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The Citizen, 2016-04-21, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: SPORTS - Pg. 8 Vodden postpones rotating ice proposal for arenas LIONS - Pg. 11 Brussels Lions Club marks 70th anniversary ART - Pg. 22 Blyth artist to be featured at Goderich Co-op Gallery Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 4Citiz Volume 32 No. 16 n WELCOME TO BINT H $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 21, 2016 Driving The Hullett girls and boys basketball teams went to Central Huron Secondary School on Monday to participate in their annual tournament at the school. The girls team started their day off with a big 26-12 win over their competition from Seaforth Public School. The Hullett boys team went on to win the championship. In the foreground, from left: Jenna McClure, Reegan Watcher, Myea Fleet, Avery Boven and Amy Gras. (Denny Scott photo) County debates 14/19 grunts Peter Smith and Karen Stewart of the Blyth Arts & Cultural Initiative 14/19 were in Goderich last week looking for support from Huron County Council for two of the organization's initiatives. First, Smith and Stewart were seeking a $500,000 grant for the three -pronged initiative itself. The project seeks to revitalize Memorial Hall, establish the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity (CCRC) at the Grant and Mildred Sparling Centre and finally establish a rural trust to ensure that activities at the centre, the village and beyond continue throughout the years. The $500,000 grant, Stewart told councillors, would match the commitment made by North Huron Council. It would support the development and capital costs of the CCRC. Smith cited a number of aspects of the Huron County economic development strategic plan and said that if he were to write a mission statement for the CCRC, he could take it directly out of the county's plan. The plan and the CCRC, he Continued on page 20 Central Huron's tax rate to decrease again By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Central Huron passed its 2016 budget Monday night and the municipality's tax rate will not rise. While assessment in Central Huron rose by 6.42 per cent in 2016, taxes in the municipality are decreasing one per cent overall, or $13.22 per $100,000 of assessment. At Monday night's meeting, Treasurer Terri Rau said it's the fourth year in a row the municipality has had an overall tax decrease. Budget spending, however, has increased 6.74 per cent, but Councillor Alex Westerhout was quick to point out that that "increase" in spending simply covers off the approximately $360,000 that represents lost Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) income and the year's increase in OPP costs. The 2016 budget requirements are just over $6.1 million, which is just ahead of the 2015 budget, which needed $5,786,371 to balance. Rau said that just over 55 per cent of Central Huron's revenue comes from taxation, while 18.34 per cent comes from federal and provincial grants. The remaining percentage is split between a number of other different revenue sources, such as casino revenue, fees and charges and others. Interim tax bills in Central Huron were due on March 31 and then again on June 30, while final tax bills will be due on Sept. 30 and Nov. 30. Of the $1,312.67 in total taxes that will be collected on $100,000 of assessment, $630.53, or just under half, will go to Central Huron, while $494.14 will go to Huron County and $188 will go to local school boards. Total taxes to be collected in 2016 are $13,420,134 to be distributed amongst the municipality, the county and the local school boards. While most councillors were happy with the budget, Westerhout said he was concerned with the spending level. He said that while it's encouraging to see the tax levy drop, with spending on the rise for various reasons, Central Huron should consider examining the services it provides in the near future. Several councillors agreed, saying the topic could be part of upcoming strategic planning sessions that will look towards the future of the municipality. Mayor Jim Ginn said it would be a worthwhile discussion, but that the public would have to be engaged in order to ask residents what's important to their lives. He said that Central Huron has some of the best roads in the county, most of them paved, and residents seem to appreciate that service. So it's important that if cuts are going to be made, they be made in areas where residents feel they should be made. Council passed a bylaw finalizing the budget. Rau's Monday night budget presentation has since been posted on the Central Huron website at centralhuron.com. 'The Citizen' named best in Canada Building upon a second -place finish last year, The Citizen has been named the best community newspaper in Canada for its circulation class. The announcement was made on Friday, as Newspapers Canada announced its Canadian Community Newspaper Award winners. The Citizen topped all three of the class's categories, including general excellence, best front page and best editorial page, sweeping the class. Last year, The Citizen placed second in all three categories, finishing only behind The Osoyoos Times, a British Columbia newspaper serving the community of Osoyoos in the Okanagan Valley just north of the British Columbia/Washington border. The two issues of The Citizen submitted this year for judges were the March 26, 2015 issue, which included coverage of the Blyth Brussels Midget AE Crusaders winning their Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) tournament and an attack on a Brussels Transport livestock truck driver, as well as the Oct. 29, 2015 issue, which included coverage of the Blyth Festival's 2016 season announcement and Huron East Council's long-awaited service delivery review. Earlier this year, The Citizen received word that it is shortlisted in two categories for the Ontario Community Newspaper Asso- ciation's annual Better Newspapers Awards, including general excellence within its circulation class and best community website for a readership under 10,000. While The Citizen is guaranteed a top -three finish in each of the two provincial categories, just where your community -owned newspaper will finish will be determined on Friday at the awards gala in Vaughan.