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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-01, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011. Mayors respond to changes Central Huron hearsfrom BRA president Friends of the Shed The Musical Friends of Shed 3 made a generous donation to the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Fund during the annual meeting of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association on Nov. 23. The group donated $1,085.65 to the fund, which helps those who were devastated by the F3 tornado that touched down in Goderich on August 21. Shown are back row, from left; Glen Hodgins, Marvin Scott, Joe Freeman, Morjorie Love, Gwen O’Rourke and Don Nicholson. Middle row, from left: Glen Deichert, Marlene Deichert, Alan Murray, Ann Duskocy and Jim Love. Front row, from left: Annie Pritchard, Gladys Van Egmond, Ken Dunn and Jack Youngson. (Denny Scott photo) Continued from page 1would be 200 kilograms perhousehold per year, Veilleux said,which would add an additional $16-$17 per year, which would bring theaverage cost up to between $60 and$70 per year. Veilleux said in a user-pay system, it is best to be clear and honest with the ratepayers, letting them know the cost they have to pay and that waste management and recycling are not free services. On the municipal side of things, Veilleux said the accounting for waste management would be dealt with as simply another line item on the municipal budget. From there the BRA would send a master list detailing every person who is involved in the program and the size of the bin they have to the municipality and they would charge residents based on that list. Veilleux also said that residents could opt out of the program if they wished and they could change the size of the bins they would have at any time. He also said the BRA would own the bins, so if there was ever a repair issue with one of the bins, the BRA would replace the bin without issue. Under the proposed co-collection system, residents would have one garbage wheelie bin (with a size based on the decision of the resident) for waste. The resident would be able to put the garbage directly into the bin with no need for garbagebags.Councillors asked how the overallcost would be affected if only 50 percent of the municipality opted toparticipate in the program andVeilleux said that it wouldn’t. However, he added, in many of the other 24 municipalities the BRA services, they typically see a less- than-one-per-cent rate of non- participation. As far as the routes are concerned, Veilleux said he would have to investigate them further, but in the case of Clinton, for example, it may make more sense for a truck to collect all of the waste and come back for the recycling, but that would be a decision that would have to be made after further research. “Sometimes it’s just better to do it that way,” Veilleux said. In addition to Veilleux, Wayne Smith of Sunrise Sanitation, an independent company operating in Clinton, spoke to council saying that while he currently doesn’t have the capacity to service the entire municipality, it wouldn’t take much for him to expand and that he is willing to do it. No formal action was taken, but councillors have acknowledged that they will have to move fast to ensure a plan is in place for 2012. Council’s next meeting will be on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) in Clinton. Continued from page 1 this stirs up council for the rest of the term.” Ginn also had some concerns about the 2010 voter list provided by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) on which the county’s population numbers are based. Ginn said it was proven that MPAC’s numbers were incorrect when Central Huron conducted its municipal election in October, 2010, so to base the number of representatives at Huron County Council on inaccurate numbers didn’t make sense to him. “If MPAC’s numbers are not accurate, then we’re basing the numbers at county council on information we know is incorrect,” Ginn said. “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.” Ginn also had a problem with the thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on the process to reach what he considered to be an unjustified means. “If in the end, the goal is justifiable, I have no problem spending the money,” Ginn said, “but with this I can’t identify what the end justification is.” If it’s the wage of the councillors, Ginn said, he couldn’t see it making that much of a difference. “Is it the wages? Maybe $40,000 or $50,000 in a $100 million budget?” Ginn asked. “That’s pretty small potatoes. And the shame of it is that those guys were pretty effective councillors.” Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan was similarly surprised, saying that all of the consultation he had been through indicated that council acted as it was instructed to. MacLellan mentioned that there had been some discussion about launching an appeal, but no formal decision had been made. He agreed with Ginn, saying he was hard-pressed to remember a time where those four councillors made a concerted effort to swing a vote one way or another. “Seldom was there a very close decision,” MacLellan said. “County council usually votes in a landslide one way or the other. I’m not convinced they had any kind of effect.” MacLellan says that as far as Huron East’s representation and discussion at the Huron County Council level, he doesn’t think it will make much of a difference, but he still feels the scale of representation is unbalanced in its current form. MacLellan had pitched a “representation by population” method years ago that he felt would provide a more accurate formula, but it was promptly turned down. MacLellan explains the system as a councillor’s vote, coupled with a computerized mathematical formula that would weight that councillor’s decision based on the population share that councillor’s municipality holds within Huron County. “It didn’t fly,” he said. “A lot of councillors felt it wasn’t in the best interests of their municipality.” In fairness, MacLellan said, under his proposed formula, Huron East would have lost some of its representation, going from three votes down to approximately two and a half, but that doesn’t change the fact, he said, that it would be a true form of representation by population. Huron County Warden and North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent says when he first heard the news, he was a little disappointed. While Vincent’s term as a warden is quickly coming to an end, he knows Huron County Council will make its way through this change, but he feels the fight isn’t quite over. “We will get through this as a county,” Vincent said. “But my fear is the fallout from it and instead of councillors acting as county councillors, we’ll see councillors acting on behalf of their own municipalities. “It’s a very real possibility and county council could be fractured and turn into an us-versus-them situation.” Vincent also hinted at the possibility of an appeal, but said he didn’t have anything official to report. He was concerned, however, that if an appeal was launched, that the decision wouldn’t change despite the appeal. “If the appeal holds up the council process,” Vincent said, referring to the election of a new warden that will take place later this month, “that would be a real detriment.” From a North Huron perspective, however, Vincent said that with the number of township representatives reduced to just himself, Deputy- Reeve David Riach won’t have a chance to vote against Vincent, negating his vote, he joked. “I’m not up or down because of it,” Vincent said. Vincent, however, also had issues with MPAC’s numbers saying that if MPAC can’t guarantee its numbers, Huron County shouldn’t be counting on them for accurate voters list figures. Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt, however, was singing a different tune, saying that he felt “common sense prevailed” with Gorman’s ruling. “The bylaw was good enough in 2000,” Shewfelt said. Shewfelt also said that Huron County is being run by too many bodies as it is and that Bruce County, a larger area with a bigger budget, is being run by nine representatives, rather than the 16 that will be representing Huron County going forward. “It’s time to shave off some points,” Shewfelt said. “You start with the small things and you eventually get to the bigger things.” Shewfelt said he felt council should be respecting the decision made by previous councils and holding true to representation by population. Many Huron County Council representatives, however, felt the issue would be hotly debated at the Nov. 30 meeting of council. COMMEMORATE THE NEWEST FAMILY MEMBER'S 1ST NEW YEAR Join the gallery of faces in The Citizen's baby photo display January 5, 2012 Send or bring a picture of your little one born in 2011 along with a writeup which includes full name, birth date and parents' names, to be featured in The Citizen's Gallery of Faces on January 5, 2012, for only $20.00 (HST included). Please send picture (with name on back), along with a cheque, to The Citizen prior to December 16. Photos may be picked up after January 5. THIS MUST BE PRE-PAID. - Sample - Please Complete Baby's Full Name______________________ Son ❑Daughter ❑ Birth Date_____________________________ Parents' Names________________________ $20.00 Enclosed DEADLINE - December 16 2 pm in Brussels • 4 pm in Blyth ❑ Alex John Smith May 18 son of Mike & Laura Smith B a b i e s o f t h e Y ear 2011 ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen