HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-04-15, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010.
Huron East continues budget talks
Morris-Turnberry adopts minimal tax increase
Discussion continued on the draft
budget at the April 6 Huron East
council meeting, working towards
approval at the April 20 meeting.
Treasurer Brad Knight said that he
is awaiting final figures from several
departments and that the budget
should be close to its final form at
the April 20 meeting with all of the
components in place.
The first amount that was
discussed was the increase that
would be given to help finance the
upgrades at the Seaforth Arena.
However, despite Knight advising
against it, some councillors felt the
money should come from the
Brussels Library reserve, to be paid
back next year.
“I would advise that we don’t use
the Brussels Library reserve,”
Knight said. “It’s more of an
appearance thing. Even if we put it
back next year, giving that money to
the Seaforth Arena could get you
into a discussion that I don’t think
you want to get into.”
The discussion continued as
councillor Bill Siemon suggested
that the funds be taken out of the
parkland reserve, feeling that it
shouldn’t be taken out of the general
tax levy.
Deputy-mayor Bernie MacLellan
said that it was time that council
looked at a larger tax increase,
saying that discussion over how the
funds should be allocated could be
helped if the municipality had some
money to spend.
“I know you’re all scared of the 10
per cent increase. I’m scared too,” he
said. “I think it’s time to bite the
bullet. It’s time to get this
municipality caught up to the 21st
century.”
MacLellan said that the
municipality, as well as its different
departments aren’t getting top-notch
equipment because the tax levy
needs to be set higher.
“We just bought a 20-year-old fire
truck just to get by,” he said.
Mayor Joe Seili stood by his
original opinion against the large tax
increase, which he stated in earlier
budget deliberations, saying that by
compensating at the municipal level,
council will only serve to make the
federal and provincial governments
look good after cuts they’ve made to
programs and services that have
been downloaded to the lower tiers.
“You’re only going to make
Toronto and Ottawa look good,” he
said. “I’d rather just give them the
keys and ask them if they can do a
better job.”
Councillor Larry McGrath
maintained his stand from previous
meetings, saying that the one area
that the municipality can cut costs is
with road repairs.
“[Road repairs are] the only place
where we can say, we’re going to cut
some dollars off,” McGrath said.
“I’d like to keep up with the Joneses
too, but I don’t want to keep up with
the Joneses in a tent.”
Councillor Joe Steffler said that
while cutting back on road repairs
might seem like a good idea, the
repairs that need to be done won’t be
going anywhere.
“It’s just going to end up costing
more, the longer you leave it,” he
said. “We’re paying the penalty now
for not keeping up over the years.”
MacLellan persisted, saying that
2010 would be the perfect year to
catch up since there are minimal
increases to taxpayers from the
Huron County and school board
divisions of the taxes.
“If there’s ever been a good year to
take a chance at catching up, it’s this
one, when we’re not getting hit hard
by the county,” MacLellan said.
“Next year the county will bounce
back and if they come back with a
five or six per cent increase, then we
can come back with a zero per cent
increase.”
Knight said that while he has yet
to receive the final figures from the
education levy, he says there is a
possibility that it could be less than
it was last year.
“Next meeting we’ll have the final
education rates plugged in,” Knight
said. “I think you should at least
consider a seven to eight per cent
increase overall though.”
MacLellan said that council is
paying for mistakes made years ago
when purchases weren’t researched
thoroughly enough.
“We’re paying for us blowing
wads on stuff that we didn’t
research,” he said. “We’ve done a
pretty good job of updating
equipment that should have been
updated a long time ago.”
“I don’t believe the municipality
can carry on this way,” MacLellan
said.
The budget will be considered for
finalization at the April 20 meeting
of council.
Taxpayers in Morris-Turnberrywill see a small .7 per cent taxincrease in 2010 thanks to
reductions in county and education
taxes and the municipality drawing
on its reserves to offset costs.
The municipal tax rate actually
increased 6.4 per cent, even with the
use of $268,492 from the
municipality’s reserves, but a
reduction of 4.36 per cent in the
education rate and 2.96 per cent in
the county rate helped reduce the
size of the increase. Morris-
Turnberry also benefitted from agrowth in the tax base of 3.175 percent due to higher assessment and animprovement of 5.163 in fundingfrom the Ontario MunicipalPartnership funding.
Overall expenditures are $9.28
million, up $643,793 from last year.
Major increases include the cost for
fire protection at $305,447, up from
$125,380.64 in the first year of new
agreements with North Huron and
Huron East fire departments and the
hiring of a part-time community fire
safety officer (a $20,000 expense).
Waste disposal costs are up
$38,114 to $337,210.
Council has set aside $80,000 forupgrades to the municipal office tomeet provincial accessibilitystandards and provide an office forthe chief building official. With the municipal election this
fall, $20,000 has been set aside to
cover those costs.
A further $61,800 has been
budgeted for the Morris-Turnberry
history book, up $2,929 from last
year.
The 2010 road construction
budget is down to $973,000 from
$1,344,590 last year, a reduction of
27.6 per cent but Nancy Michie,
administrator clerk-treasurer
explained that last year’s budget wasinflated by work on Helena Street inLowertown on the edge of Winghamundertaken because of specialfederal and provincial infrastructurefunding.
Major projects this year include
$225,000 for Salem Road, $210,000
for the municipality’s share of
Turnberry/Culross Road
reconstruction, $190,000 for
Belgrave paving and $175,000 for
completion of Helena Street.
In total, road costs are budgeted at
$1.46 million, down from $1.5
million last year.
Recreation costs are down to
$113,107 from $137,107 last yearwhen the municipality gave a$20,000 grant to the BelgraveKinsmen for improvement forBelgrave arena. Among therecreation costs are $40,000 for the
Wescast Centre in Wingham;
$26,465 for Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre; $20,000
for Belgrave Recreation; $19,000 for
the Blyth District Community
Centre; $2,526 for the Belmore
community Centre, and $1,000 each
to Bluevale Recreation and Belmore
Hall.
THE EDITOR,
Brussels young coaches of the
year Tyler Campbell and Kyle
Stephenson coached the Brussels
PeeWee Rep team.
They won the WOAA
Championship. Brussels was
defeated by Manvers (near
Peterborough) in the OMHA
Championship game. They won the
OMHA finalist trophy.
The coaches got along well
with the players and they
played hard for them. They
spoke the same language, not
all of it the best. They ended the
season 25 wins, one tie and five
losses.
Good work players and coaches.
A supporter of minor sports.
Letter to the Editor
RE: 2010 Municipality of
Central Huron Budget
The 2010 Municipality of
Central Huron Budget will
be presented for
consideration and adoption
at a Special Meeting of
Council
on
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
at 7:00 p.m.
in the Council Chamber
23 Albert Street,
Clinton, Ontario.
PUBLIC NOTICE
By Keith RoulstonThe Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen