HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-03-11, Page 1County must trim budget or see 11% increase
Faced with a possible 11.75 per
cent budget increase for 1987,
Huron County council has been
asked for budget cutting direction
from its executive committee.
The committee has the formid
able task of preparing a final
budget proposal for council’s
approval at a special meeting
serving Brussels, uiytn, Auourn, ueigrave, tinei,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL 3 NO. 10 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1987.40 CENTS
Having to take a bath in public is bad enough, but when you are
freezing to death as well, the act calls for courage far beyond the cal) of
duty. These girls were performing the number called “Splish Splash”
at the Blyth Figure Skating Club’s Carnival on Friday. From left, the
girls are Rachel Arthur, Erica Clark, Charlene Hulzebos, Tina
Burkholder and Kimberley Ferguson.
Riddell chosen Liberal candidate for Huron
Ontario’s minister of agriculture
and food Jack Riddell was un
opposed in his bid for the
nomination in the new provincial
riding of Huron, aneventthat came
as no surprise to more than 200
enthusiastic supporters at the
nomination meeting in Clinton last
Thursday.
The crowd of well-wishers gave
Mr. Riddell a standing ovation as
he approached the podium to make
his acceptance speech, and again
when he had finished, although his
talkfarexceededthe suggested
time limit originally set by master
ofceremonies Bruce MacDonald, a
member of the provincial execu
tive.
Mr. Riddell was eloquent in his
praise for the accomplishments of
his government since its election in
the Spring of 1985, but somewhat
vague in its plans for the future as
his party gears up for an election
many feel will be called before
year’s end.
Much of Mr. Riddell’s speech
centered on the benefits his
ministry has brought to Ontario
agriculture over the past 20
months, including the comment
that government spending on
agriculture has increased by 61 per
cent within that time, a larger
percentage of growth than that
shown by any other provincial
ministry during the period.
He noted that9,500 Ontario farm
families had received benefits of
$46 million under the first Ontario
Family Farm Interest Rate Reduc
tion Program (OFFIRR), with $4
million of that paid out to 807
Huron County farm families alone.
As well, Mr. Riddell said the
Ontario Liberals expect another
18,000 farmers to apply for the
extra $246 million available to
them under the expanded OFFIRR
Plus program over the next three
years.
‘‘This is a recognition by this
government of the seriousness of
the situ at ion in our agricultural
community,” he said. ‘‘What
happens in agriculture has a major
impact on the economic, social and
family life in thousands of cities,
towns, villages and hamlets, as
well as along the back concessions
of Ontario.”
Twelve voting delegates to the
Huron PC's pick April 14
Progressive Conservatives in
the new provincial riding of Huron
will name their candidate for the
next provincial election on April 14
at a nomination meeting in Clinton.
Donna Wood, PC riding presi
dent, said Tuesday that three
people have expressed interest in
contesting the nomination for the
party. The Liberal party last week
March 19.
However, at the regular March
meeting last Thursday in God
annual meeting of the Ontario
Liberal Party in Toronto in April
were also elected on Thursday, all
of them from south Huron. At
present Mr. Riddell represents the
riding of Huron-Middlesex. The
new riding of Huron will come into
effect when the next provincial
election is called.
nominated Jack Riddell, M.P.P.
for Huron-Middlesex and Minister
of Agriculture as their candidate.
Mrs. Wood said nominations
must be in to association secretary
Janet Webster of Varna 48 hours
prior to the nomination meeting.
Guest speaker for the meeting at
Central Huron Secondary School
Auditorium will be Phillip An
drews, M.P.P.
erich, council was told by Tucker
smith Township Reeve Bob Bell, a
member of the executive commit
tee, that the committee was not
prepared to live with such an
increase. ‘‘If we can get some
direction (with the budget cuts),
we’ll do the job,” he said.
Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle, how
ever, preferred to toss the ball back
into the committee’s court. Referr
ing to an executive committee
decision to make Family and
Children’s Services stay within a
fourtofivepercentincrease, he
said the committee should be just
as firm with its own departments.
Goderich Township Reeve Grant
Stirling, another executive com
mittee member, indicated some of
the problem was that no depart
ment was volunteering to make its
own cuts. ‘‘If we gave all the
departments what they ask for,
that’s what the increase would be
(11.75 per cent),” he said.
The executive committee, how
ever, would like to see the increase
limited to 5.5 per cent, but cuts
would have to be made in most
departmental budgets, he said.
While the social services depart
ment has kept its budget proposal
towithinthe4.5percentrange, the
roads department was the only
department to make its own cuts in
order to meet that request.
To attract industry to this area,
Mr. Mickle said, it is important for
the county to be competitive in its
taxation requirements by showing
operating restraint, even if it
means cutting staff to achieve this
purpose.
In a letter circulated to members
of county council, Mr. Mickle
pointed out that Huron County is
the fourth highest among eight
counties in property tax demands
per household. Huron is also the
second highest in spending per
household and receives the third
highest number of grants per
household.
Besides Huron, the other coun
ties in Mr. Mickle’s comparison
are Oxford, Bruce, Elgin, Grey,
Kent, Lambton and Perth. ‘‘How
long can we keep (increases) to four
or five per cent,” McKillop
Township Reeve Marie Hicknell
asked. ‘‘It’s good to keep to that,
butthereisgoingtocome a day
when we are going to have to bite
the bullet and pay a whole lot
more.”
The biggest single increase in
the budget is a $400,000 reserve for
the proposed Huronview expan
sion, council was told by Stanley
Township Reeve Clarence Rau.
‘‘When we’re putting money into a
reserve account for hospitals, we
should think of our own hospital
first,” the Huronview manage
ment committee chairman said,
however. *
He was referring to the $197,902
which the county currently holds in
reserve for hospital. A portion of
that is already earmarked for the
Clinton Public Hospital, council
was told.
However. Mr. Bell pointed out
the 11.75 per cent increase was
without provision for 1987 reserve
funds for hospitals. To make such
provision would mean an addition
al four per cent increase, he said.
Hay Township Reeve Lionel
Wilder said the county had to
establish and build up its reserve
accounts in order to pay for future
projects. Council is already com
mitted to the Huron County
Pioneer Museum, Huronview and
Ball’s Bridge projects, he said.
One of the major factors contri
buting to the budget dilemma,
Clerk-Treasurer Bill Hanly told
council, is that while the county’s
expenditures are increasing, its
resource grants have only gone up
about two per cent.
Council must approve the bud
get at its March 19 special meeting
in order to meet approval deadlines
for federal and provincial grants.