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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-09-14, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017. PAGE 17. HE eliminates deputy -mayor for 2018 election By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen At its Sept. 5 meeting, Huron East Council decided to eliminate its at - large deputy -mayor position. This change will take effect for the 2018 municipal election and means that Huron East Council will be comprised of one mayor, elected at - large, and 10 councillors, elected by ward. One of those 10 councillors, chosen by council, will then step up to the deputy -mayor position. The change eliminates one councillor position, reducing the size of council from 12 members, as it was designed at the time of amalgamation, to 11. The decision comes after council had initially voted to eliminate the position over a year ago, but staff delayed the preparation of the bylaw due to a number of factors, including observing other council -size situations in neighbouring municipalities. That was after a recommendation from the administration committee to reduce the size of council to seven members was defeated. The bylaw was on the table at council's previous meeting, but was delayed due to the absence of Deputy -Mayor Joe Steffler, who was hospitalized at the time. The narrow vote, tie -broken by Mayor Bernie MacLellan, moved the vote to the Sept. 5 meeting. Steffler spoke against eliminating the position, saying that the size of council should be put to the voters of Huron East as a question on the ballot in the 2018 election. He made a motion to that effect that would defer the vote and place the question on the 2018 ballot. That vote, however, was defeated with five votes for and seven against. He said that while he understood that the vote wasn't a personal attack against his work as deputy -mayor, he felt the position, voted at -large, was important, especially when it came to representing the municipality at Huron County Council. After the deferral bylaw was defeated, Councillor Kevin Wilbee spoke against the elimination of the at -large deputy -mayor position. He said that many of the arguments for the move didn't "hold water" with him. The biggest factor in eliminating the position, he said, was the perceived cost savings, which he didn't think would be realized. When council appoints a deputy - mayor from within under the proposed format, that councillor would then receive the deputy - mayor honorarium and would go to as many meetings and functions, for which he/she would need to be paid the same as the current deputy - mayor. The elimination of one council position, a savings of just over $10,000 per year, he said wasn't enough for him to change the composition of council. In addition, he said that an at -large deputy -mayor allowed all residents to vote for their second representative at Huron County Council. If the new format was approved, he said, the deputy -mayor would be appointed by nine other councillors who were A long-standing tradition The Brussels Royal Canadian Legion Pipe Band has been a fixture at the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association, which was held at the Blyth Campgrounds over the weekend, for decades. This year was no different. (Shawn Loughlin photo) South Huron hospice persists By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Jessica's House, a three -bed residential hospice planned for South Huron, wants to remain part of the hospice conversation in Huron County. The team behind Jessica's House was an early player in the hospice sweepstakes, securing donations, both monetary and in-kind, on the way to raising over $3 million for the project. However, when the SouthWest Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) chose an official Huron hospice site, it picked a home just west of Clinton on Highway 8. The Jessica's House team has continued its work, however, and is planning on serving all of Huron County from its Exeter location. Deb Homuth, chair of the Jessica's House steering committee, spoke to Huron County Council at its Sept. 6 meeting, saying that the choice to host Jessica's House in South Huron was made for a number of reasons. She said that South Huron is a vibrant, thriving community with the financial and human resources to lead the sustainability of Jessica's House into the future. She also said that the community is full of passionate Jessica's House advocates, donors and volunteers and it's also a municipality that is an active partner in finding creative solutions to social issues. Finally, Homuth said that the South Huron Hospital Foundation has long been a supporter of excellence in palliative care. Construction on the building is now underway and that has been financed without any funding from the SouthWest LHIN. The group hopes to hire staff in May, 2018, open in May, 2018 and hold its grand opening in June, 2018 Homuth said that the group wasn't at the meeting asking for funding, but that the location wanted to remain a significant part of the hospice conversation in Huron County. Warden Jim Ginn thanked Homuth for her presentation and said he was impressed with the amount of work being done at Jessica's House. For more information on the project, visit jessicashouse.ca. Stepping up The Old Mill in Blyth, as well at Atlas Tannery and Dyeing Ltd., have stepped forward to be the sponsor of the Queen of the Furrow competition at the International Plowing Match next week in Walton. The company contributed nearly $6,000 to make the competition happen and were recently recognized for their generosity. (Photo submitted) voted in by ward, not by all Huron East residents. If the deputy -mayor was to be appointed by councillors, he said, he would be in favour if all councillors were also voted at -large like they do in Stratford. Then, he said, you have at -large representatives making decisions for the entire community. However, he said, if Huron East was to go to an at -large system, he felt the council would be dominated by the more populous areas of Huron East, like Seaforth and Tuckersmith, and smaller communities like Walton, Brussels and Ethel would be swallowed up by the system. Councillor Ray Chartrand, one of the biggest supporters of the elimination of the at -large deputy - mayor position, said he felt cost savings would be realized as a result of the move. He also said that confirmation of the bylaw was simply approving a decision council had made over a year ago. Councillor David Blaney said he was "astonished" at some of the conversation taking place at the council table. He said he had grown tired of debating council size over and over again, as it had been brought up a number of times in the previous 10 years, and he also said that Steffler had changed his mind from his previous position. During an earlier debate on council size just a few years ago, Steffler spoke against a referendum -style vote and said that councillors were elected to make decisions and that's what they should do. Brussels Councillor John Lowe said he felt council needed to be smaller than it is and that Huron East needed "more of a cut" than the simple elimination of the at -large deputy -mayor position. Councillor Alvin McLellan, however, felt that reducing the size of council to one councillor per ward would create a situation in which few people would be willing to put their names forward for a variety of reasons. McLellan said that if the current two -person workload was heaped onto one person, that councillor would likely demand higher pay for the work being done, thus eliminating any perceived cost savings. In addition, he said, the additional time commitments would deter younger candidates from putting their names forward. Anyone with a full-time job, he said, simply wouldn't have the time to be a councillor, leaving it up to retirees to represent the municipality. Council then voted to officially eliminate its at -large deputy -mayor position by a vote of seven to five. Councillors Alvin McLellan, Bob Fisher, Ray Chartrand, Nathan Marshall, Dianne Diehl, David Blaney and Brenda Dalton voted in favour of the move, while Mayor Bernie MacLellan, Deputy -Mayor Joe Steffler and Councillors John Lowe, Kevin Wilbee and Larry McGrath voted against the bylaw. With the bylaw now passed before the end of the year, the change will take effect ahead of the 2018 municipal election. REPRINTS OF PHOTOS taken by Citizen photographers are available to purchase. ALL ARE IN COLOUR 4x6 - $4.00 5x7 - $5.00 8x10 - $8.00 Phone to order - 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 4v4r.rt, September 14-17, 2017 9:00am - 11:00am 12:00pm 6:00pm 7:30pm i_. -74111, Thursda Exhibits Registration Judging CommencesPert Huron Breeders Parish Jersey Show Ambassador & Citizenship Awards Dinner Senior Ambassador & Citizenship Awards All Day 9:OOam-8:00pm 9:3Oam-4:oopm 4:00pm-8:OOpm 7:oopm 8:00pm Ai'i'Sii7W C+tiO" Sal Little Tracks Petting Zoo Huron County 4-H Championship Show Educational Displays and demos including the Mad Science Show Kids Fun Zone 6:30-7:OOpm Jason Lamont 4-H Swine Club Auction 7:30pm JuniorAmbassador Competition Dessert Auction and Family Movie (at dusk) rioay ,aturday All Day 9a m-4pm 10:30am 12:OOpm 12:30pm 1:00 p m 1pm -4pm 1:30pm 2:30pm 3:30pm 4:0Opm 7-10pm Antique Tractor Show, Penny Sale & Kids Fun Zone Little Tracks Petting Zoo Parade Pet, Miniature and Heavy Horse Shows Pedal Pull Baby Show (stage) Pepper Tournament (Community Centre) Ava & The Honey Sweethearts Big Wheelie Derby Bike Draw and Penny Sale Draw Exhibits Leave Building Junior Dance (Arena) $5 at door (Grades 6-8) Su nday/ 8:OOam Scales, Tails, Paws and Claws. Buy, sell and trade show. Farmers Market Breakfast Food Booth �fiGru�st"DIt // i!?/eelejza/'