Times Advocate, 1989-03-15, Page 31
County
GODERICH - Huron country tax-
payers will have to come up with
19.58 percent more to pay for the
county budget adopted by County
Council at its March 9 meeting.
Most of the increase (15 percent)
will -go to two major capital pro-
jects.
The county budget, totalling
$27,421,704 was approved by
council despite the strong objec-
tions of the two Exeter representa-
tives. Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle and
Deputy Reeve Lossy Fuller joined
Marie Hicknell of McKillop, Jack
Coleman, deputy reeve of Stanley,
Garry Baker, Deputy Reeve of Ste-
phen, Gerry Prout, Reeve of Us -
borne and Tom Tomes, Reeve of
Stephen, as the only councillors to
oppose the budget in a recorded
vote.
Reeve Mickle argued that second
phase of the county's waste Man-
agement Master Plan should be set
aside in order to keep the size of the
increase down. If the county didn't
commit to the second phase of the
study he suggested,it didn't need to
start a reserve fund for the eventual-
ity the county gets into waste man-
agement. Of the 19.58 percent in-
crease,:15 percent is made up of the
capital reserves of $362,760 for
waste management and $893,750
set aside for the construction of a
new Huronview home for the aged.
The increase for the operating
budget of the county amounts to
just over four percent. The cost to
the average taxpayer with a house
assessed at $50,000 will be an extra
$25.60 for county purposes alone.
Reeve Mickle argued that while
the budget has jumped a great deal,
the increase is actually larger than it
appears because the county had a
surplus of $471,916 in its general
account, $431,651 in its highways
account and $40,066 in its library
account from 1988 operations.
Clerk -Administrator Bill Hanly.
said that half the money in the sur-
plus had been put into working re-
serve funds, which was not as much
as he would have liked. If the whole
surplus had been used to keep down
taxes, he argued, it would mean the
council would start in a further
$500,000 hole when it came to try-
ing to match next year's budget
needs.
It would be easy for him to say
wipe out.the reserves and surplus to
keep taxes down this year Hanly
said, because it would be his last
year before retirement but the prob-
lem would be worse next year.
As to ttte reserve for suture waste
management expenses Hanly said
that the reserve fund is to help
spread the costs 'over a period of
time so that council doesn't get
caught having to raise $600,000 in
one year if the waste management
study shows the need for the coun-
ty to open a central waste manage-
ment facility. If at the end of the
study it's apparent that the county
shouldn't be in the waste manage-
ment business then council would
have the reserve money to spend
on other things. "Personally I
think that in future local munici-
palities won't be able to afford to
have waste management and will
want the county to take over."
He said that the five-year plan
takes the county up to the point of
buying sites for waste manage-
ment. Whether council ever gets to
that point is up to council to de-
cide, he said.
Deputy Reeve Fuller said that
everybody realizes that waste man-
agement is important but way back
when the county decided to go
ahead with construction of a new
museum council agreed that the
Huronvicw project would be next.
"We have to stop, have to set our
priorities" she said, urging the
Clerk fired
Continued from front page
lard.
At a meeting Thursday night,
Smith was named clerk/treasurer in
an interim basis until April when
the first stage of the re -organization
of the officc is completed, but
Sharon said he wants to continue to
have regular meeting with staff to
let them give their input on the sit-
uation.
"The officc is now short-staffed. I
don't feel council realize the impact
the the situation. It is not fair of
plJncil to.l
sly resume Dianne's role, especially
4 wfien tfic office is already starti
to become busy with various in-
quiries over the telephone and at the
counter. it will be difficult with
four people to keep on top of the
workload, let alone trying to learn
municipal accounting and various
matter we have never dealt with,"
said Smith in her report to council.
Smith added that she has never
has any dealing as treasurer and she
said council thinks it will be get-
ting further ahead by streamlining
things in the office, while in fact
they will be getting further behind,
because all the jobs will be new to
everybody.
•
Times -Advocate, March 15, 1989 Page 3
budget goes up dstrong a
opposition
seum operating budget insteaa of will be higher, he said.
Despite the criticism the budget
passed by a 27-7 margin with two
councillors absent.
waste management reserve not be
set up. She pointed out that -the ef-
fect on taxpayers in some town-
ships would be even heavier be-
cause of the move last year to
market value assessment for coun-
ty tax purposes. While taxpayers
in those townships were shielded
by the full effect of the increases
last year by provincial transition
grants, the burden would be heavier
this year as the grants diminished.
Robert Fisher, Reeve of Zurich
also argued for priorities and
warned that the effect of pay equity
legislation may cause more new
costs for the county.
But Grant Stirling, Reeve of
Goderich argued for the necessity
of the waste management reserve
saying his township had the largest
landfill site in the county and he
thus had the largest number of peo-
ple down his back because of waste
management problems. The urban
municipalities don't have dumps in
their backyards so it's easy for
them to say the reserve fund isn't
important. •
Other reeves had worries in other
areas. Bruce Machan, Reeve of
Wingham worried that costs of
running Huronview arc almost as
high as they were before one wing
was closed last year, taking away
55 beds. Hanly explained that the
costs of staffing that wing weren't
large and that if the residential care
wing could have been kept filled, it
would have cut the county's share
of support for Huronview by about
$100,000. The county's share of
expenses for the $5,912,000 budget
of Huronview this year will be
$460,024.
Tom Cunningham, Reeve of
Hullett worried about the increase
in the library budget, pointing out
to council that library expenditures
are picked up 75 percent by the
county taxpayers and only 25 per-
cent from the province. The coun-
ty's share of the budget will be
$754,929 this year, an increase of
11.8 percent from last year's bud-
get. Over the past 10 years the li-
brary budget has been one of the
fastest growing areas in the budget
and the province hasn't picked up
its share, Reeve Cunningham said.
Reeve Fisher worried about the
increase in operating expenses for
the Huron Pioneer Museum an in-
crease of 27 percent from last year.
Part of this is due to the fact that
when the construction on the mu-
seum is completed in September,
project director Claus Breede's sal-
ary will be absorbed into the mu-
Mickle seeks QSUM re-election
county government restructuring is
expected to be released in April by
the Ministry o( Municipal Affairs.
Mickle said a special meeting of
AMO is being held March 30 in
Toronto concerning the freezing of
conditional grants and the effect on
municipalities of the increase in
sales tax.
He added, " This is very serious
business. We can see large increases
in our costs in this town because of
the freezing of grants and higher
costs because of the extra tax.
Foreseeing. the future could also be
worse. We need the backing of all
municipalities."
EXETER - Exeter reeve Bill
Mickle will again be running for a
position as a director of the Ontario
Small Urban Municipalities Asso-
ciation.
Mickle has completed three years
on the board.
At a recent council meeting,
Deputy Reeve Lossy Fuller urged
as many councillors as possible to
attend the upcoming convention in
Barrie on May 3 to 5 to support
Mickle.
Fuller added, " It's up to us to
support him and in addition it's a
great opportunity for councillors,
especially the new ones to see what
other small municipalities are do -
ing."
Mickle will be the moderator for
a workshop at the afternoon session
on May 4 on "What is the Province
doing for and to municipalities."
OSUM is a section of the Associ-
ation of Municipalities of Ontario
for municipalities with populations
under 50,000.
Mickle said five of the current
nixie directors were defeated during
their own municipal elections in
November.
The Exeter reeve is on two com-
mittees at the AMO level. They -are-
a conditional grants review and fis-
cal policy.
The final report and decision on
eco op
•
the capital budget. Next year when
the entire year's salary is included
in the operating budget the increase
Time for a skip - Robin Pavlick of Crediton demonstrates her skip-
ping ability. .
Mar•
WHEN YOU FILL UP
AT THE CO-OP GAS BAR
YOU CAN PURCHASE A
75th ANNIVERSARY
COMMEMORATIVE MUG
FOR ONLY $1.50 IN
CO-OP BONUS COUPONS.
This fine porcelain classic style mug with 14K Gold on
rim and handle features scenes from an original painting
by Peter Etril Snyder, commissioned by United
Co-operatives of Ontario on the occasion of their.75th
Anniversary.
There are 4 mugs in the series and a new mug will be
released every week . This offer applies while
supplies last.
Every time you fill up at a CO-OP Gas Bar, you.get
CO.OP cash coupons worth 2% on cash and 1% on
credit purchases. Normally, you can use these just like
cash in the CO.OP store. Coupons for this event may be
redeemed at the Gas Bar. CO-OP is pleased to provide
this tremendous value on what promises to be an
exceptional collector's item.
-Anniversary Celebrations
anniversary in 1989.
At a gathering held in Toronto on March 19 and 20, 1914. 300 leaders of
agricultural groups from across the province established United Farmers
Co•operative Company. Ltd As the business arm of the United Farmers of,
Ontario agrarian movement, they provide farm input and marketing - ..
services to improve economic conditions for Ontario farmers. The
founding of UFCC and UFO sparked the development of buying clubs and
coops in many communities, and over a number of years, our present
CO.OP system evolved In 1948. UFCC was reorganized as United
Co-operatives of Ontario: and to -day. UCO and its member co-operatives
Carry on serving farmers' supply and marketing needs
Principals
Continued from front page
"It seems unfortunate that the
most experienced secondary school
principals arc going through such a
stressful period now in their own
lives. There is an excellent chance
not just one experienced principal
but several may leave. Those con-
cerned about the good of the sys-
tem and the good of the schools
should ask themselves if they can
withstand this loss."
• CO.OP
lt'tn
Zigh1
iron) the start
PURCHASE THE
;REMAINING 3 MUGS
TO COMPLETE
YOUR SET
ONLY $15° EACH
IN CO-OP BONUS COUPONS
with 25 Titre fuel fill up
Peter Etril Snyder
For over twenty years,. Peter litrtl Snyder
has demonstrated his trersatiluv in paintings
of Mennonite country life as well as scenes
from across Canada and _Europe'. Since his
time ar the Ontario College (yArt, this
exhibited his style through original'
parnr{lt, hmitcd.edttiont.i llicior p.jam;
ltoeiti.-14Artsbeen-featured by .
newspapers, matstimrs, r'''—'-,.._
in the U.S., many corporations and -
.individua/s who own his paintings. '
In 1985 the Canadian ppvernmenr presented
oTrrer !irrilSnyder painting "The
Homesteaders°to N.R.H. Prince Philip.
To'celebrare his twenty-year career,
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
)•:ntcrprises and Peter Bird Snyder
co -published "9 Painter's Harvest", a coffer
rabic book that shows a range ofSnyder's
work.
1
This successful Canadian artist operates
a gallery in Waterloo, Ontario which
showcases his work and welcomes visitors.
A full colour catalogue of reproductions
is available on request.
WSA
EXETER DISTRICT CO—OP F.—'+7-7
did
Exeter 235-2081
Ailsa Craig 293-3282