HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-05-06, Page 1
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Volume 20 No. 18
NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC.
Inside this week
Pg. .9
Pg. 11
Pg. 13
Pg. 30
Pg. 32
Jodi' Jerome. curator at the North
Huron Museum, is sorting through
30 years of archival materials from
the Blyth Festival for the museum's
current exhibition profiting the
Blyth Festival.
1-`Unexpected treasures are part of
my job working at the museum, and
ajheatre history as rich as the Blyth
Festival's makes this exhibit
especially interesting because it
includes set models by designers,
great stories and photographs and
even the famous Canada dress worn
by Janet Amos in Local Talent."
Eric Coates, artistic director, at the
Festival said "Here at the Blyth
Festival we are motivated by the
belief that the performing arts are
vital and necessary to the human
experience. At its heart, theatre
explores the mystery and
exhilaration of human relationships
â to self, to each other, to our world
and to larger spiritual forces. The
Festival's' mandate to produce and
develop plays that speak directly to
our audience located here in- rural
southwestern Ontario is admirable
and its success in delivering over 90
new Canadian scripts during its first
30 years is enviable. "The Festival's
contribUtion to the social foundation
of our community is tremendous,
but so too is its economic impact.
Statistics used by the Huron County
Planning Department show that for
each dollar spent at the Blyth
Festival box office seven more
dollars are spent in the region. Our
box office projections for 2004 will
translate into nearly $3,506,000."
The Blyth Festival retrospective
features a wide array of memorabilia
from the 30 years of shows at Blyth
and is on during May 2004.
Everyone is invited to a special
reception on May 14 at 7 p.m.
For more information call Jodi
Jerome at the North Huron Museum
at 357-1096 or visit the website at
nhdmuseum@wightman.ca
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
On Monday night North Huron
council passed its budget showing a
9.49 per cent increase.
Last week notone ratepayer turned
out to a public meeting to discuss the
budget.
That night. Donna White. treasurer.
presented councillors with the budget
report, - which gave them the
opportunity to see the financial
overview of the municipality as a
whole rather than by individual
departments.
The total capital budget for 2004 is
$1,807,941 which is offset by
transfers from reserves in the amount
of $646,389.76 for a net capital of
$1,161,155.24.
To understand the budget more
easily, White calculated the average
municipal increases by ward,
percentage and an overall increase.
but doesn't include the county and
school board.
Wingham has a Municipal increase
of 2.36 per cent translating to
$49,701.49, but each property will â˘
vary depending on how much their
assessment increased.
Blyth's municipal increase is $107,
839.76 which translates to 26.76 per
cent more dollars raised in Blyth than-
last year.
East Wawanosh's municipal
increase in dollars is $124,682.82
translating to 27.36 per cent.
White said both Blyth and East
Wawanosh are affected-by the lack of
phase-in credit.
She reminded them that the budget
process doesn't stop with the report
and she needs everyone's help
throughout the remainder of the year
to make sure the municipality stays
within budget.
Thursday, May 6, 2004
"I know that we save money
whenever possible, but it has become
more crucial for this year and next,"
said White.
She said over the past few years,
council has been able to get through
the budget process because of the
sale of property, such as the Blyth
municipal office, Wingham PUC and
the old arena as well as this year's
sale of the airport house.
"There simply isn't enough money
to go around and I am more than
aware of that. It's not punishment for
departments to get fewer dollars or
be asked to make cuts. It's just that
the dollars are scarce."
Highlights of the 2004 budget
include the total municipal
expenditures of $8,562,393 of which
$3,248,720.50 is raised through
taxation.
White said, of the taxation money,
there is $1,183,169 raised through
area rating, $3,650 by flat __rate
streetlight charge in East Wawinosh
and the balance of $2,061,901.50
through general taxation.
She said they need to raise
$281,698.18 over last year's levy
-which is broken down as $34,110
more in area rating and $247,220.07
more in general taxation.
White explained the area rating
charges by ward are as follows:
Wingham has policing, street
lighting, sanitation (garbage pickup
and landfill costs,) recycling and the
long term debt at the complex of
$994,979.
All other municipal expenditures
like administration, council, roads,
day care, recreation operating cost
and the other items in the budget are
spread out over the entire
municipality with Wingham ward
paying 56.38 per cent,, Blyth paying
18.96 per cent and East Wawanosh
paying 24.66 per cent.
A capital payment of $57,577 was
put towards the fire truck for the
Blyth and District Fire Department.
The budget for Dinsley Street road
repairs in Blyth was budgeted for
$140,000.
East Wawanosh road
improvements to remove stumps and
widen the road on Scott. Line from
Belfast to Reid has a $40,000 budget.
Blyth sewers were budgeted for
$12,500 which includes a computer
system, new alum pump and control.
rebuild blower one, replace one
return pump, re-core radiator for
standby generator and replace the air
piping in the digester.
Required water upgrades for
Wingham and Blyth holdback were
estimated at $551,851, but East
Wawanosh will not be done this
year.
Property drainage upgrades for the
the Blyth Campground was-estimated
at $18,000. The computer system and
the CLASS license for the Blyth
arena were estimated at $2,500. An
automatic floor scrubber was also in
the budget for the Blyth arena costing
$9,500.
An electrical assessment project
for Blyth Memorial Hall was
estimated at $2,000 and an exterior
ramp, 'steps and sidewalk cracks
project.
Capital improvements for Auburn
Hall cost $3,625.
She explained that the merits of
each budget were -evaluated on a
priority needs-basis.
"The problem.is that we have a lot
of old buildings to maintain and old
equipment, although we have been
able to replace some in the last four
budgets."
White said the budget process is
easier in 2004, but the dollars part
Si (93c + 7c GST)
DeVries
resigns
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Only half a year into their new
term, North. Huron councillors have
a vacant seat to fill at the table.
Clerk-administrator John Stewart
read a letter of resignation- at the
Monday night meeting from Ralph
DeVries, one of two representatives
for the Blyth Ward.
DeVries, who had been on a leave
of absence until June explained that
for "employment reasons" he was
"unable to function effectively" as a
councillor.
His resignation was accepted with
regrets.
The decision was then left to
council how to fill the seat. Stewart
explained there were two options â
to hold a bi-election or_ by
appointment.
As a bi-election would be costly to
taxpayers, it was decided to take the
second choice. Advertisements will
be placed in the paper for any
qualified elector to submit an
application. Councillors will then
choose at the end of the month and
the new candidate will be sworn in at
the first meeting in June.
becomes increasingly more difficult
each year as the cost of conducting
business continually rises.
A one per cent increase on the
budget only generates $29,670.22.
White said some big impact items
on the budget included a 4.5 per cent
increase in OMERS, an insurance
policy increase of 9.2 per cent, a 10
per cent hydro increase and 17 per
cent hydro increase for the complex
because it's a larger user.
White mentioned there was no
phase in this year and at the
restructuring order's request, council
had to implement phase in program.
"You have to calculate what the
taxes would be if we had
amalgamated in 2000 with just one
tax rate; therefore Wingham would
have been a lot lower and the other
two higher."
She said this meant that Wingham
paid a phase-in while Blyth and East
Wawanosh got a credit.
"The theory is that with three years
of amalgamation, you were supposed
to save enough money that by now
when the phase-in credit was lifted
for Blyth and East Wawanosh, they
wouldn't have seen a change in their
tax rate.".
"However, as we know, that didn't
happen," said White.
Each item White noted adds more
than a one per cent increase to the
budget which explains why the
budget is at 9.49 per cent increase.
The 2004 total wages are
$2,554.954 and benefits cost .
$614,878 which works out to be
37.02 per cent of the total
expenditures.
"I feel confident that as long as we
know where every dollar went and
that it was spent wisely, we are doing
the best we can with the money we
have." said White.
Belgrave residents
see options
Choir performs in
Seaforth
Home and Garden
section begins
Madill students
plan coffee house
Evening of nostalgia
kicks off 30th season
Festival
history
on display
Unveiling poster
The poster for the 30th anniversary season of the Blyth Festival was unveiled Saturday night
at a season kick-off party. Eric Coates, artistic director (left) introduced Ann-Ida Beck, the artist
and Ken Whitmore and Beth MacDonald of Blyth Printing who printed the podter. (Keith'Roulston
photo)
North Huron budget jumps 9.49 %