HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1981-04-01, Page 3BEST NURSERY RHYME CHARACTER — Amy Workman, Marnie
Ditsch arid Trevor Machan were prize winners in this category at the
costume carnival at theBrussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre on
Monday night, (Photo by Ranney)
THE BRUSSELS POST, APRIL 1, 1981 — A3
People we
know
WOMEN OF THE ORIENT? — No, just Brenda
Richmond and Bonnie Evans dressed up for the
figure skating club's costume carnival on
Saturday night. The judges thought they were
winners and gave them first prize.
(Photo by Ranney)
BEST ADULT CLOWNS — Ralph Watson and
Esther McCutcheon came out on top as the best
adult clowns at the costume carnival at the
arena on Saturday night. (Photo by Ranney)
Visitors with Mr. and Mrs.
W.J. Perrie last week were
Rev, and Mrs. James Perrie,
Paul and Linda and Mrs.
Alice Heaslip of Shakespeare
and Mr. and Mrs. Donald
Perrie and family.
While loading cattle last
week, Bill Perrie received
painful bruises when he was
severely kicked by an en-
raged cow.
The following area people
enjoyed a weeks skiing at
Mont Saite-Anne, Quebec-
Robert, Rene and Brenda
Richmond; Doug, Jean,
Bonnie and Roger Evans;
Jim, Leona and Leanne Arm-
strong; Steven and Joanne
Knight; Joan Cardiff, Brenda
Ten Pas, Irina Watts, Susan
Cardiff, Melinda Hamilton,
Crystal Devlin, Nancy Ben-
nett and Steven Huether.
Mary Holmes and Becky
McKinley from the Clinton
area and eighteen members
of the Mitchell District High
School Ski Club also went on
the trip.
County budget $10 million, up 7.5%
BY HENRY HESS
Huron County Council last week voted
approval of a 1981 budget calling for
spending of $10.7 million.
This is up by 7.5 per cent over the 1980
budget, though it is some $36,000 under
actual spending last year, when the county
overshot its budget -by more than half a
million dollainsoRoad construction and the
new Auburn garage accounted for the
overspending.
As a result, the county portion of the
budget to be collected from Huron munici-
palities has shot up by more than 21 per cent
this year. The 1981 county apportionment is
$2,748,100. up from $2.264,500 in 1980.
Bill Hanley. county clerk-treasurer and
adminstrator, explained the large increase in
apportionment is $2,748,100, up from
$2,264,500 in 1980.
Bill Hanly, county clerk-treasurer and
BY DEBBIE RANNEY
Two representatives from the Ministry of
Housing were at a special meeting of Grey
Township council last Monday to discuss the
Ontario Home Renewal program (OHRP).
The OHRP program provides grants for
municipalities to assist the owner occupants
to repair their homes. The maximum amount
given to the homeowner cannot , exceed
$7500 and the municipality which administ-
ers the funds can use them for both
forgivable loans and repaying loans pro- .
viding that the maximum amount of the loan
doesn't exceed $7500; the maximum
forgivable is $4000. Loans are related
to income.
Before an OHRP loan is approved, a
building inspector makes a report and lists
all the things he feels are required to bring
the house up to standard.
Sally Hannon, senior community renewal
officer from the Ministry„ of Housings
explained to council and if the amount of
repair exceeds $7500 the homeowner is
responsible for the additional amount. An
assessment is done of the applicant's ability
to pay and up to $4,000 may be forgiven.
The owner must live in the house and
earns forgiveness on the forgivable portion
of the loan at a rate of $600 per year by
holding title to and occupying the property.
If the homeowner transfers the title, leases
or rents the property, he will be required to
pay both the unearned portion of the
forgivable loan and the balance of the
repayable loan and interest immediately.
Once the building inspector has completed
his inspection and advised the homeowner of
what is required, the individual has to have
two contracts, one with the contractor, the
other with the municipality. It was recom-
mended that when the money was paid out
that the cheque be made out to the
contractor and the homeowner and that they
bOth sign it.
A LIEN
When the contract is signed between
the homeowner and the municipality, a lien
is registered against the property and the
government also requires a title search to
adminstrator, explained the large increase in
apportionment can be traced directly to the
overspending.
Whereas the county started last year with
a $253,538 surplus. it finished with a deficit
of $504,150. In addition $305,000 from
highway reserves was used to reduce the
apportionment last year, and. so is not
available in 1981.
The remainder of revenue in the budget
will conic from Ontario grants of $6.4
million, ,,fees and service charges of $1.7
million, other revenue of $253,069 and
municipal grants and fees of $90,300.
Mr. Hanly pointed out to council that over
the past seven years the province has been
picking up an even larger share of the county
budget. In 1975 provincial grants accounted
for $3.3 million of a $6.7 million budget,
while this year they represent $6.4 million of
a $10.7 million dollar budget.
ensure that the property is owned by the
applicant.
An OHRP loan can be repaid over a period
of up \to 20 years, but the municipality has
the opportunity to set a time limit of five or
10 years, whatever is feasible.
The loan is based on a monthly payment of
principal and interest with no interest
charges for the first six months and the
owner can repay on an annual, semi-annual
or monthly 'basis.
Ms. Hannon explained that the money
received should be put into an interest
bearing account and that it goes into a
revolving fund - not into the municipality's
general fund.
She said that the loan policy is on a first
come, first served basis, but that the
municipality should use the basic guidelines
provided by the program.
When asked how long it would take to
implement the program she said that the
budget becomes available in April and that
all funds are allocated by June.
Wingham
Hospital
gets grants
Wingham and ;District Hospital has
received a number of grants toward
construction and renovation,
Bruce County granted $15,000; Turnberry
Township, $8,000; Teeswater, $5,000; and
Ashfield, $5,000; Kinloss, $7,000; Morris,
$8,000.
In other hospital news, a life membership
was awarded to Ross Janiieson of, Witighanf
hi recognition of his donation of $100 to the
hospital building fund.
The Public Relations Committee of the
Wingham and District Hospital Board will be
publicizing the hospital during the week of
May 10 when they will be borrowing
equipment from the Historical SOciety for
store front displays, and banners will be
placed at both ends of Wingham.
The road committee. which had been
instructed to review its proposed budget
with an eye to trimming sonic $200,000,
brought back a revised budget to council.
Lloyd Mousseau, committee chairman,
reported that by deleting the paving of
County Road 11, cutting back resurfacing of-
County Road 20 to two inches of asphalt from
three inches and various other economics,
the committee had managed to trim
$177,000 from its budget.
"This is about as far as we can go with our
budget this year,” he told council, noting
that. the increase in the county tax rate for
roads is now 13.38 per cent.
LITTLE CONTROVERSY
While there was little controversy over
the county budget, which had been thor-
oughly hashed out during previous meet-
ings, this was not the case with a proposal
that the county switch to assessment as the
basis for determining the percentage of costs
each municipality is required to contribute,
instead of using a blend of population and
assessment.
In the end the change passed easily, but
not before there were some arguments. by
several reeves who felt the change - would
unfairly increase the burden to their
municipalities:
Bayfield Reeve George Fellows led the
attack, noting that under the new formula
his village would see its levy increase by
nearly 40 per cent.
,He claimed the village was being penal-
ized because it has a large number of
summer residents, adding that the biggest
part of the county levy is devoted to roads,
while there isn't a single county road in
Bayfield.
Mr. Mousseau also pointed out that by
switching to assessment as the basis for
calculating the levy, instead of using
population, cottagers who own seasonal
residences in the , county as well as
permanent homes are being asked to pay
twice for county services.
"Do you feel these people arc being
treated fairly under this assessment?" he
asked.
Mr. Hanly and Bill Alcock, the deputy
clerk-treasurer, told council the intent of the
change is to make sure everyone pays his
fair share.
When population figures were used.
seasonal residents were not counted as part
of the population since they arc not included
in the Ministry of Revenue census, Mr.
Alcock pointed out. As a result, municipali-
ties with a large number of cottagers were
getting a break in paying for county services.,
At the same time, the municipalities
themselves use assessment as the sole basis
for levying their own taxes, so the cottagers
were being charged for county services. It
just meant that everyone in those municipal-
ities were paying a smaller share than
ratepayers in municipalities with fewer
seasonal residents.
Mr. Hanly noted that even with the 39.5
per cent increase in its county levy, Bayfield
still has what amounts to the lowest, county
mill rate of any town or village in Huron,
while Wingham's is the highest.
"(In previous years) Hayfield was not
paying endugh. That's what the figures
show."
He agreed with a suggestion from
Goderich Deputy Reeve Robert Allen that
sometime in the future there should be a
move to county-wide equalized assessment.
MARKET VALUE
"I think (market value) is the only way
to go," he said. "Sometime we have to have
equalized assessment across the county, so
no matter where you live in the county you
pay the same."
Please turn to page 16
Grey hears about OHRP loans