HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-04-29, Page 1News Government Entertainment \
Board of Education
to install alarm systems
in all county schools
County looks at
recommendations
from final study report
Jim and Dave's adventure
an awesome, entertaining
and educational experience
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The North Huron
itizen
Vol. 8 No. 17 Wednesday, April 29, 1992 60 cents
Trapped in the wreck
Charges pending
against Blyth youth
Blyth Firefighters needed their extraction equipment to
remove David Bell, 18, of Blyth from the wreck of his 1979
Thunderbird after he collided with a 1990 Oldsmobile,
driven by Thelma Johnston of Blyth at the intersection of
County Rd. 15 and Sideroad 15 and 16 in Hullett Twp.
Thursday afternoon. Both Mr. Bell and Mrs. Johnston, 57,
were seriously injured and transferred to city hospitals
where both remain in fair condition. Goderich OPP are
investigating the accident and say charges are pending
against Mr. Bell who, say police, was drinking alcohol at
the time of the accident.
HCBE budget raises taxes 2.1%
BY LISA BOONSTOPPEL-POT
The Huron County Board of Edu
cation will be spending almost
$300,000 less this year than last
year but municipal taxes will still
increase by 2.1 per cent.
The increase was passed at a spe
cial board budget estimates meeting
April 21 and is the lowest increase
local taxpayers have had to face in
at least 20 years.
The 1992 budget of $60,812,185
($33,139,640 in elementary costs
and $27,672,545 in secondary
costs) is down from $61,118,240 in
1991.
Federal and provincial grants
plus other board revenues (tuitions,
rentals and driver education/contin-
uing education fees) will cover
approximately 68 per cent of these
costs, leaving municipal taxpayers
with about 32 per cent, or
$21,822,472.
To achieve this amount, the
board has set mill rates at 8.8 for
farm and residential and 10.4 for
business and commercial.
This means a homeowner will
pay approximately $529.20 on a
residence assessed at $60,000.
Along with the expenditures, the
mill rates are also lower than last
years but taxpayers will still be
paying 2.1 per cent more due to a
decrease in over-levy funds.
"We have to raise more money
from taxpayers this year because
last year, we had a substantial
amount of money in over-levy
taxes to put towards the budget,"
explained the HCBE’s Director of
Education, Bob Allan.
Last year, the board was able to
make use of $808,340 in over-levy
taxes to reduce a $22,188,264
municipal requirement to
$21,379,924. This year, the board
only has $83,555 to reduce a
$21,906,027 municipal tax require
ment to $21,822,472.
The reason the board had such a
high over-levy for 1991 was due to
unexpected grants from the Min
istry of Education, explained Mr.
Allan.
Before the April 21 meeting,
trustees were working with a bud
get which proposed a 5.3 per cent
hike in education taxes.
This budget was presented at a
special meeting April 13 but
trustees instructed administration to
cut expenditures in capital projects,
reserve gratuities and personnel.
The revised budget presented
April 21 reflected a $250,000 cut in
employee salary and benefit costs,
a $250,000 cut in elementary gratu
ity reserves and a $600,000 cut in
secondary capital projects for a
total cost-cutting of $1,100,000.
Mr. Allan said these cuts mean
there will be a reduction in the use
of supply teachers, some staff
reduction through attrition (mean
ing some teachers who are retiring
or seeking other employment won't
be replaced), a reduction in the
amount of money the board has in
reserves to pay its retiring employ
ees (the board still has approxi
mately $800,000 in this reserve)
and the possible postponement of
G. Langlois, Citizen of the Year
George Langlois has been select
ed as Brussels and area Citizen of
the Year by a committee of area
residents.
Mr. Langlois was nominated by
members of the Brussels Optimist
Club.
He has been active in many areas
of community affairs having been
one of the original organizers of the
Optimist Club in Brussels and an
active member for 19 years. He is
also an Auxiliary Member of the
Brussels Legion and one of the
founders of Polar Daize (Thunder
Mug Race and Polar Dip).
He was instrumental in the
advancement of both hockey and
baseball in the Brussels area. Mr.
Langlois was involved with the
Charges are pending against 18-
year-old David Bell of Blyth who
was involved in a two-car collision
in Hullett Township Thursday, say
Goderich OPP.
The force's spokesperson, Pat
renovating the old 1926 wing at
Central Huron Secondary School in
Clinton and installing an elevator
for handicapped access at South
Huron Secondary School in Exeter.
"The cuts that were made were
the least painful ones," said Mr.
Allan. "If the board hadn't passed
the budget at this stage, we would
have had to make more painful cuts
such as the elementary capital pro
jects."
inception of the town hockey
league, of which he is still an active
and participating member. In 1977,
he initiated the Brussels Slow Pitch
League, which he is still head of.
Over the years, Mr. Langlois has
also played Intermediate hockey
and coached the Bantam hockey
team. He was also one of the
founders of the Brussels Bulls tour
nament.
Always actively involved with
young people, Mr. Langlois has
assisted with Teen Town in Brus
sels, chaperoned ski trips to Blue
Mountain, helped organize the
Optimist Atom hockey tournament,
and was the first Nintendo Chal
lenge Chairman for Southern
continued on page 18
Chisholm, confirmed that Mr. Bell
had been drinking alcohol at the
time of the accident.
The accident occurred when Mr.
Bell, driving a 1979 Thunderbird,
ran a stop sign while driving north
on Concession 15 and 16 and
struck a 1990 Oldsmobile which
was westbound on County Rd. 15.
The Oldsmobile was driven by
57-year-old Thelma Johnston of
Blyth.
The Blyth Fire Department was
called to extract Mr. Bell from his
vehicle said Blyth Deputy-Chief,
Bill Burkholder. Firefighters used
hand-operated cable wenches to
pull off the driver's door and pull
out the seat to get Mr. Bell out, he
said.
Both Mr. Bell and Mrs. Johnston
were seriously injured and rushed
to Clinton Public Hospital.
From there, Mr. Bell was trans
ferred to London University Hospi
tal where he remains, as of
Monday, in fair condition.
According to a family member,
Mr. Bell has serious neck injuries.
Mrs. Johnston was taken to
Stratford General Hospital suffer
ing with a fractured right leg. She is
also in fair condition.
Two passengers in the Bell vehi
cle, 18-year-old Robert Badley of
Brussels and 17-year-old Jason Lee
of Blyth received minor injuries.
There were no passengers in the
Johnston vehicle.
Police are continuing their inves
tigation.
Brussels
budget
up 5%
Brussels council recently adopted
a budget that will see a five per
cent increase in expenditures for
local purposes. Because school
board budgets had not been
approvedat that time, the effect on
taxes was not known.
Donna White, village clerk-trea
surer, said initially a budget had
been prepared to reflect a zero
increase but with new expenditures
this year it had been impossible to
hold the line. The commencement
of a cross-guard program last year
will cost an additional $4800 this
year. Since a one per cent increase
in the budget raises only an extra
$1200, it meant a four per cent
increase just to cover the cost of the
crossing guard program. The addi
tional one per cent will be split
among other programs.
Council was helped by a deficit
from 1991 that was not as large as
planned. Council had planned to
spread the cost of the extension of
Elizabeth St. and other expenses for
Huronview over two years. The
project was to have cost the village
$110,800 with $46,826 deferred for
this year. However the project
came in under budget, costing only
$79,498 meaning a $31,302 saving,
and cutting the requirement to this
year to $15,524.
Council used $28,000 from its
working capital reserve to help
keep the budget to the five per cent
continued on page 18