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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-05-31, Page 1COMMUNrrY Seaforth number one in Heart, Stroke event. see page 14. 527-0430 The OBVIOUS Alternative Seaforth, Ontario, May 31, 1995 - 70 cents plus G.S.T. LEGION Branch 156 installs new officers in joint ceremony with Clinton. see page six. Aff / Roads Ser forth & Lear Ito A tris t 04\1 omecoming — .august 3 -- 6, 1995 OFF TO THE RACES - Walton Public School held its first annual track and field day last Thursday, in preparation for the regional meet this Thursday in Seaforth. In past years Walton and Seaforth Public School have gone together for their track and field days. Ben Bachert has the GREGOR CAMPBELL PHOTO lead midway Through this boys middle distance race, with Luke Vick on his heels. Three runners are temporarily grouped in the battle for third, with Robert Johnston leading, then Adam Dewit, closely followed by Henry Unger. Are days of zero increases ending? BY TIM CUMMING Expositor Editor Thc days of zero incrcasc budgets at Tuckersmith Town - .hip may soon be over. Council unanimously approved a budget with no incrcasc in the local mill rate. It was the fourth year in a row Tuckersmith has not increased taxes for local municipal ser- vices. The decision was not made, however, without dis- cussion about future increases. Deputy -Reeve Larry McGrath ,aid the ratepayers aren't benefitting from zero increases if roads construction projects arc postponed. "I think we've been sitting at zero too long," he said. "Sixty-two per cent of our taxes arc going to the school board but the roads we use to get to them schools arc hurt- ing." The sixty-two per cent figure is based on a rural residential ratepayer and public school :upportcr. Taxes for a rural, residential public school supporter in Tuckersmith will rise in .1995 from a mill rate of 16.211 last year to a mill rate of 17.139 this year. The incrcasc is entirely the result of an incrcasc of roughly 10 per cent by the Huron County Board of Education. Taxes for a residential, com- mercial Separate School sup- porter in Tuckersmith rise from the 1994 mill rate of 16.517 to a 1995 level of 16.710. This is the result. of a much smaller tax incrcasc by the Roman Catholic Separate School Board. Municipal taxes arc higher for the • urban areas in fuckersmith due to urban service charges. The ratepayers in those areas receive services, .uch as water and .sewage, not available to all township resi- dents. Although the Deputy -Reeve made the motion for a zero increase this year, he said it would be better to have a small increase now instead of a huge incrcasc later on. "My feeling is a little incrcasc instead of coming back and saying, 'now we need a 10 or 15 per cent incrcasc'," said McGrath. "I don't want to incrcasc my taxes any more • than the (ratepayers) do," he said. "We're losing ground...if we sit on the fence too long it's going to fall down and we won't have the money to fix it." Reeve Bill Carnochan said he agreed there would have to be future increases to upgrade services. He said roads make up the major expenditure for the .township and there arc major construction projects to be undertaken. (About 40 per cent of the township's expendi- tures, not including urban ser- vices, of approximately $1.65 million goes to roads work). Camochan said next ycar there will be an incrcasc at the county level. There will also be upward pressure on some wages, he said, as the Social contract cnds. Coun. Bernie McLellan said the general complaints he hears arc about the condition of roads. Hc wondered how much would bc.saved on road main- tenance if the roads were upgraded. Coun. Rob McLeod asked if the township could spend sonic of the roughly $810,000 it has in reserves. "Why don't we spend some of that mouldy money?" he asked. "Do we really need $800,000 in the bank?" Coun. Bernie McLellan said it would he nice to have that money in the future when government grants dry up. Tuckcrsmith Township's assessment is up almost $1.1 million this your. Thc township has a combined residential and business assessment of SI 15,148,170. The mill rate of 17 mills generates $17, per thousand dollars of assessment. If the mill rate was raised by one mill it would raise S115,000. An increase of half a mill would be a seven per cent increase. There will be $25,000 budgeted to go into a reserve fund in the 1995 budget. This may be applied to roads or infrastructure expenses if they go over budget. As part of Tuckersmith Township's budget there is an anticipated reduction in expen- ditures on the Vanastra Recre- ation Centre from last year's expenses of $235,293 to a budgeted figure of $226,000. This is because a debenture for the centre has been paid. Candidates debate health issues By LEEANNE LAVIS News -Record Staff CLINTON - Local candi- dates explained their parties' health care policies at an all - candidates meeting Monday • night at Central Huron Secondary School. "There must be accessi- bility to core level health care and essential services," said Family Coalition Party candidate Phil Cornish. However, "we believe there are some areas that can be cut back. There must be a core fundamental program of health care and beyond that, we believe that private care - to supplement that - is the appropriate direction to go for health care in Ontario." Kimble Ainslie, of the Reform Association of Ontario, said a complete overhaul of the employer health acts program is needed, to remove the harsh corporate tax on small businesses. The tax would be replaced with an equitable source reduction system. Incumbent Paul Klopp (NDP) said, "We know we have to change." Provincial health care spending has gone from $15 billion to nearly $18 billion in five years, Klopp said. "We just want to make sure we are getting the best possible deal for the consumer groups. That's who we're really working for," he said. The provincial debt is "out of control" and is the greatest threat to health care, said Liberal candidate John Jewitt. He also said he believes each of Huron County's five hospitals "has an important place in this changing system." The Liberal government will immediately stop Bill 173 and bring in legislation to allow agencies such as Meals on Wheels anil the United Way to continue to provide services, Jewitt said. PC party candidate Helen Johns said health care is one of the four crucial areas the Progressive Conservative Party will not change (the others are education, law enforcement and agri- culture). The PCs do believe, however, that health care dollars need to be spent more efficiently, she said. In closing, Johns said the PCs are committed to the priority of health care and the rural way of life. Klopp said the NDP gets involved and listens to the voters before making decisions. Cornish urged audience members to choose an alternative grounded in principles and instituted by promise -makers and keepers. Jewitt said restructuring is necessary, but it should involve a better use of existing resources, rather than closures. Ainslie said we have hit "the financial wall. The time to pay the piper has already come." Township passes bylaw against new strip clubs Tuckersmith Township Coun- cil approved the bylaw banning any future strip clubs in the township. The bylaw would also prevent the current, strip club, 'fops, from re -opening as a strip club if it closes for a period of two years. Council made the decision at the May 23 meeting after a brief in camera, closed, session to discuss a lawyer's opinion on the bylaw. SCHOOLS Local girls learn self- defence, empowerment in course. see page six. Briefly Growing church considers move to bigger site Bethel Bible Church, in Egmondville, is in the process of considering relocation due to the increased numbers in its congregation. A meeting is being held on May 31 at 7:30 p.m. at the church to examine the options available to the congregation. Pastor Rick Lucas said the congregation has experienced steady growth for nearly five years. This growth has made the congregation's current facilities in Egmondville too small for the activities of the church on Sunday mornings, he said. Any relocation plan would be temporary and would allow the congregation to grow further and set aside money for a building fund, said Lucas. "The congregation will continue to extensively use the Egmondville facility for its office space, meetings and mid -week activities," he said. "The congregation is excited about being able to minister to more people when a larger facility is found." A number of options have been considered for a meeting place for the congregation on Sunday mornings. Dietary firm lowest tender A dietary firm working at the Huronview seniors' home offered the lowest tender, said Reeve Bill Camochan of Tuckersmith Township. The food services contract was tendered locally, he told the May 23 meeting of coun- cil. He was responding to speculation that a Quebec firm had received the contract without tendering. The two-year contract for dietary services and food services management was awarded in March to the lowest of four tenders, from a company called Sodexho. The company, with a world head office in Paris and a Canadian head office in Montreal, will deal with local suppliers, according to a company representative. "We have never used any- thing but local suppliers," said Mary Ostrowski, office coordinator. The administrator of Huron County's seniors' homes said the Huronview facility made a decision to change from hiring a staff member to awarding >tr contract for die- tary services and food ser- vices management. The staff of the company will be living in the area, said Cathie Brown, administrator. 'INDEX Years agone...page 5 Sports...pages 9, 16. William Thomas ...page 5. "Your community newspaper since 1860...serving Scaforth, Dublin, Hensall, Walton, Brussels and surrounding communities."