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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-09-20, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012. Continued from page 18 Council, requires a triple majority to pass. The triple majority would consist of a majority of Huron County councillors voting in favour of the program, as well as a majority of lower-tier municipalities. The lower-tier municipalities that vote in favour of the program must comprise a majority of the county’s residents in order to achieve a triple majority vote. MacLellan said the goal is to obtain the triple majority vote by the fall and have the staff and programming in place soon after. The goal is to have the program up and running by spring of 2013. Between the evening of Sept. 13 and the morning of Sept. 15 unknown suspects forcibly entered the Blyth United Church through a north side window, taking several items worth approximately $3,500 says the Huron OPP. Some of the items that were stolen are a black Lenco portable projector and monitor, a Dell laptop computer, a black Toshiba laptop computer, a black audio amplifier and a black “Splashworks” duffle bag. Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call the Huron OPP at 1- 888-310-1122 or 519-524-8314 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). HE votes down program Break-in at Blyth United Running for Terry The annual Terry Fox Run was held in Brussels on Sunday with perfect weather conditions. Brianne Oldridge, left, and Kristen Pipe, were out enjoying the run and raising money for cancer research at the same time, while Gary Pipe is just behind the pair of girls. (Vicky Bremner photo) County retires page program due to lack of interest The end of the year will officially mark the end of an era as the honourary position of the page at Huron County Council will be discontinued.Years ago, severalcouncillors recalled at the Sept. 12 Committee of the Whole meeting, the page was responsible for handing out paper reports and walking from speaker to speaker with council’s one microphone.However, with the majority ofcouncil’s documents now paperless and every councillors equipped with his own individual microphone, the page’s duties have decreased greatly over the years.In a report prepared byClerk Barb Wilson before she resigned, she stated that in December of 2010, when council went paperless, that decision eliminated the only remaining task for the page. In her report, Wilson saidshe contacted 12 othercounties throughout Ontario and none of them used a page any longer. Her report also stated that while there was a lack of duties for the page to complete, that wasn’t the only thing lacking for a page at a council meeting. “Many of the pages come ill-prepared for the meeting and due to their lack of interest appear very bored,” she said. Wilson suggested that if council wanted to continue the page program that perhaps an essay contest could be held and winners could be chosen from the contest participants. While councillors said they were sad to see the program go, they couldn’t offer up anyreasons for it to continue.Howick’s Art Versteeg said he supported the recommendation to discontinue the program, but “with regret”. Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt said that while the page program should be discontinued due to a lack of interest, perhaps group visits could be arranged with county schools for classes to attend a meeting to learn about municipal politics and their local representatives. “I hate to see it go,” said Bluewater’s Bill Dowson. Council decided to continue the page program until the end of the year, when it will be officially discontinued. Warden term extension considered While no official decision was made at the Sept. 12 Committee of the Whole meeting, Huron County Council voted to move to the next stage of implementing a two-year term for the warden position. The vote was passed on Sept. 12, but the vote was only to go ahead with a public meeting where ratepayers may come and speak their mind on the topic. “We’re just voting on having a public meeting and then having a vote,” Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt said. “The public needs to speak on it.” Bluewater’s Paul Klopp, however, was confused, saying council should present the public with council’s point of view and then ask members of the public if they agree or not. He didn’t want to leave it open-ended for the public by not telling members of the public where council stands. Members of council, however, informed Klopp that council has a position and that decision was made at a meeting where Klopp was absent. A motion was made that council endorses the recommendation made by consultant George Cuff in his report on governance. The recommendation stated that the term of warden should be at least two years, if not three or four years. Council, however, several months ago passed a motion recommending a two-year term. It would not become official until a public meeting has been held and another vote has been taken. The motion to proceed to a public meeting and then vote on the future of the warden’s term was carried. The public meeting will take place in the near future. If passed, the two-year term of warden would be brought in for 2014 after the municipal election in the fall. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen