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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-04-29, Page 1Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. VOL. 3 NO. 17 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 1987.40 CENTS Morris Twp. holds tax increase to 2.6% Bryan Allan [left] and John Elliott try to rescue a few remaining live fish from the more than 3,000 that died Saturday when intruders turned off the water supply to a tank of rainbow trout on the fish farm of Don Elliott of East Wawanosh township. A reward of $500 has been offered for the arrest and conviction of the culprits who, the family thinks, may have invaded the farm to make sure the first day of fishing season was successful, turned off the water in the tank to make catching the fish easier, then didn’t turn it on again. Loss is estimated at $3,000-55,000. Good management, a large surplus left overfrom 1986, and the light winter have all combined to keep tax increases to Morris Successful auction draws 'Lift Fund' doser to goal Results of the auction held Saturday night to help raise money for the lift for the handicapped at the Blyth and District Community Centre pushed the fund more than $2,000 closer to its goal of $30,000. Janice Henry, chairman of the fundraising drive said Monday, the end definitely is in sight. As of Monday, $22,346 had been raised for the lift and the results of the “pay as you pull” draw are still to be calculated. She estimated that would return more than $2,000. In addition, two other large donations will be coming in in the coming weeks. Donations at the auction ranged from a hand-knitted afghan to Township ratepayers low in the 1987budget, despite hefty increas- esintheleviesim posed by both Huron County Council and the potted plants to home-baked cakes to a deluxe gas barbecue. About 109 people attended the $10-a- plate dinner and bid on the items auctioned by Burt Lobb of Richard Lobb auctions. Frank Szusz, chairman of the Blyth and District Community Centre board had his beard auctioned off and Murray Black, manager of the meeting hall, had his long hair sheared to a shorter length all in the name of the cause. The auction for the two clippings brought in $164. Donations to the fund can still be given at the Blyth municipal office and all donations are tax deduct­ ible. county school board. The mill rate for farm and residential ratepayers who support the public school system has risen by 5.31 mills, or 2.61 per cent over the 1987 rate; while commercial and business properties will pay 6.27 mills over last year, a rise of 2.62 percent. Farm and residential ratepayers who support the separ­ ate school system have the largest increase, up by 7.04 mills or 3.43 per cent over 1987. Translated into dollar figures, this means that if you are a public school supporter with property assessed at $2,500 your taxes will be $520.22 in 1987, up by 2.6 per cent over the $506.95 you paid in 1986. If you support the separate school system, you will pay $530.52 in taxes on an assessment of $2,500, up by 3.4 per cent over the $512.92 you paid last year. The larger increase in taxes paid by separate school supporters is accounted forbythefactthatin 1987 for the first time, Huron County taxpayers are being charg­ ed with supporting their children under the Huron-Perth Separate Secondary School Board, even if the child still attends a public secondary school within the coun­ ty. Prior to the implementation of Bill 30 last January, Huron separ­ ate school supporters were requir­ ed only to contribute to the education of their elementary school children in Huron’s Catholic schools. Morris Township clerk-treasur­ er Nancy Michie said that the township’s revenue for this year had been boosted by a surplus of more than $29,000 from last year’s budget, the result of “overall underspending’’in 1986, a year when Morris taxes showed no increase over the previous year. Mrs. Michie said that an over­ estimate on the projected costs of fire protection and the light winter Continued on page 2 Fashion Show kicks off Homecoming Brussels’ 115th birthday party and Homecoming celebration offi­ cially began last Thursday when the local Figure Skating Club held a gala fashion show at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre to kick off next July’s major event. And if the reception given to the fashion show is any indication of the success of the upcoming Homecoming, the celebration should be one of the biggest and best parties ever seen in these parts. Playing to a crowd of more than 400 people at $5 per head, the two-hour show saw more than 50 models of all ages and both sexes display well over 100 outfits loaned for the occasion by Brussels’ three clothing stores, who, it was later learned, sold close to 50 per cent of the styles modeled as a direct resuit of the show. The show was completely plann­ ed and executed by the members and volunteers of the Brussels Figure Skating Club, while the models were all local volunteers who required only two fittings and one rehearsal prior to the event to get their parts picture-perfect, although very few of them had ever previously performed a similar role. Proceeds from the show will be split between the skating club and the Brussels Homecoming Committee, which will use the fund as seed money to propel the July 3-5 celebration into high gear. The show was a happy combina­ tion of high glamour, charming personalities and slapstick hu­ mour, and was highlighted at both the beginning and the end by presentations to several of the area’s most outstanding citizens. Wayne Lowe of Brussels, re­ cently named as the Brussels-area Citizen of the Year, was presented with a plaque in recognition of his status by Barbara Brown, a Continued on page 11 Vandals kill 3000 fish A $500 reward has been offered for the arrest and conviction of vandals responsible for killing thousands of fish on a Blyth-area fish farm late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Donald Elliott, owner of the farm on East Wawanosh sideroad 39-40, has offered the reward and has asked anyone who knows anything to contact the Ontario Provincial Police in Wingham. Police are investigating the incident after being called in by Mr. Elliott’s father and mother Gordon and Betty Elliott who live on another section of the farm. The Elliotts discovered the damage Saturday morning when they found the water supply to a large outdoor tank turned off. Deprived of oxygen more than 3,000 market­ sized trout in the tank died. By the time the Elliott family arrived on the scene only a couple of dozen fish were still alive and many of those were beyond saving. Fortunately for Mr. Elliott, another 2,000 trout which were scheduled to be released into another tank nearby, were still safely kept in a smaller tank inside a building. The vandals had unbolted the hinges on a gate leading to the farm, come in, done their damage, left ruts from spinning tires, and left, replacing the gate. The damage is estimated at $3,000 - $5,000.