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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 1$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, December 24, 2015 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0 Huron East faces $450,000 budget hole in 2016 County to adopt new ec. dev. plan A busy place Maitland River Elementary School was a busy place on Wednesday, Dec. 16 as three concerts were held. At 9:30 a.m. the Kindergarten classes took to the stage to celebrate the season with a Christmas concert and their cohorts from Grade 1 followed at 11:30 a.m. Later that evening the Grade 2 class followed suit. Shown are students Xavier Valdez, left, and Meyha Vollmer decorating a Christmas tree as part of the school’s holiday performance. (Denny Scott photo) Huron East is facing another set of tough budget deliberations as cuts to Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) grants and increased policing costs have combined to create a gap of over $450,000 in the municipality’s 2016 budget. Treasurer Paula Michiels informed council of the two major developments at its Dec. 15 meeting, saying that OPP costs are set to increase by $191,352 in 2016, while OMPF funding has been cut by $294,200. This is the fourth of four years in which municipalities were told to expect large decreases in OMPF funding as the province strives to cut its province-wide OMPF funding purse to $500 million by 2016. The numbers, Michiels told councillors, equate to a necessary 15.5 per cent increase to the municipal tax levy just to replace those lost funds before budget deliberations even begin. Several councillors jokingly thanked Michiels for depressing them in their final meeting before the holidays. Further depression was on the way, however, as Michiels speculated about the future of OMPF money, specifically Huron East’s portion that is handed out every year. Just over 50 per cent of the OMPF funding being allocated to Huron East in 2016 is earmarked as “transitional” funding, she said, which worries her. Transitional, to her, means temporary, so she feels that one day that funding, which equates to over $1 million, will no longer be coming Huron East’s way. Proportionately, Huron East’s OMPF funding was not the largest decrease in the county – that was Morris-Turnberry at $152,500, or 14.55 per cent – but it was the highest dollar figure at 12.9 per cent, or $294,200. West Perth, which is often included in Huron East comparisons due to its proximity to Huron East, saw its OMPF funding decrease $396,100, or 15 per cent. In the grand scheme of things, Michiels illustrated for councillors just how far funding has decreased, making note of comments from provincial government representatives who have stated that municipalities are now better off than they were prior to amalgamation in terms of provincial funding and support. She told councillors that OMPF funding has decreased over $1.1 million from a peak of $3.154 million several years ago to $1,986,800, which is several thousand dollars short of Huron East’s 2001 funding level of $2,365,418. While losses of OMPF funding have been widespread, Michiels says they’re not necessarily being experienced by everyone at the same level. In a comparison chart she provided to Huron East, she showed that Goderich’s OMPF grant was only set to decline by 1.84 per cent, while Bluewater would actually see an increase of $124,000 in OMPF money in 2016, an increase of 13.3 per cent. Huron East’s budget deliberations are set to begin early next year, starting with a report from Michiels. After an extensive amount of work by Ron Gaudet and the Huron County Economic Development Board, Huron County Council has approved a new economic development strategic plan that calls for some dramatic changes. Gaudet presented the new strategic plan to council at its Dec. 16 committee of the whole meeting. He said that a lot of work had gone into the plan, which will span from 2016 to 2020 and while work had already begun with the Economic Development Board, the board “strongly” endorses the strategic plan. One of the major changes proposed in the plan is a complete restructuring of the department. Under the new structure, there will be eight full-time equivalents: a director of economic development (who reports to the Chief Administrative Officer), an economic development manager, entrepreneurship support, a marketing and communications co- ordinator, an economic development content co-ordinator, an economic development officer with a focus on the workforce, an economic development officer with a business focus and administrative support. This replaces the old structure, which included positions such as tourism support, immigration, manufacturing and the Small Business Enterprise Centre. Economic Development Manager Natasha Fritzley said that while the restructuring may be drastic – and look expensive to councillors – the changes were able to be made largely within the previous budget allotment, going just a few thousand dollars over that budget for the first year, something she felt could be corrected in future years. The idea, Gaudet told councillors, is that economic development will no longer be treated as something that is operated out of a silo. Economic development, he said, relates to everything done in the county in one way or another, and it needs to be integrated in that way. True economic development, he said, isn’t necessarily about attracting businesses or investors, it’s about community and ensuring people are happy where they live. When that happens, economic development is a big part of that. The changes, he said, will represent a “fundamental shift” in how things are done in the county in terms of economic development. In addition to the department’s restructuring he has suggested that it be removed from the Planning and Development department so it can flourish under its own flag. The economic development department, Gaudet said, has to really be a champion for Huron County and tell its story. Beyond simply championing economic development in Huron County, the department and its employees really need to simply champion the county. The key to the new approach will be metrics. The results of economic development will constantly be measured. The department will never “bat 1.000” he said, but by measuring its successes and failures, strategy will constantly be shifting towards what works and away from what doesn’t. During the consultation process, Gaudet said that each lower-tier municipality was handled differently. For instance, municipalities with significant tourism focused on that, while in areas like Howick and Morris- Turnberry, the Mennonite community was engaged. The plan has also outlined a By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 13 Volume 31 No. 50Season’s Greetings from: By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen CitizenTh e