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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 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 C1t1Z Volume 32 No. 15 n WELCOME TO BINT H $1.25 GST included 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