Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-04-19, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012. Continued from page 1 drastically by department. Treasurer David Carey said that the total would be between 35 and 38 per cent, but with a department like Huron County EMS, the percentage spent on wages is closer to 80 per cent and in administration, the vast majority of the costs go towards wages. Several councillors agreed that going forward, wages paid to employees would have to be reviewed. “I’m not suggesting that people shouldn’t be paid well,” said Councillor Paul Klopp, “but this thing needs to be reviewed. Clearly we have a big cost.” Klopp said that with his farming operation, there is the option to raise wages, but if there isn’t enough money and staff insists on a wage increase, then people have to be let go in order to make that happen. With the amount of money in various reserves, Klopp felt that some of the money should have been utilized to drop the tax levy increase, but found little support for his theory. “Let’s be fair to our employees. It’s starting to cost a lot of money,” Klopp said. “We can’t keep giving everyone what they want. Let’s have that frank discussion, because it isn’t chump change.” Warden Bernie MacLellan cited the Public Works Department budget, saying that there are large expenditures approaching in the coming decades and if the county increases taxes at approximately three per cent per year, the county will be prepare for those “spike years” of high costs in road and bridge repairs. However, he said, if the tax levy falls under that for one year, it throws the schedule off and more will be needed to be raised down the road. Some councillors, however, were getting tired of the debate and wanted to move past the budget. “Either we put it up or we pass it and we get on with life,” said Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt. Shewfelt then made a motion to accept the proposed tax rate increase of 0.47 per cent. Howick’s Art Versteeg, however, spoke against the minimal increase, saying he felt it needed to be higher. “I don’t think it’s enough,” Versteeg said. “I know there’s no way that three per cent is ever going to fly, but I think we need to be progressive. I think we have to do a little more than this.” Shewfelt said he wanted to see the budget passed. Looking at his own community of Goderich, he said that people are hurting in the wake of the tornado and they want a minimal increase. Planning for years down the road, he said, could be done in future years. “We need to get this passed,” Shewfelt said. “With what is happening in this community, I think this [a 0.47 per cent tax increase] is what people want to see.” After Shewfelt’s proposal of a 0.47 per cent increase was voted down, Hessel’s proposed one per cent tax rate increase was passed by council. Klopp wants wages reviewed Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) officials tried to answer complaints about the Bluevale Dam when they visited Morris-Turnberry Council April 3. At previous meetings councillors had expressed unhappiness about railings that had been installed at the dam which prevent the public from crossing the dam or using it forfishing.Phil Beard and Steve Lockie cameto council to explain why the changes had been made. Beard, MVCA general manager, said that in 2009 a dam safety inspection had been carried out that highlighted the issue of public safety with people being able to fall to the concrete spillway more than three metres below. “In the old days people swamanywhere,” Beard said. “I know thatpond was where I learned to canoe.But things happen. Governments get involved.” Lockie, who is in charge of MVCA facilities, said there was also a concern for worker safety in removing and installing the boards at the dam in fall and spring. But some councillors were not satisfied with the explanation. “What’s the purpose of the dam?” wondered Neil Warwick. “There are a number of people parking and fishing [at the dam]. It’s all about recreation. [With the railings] we might as well put up a ‘keep out’ sign. It’s a tourist attraction, but it’s going down hill.” Recently there were people who wanted to view the spring run of rainbow trout using the fish ladder to bypass the dam but they couldn’t get near it, Warwick said. “What can we do?” he wondered. Noting a request from MVCA for Morris-Turnberry to cut the grass at the park, he questioned why bothercutting the grass if there was nothingpeople could see or do at the dam.Beard said MVCA has limited resources which don’t allow it to spend money on maintaining dams such as Bluevale’s. In Brussels the Optimist Club and in Lucknow, the Lions Club, have become involved in partnerships to revive recreation areas. It also appears a community group in Gorrie will get involved in supporting the conservation area. Deputy-Mayor Jason Breckenridge complained that the levy to support MVCA keeps going up but the Bluevale Dam “is one of the few benefits we have.” Beard pointed out MVCA has paid to install new boards at the dam and put a new roof on the picnic pavilion at the conservation area. “The reality is we’re working with the same actual dollars we had in 1993,” he said. Now, “the Drummond Report recommends revisiting the roles of the Ministry of Natural Resources. It’s going to be a wild ride.”Beard noted that the small damshave no flood control benefit, whichis one of the few things funded by the MNR anymore. “Our board has made a motion that they would decommission the dams if major expenses were required.” Councillor John Smuck, who had relayed complaints from Bluevale residents who couldn’t cross the dam because of the new barriers, wondered if the municipality should consider taking possession of the Bluevale Dam. “Why pile more on ourselves,” asked Mayor Paul Gowing. Councillor Jamie Heffer wondered if there was a community group that could be encouraged to show some community pride and get involved in a partnership to improve the dam area. In the end, council agreed to continue with providing grass cutting this year while looking at more long term solutions to the dam itself. Continued from page 10 she said. “There are a lot of skills from all the pork producers out there and we need to tap into that.” She said she has committed to the position for the next two to three years provided the board is still behind her and everything remains good at home. She said that bringing the producers to the board is a necessary step because the board was recently reduced from 14 members down to nine. “We need to interact more with the producers and tap into the skills in the countryside if we’re going to move forward,” she said. The decision to run for chair was made last year when Cronin was vice chair. Then-chair Wilma Jeffray from Grey-Bruce decided she wouldn’t be running again and Cronin felt it was time she step up. “We needed to have a succession plan,” Cronin said, adding that she spent the last year learning a lot from Jeffray. Over the course of that year she said that there was a lot to learn and no real surprises. “There is always something new to learn,” Cronin said. “A lot of that comes from meeting with people outside the industry which is important for doing what’s best for the producers.” The position will mean more responsibility for Cronin who said she would need to start organizing things at home. “The farm and my family are important and a priority, I need to take care of things there so I can focus on what I need to do as the chair,” she said. “Their support is what makes it possible for me to do this job.” Cronin said that she is very much looking forward to working with local producers as well as producers across the province to deal with issues and take advantage of all the opportunities available Continued from page 24 his prescription in his hand...He came over and for an hour he described his chemical imbalance. And he told me about the two chemicals in his brain that were messed up and how he needed this medication to replace the chemicals... He was so depressed he just walked around the house in a zombie state. And all I did was take these charts and said, ‘Joe, do you have a minute to use your new Hewlett-Packard computer to make these charts for me?’ And he said, “You mean you need help?” I said, “I don’t know how to do that.” He said, “Well, I know how to do that. It’s very simple. In fact, I could put them in colour for you.” And he made these pretty coloured charts. “Two days later his wife called and said, ‘Pastor, what did you do to my husband? He’s not depressed anymore!’ I said, ‘I gave him a job. He had no purpose for living. He wasn’t fulfilled in his relationship with you. He wasn’t fulfilled at work... That’s why he was depressed. I gave him a job and he’s all excited because I need him. That’s all.’ That man is still not depressed.” The Bible counsels, “Give, and it will be given to you.” That applies to volunteering as well as being generous in other ways. John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, wrote: “A man there was, and they called him mad; the more he gave, the more he had.” May you find this true as you venture to give of yourself in volunteering! WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT HEAVEN? A Conversation About This Question &The #1 New York Times Bestseller “Heaven Is For Real” 6:30pm Friday April 27 @ Blyth Public School For more info contact: Gary Clark - gclarkbuc@gmail.com or Mark Royall - pastormark@huronchapel.org Volunteering can give purpose, help health Cronin hopes Ontario Pork can tap into producer skills M-T hears Bluevale dam explaination from MVCABy Keith RoulstonThe Citizen Blowin’ in the Wind Bob Mann, one third of the Ken, Bob and Barb trio, took to the stage at the 32nd annual Songfest at Londesborough United Church on April 15. The group started with their own rendition of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind.(Denny Scott photo)