HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-04-14, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
SPORTS - Pg. 8
Local girls hockey team
triumphs at provincials
PHOTOS - Pg. 10
The Citizen' marks first year
of Photo of the Day project
PRODUCTION - Pg. 19
Munsch production to
bring 5,400 kids to Blyth
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Volume 32 No. 15
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 14, 2016
Chiming in
Belgrave's Chime -in Choir, a musical group that has grown steadily since being formed
just a few years ago, performed Sunday night as the Auburn/Blyth EMCC Women's Ministry
hosted its annual Faith in Song concert at the Blyth Christian Reformed Church. The choir
was one of three musical acts that performed on the church stage that night, including a
quartet of local pastors and the Place Street Boys men's choir from Lucknow. The evening
was a fundraiser for Room2Grow Pregnancy and Parenting Centre as those in attendance
were treated to a great night of music performed by a number of talented local musicians.
(Vicky Bremner photo)
Huron East to study
future of recreation
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Huron East is proceeding with a
strategic planning process
specifically for its recreation centres
after their continuing struggle to turn
a profit became a hot topic during
this year's budget deliberations.
With the final draft of the
municipality's budget up for
adoption at council's April 5
meeting, discussion quickly turned
to the recreation department and its
ongoing struggle to maintain its
budget year after year.
Mayor Bernie MacLellan brought
councillors' attention to a Letter to
the Editor from Grey resident Kevin
Deitner that had been published in
last week's issue of The Citizen, but
was also included as part of
council's package for the evening's
meeting.
The letter called out council for
failing ratepayers and turning its
back on recreation — a vital part of
living in a rural community, he said.
MacLellan said that between
Deitner's letter and a handful of
other similar letter that appeared in
area newspapers, it's clear that
recreation is a hot topic with
ratepayers in Huron East. There are
definite concerns, he said, but
council and the public still seem to
be short of solutions.
Many of the concerns, MacLellan
said, seem to be that the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community Centre
is facing potential closure, which he
said is untrue. He did wonder aloud,
however, whether Huron East can
support two ice surfaces, which are
the main financial burden of
community centres in both Brussels
and Seaforth.
He said the auditorium at the
Brussels centre is rented often, while
the ice rents well in Seaforth. If only
those two situations could be
merged, he said, it would be the
perfect centre with both aspects of
the building generating revenue.
Huron East would certainly save a
lot of money, he said, if the Brussels
centre continued to function as it
currently does, but if there was no
ice surface.
Councillor Ray Chartrand agreed
with MacLellan, saying that history
tells council that the problem is
going to get worse before it gets
better.
"User group numbers are going
down year after year. The data tells
us this is not going to get better," he
said.
He said that if the day comes when
all Huron East user groups can fit
onto one ice surface, council should
make a decision to repurpose the
community centre that loses its ice.
One possibility, he said, would be
indoor soccer.
MacLellan, a parent of several
hockey -playing children, said that
Continued on page 9
North Huron scraps numerous grants from budget
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
North Huron Township Council
ended up with several heated debates
during what was to be their last
budget meeting on April 11 that
caused several issues to be deferred
to a special budget meeting on April
18.
Both staff and council made
several decisions to help trim the
budget, however outstanding issues
led to council deciding to host a
special budget meeting as part of
their regular meeting on April 18 and
start the entire night an hour earlier
than usual at 6 p.m.
Director of Finance Donna White
explained to council and the
assembled audience that between the
last budget meeting on March 22 and
Monday night, staff had made cuts to
drop the increase from a proposed
5.04 per cent to a proposed 4.86 per
cent (or $220,205) spending increase
over 2015.
Please be aware that all numbers
herein are draft and may not reflect
the final budget approved by
council.
Among the cuts were reductions in
the advertising budget for the
economic development department
and recreation departments, minor
changes to the recreation and
facilities department's budget and a
reduction in meeting allowances.
White also explained the township
is facing significant changes such as
a $53,100 (more than one per cent of
the total budget) reduction of
Ontario Municipal Partnership
Funding, an increase to Ontario
Provincial Police costs of $45,482
(or approximately one per cent of the
total budget) for Blyth and East
Wawanosh, an increase in wage and
benefits of 1.49 per cent and an
infrastructure deficit. White also
stated that industrial and commercial
assessment values of properties were
lowering, however farmland
assessment values were increasingly
shifting where some of the tax
dollars in the municipality are
generated.
The total draft budget presented
was $16,127,562, though council
made several changes by the
end of the night in an attempt to
lower those numbers. White
also said the education tax rate had
been delivered to the municipality
and that it would reduce some
of the funds that need to be
raised through taxation.
Of that approximately $16 million
budget, 33 per cent ($5,347,559) are
wages and benefits and 26 per cent
($4,255,817) is capital expenses.
Major projects include upgrades to
software in several departments,
renovations to facilities including
town hall, equipment including a
recently purchased truck for the Fire
Continued on page 20
Three vie for vacant Central Huron seat
Two more candidates have thrown
their hats into the ring to fill the
Central Huron Council vacancy left
when Genny Smith resigned earlier
this year.
Adam Robinson and Kaushik
Patel, both of whom ran in the 2014
municipal election, filed papers on
Monday to be considered.
Robinson and Patel are to be
considered in addition to Mike
Russo, co-chair of the Clinton and
Central Huron BIA, who filed
several weeks ago.
In his 2014 election profile,
Robinson said he was running not
for a term of council, but to begin a
life-long commitment to bettering
his community.
One of the main issues he hoped to
tackle if elected was to generate
ideas to spark the growth of Central
Huron and keep its youth engaged.
Patel owns and operates his own
business in Clinton and has a
university degree in commerce
specializing in accounting and
administration.
He chose to focus on stimulating
the Central Huron economy, because
if the local economy isn't in good
shape, he felt people will leave for
another community.
There is still time for those who
wish to apply for the position.
Potential applicants from
throughout the municipality, not just
the West Ward, can find the form
online or at the Central Huron
municipal office. Once filled out, the
application does have to be sworn in
person at the office and Clerk
Brenda Maclsaac has to ensure that
the candidate is qualified, meaning
that the person is indeed a resident,
at least 18 years old and meets a
handful of other criteria.
The deadline for applications is
Monday, April 18 at 2 p.m. at the
Central Huron office.
Once all the applications have
been received and certified, council
will hold a special meeting on
Monday, April 25, beginning at 5
p.m., where a replacement for Smith
will be chosen.
Maclsaac says that applicants may
make a five-minute speech to
council and council will then have
the opportunity to ask the candidates
questions after their speech.
Councillors will then vote by
ballot and a councillor will be
chosen and sworn in at that very
meeting.
As with the municipal election of
2014, as applicants are established
as qualified, their names and
information will be posted on the
Central Huron website. In addition,
the April 25 meeting is open to the
public.
For more information, or to let
your name stand for the vacant
council seat, visit the municipality's
website at centralhuron.com