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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2006-01-25, Page 3News The Huron Expositor • January 25, 2006 Grey ratepayer protests council's investment in proposed beef plant in Brussels Susan Hundertmark A Grey ratepayer spent half an hour recently grilling Huron East council about issues ranging from the municipality's invest- ment in a proposed beef pro- cessing plant for Brussels to pay raises for both staff and council. Glen Howling protested the decision of council at its Dec. 20 meeting to provide a $10,000 interest-free loan to advance the second stage study of the proposed beef plant.. "I object to my tax dollars going into this thing. I think investor money should be found to pay for this," he said. Howling also questioned the possible success of the venture since as many as 850 farmers are needed to buy into the plant for the project to move forward. "We hear farmers are hav- ing their hydro cut off and banks are calling in loans. I don't know where your investors are coming from, other than out of our tax dollars in Huron East," he said. Mayor Joe Seili defended the $10,000 loan and the initial $25,000 in seed money provided by Huron East council, saying that both are loans that will be paid back when the plant is in business. "And, even if the proposed plant doesn't go, the home- work and research have been done and we could pick up other plants because we'd be ready," said Seili. "It's called economic devel- opment and some of the best money we've spent," he said. Grey Coun. Mark Beaven agreed, saying the invest- ment by Huron East could help to create local jobs. "It's a plan for the future," Assault charges A 44 - year -old Goderich man was charged with assault after Huron OPP were called to a Seaforth residence on Jan. 20. Police were told a 32 - _mss '1 A.-._ , a. added Deputy -Mayor Bernie MacLellan. He likened the investment in the beef plant to Brussels servicing lots at its industri- al park before the lots were sold, making their even- tual sale easier. "It may look like a gamble but sometimes you have to make an investment and hopeful- ly, for the benefit of everyone," he said. Seili pointed out that a lot more tax dollars were probably channelled into. efforts to attract the Toyota plant to the Woodstock area. "I pay a lot of tax money myself so I make sure it's well spent," he said. Responding to the con- cern about the financial. ability of local farmers to invest, Seili said in the- 30 years he's been in the agricultural business, there has always been at least one sector of farm- ing in trouble. "Some have gained and some have lost. There are farmers being squeezed out there but beef is com- ing out of it (their crisis)," he said. Howling also protested the recent wage increase council gave itself. "I'm your employer and there should have been a referendum that you were considering it," he said. • As well, he complained about staff raises saying, "I ran a business for 40 years and I always said if you're not happy with your wages, there's another company down the road. I think that's the way you should be dealing with it." MacLellan defended the raises saying that council traditionally gives itself a raise at the laid in Seaforth year-old woman w a s assaulted by her boyfriend. The man was scheduled to appear in ,court in Goderich on Jan. 23. end of each three-year term and that Huron East is. among the lowest in the county in council remunera- tion. "We tried to bring the staff up to the middle of the road and council is still at the bottom," he said. Seaforth Coun. Joe Steffler said rewarding staff is well worth it after all the training they receive. Seili commented he hoped "there's a pile of candidates in each ward to run" in the November municipal elec- tion. 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