HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-10-02, Page 1BEST ALL ROUND COMMUNITY
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Reeve George Joynt calls it quits after 28 years
After 28 years. as reeve of Lucknow,
George. Joynt is calling it quits. He
informed Clerk -treasurer Bertha W hit -
croft of his decision not to offer himself
as a candidate, in a short note
September 30.,
"After 28 years, .I thought it was time
to .get out," said the reeve. He didn't
reveal what he would doafter so long a
time as rbeve, limiting himself to the
statement, "I'm involved in a lot of
things."
Joynt was reeve for 28 years with only
one break after which, in 1959, he
assumed the duties of Warden of Bruce
County. ,
The municipality is currently involved
in developing' a sewage system for the
core and neighbouring areas ' and
investigating , sources of funding for
renovating the present arena or build-
ing a new one. The last major Project
the reeve helped to bring tofruition was
the medical centre. The -debentures for
the centre will be paid off in 1986.
During Joynt's long term as reeve,
Lucknow residents have seen a marked
' improvements\ in the municipality's
cads and the installation of storm
•
sewers.
"I think Lucknow is in an enviable
financial position," he said. Municipal
projects have forced the mill rate to rise
only one mill between 1977 and the
budget set in 1985. Tile, reeve 'credited
careful financial management on the
part of successive. Councils for the
unusual (lack of tax increases. •
Steve Burns of the engineering firm of B: M. Ross and Associates, Goderich, explained the
most recent developments in, Lucknow's sewage project. The enginer spoke at a 'poorly
attended ratepayers' meeting September 27 and said,'despite thewihes ofthe ratepayers
present and council, that the whole :village lvould not likely receive sewers.
Rising costs
Rising costs will place added pressure on
the budget of the Wingham and District
Hospital this year, leaving the -hospital
with a substantial reduced, though still
Comfortable, surplus.
However in future years the hospital will
need careful management to avoid the kind
* of deficits already being experienced by
Some others in Ontario.
These were among the highlights of the
$6.57 million ,1985.86 budget presented to
the hospital's board of governors' last
week. The budget, which was adopted by
the board with no. changes, represents
about a three 'per cent total 'increase Over
last year's figure of $6.4 million.
•
substantially
In presenting the new budget to the
board; Finance Chairman Robert Pike
noted document does not affect the hospit-
als's funding for the current year, which
hasalready been fixed by the Ministry of
Health. However, it is a management tool
to monitor spending and also is used by the
ministry to compare hospitals, . he said.
The hospital gets nearly 87 per cent of its
funding directly from the ministry. This
year the figure is $5.7 million, up almost
four per cent over last year's $5.5 million.
However the balance of the funding
comes from such things as ,patient' fees,
interest, on investments and other revenue
sources.
Ratepayers want whole
village to receive sewers
By James Friel
The proposed sewage system was the
primary topic of discussion at a poorly
attended ratepayers' meeting. September
27, and it was the consensus of those
present and council that , L icknovy) wants
and needs a system for the complete
municipality rather than for just the, core
and. problem 'areas. '
Steve Burns Booss and Associat-
es, Goderich, explaur—ed-during 'the"tovvnr '
hall , meeting how . the . development's
present status had been reached to the 17
ratepayers, members of council, . and the
clerk,
"Three situations led to Consideration of
a system: The first is that raw sewage or
poorly treated sewage is getting in storm
drains and the river creating a health
hazard.
"The second is that poorly operating
systems limit the expansion of the :core
area and adjacent residential development
is restricted. And third, 1failed or poorly
operating septic- systems are causing
problems such as wet 'conditions in back
yards and odour - general nuisance
problems," said Burns.
To counter these concerns, four solu-
tions, including doing nothing about the
problem, were considered. Doing nothing
was rejected due to the serious .nature of
sewage conditions. a
A system for the whole village was
considered but was deemed tooexpensive
and going with sewers alone in problem
areas was also determined to be unsuitable
because several lots in the proposed
service area have either adequate septic
systems or are large enough to contain a
system.
Burns settled on a combination of sewers
and septic systems as the best solution:
The size of the area tentatively designated
is too large to inspect every lot but Burns
said he would visit every land owner
claiming septic problems.
"I didn't go out .to every lot to see, I'm
relying on meetings like thisand what goes
in the paper to get in touch with
problems:" , •
He noted that during the sewer program,
owners with .malfirctiOnine septic systems
will be eligible for the 84.2 per subsidy
from the Ministry of Environment (MOE)
even if ; the lot is outside the area
designated for improvement.
The plan combining sewers with septic
systems will cost .the province about $2
million while building sewers for the whole
village will add an extramillion to the price
tag for a total of $3 million.
"Even if everyone in the area needed a
.septic system, we'd still save about
$125,000."
• The engineer also'. pointed out the
financial benefits to the municipality.
"Sixteen per cent of $3 million is .about
$5-600,000 which is a great debt for, the
village to have. The .less costly proposal
would, result 'in a $3-350,000 debt.
"The bigger the project, the -bigger the
treatment system and the bigger the dis
ruption to neighbouring lands," he added.
Commenting on the maps displayed by
Burns, Canning Street resident .Eldon
Bradley said, "It looks like an old pair of
pants. You put patches on here and on
there and then you go out and buy a new
pair of pants." He said that as long as the
system. will be designed to accommodate
expansion, . the whole project should be
• completed at one time.
• Turn to page 3
reduce WDH surplus
On the spending side, :.Mr. Pike noted
that overall expenditures' for the current
year are budgeted to rise by 8.8 per cent,
with wages and beneifts as usual'acoount-
ing for about three-quarters of the , total
spending. • ,
As a result, the surplus of revenue over
expenditure, which last year stood at a
whopping $473,000, is expected to shrink
to $108,000 for the current year -- and
could' decline further if activity at the
hospital continues to rise.
Asked by board member Robert Middle-
ton about the reasons for the large, increase
in spending, Mr. Pike explained there are a{°
number of factors affecting the increase,
most of them tied to salaries and wages.
'Although the basic salary increase, was
about four per cent; he said, there was an"
additional one percent in merit increases
for employees moving into higher brackets.
The budget also reflects increased activity
at the hospital, .'.requiring more nursing
care, and this added a further1.5 per cent
to the oasts:
Then there are about 4.57 more staff this
year through the adding of . several
positions, a shift to more registered nurses
instead of nursing assistants, again due to
the increased 'activity,' and a substantial
increase in the cost of a number of
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