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The Citizen, 2008-10-09, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2008. PAGE 7.Brussels firefighters could be expanding deeper into Morris-Turnberry after a preliminary meeting with Huron East council began talks on the subject. Morris-Turnberry mayor Dorothy Kelly says the council wanted to provide better fire coverage to ratepayers in the municipality, who live close to Brussels. Members of Morris- Turnberry council met with members of Huron East council on Oct. 2 to discuss the matter further. Kelly saysthe questions on the minds ofMorris-Turnberry dealt withwhether or not Huron East would be willing to expand its coverage further into Morris- Turnberry. “It was a preliminary discussion to expand coverage to the people closer to Brussels, but our council will have to discuss it further for what we’ve decided to do,” she said. “We haven’t made any decisions yet. It was just a meeting to see if they would provide coverage.” Kelly says Morris- Turnberry councillors have discussed the possibility ofthe area from Hwy. 86 downto Walton to be covered bythe Brussels fire department, but how far west they would go still needs to be discussed. Huron East mayor Joe Seili says the ball is in Morris- Turnberry’s court, saying that Huron East can’t make a move until Morris-Turnberry decides exactly how much ground they want his firefighters to cover. Seili says once the requested area is finalized, Huron East will be able to calculate how much it will cost Morris-Turnberry. Continued from page 1 service agreements. The way the agreement sits with Wingham, the township would have to give no less than one budget year’s notice of withdrawing. North Huron would then be entitled to receive payment proportionate to its equity in the board’s assets, the solicitor stated. They would have to pay the cost of the appraisals to determine the value. Blyth’s agreement differs in that the other municipalities, Morris-Turnberry, Central Huron or Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh could withdraw at the end of the initial or any subsequent agreed upon five- year period, with 30 days notice in writing. There is no similar provision for North Huron. However, the agreement runs out Dec. 31, 2009, when North Huron could refuse to renew. The solicitor added that the agreement with regards to the administration of existing assets is silent so there would likely need to be a negotiated resolution based on an examination of how those assets were required. “I think the decision rests with this council,” said Snell. Deputy-reeve Murray Scott, made the motion to send official notice to the Wingham board that North Huron is withdrawing, along with a letter explaining the legal reasons, the efficiencies of an amalgamated department and risk management. Blyth will be notified that North Huron will not be renewing the agreement at the end of 2009. Following the meeting, Scott, who has been chairing a committee to look into the amalgamation noted that the process is still a long way off. “This isn’t going to happen quickly. There are a lot of things to discuss.” What the amalgamated department would mean, would be that one fire chief would manage both departments. This person would report directly to council for recommendations and approval. “One thing I want to make clear is that there is no intention of breaking up the identity of each department. There will still be the Blyth fire department and the Wingham fire department,” said Scott. Agreement ends Dec. 2009 The savings are electric THE POWER SAVINGS EVENT IS BACK! Coupons are available at participating retailers on these and many more electricity-saving products: $4 off select ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs, $5 off power bars with auto shutoff or timer, $15 off ENERGY STAR qualified indoor light fixtures. Don’t delay! Coupons are only valid until November 16th. For details and participating retailers visit: www.everykilowattcounts.com Get your in-store coupons today at participating retailers OM Official marks of the Ontario Power Authority. Coin image ©2008 Royal Canadian Mint – All Rights Reserved. OM The Citizen will be closed Monday, October 13 for Thanksgiving Deadlines will be Friday, October 10 2 pm in Brussels 4 pm in Blyth for the October 16 paper 404 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 M-T, HE discuss changeto area’s fire coverage Fun times It was a year-end blast for the Brussels PeeWee and Bantam baseball teams as they enjoyed a party on Sunday. Divided into six teams the kids were given cards and clues for various locations around town. Christopher Ross and Brittany Rabak finished in first with the completion of seven clues in 20 minutes. (Vicky Bremner photo) By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen