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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2002-04-17, Page 5May 2, 2001 $1 (includes GST) Budget Farm owners face largest tax increase as property values increased while Huron East plans its budget By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor While figures aren't known yet, farm owners _ can expect to see a significant impact when the first Huron East budget is complete. But Deputy Administrator Brad Knight said it's not largely due to the amalgamation but to new tax assessments completed for this year. "It is shifting some of the burden to the rural areas," said Knight, adding it is unfortunate it comes at a time when Huron East is preparing its first budget. He said some farm land assessments have gone up 40 to 45 per cent this year. He expects some of the tax increase from the assessments will be blamed on the municipality when it is outside its control. Another factor, through the formation of Huron East comes from pooling together the government's community reinvestment fund, a form of grant that helps offset costs such as for OPP policing. Before Huron East, Grey Township received $735,000 in a reinvestment fund while generating $260,000 more to operate the municipality through taxes. Tuckersmith and McKillop also receive a larger portion than the urban wards in Huron East, of Seaforth and Brussels. Knight said that money is now being pooled together and has a greater impact on the urban areas than it does on the rural one. However, Knight was hoping at last night's council meeting to find Seo COUNCIL Page 2 More fires set downtown Store owners worry as Sills Hardware and Ice Dreams suffer damages By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff Two weeks after four fires were set in downtown Seaforth and Egmondville, another two fires were set early Monday morning behind two downtown businesses, causing concern and fear in the business community. "It was definitely arson and both fires were set from the outside," said Ontario Fire Marshall John Benedetti. The Fire Marshall office was called along with the, Mount Forest identification unit of the OPP to investigate the fires. "The police are working very closely with us on these fires and hopefully, we'll be able to find some suspects soon," said Benedetti. Firefighters responded to a call at Sills Hardware at 4:30 a.m. after a citizen making deliveries noticed smoke coming out of the south side of the building and discovered a fire burning between the shed and store. Owner Jim Sills said the fire damage, estimated at $25,000 in a police report from the Huron OPP, was contained to the back in the shed area with smoke damage in the store. He praised the Seaforth firefighters' work in getting the fire under control quickly. "Another five minutes and we'd probably still be fighting it," he said Monday afternoon. Firefighters also responded to a call at Ice Dreams at Main and George Streets sometime after 9:30 a.m. when owner Trent Ward opened his business to find it filled with smoke. "We've pretty well lost everything in the store to smoke damage. I don't think you can clean smoke out of a figure skating dress," said Trent's wife Deb. Deb, who also works at Sills Hardware attended the fire at Sills and went home for a few hours of sleep before the fire was discovered at the family business. "We never thought to check our place earlier. Something had been shoved under the door and it had been smouldering for some time," she said. Because Ice Dreams just moved a month ago from Main Street to George Street, Deb said she and her husband were particularly frustrated about the timing of the fire. "We'd just done a lot of hard work moving and were enjoying our new location. It makes me a little weary," she Seo MAYOR, Page 2 Scott Hilgendorff photos Members of the OPP Identification Unit gather evidence at Sills Hardware Monday afternoon while Monday morning (below) membersof the Seaforth Fire Department prepare to use a fanto help remove smoke from Ice Dreams, a second downtown business struck by arsonists. Council unofficially accepts OPP contract Dedicated officers to Huron East for By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor Council is unofficially going to accept a $912,350 contract for an enhanced level of policing in Huron East. An informal vote was taken at council's committee of the whole meeting (an informal meeting format where no motions can be made), to accept one of three options for policing. Council had to choose between two contracts that offered various forms of enhanced service and one that would see policing provided on an as -needed basis. The latter, for $912,350, would be the same service as rural areas of Huron East already receive while the other two for $912,350 and $1,333,162, would see dedicated officers assigned to regular duty at all times in Huron East with a slightly greater police presence under the second contract price. The latter two are options similar to what Seaforth has received for more than five will be assigned $912,350 years of contracts with the OPP. Going with policing on an as -needed basis would have lessened the service in Seaforth. Going with a contract ensures Huron East has a police services board which allows the municipality to have some influence in the quality of policing across the municipality. "If we don't have a contract, we don't have a formal level of governance," said Seaforth Coun. Dick Burgess of the ability to operate a police services board under an OPP contract. It was the kind of contract members of the OPP recommended to council at its April 24 meeting, stressing that a contract would see more predictable outcomes in the final cost at the end of each year if major incidents occurred anywhere in the municipality. Issues such as unforeseen overtime costs when incidents occur requiring extra police, can cause the price to increase beyond the hours of policing estimated in the contract. However, while overtime costs outside the estimated contract price could mean Huron East would pay even more than estimated in its contract of choice, traditionally the contracts result in a rebate at the end of each contract year. One of the reasons is that the OPP estimate wage costs with the assumption that all the officers dedicated to the municipality are first class constables when, often some may be less experienced and receive less pay which balances out or saves money when weighed against overtime costs that develop. As council tried to understand the figures, Deputy Mayor Bernie MacLellan said it looked hard to justify to the ratepayers what was going to look like an increased cost for policing. At the same time, there would be potentially less policing in Seaforth if they chose the as - needed contract. He expressed concerns about how the OPP came up with cost estimates for a 2001 contract and also how Huron East could bill ratepayers for the services. MacLellan was looking for See COUNCIL TO, Page 2 Blake sharpens fillet knife for annual derby By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff Dan Blake is sharpening up his filleting knife for a second year as a volunteer at the Seaforth Lions annual trout derby on Saturday. At last year's derby, Blake filleted 150 fish for a long line of kids, who could then take their day's catch home for that night's dinner. "I love taking kids fishing," says the Seaforth owner/operator of Blue On Blue Fishing Charters which operates out of Goderich. While he fillets each fish, Blake teaches kids parts of the fish, whether the fish is male or female, what type of fish it is and other fishing lore. "Some of the kids are grossed out and others are so interested they're almost too close to the filleting knife," he says. While he didn't fish much as a kid, Blake says he got "hooked" as a young adult and decided to turn his love into a business. "Fishing is relaxing but it's also a challenge. You can either just sit and enjoy being on the water or you can try to figure out the patterns of the fish," he says. Lions fishing derby committee chair Paul Stephen says Blake was "busy as a one-armed paper hanger" at last year's derby, adding that mothers are the most appreciative of the free filleting services. "The mothers seem to be really happy that the fish is Quoted 'Some of the kids are grossed out,' -- Dan Blake, volunteer fish filleter See MOMS, Page 2 Your community newspaper since 1860