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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-01-19, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19,1994. Blyth council increases dog license fees By Bonnie Gropp The difference between costs and revenue resulted in a motion by Blyth council at its Jan. 12 meeting to increase the fees for dog licenses for the upcoming year. Following a report from the vil­ lage animal control officer Bob Trick councillors were informed that while licenses at brought in $855 the total cost to the village had been $2,623.10, which includ­ ed payment for 25 trips by Mr. Trick in the amount of $1,560. Mr. Trick told council that he had caught 16 dogs, five of which had been returned with a warning. One animal was "put down", which was paid by the owner, while a few were taken to the Human Society. In addition he sold 11 tags. Mr. Trick, who is also the animal control officer in Clinton told coun­ cil that Clinton had increased the fees there to $10 for a neutered male or spayed female and $15 for each additional one and $20 for males or females and $30 for each additional one. It was felt by that council he said, that this fee struc- ture encourages people to neuter or spay their pets and to keep only one pet per household. Councillors agreed that looking at the costs of the service it was going to be necessary to bring in more money then last year. The only change was that last year licenses for all male dogs were $10. Rouw says agreement working well Continued from page 1 Sound abatement section, of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the councillors decided on a course of action. The joint councils decided to continue with their present course of action. They are renting a stor- age tank on the farm of Lloyd Michie in Morris Township. The Michie farm is also approved by the ministry for the spreading of sludge. Henry Rouw, superintendent of the Blyth, Brussels and Wingham sewage treatment plants says, the agreement is working very well since it was begun in late Novem­ ber. The municipalities truck the sludge to the tank and then spread it on the Michie farm when appro­ priate. There are three other farms in the area approved for the spreading of Blyth opts for membership Continued from page 1 application of grants. Bluewater meets with the various organizations, ratepayers, schools etc., to provide them with written information, including a quarterly magazine. Mr. Veilleux said that becoming a shareholder requires a one time capital purchase. Once the capital investment has been done, operat­ ing costs apply depending on the level of service. Capital fees are: for weekly ser­ vice $16.06 per household and for bi-weekly service $14.19 per household. Operating costs are $4.31 weekly per household or $3.62 per household to be paid quarterly. For non-membership there is no capital expenditure and operating costs are $8.62 weekly or $7.24 bi­ weekly per household, also to be paid quarterly. Businesses, Mr. Veilleiux said are entitled to the same service with their cost based on volume. Council was advised that other recycling service information was requested from Tri-Land Recy­ cling, Petrolia; Brian Lewiser Recycling, Stratford; McLellan Disposal, Mt. Forest and Bluewa­ ter, Grand Bend. Bluewater was the only response received. On Wednesday evening council opted for membership with weekly service. Prior to the motion, Councillor Mason Bailey cautioned council about getting locked into too long a contract. Clerk Helen Grubb said DHC Committee dissolves A final meeting of the Huron County District Health Council Steering Committee (DHC) in con­ junction with the Huron-Perth DHC was held on Jan. 12 in Mitchell to complete all business. Committee member Paul Carroll said the object of the meeting was to review appointments to the council and finish the draft report, concerning the formation of the council, which would be forwarded to the health minister for considera- The mandate of the steering committee was to investigate health planning matters in Huron County, make a recommendation as to whether Huron should join the provincial DHC network, recommend a partnership with another district (Perth was chosen) and to suggest nominees and a possible chair. The committee has now been dissolved with the completion of the report. that it is written in the contract that the village can get out of the asso­ ciation at any time. In responses to Councillor Bai­ ley's concern that some people may rebel against a user-pay system, Councillor Steve Sparling noted that on a council you are often "damned if you do and damned if you don't." "Our position on recycling has always been the same until circum­ stances have changed," he said, in reference to council previous con­ cern over the high cost of recycling programs. "The cost is 80 per cent less than years ago and it is now at a level we can take." Councillor Sparling also noted council had been reluctant to hop on the bandwagon when there were no uses for recycled materials but that had changed as well. Third he said a recycling program will help extend the life of the landfill site, a very important factor since council has agreed to accept waste from Tumberry Twp. Ms Grubb told council that it was her understanding that Hullett Twp., with whom Blyth shares the landfill were prepared to start a recycling program in January. sludge so if the tank needs to be emptied and the Michie land cannot accommodate it (ie. bean or com planted), other sites are available, says Mr. Rouw. Blyth Reeve Dave Lee and Brus­ sels Reeve Gord Workman agreed that this course of action would be the best because the ratepayers in the municipalities could not afford the increase in sewage rates that would be necessary to pay for a capital construction project. Mr. Bell and Mr. Earl advised the councils to attain a written rental agreement from Mr. Michie which would set a term for the rental (ie. a five year contract) and would deter­ mine a termination deadline ( one year advance notice). The consultants also suggested securing agreements, as retainers, with at least two other farmers who would be wiling to rent their stor­ age tanks. This would give the municipalities more security for long-term storage facilities. In addition to storage sites, it was suggested that more farms be sought for spreading approval. Both reeves felt that the commu­ nities were not growing, possibly shrinking in sewage demands, so the expenditure was unnecessary. Mr. Bums agreed that the present facilities were more than capable of handling current needs as well as a population growth of 10 percent Mr.. Rouw said he would start negotiations with Mr. Michie in terms of a rental agreement and the respective councils agreed to look 2' for perspective storage facilities in their areas. The decision was agreeable to everyone present. Reeve Dave Lee, who has two dogs, said he feels that dog owners would be picking up the bigger share of the cost. Councillor Mason Bailey agreed but questioned why the ratepayers who don't own dogs should pay at all. Councillor Steve Sparling responded saying that requests for more animal control in the village had come primarily from non-dog owners who wanted protection. Mr. Trick, he said, had been approached about a trial arrange­ ment and it has worked well. "It is my understanding that if the mes­ sage gets out, we will need Mr. Trick's services less with each year." Mr. Trick then told council that in Seaforth the license fees were $20 for neutered and spayed ani­ mals, $25 for additional ones, $30 for male and females and $40 for additional ones. He said that Seaforth had put in place a "poop- er-scooper" bylaw, as well. Backing up Reeve Lee's com­ ment that the system needs to be more of a user pay one, Councillor Sparling made a motion to adopt the Seaforth fees, which almost double the Blyth fees of last year. Also, the bylaw about cleaning up after pets will be added to the dogs- at-large bylaw. Mr. Trick commended the local vet saying that he was "a very good person to deal with and very oblig­ ing to the pet owners." He noted as well that generally the people in Blyth had been co-operative and accommodating. Reeve Lee expressed the village's satisfaction with the job Mr. Trick had done in this first year. "You have made our lives easier," he said. I Purchasing a vehicle is a big decision! Let us help you make the right one! GARRY WOODCOCK Quality Cars & Trucks ,,Vie Can Save You Money Drive A Little - Save A Lot ffi^ONTGOMERYl LUCKNOW 528-2813 W"5* ATTENTION LANDOWNERS HCBE begins restructuring In an issue which first arose dur­ ing the interview process for the new director, HCBE Director of Education, Paul Carroll and the board has begun the implementa­ tion of management restructuring, as approved at the Jan. 10 meeting. When Mr. Carroll vacated the position of superintendent of busi­ ness and operation, a replacement was not found. Those responsibili­ ties were redistributed to the three superintendents and the revised management positions. The new management positions are human resources, financial ser­ vices and plant services administra­ tors with one business supervisory officer. In establishing new job roles there were two requirements. There had to be compliance with the Pay Equity legislation as well as the board’s Internal Equity policy. After considerable discussion and a recorded vote, the board approved a motion which stated that the com­ pensation level for the human resources administrator would be equated to that of the psychologist and the incumbent would start at step zero of the pay grid. A request would be made to the Ministry of Education and Training for grant com­ pensation to cover the increased salary requirement between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 1993. The board also approved the placement of the revised three- person management group into one job class, effective Jan. 1. The incumbents in the financial services and plant services administrators positions be placed at step zero of the salary grid and compensation for pay differences would be taken from the board restructuring fund for the next two years. The grid sets out step zero at $61,639; step 1, $63,889 and step 2, $66,139. The report stated that overall impact of the structuring will be to ensure fairness and equity and to minimize the long-term board cost through use of the grid. It will delay any local financial impact until 1996 at which time a net reduction in the board's overall salary cost for senior administrators will equal a minimum of $50,000 per year. the re- CURB Program Grants Available The goal of the CURB (Clean Up Rural Beaches) Program is to reduce bacterial and phosphorus water pollution in rivers and at swimming beaches. Grants are available to landowners for the repair or replacement of faulty private septic systems. The farm practices and structures listed below also qualify. Eligible Items Grant Rate Grant Ceiling -manure storages -milkhouse waste disposal systems -fencing livestock from streams and rivers -private septic systems 50% 50% 75% 50% This program is targeted at agricultural and rural residential areas located upstream of swimming beaches. Financial assistance is limited to those applicants who are polluting watercourses. Projects with the greatest potential to improve water quality will be given priority for funding. For more information or application forms contact the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA). The CURB Program is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy and the MVCA. \ And k Q Maitland Valley Conservation Authority Box 127, Wroxeter, Ontario NOG 2X0 (519) 335-3557 Ontario