HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-10-14, Page 7News
The Huron EX1 Sitor • October 14, 2009 Page 7
Councillor asks if'$125,000 can be retrieved from developer
Susan Huudertmark
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Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher wants
to know if Huron East can get its
$125,000 back from Aback Hold-
ings Ltd. since the developers of the
former Seaforth Public School prop-
erty did not clean up the site within
one year of tearing down the school
building.
"Can we legally take that back?"
Fisher asked at Huron East council's
Oct. 6 meeting.
In March of 2007, Huron East
council passed a motion to contribute
$125,000 towards the construction
of Robert Street with the funds to
be removed from the Seaforth ward
reserves and that the balance of con-
struction costs be the responsibility
of Brian Barnim, Coastal Enterpris-
Council waits to
hear from CASA
From Page 1
ours," said McLachlan. "We asked if
CASA (Engineering and Construc-
tion) want to proceed but to date, we
haven't had any response."
McLachlan said the new GEA reg-
ulations will take away the right of
the municipality to set separation
distances for wind turbines.
"So, there's no need for us to study
it any further," he said, adding that's
what the interim control bylaw was
put in place to do.
McKillop Coun. Andy Flowers
asked if the interim control bylaw
still exists after the release of the
GEA regulations.
McLachlan responded that the in-
terim control bylaw is still in effect.
He said he is still scheduling the
hearing and has sent out a notice to
involved parties with the date.
"But, it's our belief that the hearing
won't proceed," he said.
Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher asked
if CASA's proposed wind projects
will be grandfathered under the new
regulations but McLachlan said he
didn't believe' it would be.
"We are not spending a whole lot of
time or money preparing our defence
(for the OMB hearing). We hope
this will be resolved in the next two
weeks," said McLachlan.
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es 2005 Ltd. conditional on the exist-
ing school building being torn down
and removed within one year.
Clerk -Administrator Jack
McLachlan told council that he had
received two letters expressing the
same request to ask for the $125,000
back and one email "on the opposite
side."
He added that the issue should be
discussed in closed session since it
has become a ,legal issue and added
the two letters would be in the coun-
cil package at council's next meet-
ing.
Sensitivity training
While councillors and department
heads in Huron East will receive a
three-hour training session on cus-
tomer service next Tuesday night,
Tuckersmith Coun. Larry McGrath
is questioning the session's neces-
sity.
"What brain dead MPP came up
with this?" he asked.
"You just flunked," responded Brus-
sels Coun. Frank Stretton.
Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher added
the 'training is required under the
Ontario Disabilities Act and will ed-
ucate staff how to serve ratepayers
with disabilities.
"This is to deal with people who
have problems, not to learn how
to say please and thank you," said
Fisher.
Clerk -Administrator Jack
McLachlan said the training is re-
quired and could be valuable for the
municipality.
"We had an incident here where
the Ministry of Labour came in and
because the staff had been trained
and had certain certificates, it eased
the burden on the municipality," said
McLachlan.
HST and Huron East
While he's not .completely certain
how Huron East will be impacted
by the coming harmonized sales tax
(HST), Deputy -Clerk Brad Knight
says users of the municipality's rec-
reation centres might be affected.
"If they assign the PST (provincial
sales tax) to anything they assign
the GST (good$ and services tax) to,
the people who use the arenas and
recreation centres will certainly be
affected," said Knight.
Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher asked
Knight whether the municipal-
ity should be preparing for the HST
when it comes into affect on July 1,
2010.
"It's a tough question. I know
there's a lot of lobbying going on and
I like the suggestion that municipal-
ities be exempt," said Knight.
He added that water and sewer sys-
tems might also be affected since the
operating contracts would be taxed.
As well, he said firetrucks will not
be PST exempt after July 1.
"If there's a capital purchase, may-
be we might want to do it before July
1," added Fisher.
Landfill rate hikes
A new fee schedule for electronic
waste at the Mid -Huron landfill
site reflects the costs paid to haul it
away, Deputy -Mayor Bernie MacLel-
lan explained to council at its Oct. 6
meeting.
"The rates just cover the costs and
the reason the rates have gone up is
we don't have as
much garbage as
we did anymore
since .the clear
garbage bags,"
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he said.
MacLellan said the landfill is mak-
ing a lot less money since imple-
menting the clear garbage bag policy
since more waste is being diverted
to recycling and because some ma-
jor garbage haulers have decided to
go elsewhere rather than follow the
clear garbage bag policy.
"There's been a huge downturn in
revenue at the landfill. We may have
to make adjustments to the staffing
levels and we've had to up our rates,"
he said.
Deputy -Clerk Brad Knight said the
Walton landfill site doesn't charge
anything for e -waste.
Seaforth Coun. Bob Fisher asked if
the free e -waste day in Seaforth each
spring will end up getting triple the
amount if people have to pay to get
rid of e -waste at the MidHuron land-
fill.
"We'll have to monitor the free day
here in Seaforth. People might be
saving their e -waste all year to bring
it here," answered Clerk -Adminis-
trator Jack McLachlan.
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