HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-04-26, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012.Councillors reject consistent tax increase
THE EDITOR,
In a country as affluent as Canada,
hunger is unacceptable. Yet, close to
900,000 Canadians will visit a food
bank for assistance this month
alone. Of those, 38 per cent are
children or youth. Hunger is often a
hidden issue, and we are working to
change that fact with Hunger
Awareness Week, which we’ve
expanded from previous years’
Hunger Awareness Day. One day is
simply no longer sufficient to call
Canada to action on this pressing
issue.
Here in the North Huron and the
surrounding area, more people than
ever before are turning to us for
support, with more than 274
individuals in our community
coming to the North Huron
Community Food Share for
assistance in March alone. But we
can change this statistic.
During Hunger Awareness Week,
May 7-11, we encourage Canadians
to “Give it Up for Hunger”, to
become more conscious of hunger
and what it feels like to go without
food. The goal is to have individuals
Give It Up by putting food out of
your reach and challenging yourself
to give up your lunches or a food
staple for the week.
We hope that people will share
their experiences and thoughts on
this challenge by going to
www.hungerawarenessweek.ca and
supporting The North Huron
Community Food Share. We can
work to make a difference for the
many individuals in North Huron
and surrounding areas who turn
to our food bank for support
each month. By learning about
hunger and experiencing it
personally, we can all change the
way we think about hunger and
activate the changes needed to
reduce it.
We encourage everyone to take
part. Visit hungerawarenessweek.ca
for more information. You won’t
regret it.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Towton
North Huron Community Food
Share.
Huron County councillors are not
yet ready for a long-term
commitment.
That decision was made April 20
during a Huron County strategic
planning session wherein
councillors took a pass on Huron
County Warden Bernie MacLellan’s
plea to consider agreeing to an
annual three per cent tax increase
over a set time frame in order to
ensure county departments, and in
particular public works, can properly
budget for the future.That issue, argues MacLellan, isthe reality that the public worksdepartment is looking at millions of
dollars’ worth of necessary road and
bridge repairs in the next 20 years
while its reserves are being depleted
and one of the public works
department’s main funds, the
provincial gas tax rebate, could end
at any time.
During a presentation to
councillors, county treasurer Dave
Carey says a preliminary financial
forecast through to 2030, reveals
that as little as a two per cent annual
tax increase could ensure that publicworks is covered for long-termplanning though the elimination ofthe gas tax rebate would necessitate
an annual three per cent tax increase
commitment. In lobbying for the
plan, the warden notes the public
would likely be on board with
it.“Consistency works,” says
MacLellan.
Councillor Ben Van Diepenbeek
of Ashfield Colborne Wawanosh
echoed MacLellan’s sentiments and
agreed it makes more sense to bring
in small increases annually than to
have to introduce double-digit
increases during tough times.Still, acknowledged VanDiepenbeek, “From what I seearound here, county council is not
going to commit to more than one
year at a time.”
MacLellan urged councillors to
see the merit in a long-term
plan.
“This is a way to get rid of the
peaks and valleys and have an even
keel,” he said. Councillor Jim Ginn
of Central Huron says a lot of the
county’s issues boil down to
philosophical differences.
“We have a bubble coming in for
our infrastructure,” he says. “It’s not
essential to have money put away for
that. Having said that, I do like long-
term forecasting.”
Councillor Paul Klopp of
Bluewater said while putting money
away for a rainy day is ideal, the fact
remains that many of the county’s
taxpayers are facing hard times and
some taxpayers have gone several
years without pay increases of any
kind.
“You have to keep that in mind,”
he said.
In contrast, Councillor TylerHessel of Bluewater says puttingmoney in reserves is imperativegiven government grants are drying
up.
“I don’t see grants coming in,” he
says. “I don’t see them coming back
again any time soon. I’d argue two
per cent inflation might not be
enough.”
Councillor Neil Vincent said
while long-term budgeting is a
guideline, it is not a guarantee.
“They (budgets) have to be
reviewed vigorously … for us to
realize this is a best guess,” says
Vincent.
While Councillor Joe Steffler of
Huron East argued a “lack of long-
term planning can turn into a short-
term crisis real quick,” Vincent
suggests the province will be
unlikely to give Huron County any
money if it appears to be in solid
financial shape.
Councillors ultimately agreed to
the warden’s request to direct the
county’s senior management team to
report back on its long-term
forecasts and needs.
THE EDITOR,
The date of the closure of Blyth
Public School is approaching
rapidly and most of us have given up
hope of reversing that decision. I
have not given up yet.
I just want to let you know that
our petition bearing your 631
signatures is still before the Ontario
Legislature and the Ministry of
Education must respond to it by
June 5.
In addition to that, I have lodged a
complaint with the Auditor General
of Ontario citing the waste of
resources by the Avon Maitland
District School Board and the
Ministry of Education in the
Accommodation Review Committee
process, as well as the economic and
social damage to our community in
closing our school.
You can find more information on
this and other important issues by
checking out my blog, All About
Blyth. The address is
https://allaboutblyth.blogspot.com
Brock Vodden.
THE EDITOR,
Our community lost a champion
with the passing of Fire Department
of North Huron Chief, John Black.
John brought a skill set to the job
that helped raise awareness, create
opportunities and he articulated a
courageous vision for the
Emergency Services Training
Centre.
John was a rare individual:
aspirational in his style, practical in
his approach to solving problems –
and crystal clear in his thinking.
He truly believed that leadership
was about doing the right
thing.
He was highly-motivated in his
responsibilities, demonstrated
respect for the community and the
volunteers in the department by
caring enough to advocate for their
safety. Compliance with the many
safety standards and service
requirements was not optional for
John. It represented his core
convictions. On one occasion, I
heard John say that, “the life of one
of our firefighters is just as
important as the life of a firefighter
in Toronto – and the safety of a
family and their home here is just as
important as the safety of a family
and their home in an urban
centre.”
John’s clarity of purpose and his
brand of steady resolve were
gratifying to the members of his
department, and to the people they
serve.
Others may talk about his legacy,
but one thing is certain: John Black
made a difference. Thank you,
Chief.
Steven Sparling.
THE EDITOR,
Re: Open Letter to Morris-
Turnberry and North Huron
Councils,
Please allow me to applaud John
Schwartzentruber’s letter of April
19, 2012, and to add my voice to his
thoughts. He said it all very
eloquently. All we can say is, “What
are the councillors thinking?”
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Procter.
NOTICE TO DOG OWNERS
IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
MORRIS-TURNBERRY
2012 Dog Tags and licences are now available:
(Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm)
at the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry Municipal Office,
41342 Morris Rd.
PO Box 310
Brussels, ON
N0G 1H0
*** Tags can be picked up in person or ordered by telephone***
All dogs must be licensed in compliance with By-law No. 63-2004.
A copy of the complete By-law is available for review at the
Municipal Office. All dogs must be identified by means of a tag and
licence, issued for a (1) one year period by:
Friday, April 27, 2012
The fee schedule shall be as follows:
1/All Dogs (except those listed in #2)
- males, females, and spayed females $20.00 per dog
2/Pit bulls, Pit bull crosses, Staffordshire terriers $100.00 per dog
3/Kennel Licence Fee $75.00
(for a kennel of dogs that are registered or eligible for
registration under the Animal Pedigree Act)
4/Late Payment Charge $20.00 per dog
(Shall be assessed in addition to the licence fee,
if the licence and/or tag is not purchased by April 27th)
Excrement:
The By-law requires dog owners to forthwith remove excrement left by a
dog, from property other than the premises of the owner of the dog. Any
person contravening this provision is subject to a $50.00 fee.
For further information contact:
The Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
Telephone: 519-887-6137 Fax: 519-887-6424
E-mail: nmichie@morristurnberry.ca
MEETING NOTICE
MUNICIPALITY OF
MORRIS-TURNBERRY
The upcoming Council and Committee meetings for the
Municipality of Morris-Turnberry will be held:
Saturday April 28 at 8:00 am Special Council Meeting
Tuesday May 1 at 7:30 pm Regular Council Meeting
Tuesday May 15 at 7:30 pm Regular Council Meeting
Municipality of
Morris-Turnberry
TAX INSTALLMENT
NOTICE
The First installment of the 2012 property taxes is due on Friday,
April 27, 2012.
Payment can be made by mail or directly at the Municipal Office, 41342
Morris Rd., PO Box 310, Brussels, ON N0G 1H0. For your
convenience, a drop box is available at the front door for after hours
use. Payments can also be made at most banking institutions and by
telephone and internet banking.
Failure to receive your property tax bill does not in any way exempt you
from payment.
Nancy Michie
Administrator Clerk-Treasurer
519-887-6137
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