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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1999-03-24, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 — Seaforth, Ontario March 24, 1999 1.00 includes GST Qffice move not a sign Seaforth linking with Tuckersmith Reeve says_ township looking at two restructuring avenues `Earlier last year, the issue of restructuring was being dealt with at the Huron County council level but it has since been turned back, over to Lite municipalities who. Inti' ,last year, had already been looking into restructuring on their own. While it was still before county council. Seaforth expressed to the county it was interested • in restructuring with the two neighbouring townships. A committee consisting of the reeve and deputy reeve from the two townships and members of Seaforth council, .. had been meeting bi-weekly to talk about the shared services but now that those staffing decisions have been made, talks have "turned directly to restructuring. At the : _ same time, Tuckersmith Township has been 'involved. with the other six municipalities. including Zurich. which will be examining its amalgamation report in April. A group of Tuckersmith Township residents have expressed concerns to council about thedirection it is heading and were concerned the office move meant decisions had been made. Broadfoot said despite the .. office move to Seaforth. they have not committed to amalgamating with Seaforth. "Basically. we're looking at the costs of both ways." he said As Tuckersmith's clerk - treasurer, McLachlan has been instructed by council to examine the effects on taxation and other issues, such as the cost of policing and how those effects CONTINUED on Page 6 BY SCOTT HILGENDORFF Expositor Editor The move of Tuckersmith Township's offices to Seaforth on Friday does not . mean a decision has been Made regarding restructuring. Tuckersmith Township .: Reeve Robert Broadfoot said the- decision to_ move the offices is temporary until such time as' the township determines what directionit's, heading on restructuring. The township is currently involved in a restructuring. proposal with Zurich. Hensall, Bayfield, Hay Township and Stanley Township and. asof last week, began talking officially about restructuring with Seaforthand McKillop Township. Until now, the three municipalities have been. talking about sharing staff but. have generally kept the issue separate from restructuring. Last summer; Tuckersmith • Township•Clerk-Treasurer Jack. McLachlan became acting clerk -treasurer for- Seaforth after Jim Crocker retired and now, McKillop Township Clerk -Treasurer Marion McClure is retiring and the three municipalities. have decided to share McLachlan with that position as well. By' moving the offices. McLachlan said it saves money and buys . each municipality time'to make its restructuring decisions. He said the three municipalities thought it best to look at sharing services first. But he said people can expect some kind of restructuring to take place. Roney making syrup for thirty years The weather was postcard - perfect for a trip to the maple syrup bush south of Dublin on Saturday. Horse-drawn wagonloads of children and adults visited the Spring Valley Maple facility to see how maple syntp is made. . Owner George Roney, of RR 2 Staffa, has been making maple syrup for about 30 years, since he was a child. '.The neighbours across the madused to make.syrup." he recalls: "We'd help the neighbours ... we.got the bug"I guess .. Maple syrup. like hockey, is' symbolic of Canada. "It's good advertising for the country,' you get to be known around the world." said Roney. • - Syrup production is a little slow now, he said, but it got off to an early start when spring-like temperatures cable in February. The high European demand for maple wood is -hurting maple syrup production, said. Roney. "The biggest problem we have is logging," he said: "They're harvesting too many hard maples." It takes about 35-40 gallons_ of sap from the trees to make one gallon of syrup. Saturday's -Maple Syrup :,Festival was hosted by. Hibbert United Church and Spring Valley Maple. Sticky situation at Maple Syrup Festival Angela Van Der Ley, 6, of Exeter, watches sap boiling in the old fashioned way at a visit to Spring Valley Maple south of -Dublin for the Maple Syrup Festival on. Saturday. (right)Molly Morrison, 7 and Brittany Tam, 6, pet horses pulling the wagon at the Maple • Syrup Festival. • Story and photos by Tim Cumming Mitchell Advocate Tuckersmith moves -offices: to-Seaforth Clerk-Treasurer Jack McLachlan assuming duties of McKillop, Tuckersmith and Seaforth BY SCOTT HILGENDORFF Expositor Editor Tuckersmith Township has moved its offices to Seaforth Town Hall. Effective Friday. .the township's Vanastra office was closed to'the public and all township business its being conducted from the Seaforth office. The move is part of arrangements between Seaforth, Tuckersmith Township and now, McKillop Township, to share the services of Clerk -Treasurer Jack McLachlan. Seaforth and Tuckersmith Township agreed to share Tuckersmith's administrator last year when Jipr Crocker retired as Seaforth's administrator. An annual savings of about $35,000 is expected from the move' and even more will result when McLachlan assumes the role of clerk treasurer in McKillop Township at the end of April Again, those offices will move to Seaforth as the central location for McLachlan when current Clerk -Treasurer Marion McClure retires. Tuckersmith Reeve Robert Broadfoot said the move does not mean a decision has been made about amalgamating with Seaforth, an issue currently before the respective councils. "Tuckersmith is just temporarily mothballing it for now," he said. There are still some files being kept there and the Federation of Agriculture will continue to use the Vanastra facility. The move will only become permanent should the township decide to amalgamate with Seaforth. The township is also involved with restructuring talks between towns and townships to the west and under the plan that group has formulated, he said the Tuckersmith' office would have to close. Broadfoot said there will be no difference to any ratepayers in Seaforth or Tuckersmith in McLachlan's availability to them. Until now, he had been dividing his time between the two municipal offices. Deputy Clerk -Treasurer Janice Andrews has Jack Mc Lachlan moved to the Seaforth office as well and will be there to see to the needs of Tuckersmithresidents while Jayne Taylor, acting deputy clerk -treasurer for Seaforth while Cathy Garrick is on maternity leave, will look after Seaforth residents. McLachlan will .be available to them all. As he prepares to take on the role of McKillop's clerk -treasurer, he is. also hiring an assistant to help with McKillop matters. By sharing McLachlan, it gives the municipalities time to look into restructuring without the worry of replacing staff. McLachlan said it also makes sense to share his services because of the cost savings. He said a similar system is working for Blyth and Wingham and the excellent staff he has, who are supportive of the system, makes the whole arrangement possible. "Certainly, it's a challenge," he said of the added duties. Town hosts brochure O. swap Seaforth will be host today (March 24) to the Huron Tourism. Associations brochure -swap. Representatives from across Huron. County's tourism industry will be at the Seaforth and District Community Centres to exchange 'brochures regarding their various organizations, events and businesses that cater to tourism that continues to grow in the The day begins with a bustour of the community and area and features seminars for Huron Tourism Association members regarding tourism issues. It is also a chance of the various partners to share ideas with their brochures to help promote tourism in the area and help service the tourists who come to the county.