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Huron Expositor, 2001-10-17, Page 6•-Tire MORON EXPOSITOR, October 17, 2001 ifiart 9(eakliy living for Women on the go... rsiii • r • ,`ltlflR 4 l r go• • o. ••• What: When: Where: mime: Cost: "Stressed Out and Loving 9t" Wednesday, October 24, 2001 Seaforth Agricultural Centre 6:30-9:30 y.m. $5.00 ya yable at the door Register before October 22 482-3416 or 1-877-837-6143 Presented by Huron County Health UM and Take Heart Huron small TALK Hu a.a.t, P«xW a u Your child's ability to communicate is important to future success at school and in life Are you concerned about the way your child's speech and language skills are developing., For information or a speech assessment call 273-2222 or 1-800-269-3683 visit our website at }vww,srttallta/kinfo.ca smaiITALK services are funded by the hi tnisiry of Health and Long -Term Care News Council seeks economic development proposals By Scott Hilgondorff Expositor Editor Huron East council will seek proposals from prospective economic development officers and begin forming an economic development committee after holding a final discussion Oct. 9 about whether or not an officer is needed at all. "No one else in Huron County has one. What does this person do for us?" questioned McKillop Coun. Sharon McClure. She was sharing a view that had been discussed around the council table in the spring before council approved spending $25,000 on economic development. That approval came following a request from the Business and Expansion Committee (BR+E) to invest in economic development. Council is still considering a suggested $100,000 budget ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS Seeking the Best. of fhe Best Nominations are now being accepted for the 2001 Awards Program Let's recognize the best of our young people. If you know a young person, aged 6 to 18, who is involved in worthwhile community service; a special person who is contributing while living with a limitation; a youth who has performed an act of heroism; or a 'good kid' who shows a commitment to making life better for others, doing more than is normally expected of someone their age — help us recognize their contri- bution — nominate them today! Nominations will be accepted until November 30, 2001. Contact this newspaper or the Ontario Community Newspapers Association at 905-639-8720, Ext. 222. Program Sponsor: m.we.eea11111 Temhire Rising to the Cholierge vo,.c. n.nary ,....a orr.; New online options: You can answer the forms online at www.ocna.org/Awards/JuniorCitizens.htm, or download extra forms as needed. Program Run by: for next year. But if council were to raise $100,000 next year, Brussels Coun. Joe Seili pointed out it would cost $27 per household more in taxation. "Do we cut something or put it on the taxes to keep the services?" asked Seili. He said there are residents on fixed incomes that can't support tax hikes. "I won't vote down economic development but I will vote down raising $27 out of the tax payer," he said. "There's also the cash .cropper who has not seen a very good year," said McClure, adding in relation to hiring an economic development officer, "They're not in favor of it." "On the same token, you are going to let taxes go up because you are losing business," said Seaforth Coun. Bill Teall. Seaforth currently has three empty stores following the recent closure . of Weurth's Shoes and while Smith Packaging, a local industry is expanding, one has moved out and council is working with Sun North to help keep it in town. Teall suggested giving an economic development officer and committee two years to see what they could do to benefit Huron East. "I don't think there is anyone around this table that does not believe in economic development," said Deputy Mayor Bernie McLellan during the discussion about what an officer should do. Allan Carter, Broker • Home • Auto • Commercial • Farm 522-0399 Seaforth 1-800-265-0959 Strathroy VOUR c)NT/an10 FORS �LERS PRESEVAAA UE NT... - TI-lE You'll be excited about the cars and the price. YEAR 000 $740 freight Or get 3.996'48 month purchase financing on ALL new in -stock 2002 Focus Sedan & Wagon. 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Council was also considering approving as much as $100,000 for an economic development officer next year. The money was put there after the BR+E appealed to council to create a position to help promote the community, keep businesses in Huron East, help others expand and attract new ones. Those concepts were among the needs determined through a pilot project from the Ministry of Agriculture that formed the BR+E to study business in the Seaforth area about three years ago. However, the money has sat there since it was approved in June with no movement toward hiring an economic development officer or working on any development projects. The BR+E pitched the idea earlier this month of forming an economic development committee to help guide an economic development officer through programs and projects the community needed. Those needs would be communicated to the officer through the committee which would consist of members of. council, business groups inL Huron East and representatives from the agricultural sector. But council got stalled on the issue of just what the officer would do and how the money would properly be spent. Selena Anderson, representing the BR+E, suggested council advertise for proposals from people interested in being Huron East's economic development officer but said it would take having proposals and a committee in place to determine what the community wanted for economic development before a clear idea of what the costs• would be, could be determined. She had made that suggestion at the Oct. 2 council meeting as well. But when council began to discuss it again last week councillors got sidetracked again with the issue of whether or not an economic development officer was necessary and again, just what would that person do. Gwen Devereaux, BR+E chair, was at the meeting last week, with Anderson, and pointed out that of the seven pilot projects across Ontario that 'formed BR+E committees, she said three were equal in size and likeness to Huron East and all three had since hired economic development officers. "You need a drive to promote and market this place," said Devereaux when Mayor Lin Steffler asked her to help explain why it was important to hire an economic development officer. She made an impassioned speech about the importance and pointed to St. Marys, a town about 70 km east of Seaforth that has not raised taxes in nine years because of its successful economic development programs. She has been working with that community through doctor recruitment work she does professionally, outside of the BR+E. "Now that I drive around Ontario, I see the difference in communities that have economic development," she said. "We wouldn't be squeezing the seniors for $27 if we had done this years ago," she said. She pointed to the fact a retirement community is being built in Tuckersmith and the Seaforth Community Hospital is preparing to develop an expansion focused on senior health care. She said the community is changing and there is room for entreprenureship but nothing being done to encourage growth in Huron East. "We have to keep squeezing the taxpayer because perhaps we're not working from the other end," she said, adding if they stay "status quo" theywill have to squeeze even harder.' According to Devereaux and Anderson, part of the economic development officer's role would be to apply for grants and funding to help pay for further projects in the five communities making up Huron East. Steffler said if economic development works, the taxpayer won't be paying $27 but a lesser amount as the tax base increases. If grants can be found and, depending on what kind of proposals are made for the position, Steffler said they might not need to budget $100,000. Steffler, whose husband is a former chair of the BR+E committee, has been a strong supporter - of economic development . and has watched as council has discussed the issue in circles, again after already approving funding for this year. "I think we do need to discuss what figure we are going to commit to," said McLellan who supports having an economic development officer but wanted clarification of what the person would do specifically for the money. But that was the idea behind Anderson recommending they advertise for proposals from potential economic development officers. The proposals could be required to outline specific projects, plans and cost estimates. Anderson also said the economic development committee should be formed to help decide what goals the community has for economic development first. Then council and the officer could have a clearer idea of what would be done, leading to a clearer idea of the costs. 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