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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1976-01-22, Page 1'SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 1976 16 PAGES $10.00 A year In Advance Single copy 25 cents Aa Whole No, 5628 116th Year School boards should hold • budgets down ti Mayor says - keep increases down to 8% The province has told the school boards that any money above an 8% increase must come from municipalities. The treasurer should have said that, school boards must live within the budgetary restraints, just like municipalities, Mayor ar -to says. The school boards have bigger budgets than any municipalities in this area and must have more frills that they,. can chop, she feels. ese "Where,cen we Chop anyone?" she asked.Seeforth will ,probably have a hefty tax •iticrease this year, the mayor predicted, ''There will be regular increases Which may top the 8% ceiling. In 'addition about $45,000 will have to be found. A grant of about $45,000 toecimburse,the town, for dee new Market St. sewers was included as income in lest year's budget hut Must show • up, in the, 1970 budget as required, the mayor said. Last year's 'mill • rate probably should have been higher, she said: • Treasurer McKeough told the -politicians that they would Wave to cut programs and differenti ate between wants and • needs. "There were 200 arenas built in the provinecein 1975. All were wanted hot Onlyessenneseweree needed," he said. if the province is goirreto cut' money, that' is available for arenas and recrea- tion, they should be spending Wintario 'money on these same programs, Mayor Cardno believes. ;Wintarib ticketS are taking dollars out of Ontario towns and "1 haven't -seen anything ..to 'prove- where zhe money is being spent, outside'of a (Continued on Page 11) Building inspector says A LONG HARD TUG — The Fullarton men's tug of -war team Shows the hard pulling 'that won theM the' Optimist Winter Carnival Championship over the C violating safety rul weekend. They: beat a Queens team and a Chiselhurst squad. Photo by Oke) E ddie 'Shack will play in benefit game Eddie Shack is coming to Seaforth, The famous former NI-IL hockey player will be playing at the Seaforth arena on, Sunday, February 15 in a hockey game for the arena hind. Ree director Clive Buist says Eddie will play for the Seaforth Selects, a prestige hockey team made up of !peal notables, when they meet the CKNX Try'Hards. (See letter to the editor). Tickets for the afternoon game at 2:30 will be on sale soon at $5 for 2 adults and children under 12 or,$2 per, adult and $1 per child. .Mr. Buist said' Guy Lombardo is coming back to Seaforth to play ett a dance for the arena fund on McAuley, night, May 24. Only 500 tickets will be sold, at $15 a couple and there will be no bleacher seats. "There should be more room on the dance floor than last spring," when Lombardo played for a huge. crowd as part of Centennial celebrations, he said. Tickets-for the Lombardo dance will be on sale within two weeks at the recreation office and at Crocker Family Footwear, Mr. Buist said. Friday, July 16 the Carleton Show Band are.scheduled ' in another arena fund raising event. '* Seaforth's Mayor Betty' Cardno agrees with Ontario treasurer Darcy McKeough's call for spending restraint from munici- • palities and school boards. Mrs. Cardno. Who was among about 1000 municipal and school board representatives. .from Huron,- Perth and Bruce who listened to the treasurer ir(Wing- ham on Thursday said "he's right, there has to be a crimp in spending." • " Although local government spending has increased 70% since ,1975-, "your average rate- payer would never have guessed that by looking at his tax bill," Mr. McKeough said. Municipal councils have. used' ever iriereas:. ing provincial greets to avoi d putting taxes up locally, the treasurer said, Mayor Cardno agreed. "We. wouldn't have been able to. hold the tax line the way we have the past three or four years without this sharing from the province.'" But the province is "getting more in income tax every year and they Si ,should have more, to share," the reaeor said. Mr. McKeough said the • proeince will limit grants to municipalities and school hoards to more than last year, Bet he said the pros ince Mien() intention of putting ceilings on tax rate increases, even' if, es one ques- tioner said they • had ,to go 50% higher in the face of provincial cues. , • • ''Th6 wrath ofehe ratepayers of Ontario is a more effective ceiling than anything that could he devised", the provincial treasurer said. Several sein)l hoard repres- entatives told Mr. McKeough that they have 'commit meets, especially in salaries, that will make it impoSsible for them to None of the 1000 municipal and school board officials from Huron, Perth and ,I3ruce who listened' to provincial • treasurer Darcy McKeough's call for spending cuts argued that they weren't needed, but those who question- ed the minister said the province was leaving themeinAepared and unable to make cuts. "The question is not Why us, but why now," Perth County Board of education chairman Ed Dearing of Staffa said. "The Ministry of Education has led us to the edge of a precipice and re then left us," He 'said he resented provincial,- politicians telling the public to expect reduced educa- tional spending when the ministry has encouraged spending to get to its present level. Mr. Dearing said Perth was already the lowest «s,pending board in the province. "And if we, were to hold spending to last year's level we would Only be able to afford staff and insurance — no heat, light of supplies," he said, He, said he agreed that keeping the local mill rate down was a "strong discipline", but predict- ed that "net, one of us here will survive next fall's election," because of the Ott hikes that will he necessary. Education minister Thomas Wells was unable to attend the Wingham.' meeting because. be was in Toronto dealing with the legislation to get striking Toronto teachers back to work. Mr. McKeough said per pupil 'ceilings for 1976 would be $10,80' per elementary student, and $1536 per secondary student. School boards will get tee) thirds of the 8% increase in Money to locate governmentss he said but this won't be enough to pay for items that are already budgeted for. 'Perhaps it's too much reality in one year, but how long do•we, defer this?'2, the' minister Asked. "There's no way we can Meet past committments which were based on high . spending. We've been encouraged to travel a certain road and then we've been dropped off the end," Mr. • Mr. Cuthill, who 'is' trench inspector as well, said he hadn't been notified by the utilities commission, as is required by law,..,when trenches over three feet are being dug. NC manager Walter Scott said a *per trench box could cost $10,000. "That's cheaper than lives", Mr. Cuthill remarked and he said if the• Workmah"s Compensation Board', found out about the situation somebody would have to answer serious questions". Mayor Betty Car dno wanted to know what other small .towns do about 'meeting •the safety, standards. !'Perhaps we should be, looking at co-operating. How else can we afford this equip- ment?" Mr. Scott said other towns may .• be "'netting , their luck like • Seaforth" and suggested that it mig t b cheaper to sub-contract what ittle digging the PUC does, But he said, in emergencies the PUC has to dig and can't expect customers to wait for a contractor, or shared equipment to, arrive, "Just doing repairs could reduce out risks',', Mayor Cardno replied "we could get out of all but emergency business." She asked the PUC manager to find out where the safety equipment is available and how fast it could get at Dearing insisted, - According to a prepired speech Mr. Wells would have delivered, the ministry isn't, allocating, any. money for building projects this year, In contrast, $185 million was given out last y,ear. Goderiele councillor Dave Gower objected that municipali- lice should be able to send high board of education levies back to the boards for revision,' rather than having to 'accept what is asked for. "The boards- are accountable to the taxpayers as we all are,' Mr. McKeough said. "You can put in big red letter on' top of your tax bill 'Huron County Board of Education God- etich Taxes'.," Mr. Mc/dough s.ugggested. "The ratepayers know where the dollars are going"., • In his prepared speech, Mr. McKeough told representatives that transfer payments from the province which had been increas,.. ing 14 or '15% every year since' 1970, would be held to 8% this year, and kept low for two or ,her-e in an emergency, and to see 'what Mitchell and Clireon are using: • Mr.- Cuthill suggested that' Huron Canadian Fabricators might • 'gave an estimate on building a 'safety box. "You'll he doings lot of digging with sewers coming in in the next year,", he said. He 'and Mr„ Septe agreed to meet arid work out some teMper- are safety measure. The PUC bought new, 'TM radios for its. three trucks and office just before the end of the .year at $3500. Mr. Scott said that' AM equipment bought in 1974 for , $1200 was not working properly becauSe of citizen's band interfer- a 20 mile range VC ['SU& 10 miles on the old ones. The longer distance is an asset because PVC trucks do `wotk in Dublin, Stella and on farms, he said. Mr, Scott said the radio c'em- three more' years. 'He suggested that intensi-Pali= ties and school hoards cut senior salaries, programs that '"'ere wanted but not needed, staff, and, dip into their 'liquid assets and reserves, He said that the 8'''s provincial ,grant increase and a mill rate increase even I I"S won't allow "buSieess as usual". The •gap ' between provincial revenues and expenditures is nearly $2 million and has been increasing since 1970 the trea- surer explained. Narrowing that gap and cutting .down on inflation is the object of holding transfer payments to 8%, he said, ' One in every 10 people -in the province "iecluding myself" arc raid out of the public purse, the minister said,* Stratford Mayor Betty MeMil- Ian said that while the provinee'S aims were' "commendable": -how do' the expeet Stratford to keep spending down when provincial arbitrators award wage increases of •26-300/o? "How can we hold negotiations'to 8 and hrit? she asked, Mr McKeough said when public 'employees give up the right to strike they are guaran- teed arbitration and said all arbitration asseirds are" subject to. the Anti Inflation Board. The arbitrator decides "What is fair for Stratford" by looking at pay rates in the city, he said. Newly elected 'Huron warden lack McCuiceicen suggested that costs could be cut without closing the Goderich Psychiatric Hopsital The provincial treaeurer an- swered that-` more than 5,000 of the province's 11,000 psychiatric beds were eMPty, in 1974 and at the same time there was a "critical demnd for more services for the mentelly . retarded." Re said the 'closing would help save $2.5 million in the 'health budget and allow more SP-ending in social services to meet needs of the retarded, "W .ere you .con- s•idering bedding a new facility for silie mentally retarded in Iluron anyway? Warden McCut. cheon asked. Services were planned, Mr. McKeough said. member then too. Mayor Betty , 'Cardno is a member of the present PUC. Mr. Daly succeeds Dr. Rodger Whitman who has been PUC chairman since 1972. PUC Man- ager Walter Scott said that it isn't usual to change chairmen in the middle of a two year term, but there was a feeling that.Mr. Daly would be' more available and had more time than Dr. Whitman. The new chairman will serve until municipal elections are held again in December. Salaries for corn- two commissioners, Mr. Seed said, unchanged from 1967.when ebe amounts were $300 and $200, Salary negotitations With, PUC staff are held in April, the manager said because by then the books are balanced and the PUC knows where it stands. Mayor Cardno, said PUC employees will have to stay within the 8% federal anti-inflation guidelines. At the - PUC'e- meeting on, Wednesday, Mr, Scottt said about 350 PUC employees from two districts would probably express dissatisfaction with OMERS, the pension scheme for municipal employees anll ask to be able to take out the money,they and th eir employees had paid into it. OMERS is compulsory for munic- ipal employees and this would mean a change in legislation, Mr. Scott thought. • Ontario Treasurer Dar:cy McKeough Officials ask McKeough The Seaforth PUC is violating 'safety regulatidieS —by• digging trenches without using, a trench box, or cribbing when they dig ;over. three feet in depth. That's what town building. inspector Wile-ter Cuthill told the PUC at . their monthly meeting last Wed- nesday. • paying over Christmas", "One ' days cash could pay .that off", commented PUC, secretary trea- surer Amy Horne, The PUC can't request deposits, big enough to cover arrears now that .hydro :bills have increased, Mr, '5Cott said because they'd to pay interest on deposits over..$50. "We automatically put Sortie arrears into small claims court if we haVe the addresses," he said, • The commission.• agreed with beilding_inspector 'Cu-thill that 'a building permiewould need PUC approval., much the same. way that it now needs an okay from the Huron County 'Health Unit. cure andthe-new'•FM. radios- have',PUC members thought the buil- How do we cut spending? der could pick tip a permit, take it to the PUC so that they would know Water and electrical require- ments. and then back to , the building inspector for final ap- proval. . pany took the AM radioS as a , • trade in and will charge the PUC ' Mr e Ctithill wondered what the only r$a7d5i0Os ilafttensr \t,i dvoenat'.t, ikeesespthtinel,:P LIC would do it. they felt they new coeldn't supply someone , evitth a year's rent would be. water for a year but he wanted to Mayor„Cardno said shewas not go ahead and build anyway before sure the radios are' needed, 'She building costs got too much said she didn't, know if the PUC higher, There aren't too many 'was" making money by buying areas of town where this would be this, kind of equipment, because eu problem; Mr. Scott said, e bile,- she -hasn't yet seen a financial Mayor Camino felt that people breakdown: "I think we should should check on the. availability of • look herd and fast at geine bui of services before they buy a tee, town to do work"-, the mayor said. Mr. Cuthill said "1 don't think The PUC'S number two truck hes . we should hold him ups.", and the been repainted at a ems of $500 Mayor agreed. "The 'PUC could and repaired at • a cost. of about • gis c permission to build with the ., eEd. Daly ' . a former may or 11 d $900, Mr, Scott reported. - understanding that he can't gete_pix,._ • . ember --es' .' e- Via72:---- A lest • of hills in assess, was services for a year," she said. ' Mr. Daly was mayor from 1960 • read and Nfr. Scott explained that Mr, Cuthill told the. PUC that until 1962. and served as a PUC cuStomers were Always "'slow permission to fill up, swimming pools shouldn't be given until' they are fenced and Meetetown standards. CommissionerS Whit- man and Cardno and Mr,- Scott ' said thty plan to attend the OMEA'Eonvention in Toronto in March. Manager Scott said a budget on 1976 street lighting is being , worked out with town council. Bills for January will go out in the normal way, because the com- puter in Stratford is not yet able to handle Seaforth's commercial . billings. -The computer should do next month's billing, but the office staff will, do it as well to check for , errors.' Clinton PUC have been billing by computer for two years and report that they are still having problems, Mr. Scott said. He reported that the Curling club is about 75 percent sure that they will install ,their own ice making machinery. The PUC may build 'one power bank at the corner of Chalk and 'Duke Sts. to sepply them and the arena. ii Ed ne,w..PLic chairmon.. Seaforth ~s Public Utilities Com- mission has a new chairman He is' Vanastra rec deficit alarms Tuckersmith • (By Wilma Oke) A budget of $38,970 for the Vanastra Day Care. Centre was ' approved f9e1976 by Tuckersmith Township Council- Tuesday nights Robin Gates, who was on the Day Care Board, last year, presented the budget to council. He said that if the Day Care Centre could maintain an enrol-, ment of 24 'children for 1976 the deficit would be held at $1,554. for the township to pay. , The provincial government would pick up the other 80 per cent of the deficit amounting4to ,$6,270. Karen McEwing, supervisor of the Centre, said there are 24 part time children enrolled at the present time. • A ten per cent increase •in salaries for the three' employees was apprOved raising the supervisor's salary to $8,800. the assistant's to $7,700 and the teacher's. salary to $6,270. The proposed benefits for the three employees were- turned dawn when• council agreed the Centre employees would have the same benefits as other, township employees vacation time of 'two weeks aftei• one year's service up to 10 years and sick leave of 'one day a month, . ' Council does not pay OHIP fees and frowned on paying for courses taken by Day Care employees to upgrade their training. • • Alarmed b,y a very'large deficit in recreation costs at Vanastra, council conditionally accepted , a proposed Recreation, Parks and Community Centre budget of 5115,380 and requiring that advertising and administrative expenses be pared as "the budget seems to be over optimistic". Council will ask for an accounting of the receipts and expenditures for recreation every three months. Council refused to divulge the amount of the Vanastra recreation deficit to the press, and Wilfred Schneider and Harold Whitlock, whO presented the budget, were careful not to reveal figures to the press when they handed eopies to council members. In other business of the meeting, which continued past 1:00 a.m.' Wednesday.' council received a delegation of rate-• payers who attended to discuss the proposed construction of the Sinclair Drain. They were , Michael Conni51-1Y, Irvine Ferris, • Ron McGregor, Bob' McGregor and Eli Dept's and his son. Engineer Henry U'nderstadt was present at the meeting to answer questions. After council accepted the - (Contintie'd On Page 16) A CHILLY Darlene of snowmobile RIDE — Lois Moore and daughter Eg"mondville' were passengers in a makes good carnival Lots of .snow and bright sunny days Made the Seaforth Optimist Winter CarnAl on the weekend 'one of the most successful in nine years, organisers said, All three Carnival dances were crowded and about 70 snowfnobiles started the weekend off with a torchlight parade from the Optimist Park to the arena. There were 100 more , poker hands than last year purchased for the snowmobile poker rally on Sunday. MrssAlee Townsend had the winning hand' with four 8's and won 1100, Harvey [letterman came next with theee,5's and two 10's to win $50. Third Was Garry McNichol with 'a straight to the ace, , Over" 100 snowtriebiles were driven over the 30 mile course •through roads, snow covered • Tuckerstnith, fields, a gravel pit man(sx1 ausiowp•amia)nian Mullett. Townships. 'Other poker winners were Bert McClure, Bill Chesney, Dorothy Willis son, Louis ',Arts. Elmer Lama Glenn Knepp and Steve H. • ld rand. ' In Saturday afternoon's tue of war, the 1'4 'erlhurst women's team outpulled Fullarton and the Fullerton men's team won the men:s trophy. The Seaforth Queen's team came second in the (Continued on Page 15) cab for the torch light 'parade at. the Optimist Winter Carnival, on Friday night. The weather was pretty cold and both were bundled up to ^ keep warm. (Staff Photo) miseioners have beetreeteel for the chairmen and $400 for the ""* B e a i t