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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1993-05-05, Page 7ONTARIO COMPUTER FAIR Over 50 exhibitors offering savings & selection In computers, software, games, related products, computer clubs. Sun., May 9 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ilderton Community Centre (take Hwy. 4, then west on County Rd. 16) Admission $5 for adults Children 10 & under free For more Into call 1-800-465-8286 Sponsored by COMPUTER Literate Pubikatlon B LYTH FESTIVAL ANNUAL TOUNSM DEW LOPEKT IMPORTANT NOTICE At 12 Noon on Friday, May 7th, traffic on Concession Road 5-6, at Sideroad 24- 25 (at St. Augustine) will be required to STOP. Northbound and Southbound traffic on the sideroad at St. Augustine will be thru traffic. Speed limits will be posted at 60 km/hr. West Wawanosh Council Fill her cup with love Beautiful flowers in a porcelain cup and saucer. We can send one anywhere. The Tea Time Bouquet ro; We also have a wonderful selectio of hanging baskets, flowerin plants, cut flowers and giftware fo Mom! We Deliver RISTMAS 523-4820 COUNTRY Flowers & Gifts 523-4820 Blyth 10cflota Ft!'R®i '41110 THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1993. PAGE 7. County council votes to rejoin SWOTA After a year of going on its own, Huron County will rejoin the Southwestern Ontario Travel Asso- ciation (SWOTA), but it took a recorded vote at the April 29 meet- ing of county council to approve the move. County councillors overturned a recommendation from the Agricul- ture, Planning and Development Committee which would have seen Huron remain outside the tourism Municipal Act, Section 28 Municipality Council Votes Total Electors Ashfield 3 2548 Colborne 3 2135 Go&rich Twp 4 3541 Grey 2 1519 Hay 3 2965 llowick 3 2680 Hullett 2 1371 McKillop 2 1069 Morris 2 1387 Stanley 3 2706 Stephen 4 3715 Tuckersmith 3 2426 Tumberry 2 1415 Usbome 2 1268 E. Wawanosh I 939 W. Wawanosh 2 1076 Clinton 3 2557 Exeter 4 3436 Goderich Twn. 4 5992 Seaforth 2 1868 Wingham 3 2379 Bayfield 2 1220 Blyth 1 788 Brussels 1 946 Hensall 1 951 Zurich 1 681 TOT. kL 63 53,578 Impact of cuts still unknown Funding cuts announced by the provincial government in late April, will hurt municipalities but by how much is not yet known, Bill Mick- le, Reeve of Exeter told Huron County councillors Thursday. Reeve Mickle, who is on the executive of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), said that as of April 27, AMO staff had been able to get little informa- tion on the impact of the cuts. "The unknowns out there are still great. Information flowing from the gov- ernment is negligible. Whoever you talk to has a different impression of what it means." The cuts mean a $110 million cut in unconditional grants to munici- palities, about 11.25 per cent, in the first year, Reeve Mickle said, but just what time period is covered is unknown. Does this start in the 1994 year for municipalities or in 1993, he wondered. It may mean that budgets already adopted by municipalities may have to be reopened to account for reduced provincial funding. The second and third years of the cuts will each see $91 million cut from the unconditional grants, each being about 12 per cent from the diminished total package. In addition, there are conditional grant cuts and cuts to provincial ministries that may leave munici- palities to pick up the tab for addi- tional costs. There is a $7.2 million cut in ambulance costs for instance, he pointed out. Would municipali- ties have to pick up part of these costs? Reeve Mickle suggested the cuts may have scuttled "a possible agree- ment on disentanglement, where Continued on page 11 promotion group. The county had dropped its membership in 1992 but the Planning and Development staff had recommended the $4,500 membership be paid this year. Led by Bob Hallam, reeve of West Wawanosh, and Jack Coleman, deputy-reeve of Stanley Township, the Agriculture, Planning and Development Committee had refused to go along with the recom- mendation. Reeve Hallam said it didn't make sence for th' county to Huron County municipal coun- cils will be asked to consider an 1 1 th option in reforming county council's voting structure. Ten proposals had already been circulated to municipal councils for comment but an 11th was brought before county council Thursday. Using section 28 of the Municipal Act it would give municipalities with under 1,000 electors one vote, those with 1,001 to 2,000 two votes; 2,001-3,000, three votes and those over 3000 would have four votes. This proposal would give munic- ipalities like Blyth, Brussels, Hen- sall and Zurich one vote while Goderich and Exeter would have four votes. (Bayfield, because of its large cottage population, would have two votes). Townships would range from East Wawanosh with one vote to Goderich Township with four. The proposal would mean a total of 63 votes at county keep jumping out of, and back into, the organization and he felt the county should remain outside for at least two years. "Until we get our act together I think we should not pay the membership." Garry Davidson, director of the Planning and Development Depart- ment said his staff had done a cost analysis last year and felt it would save money by joining SWOTA. As well as helping distribute the council, 41 to the 16 townships and 22 to the 10 urban towns and vil- lages. Even the ,large municipalities would lose, however. Under the proposal the six municipalities who have deputy reeves on county council would have only one repre- sentative who would control the multiple votes. The 11 options are being consid- ered to keep the number of people on county council down. Under the current county rules several more municipalities will be entitled to have a deputy-reeve on county council after the next municipal election. Voting structure was part of the elements being studied in the Huron County Study into the coun- ty's future. The Section 28 proposal could be implemented by council. Any of the other 10 proposals would have to be passed through a private member's bill in the provincial leg- county's tourism brochures, SWOTA helps set up tourism dis- plays which can save member orga- nizations money. The fight for SWOTA member- ship was led by Bill Clifford, deputy-reeve of Goderich and Dave Lee, reeve of Blyth. Reeve Clifford said agriculture is the largest indus- try in the county but tourism is a major industry that has a ripple effect on every municipality. islature. Even though municipalities have been asked for their comments, some councillors were not happy with the option even being consid- ered. Hullett Reeve Tom Cunning- ham, said the "Section 28" solution hadn't been considered in the Huron Study because it didn't meet the criteria of the study. It doesn't give proper representation to the large municipalities because it stops at four votes and it doesn't help the small municipalities because it weakens. But Zurich Reeve Robert Fisher wanted council to just go ahead and accept the Section 28 proposal. "Let's not reinvent the wheel." Warden Tom Tomes pointed out that the recommendations of the Huron Study would have to be passed through the legislature as a private member's bill anyway so the Section 28 solution wasn't a real shortcut. The comments of the municipali- ties will be considered by the June meeting of the Executive Commit- tee. For a free catalogue, call: UNICEF Canada 1 -800-567-4483 Reeve Lee read excerpts from a letter from David Peacock, market- ing director of the Blyth Festival who worried that the festival would be hampered in its attempts to attract people to the county unless it has SWOTA to help. John Doherty, reeve of goderich agreed. "I think it is very important to the county to have representation at SWOTA." Bill Carnochan, reeve of Tucker- smith said the Central Huron Com- munity Development Committee was very concerned that the county renew its SWOTA membership. But Lionel Wilder, reeve of Hay said he realized that some munici- palities get benefit from SWOTA but others got very little benefit. Some municipalities already are members, he said, so they would be double-paying if the county joined. In the end, 24 councillors voted_ in favour of the membership. Coun- cillors also voted down an amend- ment which would have paid only two-thirds of the membership since there were only eight months left in the year. Dr. Davidson pointed out SWOTA had been treating Huron in expectation that it would rejoin the group. Recognition Blyth Festival's Director of Marketing and Communications David Peacock presents Cindy Fisher of the Huron County Planning Department with the first annual Blyth Festival Trm ricrn nn‘tninrsmin.rri Alain rel '.+ the trie•rn nA inn+ .-nel Proposal gives voting strength to big guys