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The Citizen, 2012-05-10, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012.Editorials Opinions Publisher: Keith Roulston Acting Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny ScottAdvertising Sales: Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 E-mail info@northhuron.on.ca Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years CCNA Member Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $36.00/year ($34.29 + $1.71 G.S.T.) in Canada; $115.00/year in U.S.A. and $205/year in other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: info@northhuron.on.ca March 11, 1987 At its regular meeting on May 4, Grey Township Council decided that tax rates would rise by 4.92 per cent. Due to the large increase in the local school board budgets, council was faced with a 4.3 per cent overall increase before municipal budget deliberations even began. This increase came on the heels of a 6.98 per cent increase from the Huron County Board of Education and a 9.65 per cent increase from the Huron-Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board. The increase, for a taxpayer with an average assessment of $3,500, would be approximately $38. Taxes in East Wawanosh Township were set to increase by 5.5 per cent as a result of budget deliberations. Public school supporters would have a 5.5 per cent increase, while separate school supporters would face a 6.1 per cent increase. Brussels taxes were set to increase by seven per cent. The village’s monetary requirements, however, were up nearly 14 per cent from the previous year. Six members of the Belgrave division of the Scarlett Dragon Society brought home several trophies from the nation-wide Kung- Fu and Karate tournament in Kitchener. Eighteen competitors from the group made the trip to Kitchener. Members from the club participated in the tournament among 450 other competitors with some coming from as far away as St. John’s Newfoundland. May 11, 1994 Huron MPP Paul Klopp said he felt good about the provincial budget presented the previous week by Treasurer Floyd Laughren. “After a few years of having to take some tough decisions, this budget is a reflection of the rewards people can start to receive now that the economy is beginning to turn around.” Klopp said the budget, which included no tax increases for the year, had actually been in the works for approximately two years before it was presented. Klopp says the government helped create 147,000 jobs in 1993 and planned to create another 166,500 jobs in 1994. The deficit had dropped by 30 per cent over the previous two years, with Klopp forecasting that it would be down to $8.5 billion in 1994- 1995, compared to the $9.4 billion that it was the previous year. The Children’s Aid Society compiled a collection of children’s artwork from throughout Huron County to display at Elizabeth’s Art Gallery between May 14 and May 21. Over 600 entries were received for the show and a panel of five judges spent hours judging which 100 pieces would make the cut and be framed for all to see in the gallery. Because of the weather, planting season would begin early in 1994, said local weather observer Boyd Taylor of RR3, Walton, He said rural Ontario got a good start on planting until heavy rains came at the end of April, causing everything to come to a halt. “Crop growth was and continues to be slow with low morning temperatures warming only slightly during the day,” Taylor said. “It would appear this trend may continue to the latter part of May.” A meeting was held at the Colborne Township Hall to discuss the selection of a Huron County landfill site. Four of the 11 sites selected were clustered around Colborne Township. May 10, 2007 After months of deliberation and extra meetings, North Huron Council passed its budget with an overall increase of 2.99 per cent over last year’s total. Huron East Council dedicated thousands of dollars to sprucing up the Village of Brussels, starting with the flowerboxes under the village signs at various ends of the village. In addition to fixing up the flowerboxes, council decided that the village’s signs themselves could use a bit of a facelift, dedicating some money to clean them up. The funds would also go towards the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre and a complete makeover of the flowerbeds at the front of the centre. Huron County Council decided to increase its budget by 3.95 per cent. This represented a budget increase of half of what was originally presented in the draft budget months earlier. In order to reduce the budget’s needs, the contribution to the Public Works Department for winter maintenance was cut down to $1.4 million, down $300,000 from what was originally proposed. Grade 8 students at Brussels Public School were busy raising funds for their graduation with a car wash. Blyth Public School student Grant Sparling made his way to Nova Scotia to participate in Canada’s national science fair. Sparling would be competing against 400 other students from across the country. His project proposed a set of six hybrid golf clubs that would have replaced the traditional 13. The concept was patent pending. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Making your head hurt While the secret to good government is an informed and active electorate, who can blame taxpayers if they just shrug and pay the bill this year. Even those versed in understanding municipal tax rates may have their eyes glaze over trying to follow all the intertwined tax rates. Your tax bill comes from your local municipality but a large portion of it is decided by other levels of local government: Huron County Council and the Avon Maitland District School Board (or Huron Perth Catholic Separate School Board for separate school supporters). Sometimes it means local councillors can shave their budgets to the bone and still have taxpayers furious with large tax increases because of the requirements of the county and school boards. This year it’s just the opposite. Take for example, the Central Huron budget passed just this week. The rate on the bill taxpayers receive will increase one per cent, but the municipal portion of the bill will actually increase 8.36 per cent. That’s because the county and public school board rates each dropped over four per cent. In the way municipalities and the media use to help people understand these things, it means someone with a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $14 more in taxes. But people are likely to pay more than that because assessments are being updated by the MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation), which means that a house assessed at $100,000 is likely deemed to be worth more now, and thus you’ll pay more than that one per cent more. This increase in assessment, along with assessment growth from new houses, barns and businesses, has helped the county and school boards raise more money without increasing taxes as much. But that decrease in requirements from the school board which has helped municipalities hold the line, also begs the question why we’re closing schools because we can’t afford them while the education tax rate is decreasing? Maybe the people who don’t try to understand it all, who just open their tax bills and curse the politicians, are onto something. — KR The public has spoken Voters in France and Greece announced clearly, in elections Sunday, that they’re fed up with austerity policies required of them in order to get their nation’s financial houses in order – but does it matter what the people want? The defeats of the sitting governments in France and Greece bring to seven the number of European countries where disillusioned voters have tossed out leaders or governing parties in less than two years. Who can blame them? Across Europe austerity measures have inflicted heavy damage on already weakened economies, triggering recessions and driving up unemployment across the region to a 15-year high. Citizens of various countries don’t like their futures being dictated to them by outsiders. The European Union, led by Germany, has demanded strict cuts in government spending in countries like Greece, in exchange for bailouts that keep things from getting even worse. Bond traders have been dictating policies to governments because, unless they’re happy with the government’s plans, they demand higher interest rates to cover the country’s borrowing. These governments are so badly in debt that a rise in interest rates drives them closer to bankruptcy. While we all believe in democracy, many would say it’s governments trying to cater to voters who created this mess. Greece is the worst example, but other European countries share some of the same problems. In Greece, people asked – demanded? – more and more of government while at the same time they found more ways to avoid paying taxes. Governments kept people happy by borrowing more so they could keep on spending. Somebody had to pay sometime. But there are disturbing signs in Europe that show that austerity could have very bad consequences. While the French and Greek governments have been replaced by relatively moderate alternatives, election results show growing support for radical parties on the left and right. In Greece, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party got seven per cent of the votes. There are hard realities on both sides. Just because people want an end to austerity doesn’t mean lenders will gladly keep giving their governments money. But if lenders create more hardship for the people the risk increases of driving people into the arms of extremists. — KR & Letters Policy The Citizen welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and should include a daytime telephone number for the purpose of verification only. Letters that are not signed will not be printed. Submissions may be edited for length, clarity and content, using fair comment as our guideline. The Citizen reserves the right to refuse any letter on the basis of unfair bias, prejudice or inaccurate information. As well, letters can only be printed as space allows. Please keep your letters brief and concise.