes attends a special meeting of council focusing on proposed spending in the 2017 budget on January 30, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Snively says if there aren't enough committee members at the meeting, it doesn't go ahead.
"Without him being there and if we were absent another one, we wouldn't have quorum — so I'm quite concerned when a councillor doesn't phone in three meetings in a row," says Snively. "I don't know what the problem is, I really don't."
Snively isn't sure why Voakes has been missing the meetings and hasn't spoken with the councillor on the matter.
"I really don't know. I don't know what his problem is and I wouldn't comment on it anyways, that might be personal."
Councillor Sherry Bondy will replace Voakes on the Committee of Adjustment.
Meantime, council is now moving forward in requesting a Court of Revision attendance report spanning the past five years.
As AM800 News reported, councillor Bondy brought forward the motion, again pointing to missed meetings by Voakes as her reason for needing the report.