Huron Expositor, 2007-04-04, Page 3The Huron Expositor • April 4, 2007 Page 3
News
Huron East council debates if 13 per cent tax
increase high enough to meet services
Susan Hundertmark
GEMBEID
While they agreed tolottrt budget
deliberations with a 13 per cent tax
increase in mind, Huron East coun-
cillors questioned last week
whether they should be hiking it
further.
"We're at 25 per cent if we do
what we really should be doing. If
we start cutting anymore, all you're
doing is cutting services. I think it's
bad management not to raise it to
13 per cent at least," said Deputy -
Mayor Bernie MacLellan at last
Tuesday's meeting devoted to the
budget.
"Should it be more?" asked
Tuckersmith Coun. Les Falconer.
MacLellan argued that while the
municipality has tried to lessen the
impact of increases to the education
portion of property taxes in the past
by reducing local services, it was
the wrong thing to do.
"The province has dropped
responsibilities on us and if we
start dropping services, it's going to
come back and bite us in the rear
again. We should have learned that
lesson," he said.
Council was left with a $247,316
deficit after its last meeting and
Deputy -Clerk Brad Knight suggest-
ed several adjustments that left the
deficit at $3,316.
The biggest adjustment included
delaying a $150,000 road recon-
struction project on Oak Road in
Tuckermsith and removing $40,000
from the reconstruction on Louisa
and Ord Streets in Seaforth.
As well Mayor Joe Seili proposed
$23,000 in cuts, including a $5,000
cut to the $59,000 budgeted for
council meeting allowances and a
$9,300 cut to the $69,300 grader
maintenance budget.
Knight pointed out that since
2006 actual costs to grader mainte-
nance were $37,609, the mayor's
proposed reduction is reasonable
"although this past winter has been
hard on equipment."
Seili also proposed a $5,000 cut to
the $38,300 miscellaneous equip-
ment maintenance budget and a
$3,900 cut from the economic devel-
opment budget, bringing in at the
2006 cost of $106,000.
Knight added that he hasn't yet
seen a budget for 2007 for economic
development.
McKillop Coun. Bill Siemon said
it's important to keep up with main-
tenance of equipment and build-
ings.
"I agree maintenance pays. You've
got to fix the things that need fix-
ing," he said.
Tuckersmith Coun. Larry
McGrath said council is coming to
the realization that "there isn't chinzy" with its low budget increas-
es in the past.
"Either we've got
really good managers
or we've been cutting it
a little too fine," he
said.
Knight agreed that
last year's increase of
1.4 per cent was "pret-
ty reasonable."
But, Seili argued
that low increases in
previous years were
done to help out the
agricultural communi-
ty which was facing
enough pay days in a
month."
"Maybe we're get-
ting to a point where
we don't do road con-
struction the same
year we do equipment
purchases. I can see if
we keep trying to keep
everyone happy, 10-12
per cent isn't ffoing to
cut it," he said.
"It's no different
from running your Mayor
house. You might like
a new car but the roof Bernie MacLellan
Eft er�ywe've
got reall;good
managers or
we've been
Cutting it too
fine,'
Huron East Deputy-
takes
eputy
takes precedence," said
McGrath.
MacLellan said he thought Huron
East might have been "a little
- financial challenges.
"Keep in mind we
were trying to protect the farmers
the farm industry. couldn't
and
We
afford it and they couldn't afford it,"
he said.
Brussels Coun. Frank Stretton
expressed that he is concerned
about taxes going up at the same
time there are water and sewer
increases and argued for a three-
year phase-in for increases.
"A lot of people won't be getting a
10 per cent wage increase," he said.
Siemon responded that rural resi-
dents with septic tanks are facing
inspections every five years, which
will end up being more expensive.
"We'd be happy to see a 10 per
cent increase in the country," he
said.
And Seili argued that a phase-in
could cause the municipality to get
into deficit financing.
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