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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-11-30, Page 3Dream on Goderich taxpayers. BY JEFF SEDDON Cutting taxes is something' politicians dream about but rarely get to do. Politicians in Goderich may be dreaming of cutting taxes' in March when the town's 1979 budget is struck but it appears this year that all they're going to be able to do is dream.' The first series of events that lead up to setting the budget give every indication that it will take cuts in services to even hold the line on taxes this year and without those cuts the thing homeowners have learned to hate will happen again, taxes will go up. The one bright spot on the . horizon for homeowners is that if the mill rate is increased this year it should only be a 'slight hike. Early estimates in costs of education in Huron County next year com- bined with provincial support of municipal spending indicate that a sharp council could get by with a mill rate in- crease of five percent or less and not cut services. The crunch comes in March when town council gets the requisition for funds from the county board of education. That requisition -the money Goderich puts in the board of education cof- fers a5 its share of operating the county education system - amounts to about one third of the town's $4 million budget. The town's budget can only be ballparked until r ;u GODMUCEISIGNALSTAR, TT LTRSDAY, NQVEi EE 3Q►.1S7S-PAGE 3 Early hints indicate tax hike likely the board of education determines how much it needs to. operate for the year. Once the board gets its budget finalized it sends out its requisitions to municipalities; and those final figures are applied to the town's budget and the actual mill rate struck. ESTIMATE INOREASE Last year 'town clerk Larry McCabe gave council a budget that had an overall increase of three percent. Council passed the budget despite the fact that it did not know what the education requisition would be. McCabe had estimated a 15 percent increase in education costs and told council that he hoped the figure from the board would be less than that. The actual increase was four per- cent. This year McCabe plans a similar strategy. When preparing th"e budget for council he will estimate the education costs and work that estimate into his figures to determine' what the final mill rate will be. The town clerk said he will probably use a 10 percent increase in the education requisition when he sets the town's budget adding that he "hoped to hell it isn't that high". He said he knew the board of education -faced increased costs in salaries alone and that those increases had to be passed on to municipalities. McCabe said a six to eight percent increase in the requisition to the town would probably be realistic adding that he felt that could be ab- sorbed in the town's budget with a minimal increase in the mill rate. EDUCATION DIFFERENT The board of education has a different set of problems at budget time. Before the board's budget committee can come up with any figures the board can work with it must wait until the ministry of education announces how much will be given the board in, grants. The ministry annually pays the lion's share of education costs in Huron county. Grants to boards are worked out on a student per capita basis and before the board can determine how much money the province will be giving it it must have accurate student counts and know what the grant increases will be. Since the province has promised its ratepayers a balanced budget early in the next decade boards of education have had to deal with the problem of less money from the province. A recent announcement by the, province that grants to municipalities will increase this year an average of five percent has the Huron board in a bit of a dither. Trustees do not know if the board will receive four or six percent but do know that their costs, mainly salary increases to teachers, clerical workers and THE SHRINERS MEET—Bill Turnbull (left) of Brussels president of the Bluewater Shriner's Club posed for a picture with Jack H. Marshall, Potentate, from London and Arthur Buck, an instructor at George Brown Colleg�ee,, in Toronto, when the Club held its November meeting in Brussels on Wednesday night. (Photo by Langlois) Brussels caters Shrine Club Members of the Bluewater Shrine Club learned all about meat cutting when TV per- sonality and teacher Arthur Buck demon- strated on a' pig at a meeting of the club in Brussels Wednesday night. The occasion was the official visit of Potentate Jack H. Marshall of Mocha Temple, London and the dinner featured Canadian red coat pork chops, a specialty bf the Brussels Legion auxiliary, who catered. Wm. Turnbull of Brussels is president of the Blue Water club. Following -the meat cutting demonstration- of the George Brown College.instructor the pork was auctioned and the proceeds of $173.00 given to the Shriners Childrens Hospital..fund. About 150 shriners at- tended the meeting. AM &G laundry will close; work goes to Bluewater BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER "There are no options." That was the way board chairman at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Jo Berry,, put it to the members of the board as they met in regular session Monday evening to determine the fate of the AM&G laundry facility. Mrs. Berry said the Ontario Ministry of Health wouldn't consider the board's alternate proposal to build a new laundry facility at Goderich and perhaps get into the laundry business, soliciting work from Other hospitals in Huron. The Ministry was adamant that the present [aundry facility at AM&G be closed and the laundry sent to the Bluewater Centre just south of Goderich for processing. On Monday evening, bard members reluc- tantly agreed to give the building committee permission to seek an architect to begin work on plans for the new receiving, sorting and holding terminal at AM&G. There are currently about five employees at the AM&G laundry and indications are only one staff member will be needed to operate the shipping and receiving laundry dock. Laundry employees had registered their opposition to the move to have laundry done at the Bluewater Centre, but board members were unable to convince the Ministry of the wisdom to rebuild the present laundry facility which has been' condemned by the fire marshal's office. First indications are the Ministry will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of the new addition to the hospital. The remaining one-third of the cost will have to funded by AM&G and board chairman Jo )Berry said the municipalities will be contacted in this regard. Originally it was ex-, pected the receiving and. shipping dock would cost about $140,000 but on Monday evening, the board was advised the Ministry is basing its plans on a budget figure of $125,000. "if it exceeds that amount, the Ministry will reassess it," Mrs. Berry told board members. Tenders are to be called not later than March 15, 1979. The board members also learned that fears expressed by some members of the medical staff for the hygenic excellence of the laundry done at Bluewater Centre had been quelled. Dr. Ken Lambert reported he was satisfied with the laundry standards as outlined to him and the subsequent agreement with Bluewater Centre. Just td be on the safe side, the board will probably .have the Ministry's laundry consultant go over the agreement. The AM&G laundry will remain in operation until the new facility is ready next fall. maintenance staff, have increased an average of eight percent. The bottom line appears to be that the board will have to raise more money locally. The only question remaining is'how much. To raise that money the. board must . go to municipalities. The board has no method of raising its own tax base and can only determine how much it needs and pass that cost on to towns, villages and townships: WHERE DOES THE BUCK STOP? The buck passing, in the true sense „of the word, tends to leave local taxpayers scratching their heads. Towns blame education cost for tax increases they have, boards of education blame the province, the province claims its hands are tied by the federal government and the federal government talks about world trade problems. The one thing that remains true is that whatever level of government pays the shot it is the taxpayer that provides the funds. Roy Dunlop, superintendant of business affairs for the board, said this year's budget appears to be the same "same old story". He said funds for the board would be "pretty darn tight" pointing out that the 6.75 percent awarded secondary school teachers ar- bitration last April will cost the board an ad- ditional 8.47 percent in salary costs. Dunlop said the board faces problems caused by declining enrolment and expenses it has that have no grant money attached. He said over 80 percent of the board's $21 million budget is fixed and that it is fairly difficult to cut "meaningful" expenses from the budget. He said there are areas the board can reduce spending but they are in maintenance and building costs and that the cuts will be short term and will eventually catch up with the board. Dunlop said he could not determine how much the requisition by the board would increase in 1979 because he had received nothing from the ministry to tell him how much grants will in- crease next year. He said a quick glance at figures would suggest that an eight to ten percent in- crease may be needed but added that he would not want to be held to that prediction. FAIR AS POSSIBLE Board chairman John Elliott said it was possible for the board to cut costs but added :that to do so it would need support .from - ad- ministration, teachers and parents of students. He said the board could look at cutting curriculum to save money or could even consider closing a school. He added that such moves bring about big political problems caused by a lack of support from trustees and teachers and decisions to do such things are rarely made under those cir- cumstances. Elliott said he would not want to comment on the board's budget without knowing what funds the board had to work with. He did say he would like the board to take a "close" look at the budget and hold all in- creases to 'make, requisitions "as fair as possible". 4/4 4Y440% ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SHOPPING PARTY NOVEMBER 30th 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. 0 Come and join Jo and Jim Collins and the staff in the festivities E Cbfr O44� ZEHR'S. PLAZA Hwy. no. 8 GODERICH THANK YOU AGAIN For yoursupport at the polls STAN PROFIT Capture a Memory 8x10 colour Portrait Only 880 See our new large Decorator Portrait. Your complete satisfaction guaranteed or your money cheerfully refunded. CHOOSE FROM OUR NEW AND EXCITING SELECTION OF BACKGROUNDS, AND CREATE YOUR OWN SPECIAL.PORTRAIT No obligation to buy additional portraits THURS. FRI. SAT. DEC. 8 9 10-3 10a.m.-8p.m. 10a.m-8p.m. GUARANTEED DELIVERY FOR - CHRISTMAS T E D ti2 A M 'ZEHR'S PLAZA Hwy. No. 8 GODERICH, ONT One sitting per subject—S1 per subject for additional subjects. groups, or individuals in the same family. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian. 5 PIUEC-HRI9TIUSUPER PECIAL��`p; 5SUPER SAVINGS ON THESE TOP SELLING L.P.'s NOV. 30th -DEC. 2nd BILLY JOEL "The Stranger" DAN HILL STYX "Pieces of Eight" COMMODORES "Froten in the Night" "Natural • High" OLT riE, 01 M. 'A NI EAGLES "Their Greatest Hits" FOREIGNER "Double Vision" BOSTON MEATLOAF "Don't !Look Back" "Bat Out of Hell" ZUNI PLAZA Hwy. Nogg GODERICH