Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-23, Page 4BLUE RIBBON AWARD Second class mail registration number -0716 1�1 9.:K1 1,0-$TARt WEbNE$PAX,4gRi143 1980 ,. a SINCE -1848 y THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT Founded In 144$ and published every Wednesday et. Goderich, Ontario. Member pf the CCNA and OWN*_ Adver- tiping trate on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '14.00 in Canada, 13.00 to U.S.A., '33.00 to all other coun. tyles, single copies 13'. Pippley advertising rotes available on request, Please ask for Rate Card No. 10 effective Septa 1, MR. Second class mail Registration Number 0711i. Advertising Is accepted an the condition that In the event of typoUraphlcel error, the advertising space ofcupled by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance Tor fI iature w11I not be charged for but the balance of the advertlfemgnt wi i ba paid for of the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advorttstng goods or services at wrodg price. goods or service may not bo sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn at any time. Tho Signal -Star Is not responsible for Afro ton or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher SHIRLEY J, KELLER - Editor DONALD M. HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES - Assistant Editor P.O. BOX 220, HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 4B6 C:6 FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES please phone (519) 524-8331 Tifjninceiiig�.�d h Despite what you hear on the street or what you feel from your tax bill or even to some extent what you read in 'the newspapers, Goderich's finances are in good shape .... and in good hands. This fact was made crystal clear last week at Goderich TdWn Council when a respresentati\'e from the municipality's auditors MacGillivray and Company praised town clerk Larry McCabe and his assistant Lee Ryan for their excellent job in managing the town's treasury. In these days of high interest rates, taxpayers should know that for the past two years the town has avoided borrowing money. Previously many thousands of dollars annually were spent in bank interest . charges., but through the- careful management of McCabe and Ryan, this costly and useless expense has been deleted from the town's budget. For -that; every -taxpayer in Goderich- should -be. grateful. That's definitely a reduction -in-taxation for each one - and maximum municipal service for every tax dollar paid. What's more, the auditors pointed out that McCabe and Ryan have an enviable record of making maximum use of grants and subsidies. That means, they have taken every advantage of provincial and federal assistance to municipalities,` working that assistance to the good of Goderich and her many faithful citizens. Last year, the town wound up with a surplus at a time when a record amount of work was being accomplished in the community. That takes top performance by the finance committee to be sure, but moreso by its administrative personnel who are the real wizards when it comes right down to it. So this week it is a giant tip of the hat to Larry McCabe and" Lee Ryan, both young men on their way up. -Goderich taxpayers are -fortunate to have- ..• - them at the town hall working on their behalf. - SJK Take frazzled flags down It's spring. People are out driving and walking, riding and running, Tourists are beginning to arrive in the area. It's time again to check your flags. If there are flags flying in Goderich which are ripped and faded, ragged and dirty, they should be taken down and disposed of. Their day is spent. • In their place should be fresh new crisp bunting, if that is possible. Failing that, the flagpoles should remain empty. There's nothing that says neglect faster than frazzled flags. There's no need for them to be there and there's no way they should be left there. Take a look at your flag poles. If they need at- tention, get to it right away. Don't let your property • detract from The Prettiest Town In Canada •this spring and summer. -SJK There's no need to be lonely You're not getting older; you're getting better. That's a familiar phrase these days, and it really couldn't be more true. People today aren't so much afraid of getting old as they once were. Why should they . fear aging? Much of the distress and un- certainty of the declining years has been removed. and in its place is relative security, good health and useful activity, • Why, there are more, and more young people ever .y....day...who_are___looking _ahead to. retirement.,. •planning it with vigor and anticipating it with verve. The •go•lden years are just that for an ever- increasing segment of society. Men 'and women are reaching 65 years in the pink of condition with plenty of opportunity to continue in the work world if that is their desire...or to pursue a new career, either on a paid or volunteer basis. Many more people each year are financially secure at retirement, having set aside' funds for that specific purpose. Some now have company pension plans 'to aid them during retirement. As well, there's the pension plans undertaken by the federal government which provide some measure of dignity to all the aging. There is even a new measure of self-esteem among the senior citizens of the country. They are most often totally independent, able to enjoy life on their own terms and in their own style. In ,Goderich, senior citizens are getting organ'ized. They have their own centre of activities now at MacKay Hall and they are undertaking an unusually imaginative program of events which ice" bound to strike the fancy of nearly everyone 55 years of age or more in the community. There's absolutely no need for seniors in this town to sit around uninvolved and alone. There's still plenty of room for new members. The goal is 300 men and women 55 years of age or better. At last count, only 134 persons had signed up at the MacKay Centre for Seniors. If you are in the right age bracket to join the group, why not get busy and sign up right away. You'll gain new- friends, new insight, new ex- citement for living and new purpose for staying' young. It's the best bargain in town at $2. Do Expect reply This week .is the final instalment of the article written by K.F.Ainslie, consultant and lecturer, to the right of this column. The article was not solicited by The Goderich Signal -Star, but was submitted by Mr." Ainslie as an opinion for ' dissemination to the community. There is no doubt that municipal officials in Goderich will be deeply disturbed by some parts of th.e offering. The Ainslie viewpoint does" leave plenty of room for argument, and it is to be hoped that municipal officials who feel strongly enough about specific allegations made within the article, will refute them in this newspaper and under their own signature. The Goderich Signal -Star welcomes the opinions of all its -readers. While. the newspaper does not necessarily agree with-aTI" opinions It receives T - does reserve the right to publish those opinions so long as they are not libellous or slanderous. That's freedom of the press, so dearly purchased by a few and so lovingly cherished by many. -SJK DEAR READERS he largesse of rnunicipa� spending: its causes and cures BY K.F. AINSLIE Implications of Spending What are the implications of Goderich's established . municipal expenditure patterns? Firstly, we have to pay for expanding expenditure commitments, -and the property tax is a slow growth tax, so there will be a continuous revenue squeeze with its own spin-off effects. Secondly, additional sustained spending on services and salaries, as well as higher taxes imposes in - ._.' flat ion ary-•pressur.es . on _ the. _. local _.-- economy. Thirdly, spending means programs; these bulwark the public sector and compete for a larger and larger chunk of economic and social life with the volunteer sector. Volunteerism has been and should remain an integral part of life in this community. 1) Revenue Squeeze: About half of all the Town's revenue is derived from locally raised taxation - the property. tax. Other sources, mainly provincial conditional and unconditional grants account for the lion's share of the remainder. When the demand or supply of services goes up, so does the property ,,tax and as such we see another increase in the most regressive tax known to Western public finance economics. Nothing to date has been successful `'in making the property tax progressive. Why? The property tax is not based on one's ability to pay it. It is a tax against one form of wealth - real property. Paying taxes according to one's income has been and should remain a fundamental principal of taxation, yet the property tax' remains. Why`? Senior - levels -of --go v-e-rnment are • not attracted to using provincial and federal revenues to finance local services; services less able to attract votes to a governing political party. A precarious combination of ethics and political expediency account for the share now assumed by these governments. BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Tax Credit Aid Not property tax credits nor elderly pensioners' tax credits have made the property tax equitable. If one's income matches the amount and kind of real property owned, then the property tax coincidentally may be roughly .en .u.i.tab.Le.,...... _..__ . _ _ .. However, once that net is cast, there is a significant portion of property owners who are negatively affected. Pensioners and others on fixed, low or moderate incomes can have their savings and incomes eaten away by excessive property taxation_ They may x even lose their homes if taes and other costs inflate too quickly. Single parent families and widows also face a more dismally uncertain future. Where is the equity, where is the justice, when individuals or their deceased spouses, who have worked hard all their lives, are told at mid-life or later that the rules have been changed. Not only that, but now the new rules aid the strongi against the weak, destroy most incentives in our en- terprise system' and encourage dependence as opposed to initiative, hard work and creativity. Where is the justice when the cold, -self-serving answer to these corn - plaints, ..is.c sellyour -house—In °th.e. end.. _ justice must be found at the ballot box around the third week of November this year - municipal election time. Market Value Assessment If you thought market value assessment was the saviour of equity and fairness, think again. Market value. assessment, by placing emphasis on upwardly rising market values, will increase the burden on the average homeowner, thus creating an even more regressive tax system. Just in case you winners in the last round of assessments think the world,of municipal government is a rosy place, please note that the Regional Assessment Office has done its calculation for the next round and it is up by 25 percent. That should rattle the complacency of a few double income households. MVA - A Red Herring? On the question of equity and market value assessment, how bad was. the local situation before the recent. changes? - In a survey taken in December, 1978, a comparison was made between 'old' and 'new' homes in Goderich.' It was not a random.. sample;._it..._was .._better.._ The ,survey compared old and new houses, longitudinally, in order to get a representative sampling of high to low value homes in each category. The survey found that the average assessment of old houses was slightly higher than new houses: $5213 to $5152. So much for the myth of inequity favouring older homes. Even the Assessment Commissioner, Mr. Jenkins, publicly stated in this newspaper that if inequities existed in a few particular cases, in the overall pattern they were not significant. -2) Inflationary Pressures: Inflation of prices takes place in a number of ways as a'result of municipal spending and higher taxes. Firstly, continuous public spending will heat up a local economy by the very nature and regularity of its distribution. Wage rates across the community will be affected especially if the price paid for equivalent public sector labour outstrips the private sector. Higher salaries and incomes will create additional demand for good's and services; prices in the consumer marketplace will go up, which in turn will exert pressure on all labour costs. These labour costs can be rather onerous on the municipality if an expectation of across-the-board increases are built into the budget. Secondly, higher taxes will at the very least exert pressure on rental prices as the tax burden is shifted on to renters by landlords. Where rent controls apply, landlords mast absorb additional costs. 3)-Volunteerector: Finally, as more and more programs are offered to the -citizens. of- Goderich under -sponsorship.... of the public sector, less and less can be provided by the volunteer sector: by the churches, by the service clubs and - by the unions. In some cases, new groups spring -up and become directly associated with local government bodies, depending on government for legitimacyand financial support of their interest. Note the local ar- chitectural conservation committee (LACAC). When part of the determination of a new interest group's program involves the mustering of a political strategy in order to get more money out of government, then something important has been lost by the community. Independence, initiative, creativity in ideas and neighbourly gifts of time and energy are lost in the 'me first' climate of quid pro quo social relations and government hand-outs Correctives Once Council accepts the notion that its budget 'is too big, there are a number of correctives available. First, Councilmust begin cutting services and that may mean eliminating entire programs. It -also means. Council is going to have to get a little sophisticated about its politics. In -the-f-ace.--of --plural-demands._by _interest....... groups, compromises must be made and consensus -building become a political norm. Next in importance, Council should consider transfering responsibilities -of some special purpose bodies back to Council, including the consolidation of recreational administration under one office and one political body. Thirdly, the utilization of user charges should be• reviewed to deter- mine their adequacy as an appropriate -revenue raiser. Fourthly, Council should reconsider its use of reserve funds for capital disbursement. Reserve funds are essential for _' good __-financial management but there must be a policy for the administration to follow as to their purpose and deployment. The Ontario Treasury and Economics ministry has published guidelines on the proper use of reserve funds. Finally Council should be cautious of provincial bureaucrats bearing shared - cost programs. Initial capital cost pallitives may leave a bitter operational cost after-taste. At One of the Most hideous things that can happen in today's society - or any society for that matter - is the abuse of children. It's a big problem, even right here in rural, red -necked Huron County. That's right. In Huron County, where very vocal groups are` formed to protect children and young adults from the "evils" of some recommended English Literature books, many youngsters are suffering the in- decencies and the abuse of their very own families. You don't believe it? I don't blame you. It's a difficult thing to believe. But it is happening. Just ask the police, the ' school teachers, the workers at Family and Children's Services, the people at Huron County's Social Services, public health nurses, doctors and maybe even some of your very best friends 'what They have seen and heard. There's more than one way to ab -use a child. Some children are•physically abused of course, their bodies bruised, bat- tered or burned by frustrated moms and dads who aren't able to understand or cope with their own feelings much less their child's feelings, Some children are emotionally starved with no one who cares enough to touch them, talk to them, protect them or supervise them. There's no way those children can get love, af- fection and warmth - the very things that all youngsters need if they are to grow emotionally straight, tall and happy. Some children may be regularly deprived of proper nutrition. Either they don't get enough to eat or they have access to all the wrong things. In some Huron County homes, where abundance is everywhere, some children are suffering from malnutrition caused by living in households where breaktiast is a bag of potato chips, lunch' is a bottle 'of pop and a chocolate bar and dinner is a frozen something or other from the corner store, a chocolate brownie and a glass of diet cola. ' Maybe "the worst kind of abuse though is the child who m .(st live with an incestuous relationship with an uncle, an older brother or even the child's natural father. And thiit hap- pens too, dear readers, right here in Huroti County. What's being done about it? On the professional level, many physicians, teachers, public health nurses, educators, social Workers and police have been taught through training seminars to recognize signs of child abuse and how to deal with it. Under the revised Child Welfare Act, it is the legal responsibility of professionals and officials to report suspected cases of child abuse to a Family and Children's Service such as the one located in Goderich. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $1,000. But it is vitally important that the public be aware of the professionals' responsibility, and to be supportive in their attempts to eliminate child abuse. According to statistics, between 10 and 15 deaths are attributed by coroners to child abuse every year in Ontario. In 1978, more than 1700 cases of abuse were reported and con- servative estimates are that some two to three thousand incidents occur in Ontario annually. Much of the reason has to be that abused children have never known what is considered a normal home life and are either not aware of their plight or too frightened to tell someone. Many times, the child's safety is endangered and the child knows this best of all and goes to great lengths to keep his terrible secret. - Then too, persons may• suspect something is wrong but may be reluctant to "get involved" They -may even hinder professionals in their work to help the child through their desire to ' 'stay out of it". It takes a lot of courage to report a suspected case of child abuse or neglect. During the first week of June, Goderich and area will be privileged to welcome an expert on the suhject of child abuse. He's Alex Zepharis of Houston, Texas and according to John Penn of FACS here, he's the best. Plan now to hear him. If you care about abused children, what will you do about it? What do you think others should do about it? Today's - children are tomorrow's adults. Send your comments to Child Abuse Program, 700 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1E9. They want to heat from you.