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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1994-01-12, Page 20Page 20 Times -Advocate, January 12, 1994 Children feared at risk in parks Snowmobilers may get new restrictions in Exeter EXETER - The town's snowmobile being reviewed in the wake of a se- ries of complaints about the ma- chines and their riders in past days. Town council last Tuesday eve- ning agreed to refer the task of see- ing if the bylaw, drafted in the early 1970s, needed some revisions. Councillor Bob Spears said he was concerned about some of the high speeds snowmobilers are rac- ing along town streets at. Clerk -treasurer Liz Bell pointed out the current bylaw restricts snowmohiles to 30 km/h in town. Councillor Robert Drummond told council he too regulations are was concerned "People like that -should be repbrted... " "...He was.I1 If the executiv the bylaw, a dra date. about the safety of children around snowmohiles. He said he saw ;, snowmobile cut across the river hanks in in Elliot park while his children were tobogganing on thertt. "This idiot comes halfway up the hill with about half a dozen kids on it," said Drummond. "People like that should be report- ed," said mayor Bruce Shaw. "He was," said Drummond. e committee decides on any changes to ft will he presented to council at a later Is it the solution for school boards? How fair is the Fair, Tax Commission? EXETER - A letter from the Fair Tax Commission had town council debating whether its proposed re- forms would be any more fair than the present system. The commission proposes a pro- vincial tax credit system to aid low- income people, more environmen- tal taxation, municipal finance re- form, and wealth taxes. One im- portant part of the plan is to remove -$3.5 billion in education taxes from property taxatiop. Councillor Bob though "one rea- son for this is the education ex- penses are out of control. The boards are un- willing to oper- ate efficiently." "I don't think changing the tax- ation is going to help, we need to elect board mem- bers who are go- ing to change things," Spears con- tinued, saying that the commission's other suggestion to disband market value assessment was suspect. Market value assessment (MVA) has been in use in Huron since 1988 to assess properties for taxa- tion. While in use in other areas, its introduction has been controverr sial in large urban municipalities. Spears said Toronto's complaints about market value assessment seemed to be behind the Fair Tax Commission's conclusions. "They're the ones who don't have MVA and I suspect this tax reform thing comes from Toronto," Spears said. "I think the whole thing is doomed because they didn't pay at- tention to the people outside of To- ronto. "This whole thing smacks of Toronto." "1 couldn't agree with Bob more," added councillor Ben Hoogen- boom, who said he made it his busi- ness to call a couple of Humn school board trustees about their present budget difficulties. When Hoogenhoom told them a 15-19 percent education tax increase wasn't acceptable, he said one sym- pathized and agreed - but the other made several complaints, including being the lowest paid trustees in Spears said he province. "I said 'I'm not buying that, and I get tired when people start talking like that and I told him it was time to consider retiring'," said Hoogen- boom. "You're very subtle," said mayor Bruce Shaw. "A 19 percent increase for the school board is not realistic," said Hoogenboom. Councillor Robert Drummond said that he didn't want to defend the school board, but noted the board is facing a cut in provincial funding. Over 80 percent of its bud- get is spent on long-term con- tracts with teach- ers' unions. "It's unrealistic to make a 20 per- cent cut in what they have to work with, but I agree they've had it too good too long," said Drummond. Reeve Bill Mickle refuted Spears' cotnments that the Fair Tax Com- mission was Toronto -centred. He said it took in many;ple from all across the province, and that he knew some who sat on the board, along with the mayor of Listowel. However, he did say that the pros- pect of tax reform should be met with -suspicion by Ontario's munici- palities. "The only thing that municipali- ties have in the way of taxation is property taxes...with the exception of a few user fees," said Mickle, and said additional costs placed on municipalities have had to go on property saxes. "Any time there's been a good thing a municipality has suggested to help taxation, the government has picked it up to help their cof- fers and not our coffers,' he said. "1 think you are going to see the province dip into the property tax level and take funds out of it," he said, noting it did happen with the commercial concentration tax im- posed in Toronto. "The government has dipped into certain areas which border on com- ing into property tax," he -said, add- ing that towns and counties have to be watchful over the next decade. "1 don't think changing the taxation is going to help, we need to elect board members who are going to change things," Television and VCR stolen in Mt. Carmel school break and enter MT. CARMEL - The Exeter OPP are investigating a theft at Mt. Carmel Separate School, mainly involving a television and a VCR. "I guess it could have been much worse," said principal Dave Sharpe. "There was no vandalism. We were lucky there." The thieves broke into the school through a small classroom win- dow, and also damaged the door into the secretary's office, but other- wise caused little other damage, said Sharpe. Stolen was a Goldstar television with a built-in VCR, and an older model Panasonic VCR. Also missing is a microwave oven, a couple of portable radios, a battery charger and a starters pistol. "The one VCR was seven or eight years old...it was pretty well done anyways," said Sharpe, who added that all the equipment's seri- al numbers are on record should the stolen items surface at a later date. The OPP are also investigating the thefts of a leather jacket from a patron at The Hensall Hotel, a barbecue stolen from a Hay Township residence, and a wallet stolen from an Albatross Tavern employee. Last Wednesday, police investigated malicious damage to a vehi- cle parked in Hensall. Its hood ornament had been stolen and its door kicked in. 'If anyone hu any information about these or other crimes, contact the OPP at 235-1300, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-265-1777. I)igging out Cral' Schroeder on left and Brian Pole, g both from Hensall were busy Sunday enjoying all the snow in the area. The pair spent the day building forts. Storewide Savings ALL MERCHANDISE REDUCED •