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Times Advocate, 1997-11-05, Page 11QUESTION #1 Where do you stand on a possible P.U.C. - Town of Exeter merger? A HOOGENBOOM, Ben Having been with the P.U.C. corn - mission for the past three years, I must tell you that this an excellently' run utility. Since 1994 several changes have been made to make the utility one of the best in Ontario. Is there a way to work together more closely with the town? Absolutely! Sharing equipment and staff would make sense. i would support what is best for Exeter's ratepayers/customers' .. % SHAW, Bruce • i've heard the two sides -now: one says the_PUC is efficient, well-managed and viable; the other agrees but . • ' says with the reduced provincial grants, the only way the Town can save • money is to merge with the PUC. IF both statements are.true, we should - go back to the table and discuss -'how' a merger could be beneficial to -both sides so that the PUC is not gutted of either employees or resources and the Town can keep a lid on taxes. i TRIEBNER, Roy My letter to the Editor published in • • •the October •I5th edition of the Exeter Times Advocate outlined at great length, my position .on a possible PUC/i'own merger. The short answer is that at this time we simply do not have the benefit of sound analysis and deliberation to take a position either for or against a possible merger. , t URLiN, Dave - - - On the possible merger of the Exeter PUC and the Town of Exeter. i support the merger. As•long as all information that comes forward proves that there will lie savings forahe ratepayers of Exeter. It seems to me that with -two buildings. two com- puter systems, two of everything. including staff..the two could jriin _ together and save money. That makes sense to me. f , ARMSTRONG, Peter • I. as a candidate for council, sat - on a P.U.C. meeting just after it became public knowledge of a possihle . joint Town/P.U.C. venture. The Public Utilities Commission,has a very- wide erywide range of comments and suggestions.they described at that meeting. The new council. as a whole needs to look atthe complete -package again, andhen meet with theP.U.C.'mrtemfiers as equals. I feel there should have, been public input and a public forum on this issue before the_Town parti- -tioned the -Province to intervene. If the P.U.C. can show that there are not any changes that wriuld substantially save the tax payers money. or that •. they can make their own changes to save, then one might, consider not to -combine Town and P.U.C. For council to appoint their own commissioners .is exactly what went wrong with our big neighboyr to the south. To•have someone appointed to the P.U.C. may lead them to feel they have to do a tell all, do all job to keep their position. This would not - he in the best - interest of the public. •. f DRUMMOND, Robert . . The town and PUC hired a consult- ing firm to -study all town and PUC operations to look for areas of cost • 's vings and/or increased efficiency. One of their many recommendations •i- as to merge the town and PUC operations. They felt.that•the citizens of xeter could.realize substantial savings through increased efficiency in both Operations. To not act on that recogtmendation is akin to getting a - prescription from your doctor for what ails you and then not taking it..I - - say this -merger should take -place. -- --_ - - -- . % HOGAN, Joe I have an open mind on the POC- .. Town merger proposal. i think that the PUC in its present form'has pro- - vided a good. reliable service for us, hut [can also. understand the present Council's desire to examine every possibility for keeping property taxes from rising. i do not want to see services cut or an escalation in user fees. . -0 OKE, Tom ,. • I have always thought that the PUC has ran efficiently and delivered . excellent service. Maybe it should be left alone. However, if findings indi- cate a significant cost savings. one has to consider a merger or other • restructuring plan which I would support. 0 ROBERTSON, George - , The P.U.C. is operated on a user -pay service at cost. The local utility has always been a customer first utility and offers nothing. but the best service. 1 can see somewhere in the future a sharing of staff i.e. management. cleri- cal as a cost saving measure. i support a stand alone utility at this time. 0. TRAQUAIR, Dan .. • At this time 1 have an open mind. to me there are too many unknowns.. From information available it would be economical now but will there -be savings -if 'amalgamation takes place. Is the P.U.C. and Town running as efficient as -possible. Maybe.the P.U.C. can find ways on its own■to cut -costs. reading meters Six times.a year instead of twelve. does bad accounts justify -monthly billings. To me where ever costs are cut without disruption to the service will be a sa% mg'to the citizens of Exeter. . . QUESTION #2 The public Is III -Informed about agendas and issues in advance of Council and Committee meetings. How do you plan to rectify this? li HOOGENBOOM, Ben ' . I believe Exeter needs a commu- nity bulletin board where agendas could be posed. This should be located near the Old Town Hall. I believe our local newspaper can play a greater • role in their coverage of council meetings. The Internet is also a great communication vehicle for many of our citizens. 0 • SHAW, Bruce Although many ideas have been tried in the past to communicate with the public. we have to keep trying. I would suggest that a schedule of regular meetings be enclosed with each • • tax bill, two ads a year be placed in the TA stating the dates of themeet- ings for the half-year and that notices be placed periodically on commu- nity bulletin boards: The ads and notices shotild-also advise the public that, the Friday prior to each council meeting. a list of agenda topics will be available in the municipal offices. Of course there will always be the spe- cial issue public meetings held periodically. O TRIEBNER, Roy . Apart from the obvious sugges-' tions such as using outside bulletin boards and/or the local paper as a means of informing the citizens. I believe Council must seriously address the issue of Public Relations on a wider scale. The real issue here is that we, the elected officials. must overcome public apathy by creating an atmosphere which truly generates public interest in the affairs of Council. O URLiN, Dave • If the public thinks it is ill- informed about agenda and issues:they could phone the Municipal Office. All Council and Committee meetings arc open to the public - agendas are available every Friday afternoon. I don't see this as changing. O ARMSTRONG, Peter .1 do not believe that the public is ill-informed. i just don't feel they are informcdto'the fullest The press -is there for their own interests to.capture the highlights of the meeting: The public should put together a group so that they can'be there. not•to get any juicy news. but to pick up on new information or what is in the works for • following meetings..This information could be published in the weekly paper. 0 DRUMMOND, Robert I do not know the answer to this one but there are several possibilities. There could be an agenda printed in the TA hut this is difficult because the agenda for a Monday meeting is not finalized until the previous Wednesday or Thursday and the TA prints on . Tuesday. Also there often are items added after preparation. Perhaps the TA could print an entire agenda post -meetings to let the people know the current topics and do a more complete reporting of our meetings. But I . also must add that it is a rare occasion that we have a citizen in the gallery unless he or she has business with council or is there for recognition of an , achievement. , • HOGAN, Joe 1 would vote to have the agenda posted on the door of the town hall on the Friday before Monday's Council Meeting. The public can attend Council and Committee meetings if•they so wish. i OKE, Tom • Any issues that require public input are usually well advertised in advance • in our local paper: Agendas, minutes and hack up material are available at the town office upon request: Any further efforts to provide information would have to come as a result of increased interest. 1 would encourage rate payer groups to have representatives at all council meetings so they Times -Advocate, November 5, 1997 Page 11 TOWN OF EXETER QUESTIONS TO CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR AND COUNCIL - could carry back topics for information and discussion. / . ROBERTSON, George Agepdas, as I see them, ate avail- able at the municipal office. Issues of importance are for the most part published in the local paper. i do,not believe that any municipal govern- ment should have•a hidden agenda. • • • TRAQUAIR, Dan Any party can write or attend coun- cil meetings and ask for time to make a presentation. As far as advance issues are concerned, possibly an agenda could be posed somewhere where interested citizens could see the issues -to he discussed. Maybe the issues could he put on voice mail at the Town Office. QUESTION #3 . How do you view Exeter's future as it fits Into the area's future? (le: economic growth, popu- - Infrastructure requirements) A HOOGENBOOM, Ben i believe our future looks bright. Our council has heeniplanning for growth. as our number one priority is to enlarge the lagoons. This expansion will allow for our industrial and resi- dential sectors to grow. Our commercial area is strong and vibrant and is able to meet the needs of Exeter and surrounding municipalities. O SHAW, Bryce At one time, it was the desire of some to limit the size of the community because of our saturated infra- • structure (water and sewage system). Since then; the population has expe- rienced a minor explosion and the sewage treatment and water supply sys- tems.have expanded.. it is my'view that we wilt continue with modest .growth. and our economy will expand to fill our service capacity. More - than ever, we will he the hub and market centre for the entire south Huron area. O- -TRIEBNER, Roy • Exeters growth rate over the past .. decade has. outstripped every other community within Huron County and I am optimistic that this will -continue. As a result of the following initia tires. Exeter is now well positioned to take full advantage of economic and assessment growth opportunities well into the 2lst century: a) Our water - supply system has. recently been upgraded and expanded to provide for a population target of 7000 residents. h) We are on the threshold of under, taking a sewage treatment expansion which will match the above noted . population target. c) Through the acquisition of lands adjacent to the _Exeter landfill site. -we have ensured a landfill capacity for the next 66 years. d) There is now a greater awareness.nf the fact that -the health of the downtown core area has a tremendous influence on the overall viability of the town. in this respect. strategic planning and positive action is being taken to ensure the orderly.renewal of the core.area. - %' URLIN. Dave - • - Exeter's future, as Council sees it. with.the•water and sewer expansions. to take place -in the near future, will give theTown an excellent start. to the future. The landfill site .can be • expanded to' approximately 60 years. All of the above gives Exeter a growth toapproximately 8.000 people. These services in addition to Recreation. a strong BIA. aggressive Municipal staff will lead to a strong economic growth . • ARMSTRONG, Peter i feel Exeter is the core to a very large_surroun_ding area. We are the, tnetting_place, shopping1place and_ - social events place for all other neighbouring Townships and communities. i,see Exeter as the backbone to hold all it's neighbours together. Exeter's economic and political future will he enhanced by theoutlying areas wish to stay involved with Exeter.-- O DRUMMOND, Robert -, I look for Exeter to be the leader in this area for the future. We have water supply in place and enlarged sew-_ . age treatment facilities are'on line. With capacities in place Exeter will be able to accept even pursue increased development - residential. commer- cial and industrial. The ripple effect from: this growth should benefit every- one in Exeter. But while water and sewage capacity are major factors in attracting development things like schools, churches, shopping, hospital. 'recreational 'facilities, etc. Must also_be promoted if Exeter is to win out in a bidding war fora development.. - 0- HOGAN, Joe Exeter will continue to grow and hopefully attract new business and industry..It is the centre of a fine agri- cultural area. Our proximity to London and location on wo busy highways help. An additional water source has been added. asewage system e(pan-. sion is already in the works and our landfill site has a 70year term if used only by Exeter The presence -of a Hospital is also a drawing card. ' • OKE, Tom - I am very optimistic when it comes to, Exeter's future. With careful planning. and creativity. Exeter could becomean even more vibrant place to live and the commercial business. and industrial core for the area. • % ROBERTSON, George Exeter's future should beone of growth with a focus on a solid tax base. Allow population to grow.with•the town's capability to prdvide service for this growth. • •. >i TRAQUAIR. Dan I consider Exeters future -as it fits into the areas future as being theaxis for economic growth and being the populous and administration hub. When the sewers are upgraded we will have the capabilities to handle more. • OUESTiON #4 We view the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Area as a valuable community resource. Where do ' you stand on Exeter supporting the Conservation Area? O HOOGENBOOM; Ben The town of Exeter pays the A.B.C.A. approximately S37.000 each•year. This is Exeter's levy based on our assessment and population. This year the A.B.C.A. sold the house in the park- which was purchased in Oct. 1960 in partnership with the prov- ince. and the town of Exeter. The selling price was S85.000. The question is. where is our share? Council has agreed to meet with the A.B.C.A. board in the new year. There are areas in our town that require attention, espe- dally the area to the east of the Main St. bridge and the area West of the bridge. The latter would made an ideal. trail for our citizens to enjoy., 0 SHAW, Bruce •if we look narrowly, we see the ABCA in the river and at the dam; we don't see it beyond our borders. In fact. of course. it has been an integral part of Exeter for over 40 years. If we grow through annexation or amalgamation. we will extend our borders (and hopefully our horizons) and realize that the Authority still has an impact on.us. As far as support is concerned, we have to re-examine our relationship with ABCA and commit ourselves to a fair and reasonable • financial levy. % TRIEBNER, Roy . In terms of the operation of the ABCA, Exeter. based on fair -share assessment calculations, contributes approximately 530.000.00 annually. We have no choice in this matter as it is a legislated expenditure requirement. If you are referring to the Morrison Dam conservation area. lam on record as indicating my willingness to meet with the Authority' to discuss the extent of the Town's potential involvement. • URLIN, Dave 1 believe that Exeter has supported the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Area in the past and will continue in the future. We may not always agree on every aspect of the Authority. but Exeter does contribute approximately $40.000.00 each year to the Ausable-Bayfield. O ARMSTRONG, Peter i have spoken out before on this topic and I feel we should, support our local Ausable Bayfield 'Conservation Area. Our local conservation area is a valuable resource that we maybe take for granted. but I feel it is a resource we just shouldn't wash our hands of do to cutbacks. We need to look at being more of a working partner with the A.B.C.A. and not just a financial source. An example wohld be. that the dollars and man hours the authority uses to keep the walking trail in good repair could also. as an alternative. come from Exeter's wood chipping machine to supply the ground path material and therefore it is a win/sin situation for A.B.C.A. and Exeter. Let's put the past behind us and renew a mutual working agreement to benefit all of us for the future. O DRUMMOND, Robert I assume that this question is a result of the recent ketuffle over the Monson Dam. The Conservation Authority does important work and i am willing to support it by paying the General Watershed Levy. But i am against Exeter paying extra toward a part of the CA unless it can be shown that Exeter gets a significant distinct benefit that others'do not. .0 HOGAN, Joe . The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Area is a valuable resource and we are part of the watershed. Exeter's support is significant since our contribution is based on our • assessment base. - - • • - A. OKE, Tom in my opinion Exeter residents - have benefited form the work of the ABCA; not just the Morrison Dam area but several areas throughout the watershed including our own parkin - Exeter. We need to maintain an overall authority or group to coordinate • plans that will provide good conservation practices and/or park recreation . facilities. Therefore I would favour continued support of -the ABCA. . t ROBERTSON, George I view the Ausable-Conservation Area as a valuable community resource and would support this resource as it'pertains to Exeter. . O TRAQUAIR, Dan I am in favour of supporting the • Conservation Area, it is a valuable community resource. I also support • •Exeter's share of levy but I also feel that the other areas that benefit from it should pay their share as well. QUESTION #5 Provincial downloading and increasing costs make it difficult to hold the line on tax increases particularly when residents expect that certain levels of service will continue to be provided. What guidelines will you personally use in deciding where to draw the line at budget time? f HOOGENBOOM, Ben . No doubt. the newly elected coup- ' col will have to deal with this issue immediately. Again I must point out that the amount of transfer payments from the provincial government will - dictate what needs to be considered insetting our priorities at budget time. Irsonaily have a problem with any tax increases.- SHAW, Bruce I've always looked at need: real and perceived. We can.see what roads have to be paved and we'll pave. Mem. but_we don't always see the long-term value of -safe sidewalks. spe- • • cial activities (such as the twice -yearly garbage pick-up and promotional • events). recreation. parks and protection (to people and property). One cannot be rejected or embraced because of bias. All have to be balanced - ' and considered by Council. if one is relegated to last place this year. it • must hehigh on the list for next year. That is why I firmly -believe in three year and five year plans so that at the end of a mandate. councillors can account to the public that they have exercised good judgement in all areas ,of their responsibility and neglected•none. . % TRIEBNER, Roy An i l th hour slash and burn . approach to budget preparation is totally: unacceptable. A better way. through the use df fhrward planning techniques leading to early identifica- tion of financial problems will allow for a controlled budget preparation . process. -in this manner, we have sufficient time tri react to.any significant revenue/expenditure fluctuations. This is precisely what we are doing•in response to the financial threat we now face as a result of the Provincial. - refotminitiatives.As_thereoder-knows_the-Townasan he.process_of _ implementing an internal restructuring plan with the objective; of minimiz- ing the need for property tax increases 8r reduction in service levels. Should it ever he necessary for Council to consider significant reductions . to the current level Of service, then I would encourage Council to seek the appropriate public input as part of the -decision process. - %' URLIN, Dave,At budget time. where to.draw the line on certain services to keetaxes down. takes a great deal of input ' from citizens and staff, To determine the least possible impact on the resi- dents.of Exeter. Council has to weigh every program. in every department. keeping in mind the needs of youth and senior. The essentials such as re i-' reation. police, fire. ,sewer and water need to be addressed first. thenexam- ine what is left:. ' O -ARMSTRONG, Peter ' I first feel council will have to look at the current costs of operating the Town. then look at the budgets to see if there is any shortfall. If so we will have to trim the fat from the budgets. This will have to be done with the least amount of inconvenience to our taxpayers. Ideas of how to trim should first come from the Town's .• employees. Who better,is there to know what can be done without, or what - new system may be put into place to be more-efficient..•From this•your. • councilcant build a savings plan to boat save: dollars and regain some serv-, ices. One example would be. the day theTown opened the dump -to the public. There was a steady stream of trucks, trailers and trunk fulls of • heavy garbage removed from the Town. This eliminated cost to the Town for trucking,, manpoweretc. We may -not need to drop all the services we have. to meet budget. but we may have to adjust the way we implement _ them. O DRUMMOND,' Robert Provincial downloading and Cut- backs and increased costs are here. While nobody tikes to hear of service . cuts council is going to have to assess its serviee'delivery and decide which'is a necessity which is not and which is it possible to cut thefre- • queasy of. We have -no choice in this matter. Service c'ost money. Exeter's source of revenue has been taxes and provincial grants. The grants are dis- appearing fast. That leaves taxes•to pay for service. Since large jumps,in taxes are unacceptable there has to be an adjustment in services provided. Of course not everybody wilt agree on what is a necessity and which is a. nicety.,To satisfy the majorite of citizens we will have to have their input and it must come early and not complaining about a cut later. Perhaps - council could draw up a list of services provided and their approximate cost. This list would becirculated for public' input. Hopefully we would • receive a large enough response that would enable council to accurately read what the public feels must -be maintained and what could be adjusted. % HOGAN, Joe • This will be a real challenge. I think that no services should be withdrawn. With less education taxes on residential property and a greater downloading of provincial services on • . us. it remains to be seen how much of a shortfall we will be in. 1 under- stand the provincial government still hasn't provided figures to the Municipalities. In addition we don't know how much the County bill will be. At budget time. each item would have to be examined closely. How much should be in reserve funds? How much capital spending should we be doing each year'' I understand Council has used a Cost Saving Committee in the past to look at specific items. This to me is a good practice. • OKE, Tom' . To maintain the levels of service that we are accustomed to will cost the taxpayer. This is siniple econom- ics. My personal guidelines are careful priorizing Of needed and desirable services and wise decision-making as to how much we can afford. Safety ' • factors. health factors and the relationship of cost to benefit will certainly be major considerations. - i ROBERTSON, George Provincial downloading and increasing cost all reflect back to the taxpayer. People expect to get good reliable service for the money they pay. To take away any of these services and the alarm bells sound and rightly so. Exeter has always taken pride in keeping its town clean and in good working order. Cut the staff and we lose some 'services. Ideas are cheap but service costs money and we all know you get what you pay for. People who pay the bills expect a good• return for their tax dollars. That would be my guideline. t TRAQUAIR, Dan The core services will have to be maintained and provided for the Town of Exeter. At budget time the prior- 'ity services should get preference attention. For ways to cut costs. you have to look at areas that are not crucial. something that could be set aside and put off for a while. Maybe more volunteer workers will be required for some services. The bottom line is that being responsible for monies spent by taxpayers for the Town of Exeter council must hold the line and still maintain good services.