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Huron Expositor, 2009-10-28, Page 28Page 28 The Huron Expositor • October 28, 2009 • News County makes changes to sick time policy Gvr*rd Crecce The County of Huron has reworked its sick time policy in an effort to curb the nearly $600,000 spent on ' employees not at work last year. Director of human resources for the county, Darcy Michaud, said the county decided to take a look at their policy after the City of London clamped down on • their own exces- sive sick time in 2007. "When they had their big rigama- roll about sick time, it brought it to light," Michaud said. One look into the county's sick - time pay revealed some startling figures, he said. More troubling, he added, ' were that those fig- ures were not the whole cost. "We estimated ours in 2008 was $591,691.87," he said. "All that is is lost wages in sick time paid out." However, that figure does not include long- term disability, backfill (getting the ' work done after the fact); overtime or extra work from other employees pick- ing up the slack. An • estimate from the Work- place Safety and NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING • CONCERNING A PROPOSED ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT AFFECTING THE MUNICIPALITY OF HURON EAST TAKE NOTICE that Council of the Corporation of the Municipality of Huron East will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Huron East Council Chambers to consider a proposed zoning by-law amendment under Section 34 of the Planning Act. BE ADVISED that the Clerk/Council of the Corporation•of the Municipality of Huron East considered this application to be complete on October 22, 2009. ANY PERSON may attend the public meeting and/or make written or verbal representation either in support of, or in opposition to, the proposed zoning by-law amendment. ONLY individuals, corporations and public bodies may appeal a by-law to the Ontario Municipal Board. A notice of appeal may not be filed by an unincorporated association or group. However, .a notice of appeal may be filed in the name of an individual who is a member of the association or the group on its behalf NO PERSON or public body shall be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal unless, before the by-law passed, the person or public body made oralsubmissions at a public meeting or written submissions to the council or, in the opinion of the Ontario Municipal Board, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION relating to the proposed zoning by-law amendment can be viewed during regular office hours at: Huron East Municipal Office, or at: www.huroneast.com Seaforth Public Library OR Brussels Public Library DATED AT THE MUNICIPALITY OF HURON EAST this 28th day of October, 2009. J.R. McLachlan; Clerk, Municipality of Huron East 72 Main Street South, PO Box 610 Seaforth, Ontario NOK 1 WO Phone: 519-527-0160 1-888-868-7513 (toll free) Fax: 519-527-2561 PURPOSE AND EFFECT The proposed Zoning By-law Amendment represents a housekeeping amendment for -Huron East's comprehensive Zoning By- law (By-law 52-2006). The text & map changes affect lands in Huron East. Some of these changes are as a result of the recent Official Plan Amendment #5 for Huron East; other changes are of a housekeeping nature and a few changes are site specific. The proposed text changes include: • Definition & General Provision changes • Minimum Distance Separation (MDS) to comply with 4ovincial Policy • Setbacks.from an active waste disposal site for residential uses • 2 new zone sections to protect existing agriculture & natural environment areas containing extractive resources • Residential Low Density (RI) zone title separation provisions • • Wellhead Protection Areas provisions • Outdoor furnace provisions • Residential Medium Density (R2) interior side yard depth for semi & duplex dwellings • Special R2-10 Zone for existing funeral homes • Floodway & Flood Fringe zone clarifications • Adding permitted uses to: Agricultural Zones (AGI, AG2, AG3); Village Commercial (C1) zone; Fringe Core Area Commercial-Seaforth (C2); Highway Commercial (C3 & C3-1) zone; Core Commercial (C4); Vanastra Commercial (C5); Fringe Highway Commercial - Seaforth/Brussels (C6) Adding permitted uses to Huronview (Homes for the Aged), Community Facility—Special Zone .(CF -4) • Adding Sinkhole Zone (SH) and Sinkhole Capture Area provisions • Several zoning corrections The proposed map changes include: Maps showing the location of the lands subject to this proposed Zoning By-law Amendment are available at the Huron East Municipal Office or Website (SEE Additional Information Section above). • Changes resulting from Huron County Aggregate Resource Strategy affecting Agriculture & Natural Environment zones (Tuckersmith, Grey, McKillop) • Sinkhole Zone & Sinkhole Capture Areas (Tuckersmith, Grey) ' • Identification of Municipal wells and 2 year time of travel area (Tuckersmith, McKillop, Brussels, Seaforth) • Various mapping changes and corrections in: Grey Ward and Cranbrook, Henfryn; McKillop Ward; Tuckersmith Ward and Vanastra, Egmondville; Brussels Ward; Seaforth Ward. :• • Insurance Board of Ontario pegs the actual cost of sick time much .higher. For every dollar spent on someone being sick, Michaud said, there is an additional 20-30 cents being spent on back fill. "This is two per cent (of the total levy) a year that we're paying year over year in sick time," he said. "Council has made it clear that fig- ure is too high." As a result, the county has laid out a new process for monitoring sick time, as well as keeping employees accountable for it. "There is criteria," Michaud said. "If you want to stay working, you get onto the sick plan." The county has reworked their benefits to better reflect the hard economic times, Michaud said, while still providing excellent service to employees. "The public sector has to bring in their benefit package to what is in line with the times," he said. "We need to be accountable to the rate- payer." The new plan will affect between 160-170 employees this year, moving to 670 employees within two years. Dan Schwab, photo Branden Chambers, 5, of Harpurhey, gets a lesson in driving a firetruck from firefighter Mark Melady dur- ing an open house for the Seaforth Fire Hall on Oct. 10. Visitors were given a tour of the station and provided with fire safety tips. The event was held for the nation-wide Fire Preven- tion Week, which ran from Oct. 4-10.