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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1996-08-14, Page 3News and Views Trivia Quiz: Where's smallest polka town? Here's a trivia question for your where's the "Smallest Polka Town in the Nation?" Seaforth! South of the border in the United States. The 23rd annual Polka Fest was held in little•old Seaforth Minnesota on July 19 and 20. A local couple on holiday in the state just west of Lakc Superior, Jim and Brenda McIntosh. brought us hack a brochure of thc big event in the American community which is less than half the size of our-Seaforth. They put a 4th in thc. mid- dle of a big C on their town's logo too, just like we do. . Seaforth, MN ' is near Redwox►d Falls, Marshall and :, I'OL&, C/) NE S� Wahasso and this "Smallest Polka Town in the Nation" featured six hands and °"24 Hours of Fun on its big annual weekend last month. Festivities included a show by the "Jolly Ramblers", who were there, as promoted, for what was billed as "Polka Mass". We hesitate to ask. The Top Notchmen were also there from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, as were The Classics from White.Bear Lake, MN. There was a -craft and flea market, a tractor pull for the kids, pony and buggy rides - all kinds of excitement. Beer and soft drinks were available at the lunch stand. A disclaimer by the Seaforth Booster Club (PO Box 82, Seaforth, MN .56287) at the bottom of the pink poster for this polka fest `notes members are "Not Responsible For Accidents." Amalgamation talks involve Hullett and Tuckersmith THE HURON EXPOSITOR, August 14, 1996-3 Amalgamation talks Civic employees would be part of a common pool CONTINUED from page I Committee: •AII civic employees will be part of a common sever- ance pool funded by munici- palities according to their ability to pay.• •The employees of the new municipalities. will be drawn exclusively from the staff of existing municipalities. •Limits will be .placed on any tax increases in the new urban and rural municipali- ties to reduce costs to tax- payers. •The rural municipality can purchase services from the urban municipality including 911 services; economic `If towns leave, county is gone' BY AMY NEILANDS SSP News Staff The Town of Clinton and the Townships of Colborne, Hullett,. Godcrich and Tuckersmith met in Clinton .on Thursday evening to con- tinue talks of restructuring • and amalgamation as well as thc possibility of hiring a con- sultant to help them along with the process. While the representatives from the five municipal coun- cils agreed that the provincial government's recommenda- tion of amalgamation was not necessarily the most cconom- ' is way to go, they did agree that something must be done. "In the event that amalga- ittation should become mandatory, we should have something in place." said Clinton Mayor Case. Buffinga. "We. should have a plan :in place." "We must take this serious- ly because I'm afraid the - province will say • changes must be made," said Godcrich Township Reeve Laurie Cox, adding that if it were left .to the province, they would have no say in the matter: "We have to come up with a plan that is suitable to all of our needs." The suggestion of hiring a • consultant or junior planner to come up with such a plan for the five municipalities was presented by Colborne Reeve Bill Vanstone. "Our ideal plan would he to do nothing. but if something happened and everyone but us was ready, we're going to go where thcy (the province) want us to go." said Vanstone. "If we cooper- ate, we can come up with a good plan." Hullett Reeve Tom Cunningham stated that his council did not believe that amalgamation was the most economic way to go and added that he didn't think that this would he forced on them by the province. "We're not naive enough to think that certain things will he forced upon us," he said. "If we've done the studies and they .show that there is no econom, is reason we should do restructuring then I think the government would he satis- fied." He added that his coun- cil has not yet discussed the possibility of hiring a consul- tant and that his council con- tinues to be open to ioint.dis- cussions. "Anything we • do jointly will help us all," he said. Tuckersmith Rccvc Bill Carnochan also stated that he . could not "sec the economic scnsc in anything they're (the province) is proposing." He added that they are continuing to meet with other municipal- ities that surround their town- ship. "This is still early for us;' he said, adding that they will continue to have conver- sations with other partners in the county. "This is at start for us," said Vanstone, adding that they arc seeking information to base their decision on. "We want the best service for our ratepayers. We want this to be done as economically as it can he done: There is no -use in sharing services when it will cost more money, not less." "We need to have docu- mentation," said Godcrich Township Councillor "Alison Lobb. "Wc have to go back to the province. and say 'we've listened, .we've looked at it; we _have the °figures - it isn't logical.— If the province steps in and there is no docu- mentation, "you're up Tor grabs," she added. "If we do have documentation, I think thcy would leave us alone." Vanstone added that.none of thc municipalities have the time. to prepare such docu- mentation themselves and added that a consultant would do that work for them. The estimated cost of about $49,000 for a'year could be split amongst participating municipalities, he noted. "We are not ready to com- mit to any particular study until we meet as a full coun- cil," said Cunningham. - Buffinga said that a direct commitment was not needed immediately, they just wanted to see who was interested. Asked what exactly the consultant would do,. Vanstonc said that tee or she would make a plan for each municipality involved, meet with those municipalities -and . see what they have in com- mon and What. services they have that could be shared. It would be able to tell the municipalities what way to go and what to do, he said. "That would be our base _ we could expand from there," he said. "Wc would share the consul- tant as a group but we would • he looked at individually." "Do we need a consultant to do that" asked Carnochan, She added that a consultant visited a meeting in Godcrich and said that the process of amalgamation was not just inventory. it was potential lia- bility, bridges that needed work. "It means going through the whole gamut." Hullett representatives showed concerns about the meetings they have been holding with nothing really coming out of them. "We are having meetings for the sake of having a meeting," said Cunningham. "I don't sce things going anywhere." He added that they are reluctant to join further meetings because these meetings are costing the taxpayers. Vanstonc added that if a consultant were hired to do the study "then we would have a reason to meet." The suggestion was made by Buffinga that they go back to their individual councils to get an indication of interest in this proposal and nominate members from each council to form a steering committee to establish terms of refer- ence. "You must keep in mind the hiring of a junior planner but we must have a set of terms of reference first." "We have to start getting something down on paper," said Cox. The "hall -park figure" of $40,(XX) for a planner or con- sultant would be split between municipalities and each council's cost would depend on thc number of municipalities involved. - "The more we get the cheaper it would he; said Lobb, adding that she didn't think it would take- much more time to study a couple more municipalities: "The more we have here, the more ideas and opinions we get," said Buffinga. They agreed to invite Stanley Township, Seaforth, Blyth, Bayfield and McKillop Township to join their discus- sions. It was finally decided to have. two members of each council plus one staff member from each municipality to sit on a steering committee to first lay ou( terms of reference of the group - before any municipalities commit to any- thing. The councils will meet after. discussing this. issue with their individual councils after Sept. 16. adding that some municipali- ties already share scrviccs and that the county has already compiled a list of scrviccs and equipment other municipali- ties have. "A consultant would tell us exactly what we know already." • "But it would be put into a document," said Cox. "This would formalize it." "We need to have a set of terms of reference," said Cunningham, adding that a sub -committee should be formed from these councils to set out exactly what they want to do and to lay out the pros and cons of amalgamation. ' Some concern was also .shown over the possibility of the Town of Goderich sopa-1 rating from the county, saving them almost $1 million in - county levies: If Godcrich separated, said Vanstone, Colborne would bec-on its own to look after the county roads that travel through the town- ship.. "They would be gravel in a few years. We couldn't handle them on our own," he said. "There is more power in numbers." Carnochan asked if the big towns left the coun- ty and five municipalities were formed together, would they be out of the county too? "We would have no choice," said Vanstone: "If .the towns leave, the county is gone. We have to come back as thc bigger players because we'd be losers if the big guys left. We must have something in place before this happens and we can share the cost of it." PHOTO BY DAVID SCOTT WINNING TICKET - Seaforth Lions President Ross Ribey, left, congratulates Elimination Draw winners Barb Core and Rob Core, of Woodstock, Saturday night after their ticket was drawn for the $4,000 grand prize. development services and the extension of police services at the urban municipality's marginal costs. •The new urban municipali- ty will contribute annually to the rural municipality for the maintenance of arterial roads in the rural area. (The cost quoted was $600,000.) •Key planning controls will ensure a srational .develop- ment of lands adjacent to the urban/rural boundary. •The 1998 budget for the new rural township(s)-must be lower than the -existing 1996 municipal budgets by at least five per cent of dis- cretionary expenditures. CONTINUE TO CLIMB THE LIFESAVING LADDER Seaforth Lions Pool will be offering a Bronze Cross Course that will transpire Aug. 16 18 and. Aug. 23 - 25. • To register contact the Pool at 527-0950. Must be Registered y i by Fri. August ' ,16Th at noon. OMALCOI.M GRAY INSURANCE BROKERS INSURANCE BROKERS Allan Carter, Broker • Home • Auto • Commercial • Farm 522-0399 Seaforth 1-800-265-0959 Strathroy SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE POOL & PATIO FURNITURE ALL IN -STOCK PRODUCTS ��- Casual. Industries Inc. •OAM6ACIURERS • DISTRIBUTORS NF AIiO W Ws.C,UMF UNI,[UAS. *RACE/ DA COONS. Mmes COONS "DIRECT TO YOU" HEAD OFFICE: GRAND BEND Hwy. 83 E (2 miles from the water plant) HOURS: Mon. -Fri. 8:30.5:00; Sat. 10:00.5:00 238-2110 WE HAVE IT All FOR GREAT CASt1Al IIVING For Outdoors • Pools • Gordrn Aroos • Sunroorns uM0I1.1I1:h1E • (n 2 cc w a • t?) J U a • • HAIR CUTS • PERMS • COLOUR • MAKE UP • own above 'left, Sue Williams Huron -Bruce President Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Right. Karen Ryan of. Total Image II. Thank you .to everyone: who' par'ticipateil.in our Moonlight Madness Fund Raising Event (cutting hair & manicures). Together we were able to donate $336:OO to the Crohn's Colitis Foundation. • I' A special Thank You to the staff Elsie. Bonnie. Barb & Jackie for donating their time. . Sincerely. Karen Ryan: P.S. Special thanks to our volunteers `len Watt & Amanda Ryan 'ffELPI XGI YOU CREATE Your Total Image is what we're all about'' Main St. Seaforth 527-0780 `Open Evenings To -Serve You Better!" TOTAL IYA1f 11 • MANICURES • THERAPEUTIC WAX BATH • • 3*[:[ii]['kC • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • WHERE DID U GO? .0.4k your address or phone number has changed, make sure you let us know for the 1996-97 Phone Book. r L OLD Name: Address: Phone: 1996/97 Phone Book Changes NEW Name: Address: Phone: Please drop off at the Huron Expositor, 527-0240. J • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • er- • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •