Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-02-23, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: MVCA - Pg. 9 North Huron Deputy -Reeve named MVCA chair IPM '17 - Pg. 10 Townsend family brings Princess comp. to IPM FESTIVAL - Pg. 19 Garratt brings two one - woman shows to studio Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 4Citiz Volume 33 No. 8 n WE LC ©ME TO BLYTH ESTABLISHED 1877 $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, February 23, 2017 At the net We're all familiar with the more accepted forms of volleyball, whether it be on an indoor court or outdoors on a warm, sandy beach. Over the weekend, however, Belgrave residents embraced their inner Canadian and played some snow volleyball as part of North Huron's annual Family Day festivities. Events such as fundraising breakfasts, public skating and horse- drawn sled rides dominated the weekend at sites in Blyth, Belgrave and Wingham, while Brussels was also home to free skating and a Brussels Lions Club breakfast at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. In this Sunday game of volleyball, the Downholers took on the Arctic Cats with the former winning 25-21. (Denny Scottphoto) County tax levy to rise 4.33 per cent By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County is proceeding with a 2017 budget that will include a tax levy increase of approximately 4.33 per cent. Treasurer Michael Blumhagen presented Huron County Council with two budget options at its Feb. 15 committee of the whole, but ended up proceeding with a hybrid of the two. The first option included a five per cent tax levy increase, while the second option brought forward a 4.06 per cent increase. Many councillors preferred the second 4.06 per cent increase option, but were concerned that one of the cost-saving measures was removing $100,000 in funding from the county's Source Water Protection work. The concern was great, several councillors said, because it had just been decided a few years ago to increase funding to that program to $400,000 per year. For this budget year the funding was decreased back to $100,000 and then cut completely to reach the budget featuring the 4.06 per cent increase. The 4.06 per cent increase in the budget, Blumhagen said, may be viewed as an odd number to settle on, but it would represent a zero per cent change in the tax rate with the increase all coming from increases in assessment throughout the county. The budget included an increase in year -over -year spending of $1.5 million, while the first option included increased spending of $1.87 million and would represent a 0.9 per cent increase to the tax levy. In order to reach the lower budget option, Blumhagen told councillors that in addition to the removal of the money for Source Water Protection projects, the fund for the unforeseen was also reduced to nothing. Other small changes were made in the economic development board, council conference and library board conference budgets to reach the desired tax levy target in the budget. It also included a decrease in the public works department's guide rail program from nearly $105,000 down to $24,000 and further reductions to capital jobs in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) department. Warden Jim Ginn, Past -Warden Paul Gowing and Ashfield- Colborne-Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek all spoke in favour of bringing the $100,000 removed from Source Water Protection back into the budget. Gowing said he felt it was "very important" that funding be reinstated in the budget, adding that money in the Source Water Protection budget is a long-term investment in the county that's well worth the money. North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent also spoke in favour of the funding, saying that if it's cut, the program won't need a second intake period because all of the program's money will have been spent during the first intake. Chief Administrative Officer Brenda Orchard explained the staff's restrictions in cutting costs from the budget, saying that during last year's service delivery review, council decided that with very few exceptions there were no services they wanted to cut. Under that direction, staff had to find ways to cut the budget without eliminating existing services, she told council. Council directed staff to prepare the final draft of the budget with the 4.06 per cent tax levy increase, but with the $100,000 for Source Water Protection added back in. Blumhagen said that adjustment should result in a final tax levy increase of approximately 4.33 per cent. The motion was carried and the budget will return to council to be officially ratified at council's March 8 meeting in Goderich. Thompson named Blyth AAI), will direct this season By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen This year's Blyth Festival season will bring equal parts new and familiar to the village in terms of directors of its main stage shows. Artistic Director Gil Garratt will personally kick off the season, directing its first show, Mr. New Year's Eve: A Night With Guy Lombardo, on the night of its world premiere, June 30. In a previous interview, Garratt said he felt it was important that the first show to take the Memorial Hall stage after its extensive renovations should feel like a celebration. This is why Garratt wanted to direct the show himself. He felt it was important that the Artistic Director be at the helm of such an important show in the history of the hall, the Festival and the community. Not only will the show be one for the history books for Blyth, Garratt says, but it's already one for his personal history books, which is another reason he felt he should be its director. Garratt worked with playwright David Scott on one of the earliest workshops of the show in London. He says he knows Scott has been working on the show for a very long time and Garratt wants to help him make it the best it can be on the Festival stage. Garratt also worked with Scott when he produced The Ballad of Stompin' Tom for two seasons, so he's not unfamiliar with him. While Garratt is very musical and has been involved with several musical productions over the years, starring in The Last Donnelly Standing, among others, and writing the highly -musical St. Anne's Reel, this will be the first main stage musical production he has ever directed. He said he finds the project exciting, but not to be without its challenges. In having actors portraying Lombardo and his full band on stage, he needs to find actors capable of delivering the drama of the show, but who also have the musical ability to perform Lombardo's songs live night after night. It's been a challenging casting process, Garratt says, but an exciting one. Working alongside Garratt on the project will be George Meanwell, who will serve as the show's musical director. Meanwell is a former cellist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra who has worked extensively with the Stratford Festival as well. Garratt met MeanweIl when both were working on a show in Prince Edward County written by Sean Dixon, who wrote The Wilberforce Hotel for the Festival's 2015 season. Mr. New Year's Eve will be Meanwell's first time working in Blyth, although he has been attending shows for years, Garratt said. The season's second show, The Berlin Blues by Drew Hayden Continued on page 19