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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-10-21, Page 9Councillor Frank Waikom absent' Another tie vote results Council votes notto reduce .size ...... The voters of Goderich almost got a chance-to'say on • December's ballot whether or not the Towo should have seven councilmembers in- stead of nine. However, a recorded vote showed that the eight members of council .who attended Thursday's meeting were deadlocked ,.on the matter and according to the rules of procedure, the motion was lost. —. Those voting in favor of reducing the council to seven members and putting the question on this fall's ballot were - Councillor Leroy Harrison • who , introduced the motion; Councillor . Jim Peters who seconded the motion; cpeputy-reeve Bill Clifford; and Mayor Deb Shewfelt. Those opposed were Reeve Stan Profit, and. Councillors Bob Allen, Elsa Hayden and Dave Gower. Councillor Frank Waikom was absent from the meeting. Councillor. Harrison had served, notice at the previous session of 'council that he would be introducing the motion at .Thursday's meeting. In. doing 'so, Councillor •Harrison reminded members they had supported ' the proposed reduction of county council. "At that time I said it could also be carried to this table," Councillor Harrison told his associates. -lie suggested that council could function in two ways if two courlcillors• were dropped from tthe, council table. Council could deal with all matters, .as they came up, appointing various com- mittegs'to. delve !pato certain things hen's necessary, ; or it could malgamate com- mittees, He suggested Fire and Traffic and .Safety could. go tog 'ther . and perhaps harbor and parks. , "In some cases; we are just looking fo`r jobs to give to the chairmen I," said Harrison. He tol d council that the necessa y bytaw .to im7 p,lement the change : would have to be prepared and 'November • 1. The ould:_go to the in the December and ifapproved, into effect during passed b matter electorat election would g the 1978 election for the 1979- 80 term of office. PREMATURE MOTION Councillor Bob .Allen thanked Councillor ,Harrison for bringing in. the motion, and admitted the subject was one which needed tb be brought forward. "But maybe -it is a little premature,'" suggested Councillor Allen, who went on to say that the matter was one which should be "studied carefully". "There are questions which most be studied for an- swers," said Councillor Allen. "Will reducing the ;council from nine to seven increase the workload for. members'? Will it necessitate more administrative staff? I think we need a sub -.committee of council to study it thoroughly." • . "It would be a moment of truth for Goderich voters," • Councillor Jim. Peters told council. "The voters should be given credit for having the ability to think this thing out." Coufictl.lor Peters suggested that he himself' felt a 20 percent increase, in the workload could be handled by individual councillors. From, his' experience on council these last two years, 'he said he didn't expect that ad- ditional administrative staff would be needed .if council was reduced :from'' n"- • members to seven. ' Councillor EIsaHaydon said reduction of town council by two members would not lead to more effective work for the benefit of the people and would not result in any meaningful saving in anything. "Judging by the nearly six years I have worked on the council, the ` workload has steadily- and considerably increased, not decreased," said . Mrs. Haydon,. 'Appr'oach to municipal affairs; - is becoming'. more complex and at the same time the people expect, rightly, their representatives to be , reasonably well informed, more than superficially prepared and active." She said that, work on a Municipal Day Nursery Committee,- an airport committee, a Housing Action Committtee'.. and on the Maitland .. Valley Con- • servation Authority has been added in recent years. •,"How would. or could they reduction of -council numbers result in work of equal or better .quality?"asked Mrs. Haydon. g`The work would either •remainundone or would have to be done : by someone else. The question is who else." • NO SAVING • C'ouneillor. Haydon estimated that eliminating two council „positions would morein a saving.ef slightly than $5,000 a year: .• "This is approximately half of one town employees. salary on the lower end of the. „ scale, she said, "net counting the benefits the employees -have. Financially' the town :would not. really benefit by having more ' of council work done • by con- siderably higher paid ern- ployees, apart from the fact that larg&por.tions of elected representatives' re's'pon` sibilities Should not be transferred to civil ser - wants." "A council reduced' by_One- quarter may .._be• more in- fluenced by, pressures of special interest groups," warned Councillor Haydon, "and may become more of a rubberstamp on more oc- casio s." "`A� reduced :number in- creases possibilities of 'boys in the back room' govern- ment," Councillor C Haydon went on to say. "Or girls, interjected ' peputy-reeve•Bili Clifford. "I consider council- as. a - d'emocratic society carrying out work on ' a democratic basis," . stated Councillor Pave tower, who said he didn't ' like Mrs. Haydon's reference to "boy"s in the back room" government. "One can move with less • members of council, i 'sup- pose," asserted Cpuncillor Gower, "but I wouldn't want a another 20 -per cent of the' workload, It is just im- possible." • Councillor Gower approved Councillor Alien's suggestion that a sub -committee be formed to'study 'the matter in detail. LEGMMATE CONCERN Reeve Stan Profit said Mrs. Haydon's concern about "boys in the haclt room" was legitimate. 'He:, said there would be a greater chance of councillors 'meeting on the street and asking, ."Do you think that's: a: good idea?" and �OSa then getting to the council table to find it an ac- complished fact. "It has . happened with this number of councillors," said. the reeve. "•It could very well happen oftener with fewer members." • r. "Its the. people's,;•decision, not the,; council's," said Mayor: Deb Shewfelt, in- terrupting Reeve nterruptingReeve Profit. "Four councillors .may' get on with the job a little,nzore quickly, more , directly," continued Reeve Profit. "I know there•is time wasted in idle banter." "-Not everyone needs to be a chairman," . insisted Reeve Profit. - However, Reeve Reeve Profit was against making the change without sufficient study of the subject. .Reeve further stated that a large number of the' voters in Goderich just don't • have enough. information. •. upon which to base a decision about the nurriber of 'people necessary on Goderich Town Council., ..L.,‘,:Seilre voters just don't .: understand what goes on in cocil," said Reeve Profit. "I would fear putting this on the public ballot because of • the insufficient knowledge most people have on how .. (continued on page 212 1.29 YEAR -L43 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1976 MF:=7,1 SINGLE COPY 25c uccessful' jiggery-pokery," says the reeve erich to get coat of arms after all • "Congratulations on suc- cessful.jiggery-pokery," said an agitated Reeve Stan Profit Monday evening followingthe second recorded vote in three weeks concerning the matter of an official coat of arms for Goderich. Needless to say, the vote was 5-2 in favor of applying to the Royal College of Arms in England for a distinctive.„ and "all- Goderich" ooat:of arms. Those voting: in favor of the Motion were Councillors Bob Allen, Leroy Harrison and Go La wh derich town clerk Harold Walls, seated, met with the town's new assistant deputy clerk ry McCabe earlier this week to discuss the role Mr. McCabe will be responsible for en he moves into his new post early in November. (staff photo) c :i'be to be deputy clerk To n clerk Harold Walls anno need recently the ap- point ent ..of Larry McCabe. to th e position of ' assistant- depu y clerk to replace the retir:,d Marnie McKay. Tier; • app m intement is effective early iii November. Mr McCabe is a native of d Goderich. He is years old, as an assistant -accountant is married and has no with the Huron County Board children. He attended school of Education .wherehe has at Victoria Public gchooi the . worked for the past year. His Goderich District Collegiate accounting background he, Institute and -received his feels will be very ihnportant in ; Bachelor of Arts at Sir handling the duties of Wilfrid Laurier University., , assistant.'deputy clerk. He is presently employed 0 Jim • Oete`rs, Deputy -reeve told, council he felt "keenly" Bill Clifford and Mayor Deb : following the. last recorded Shewfelt. Those opposed were vote which was taken before •Reeve. Profit and Councillor 44he reached the council table Elsa Haydon. Absent from on a regular council night. the meeting were Councillor Councillor. , Peters, a member D.aVe Gower who was at a of :the Goderich Laketown Maitland Valley Coo- 'Band, usually does not:arrive servation Authority meeting •at meetings until about 8 p.m. about Lakeshore study, and because of what he termed a Councillor Frank Walkom previous commitment to who is confined to his horrie rxd practice on Monday with a broken. ankle. - evenings. • The motion•was introduced "I' am -in favor of having a by Councillors Peters and coat of arms to mark our Tri. Harrison. Councillor Peters Jubilee Year," 'said 'Coup • - • .eillor -Peters. ,"It .is most in • "How many times do we order." • • have to talk about this?' "After 150 years, let's go all asked the reeve.. the way .and: start off ` the • He got no seconder for his. celebration with a bang," motion to table the motion. added Councillor Harrison. "We are playing ye -yo -with "I object on the grounds of a- very . dignified matter,". cost," interjected the reeve: warned Councillor Haydon. Reeve Profitasked that the ,"It is a most peculiar way to motion be tabled . until do business:" Councillors'' Waikom and She went on _to - say she Gower returned to the council bad,beeri'infortmed-by,-andge` ta:'e. In the first' vote; F. Q,, Carter, a member cif the Councillor Waikom voted in . Jubilee Three.' Celebration favour.; • Councillor Gower ' Committee, that the com- was opposed. • mittee had. ,.disassociated ownship agrees Jo se ut town undecidi The - Works and -Engineering committee of Goderich Town. Council met with Goderich: ,Township--_ Council • Tuesday night and hammered out a -tentative agreement for .the town to install the Industrial Park Storm Sewer on township land. . - The two municipalities couldn't conite up, with a contract for, the future of the sewer 'but the 'township did agree to Petting • the town construct' the.. sewer provided an agreement is worked out prior to the construction of it. The township approval of the' construction was • vital to the .town ,to permit them to `take the necessary steps -to finance the "$800,000 project. The town hopes.' to start construction of the sewer by the spring' of 1977 and if that deadline is to be met, they • must have permission from the Ontario Municipal Board now to debenture the costs in the new year. The -paperwork involves outlining the need for the sewer, " preparing a con- struction bylaw and sub- mitting the engineer's drawings. for the project to the OMB • for approval to debenture. The actual ex- pense and tendering for the job` could be up to two years. away out the town ishopeful. the sewer could be installed to handle the -spring runoff. The major stumbling block on the agreement at Tuesday night's meeting was the cost `for future .hho�o,kups to the sewer. The fawn- committee told the township that their major concern in getting the sewer installed now was to drain the Industrial' Park and seemed to be caught off guard when the township representatives . asked- them how. much . it would cost someone to .hook into the sewer west of Highway 21 to drain lands yet undeveloped. The area in question is raw land that will probably be used in the next step of the growth of Goderich except that the area is now com- pletely under the jurisdiction of the township: The township councillors were eager to know what costs they should be,, cifarg ie any 'future. developer . to hook into the sewer to drain land and were - just • as eager to.. pay that money to the town. "The township's concern is. that if the town reserves the right to collect money in the future to'hook into the sewer, then that implies that the town will . have jurisdiction oyer the land possibly Trailer-�dweller enies move was Bob Bechard,. a resident at Meyers • Mobile Villa Trailer Park just south of Goderich on Highway 21, told the Signal - Star after last week's edition of thenewspaper, that he was not ordered by owner Harold Meyers to move out of -the park withintwo weeks: Mr. Bechard says Mr. Meyers asked him to move his trailer two lots down the ' row, all expenses to be paid-byMr. Meyers. Mr. Decherd said he had been • investigating the possibilities of tnoving - out of the park, and wasn't happy about the prospects'of moving• his trailer twice"I' just wanted to know my rights," said Mr. Beard.Bec rd r iterated hscont .lain1Vir.e p .that the setic' tankwas full and thawhenever ""the toilet is flushed or wateris .drained from "•the bath the tank ¶orderE overflows and sewage bubbles onto the _ ground near the area where his children play": - The problems of Mr, Bechard and other residents at the Meyers trailer park came to public attention when Dr. Frank Mills, Medical Officer of Health for Huron County, asked the Town of Goderich to pump the septic tank for the Murray,.,Hunter trailer in order to protect the fainily from possible corn municable'disease. The Hunter and Bechard trailers share,the.same septic tank facility, itis understood. At the present time, the tank has been pumped at the expense of the town, with the costs to be'added to Mr.'Meyers' tax' bill ftr1976. . , itself from the matter'. of a coat of arms. Mrs. Hayden said it was her understan� 'ng that Rick Banks, hired bythe town to advise concerning the Jubilee Three celebrations,- was the driving force behindthe coat of arms. "That is third party hear- say," retorted Councillor. Harrison. "It is not ad- xfiissable � Duri g _the preas question period,Signal-Star ' Editor Shirley J. Keller asked ' (continued on page 22 • on c through annexation," •ex- plained TownshipReeve Gerry Ginn. "The township is not interested in that system and would rather collect the money themselves and reimburse the town:" TOWNSHIP LAND The reeve pointed out that the sewer' would service almost 400 acres of raw land that will probably be developed through expansion of the town of Goderich. He also pointed out that the land is all in the Township of Goderich. r urges "This is far more serious than we're considering it," said Mayor Deb Shewfelt. "You're: talkingabout buying. future services from the town of„Goderich to develop your land and if 'we don't handle this right we'll end up with problems like our neighbours - to the north." The 'township represen- tatives pointed out at. the outset of the meeting that another major concern they had was establishing•a 66 foot road .allowance . (continued on pagealong the 22 See Paps Seaforth District High• School Prin- cipal Bruce Shaw reports that the ex - pertinent at his school where the students operate the cafeteria is working ;.much better than he ha -d even dared to. hope. +++ School Boards and educators across the province are •hailing Education Minister Thomas Well§' announcement last week of an ,xpanded core curriculum ;Ontario Ontario Secondary school studes• + + + The Federal Government is pursuing a redefinition of its rela,tionship with this country's estimated 280,000 Status Indians to make thein equal partners with all Canadians while safeguarding their unique and inherent rights. + + + Too frequently we read stories or -hear • reports' through the media of tortures' and gross atrocities which are being tarried out by thegovernments in certain third world countries. Why are such crimes undertaken by those governments and how do they manage to get away with it? • • in