HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-05-10, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 19 Thursday, May 10, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 2
Pg. 6
Pg. 21
Pg. 23
Pg. 24
Surplus to benefit
Library
Blyth student off to
compete in NS
HFH HC elects
new executive
Former resident
wins photo contest
Trudeau keynote
speaker at event
After months of deliberation and
extra meetings, North Huron council
happily passed their budget on
Monday night.
Adding to the good feeling was the
fact that the budget only shows a
2.99 per cent increase over last year’s
total.
Director of finance-treasurer
Donna White said an influx of cash
from a number of sources has helped
make the budget “more palatable”.
A total of $94,000 in gas tax is
helping to offset the costs of work on
Alfred Street. As well, North Huron
received $390,000 in infrastructure
funding.
An OPP rebate has been received
for Blyth and East Wawanosh in the
amount of $45,236. And a small
surplus from 2006 of $5,209 has
been added for an accumulated
surplus of $207,862.
The total expenditures for North
Huron are $10,180,363, with
$3,576,403 of this to be raised from
taxes.
While area rates have changed
since amalgamation, White said they
are looking at certain items in the
budget such as waste disposal to see
if changes can be made.
Included in the budget is $50,000
towards the new truck for the
Wingham fire dpeartment and
$10,308 towards the Blyth fire hall.
The latter, said White, is “a slow
start, but better late than never to
start to get a few dollars put away.”
Basing it on a $100,000
assessment, White presented the
bottom line. For Blyth it will be an
increase of $16.78. In East
Wawanosh the figure is $16.75 while
the municipal taxes in Wingham will
jump $28.40. With the county
increase the figures will be $30.58,
$30.55 and $42.20 respectively.
Complimenting council on the
work they put into the budget, White
said, “It has all worked out very well
this year. I am very pleased with this
budget. We were very fortunate with
some of the additional sources of
revenue.”
NH budget
up 2.99%
After public consultation and
debate, county council brought in a
budget with an increase of about 50
per cent less than the draft budget
presented in March.
Discussion on the budget took
place at a special meeting April
17.
Huron County residents will see
an increase of 3.95 per cent in the
county portion of their tax bill, down
from the draft proposal of 7.68.
At the March meeting of council,
treasurer David Carey had presented
councillors with a list of controllable
expenditures and the impacts of
removing them from the budget.
From these councillors reduced
the highways winter maintenance by
$300,000 to $1.4 million. Proposed
in the controlled expenditures was a
decrease of $700,000. This lessens
the impact to the county’s plan to
have an average of the past five
years’winter maintenance in reserve
for emergencies.
“Should there be a heavier than
normal winter and these funds are
not available, other reserves will
need to be utilized or short-term
borrowing may be required,” Carey
said.
The county also eliminated the
purchase order clerk for the county
homes for the aged in the amount of
$38,000. The loss of this position
will mean the homes are unable to
initiate a purchase order system in
2007. The percentage effect on the
levy is .13 per cent.
The money to be raised for the
waste management reserve has been
decreased by $50,000 to $350,000.
It was moved by councillor John
Bezaire that the provision for
unforeseen allocation in the amount
of $25,000 be eliminated. The 2006
budget for this item was $950,000. It
allows for emergencies, new and
unexpected programs, expenses or
overages.
With the elimination of the
$25,000 from this year’s budget,
Carey said these types of expenses
will have to be found through
reductions or additional revenue
from within the originating
department’s own budget.
Boosting the county coffers was a
$915,000 one-time social housing
grant for capital purposes from the
county’s Delivering Opportunities
for Ontario Renters.
It was recommended that
$300,000 be brought into revenue to
offset social housing capital for
2007 and the balance be set aside in
a restricted reserve for social
housing capital purposes.
Where there’s a ‘Will’ ...
.. there’s a way. When the task at hand proves a little too
challenging William Dolson, three, discovered there’s more
than one way to finish it. Attempting to spread the butter on
his bun, the child, son of Tracy Mann and David Dolson of
Waterloo opted to take it straight. The family was among
the diners out to enjoy the delicious home-cooked meal
hosted by the Ethel United Church congregation at Grey
Central school on Sunday evening. (Vicky Bremner photos)
County budget increases 3.95%
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Huron East council has made a
sizeable commitment to beautify
Brussels.
Council has dedicated $15,000 to
civic beautification in Brussels,
similar to the Communities in
Bloom money spent in Seaforth last
year. And council does know exactly
where they want to spend this
money.
The points of concern come as a
result of a tour taken by former Grey
reeve and Brussels horticultural
member Leona Armstrong, and
Barbara Dalrymple through
Brussels.
First, they have decided to start at
the entrances. The first proposal is
flowerboxes between the two posts
on the Brussels entrance signs. This
is similar to the move made in
Seaforth.
In addition, they’ve proposed
fixing up the signs.
Brussels Horticultural Park is
second on the list, with a new sign
and a raised flowerbed to accompany
it to to improve this “green” area.
With the one bridge in Brussels
being an ideal place for bridge
boxes, council is looking to adapt the
boxes from the industrial park to the
bridge.
The Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre is a point of
particular concern.
Improvements would call for a
complete makeover of the
flowerbeds in front of the entrance to
the auditorium. The thought was that
because they’re so low, they’re not
taken care of and not respected,
receiving too many cigarette butts
and garbage.
The recommendation is a raised
flowerbed, with a stone retaining
wall.
“The thought behind this move
being that if the beds are raised,
people cannot walk through them
and discard items into the beds,”
treasurer Brad Knight said.
The topic of the community centre
sparked comments by the
councillors, who feel that this is just
the beginning of the work that needs
to be done there.
Councillor Bill Siemon expressed
his disgust with the auditorium sign
leading the way into that space’s
side.
He said that when the sign is
viewed closely, it is a disgrace.
Councillor Joe Steffler brought up a
community branding idea, that
structures like the arena in Huron
East should all carry the Huron East
name. He said he couldn’t
understand why the municipality’s
name was nowhere to be found on
the BMG arena.
Clerk-administrator Jack
McLachlan agreed, saying Huron
East’s name should be on the arena.
One of the last areas of concern in
this program was the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Medical Centre
where it was suggested the
flowerbeds could use more attention.
The last idea they had was a new
design they could incorporate into
the Walton sign. They would take the
concept of the Egmondville sign as
well as some of the other hamlets
and apply it to Walton, with some
simple plants at the bottom of the
sign.
Knight said this would not have
major implications, only about $300
or so for this project.
Councillor Larry McGrath
questioned whether this $15,000
would be budgeted on an annual
basis and mayor Joe Seili informed
him that it would be in the budget
every year until council decides to
take it out.
McGrath also brought up that
for certain improvements at
the arena and the medical centre
that they should have to pay, and
not take money out of this fund for
them.
Knight assured McGrath this was
correct and that the beautification
funds would go to what the money is
intended for, municipality-owned
property improvement in the
community of Brussels.
HE commits to sprucing up Brussels
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen