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Zurich Citizens News, 1977-05-25, Page 1T. NO. 21 FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 1977 Price Per Copy 20 Cents Board explains budget increase to county officials The Huron County Board of Education met with about 60 elected and appointed officials from around the county to try to explain the complicated reasons for the 18 percent budget in- crease in 1977. Superintendent of Business Af- fairs Roy Dunlop tried to explain the budget in laymen's terms to the audience consisting largely of elected officials and besides reaching a few municipal clerks, .seemed to cloud an already mud- dy picture. Dunlop said he had tried to simplify the budget and presented a set of comparison figures based on the 1976 budget to help explain things. He pointed out that the entire budget was a "horrendous" 20 -page document sent to the ministry that would completely escape everyone in the room if it was used for the explanation. He said the ministry requires a very com- plicated procedure for setting up the budget when calculating the grant structure and cost sharing adding that it required all of his department's expertise to handle the chore. The budget riled the majority of municipal officials because of the increase their municipality faced due to the budget hikes. The board passed the budget in March after the budget com- mittee explained that it faced an 18 percent increase in expenses this year. Among those expenses was construction of a school in Ex- eter, re-establishing a reserve fund for more financial security, correcting an underlevy from 1975 and paying expenses for con- struction at Victoria School in Goderich. Dunlop said the increases could easily be broken into percentages. He said nine per- cent of the increase was in regular expenses, four percent covered the use of $200,000 in reserve funds from last year, two percent covered the Exeter school, one percent the Victoria School and two percent covered the underlevy. He said the reason the board had to make up for the costs this year was to ensure that the budget wasn't artificially ,decreased as it was last year. He said the use of the -reserve funds and the underlevy kept the tax rate down but meant the board was basing its calculations on ar- tificial base, a base that dis- appeared this year with the reserve funds. He added that the budget was bare bones explaining that if the Anti Inflation Board went out of business and the teachers in the county sought more money than the AIB allows the boardewould be in dire straits. He said the budget allowed fur salary in- creases to the AIB maximum and with no reserves couldn't ac- commodate more than that amount. Exeter deputy -reeve Si Sim- mons said he was discouraged by the board budget pointing out that the entire audience was elected officials and should be more concerned with halting in- flationary trends. He said the public blamed labour for infla- tion adding that he knew of no labor settlement for a 23 percent increase. "If they're the cause of infla- tion where does that leave us," he said. Howick Reeve Harold Robin- son suggested that wages were the main reason for the increase pointing out that the board had to make a decision to'stop the in- crease somewhere. Ile com- pared the salaries to a farmer's plight suggesting that farmers take what they can get for their cattle when they go to market. He said that possibly the teachers should be prepared to take what they get when salaries are negotiated either that or the board say "that's it" to the teachers. Board vice chairman Marian Zinn said she felt not all the — Please turn to Page 10 NEW PORTRAITS — Bob McKinley MP presented the Zurich Public school with the latestortraits of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as part of the school's celebration of the Queen's Jubilee. Members of the school's student council accepted the portraits from Mr. McKinley. Left to right are Janice Luther, Sandra Datars, Brenda Riddell, Robert Willert, Bob Hay and Connie Neeb. Photo by McKinley Bayfield to build $400,000 arena This village has decided to tear down its arena and build a new one, Reeve Ed Oddleifson said Wednesday. He said it was decided unanimously at a public meeting last week to rebuild the arena rather than repair it. The new arena will cost about Pub row linked to Bayfield slaying The shooting of two area men here early Sunday followed a row at a nearby tavern which con- tinued outside a home near the harbor of this Huron County village, an inspector from the provincial police criminal in- vestigation branch said Monday. Terrance Lloyd Bullen, 45, a Bayfield teacher, formerly a Science teacher at South Huron District High School in Exeter, is in custody. He is charged with the murder of Ronald DeJong, 25, of RR 2, Bayfield, and attempted murder of his brother, Leroy, 22, of RR 2, Bayfield. Det.-Insp. M. K. McMaster of Toronto told a press conference in Goderich Monday that Bullen's son, Terrence Jr., 20, and four friends, all aged 18-20, apparently were involved in a row with the DeJong brothers at the Bavarian Inn, on the outskirts of Bayfield on Highway 21. He said the argument con- tinued outside the tavern as the DeJong brothers followed the younger Bullen to his home on a secluded lane beside the harbor. McMaster said the brothers were each shot twice in front of the Bullen home. He said the shots were fired from a .22 -calibre pistol which has been recovered. Leroy DeJong was released Monday from the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in" Goderich after treatment for bullet wounds to his arm and shoulder. Bullen appeared before a justice of the peace Sunday. He was remanded in custody to appear Thursday in provincial court in Goderich. Lack of rain ee problem Lack of rain is creating "lots of problems" for Huron farmers according to associate agricultural representative Mike Miller. He said Tuesday that rain was urgently needed throughout the county, noting that while some areas have had light showers there hasn't been any substantial moisture anywhere. — Please turn to Page 10 $400,000, he said, while repairing the present arena, about 30 years old, would likely cost about $100,000. "We figured that if we repaired it, there is no guarantee we wouldn't have to tear it down in a year anyway," he said. The Ontario labor ministry, responsible for arena safety, allowed the Bayfield arena to stay open last winter on the condition wind and snow loads were monitored. Last fall, village officials said. any repairs needed to bring the building up to standard would be minor. By the end of the year, the cost was estimated at $57,000 and finally the village's engineers, the Kleinfeldt Group of London, estimated repair costs at $100,000. Oddleifson said that was too high to be worthwhile. "I think it would have been a waste of government money and our money." If the standard Wintario and community centre grants for arena reconstruction are received, the cost to the village will be about $100,000, the reeve said. Canvassing for funds will begin immediately, and no tax dollars will be spent on the building, he said. The new arena will be about 40 Correction The whirlpool bath at the Rest Home in Zurich was made possible through funds from the estate of Edwin Steckle not Edwin Sittler as was reported in last week's paper. We apologize for any embarrassment our mistake may have caused, feet longer than the present facility to bring the rink up to regulation size, he said. It will be built on the same site, adjoining the community hall built many years after the arena. "We are doing a bare -bones thing," Oddleifson said. "There aren't going to be any gold frills." The village will continue .to.. use the old arena at least until Sep- tember, he said. On the campaign trail Winning hearts (and votes) through stomachs seems to be the next step in both the Con- servative and Liberal campaigns in Huron -Middlesex, but the McKinley campaign is being slightly more conservative than the Riddell campaign. Anson McKinley, Con- servative candidate in the riding, is sponsoring an old-fashioned luncheon Friday, May 27, for the people of Huron -Middlesex with Premier Bill Davis as the special guest. The 12:30 come -as -you -are luncheon will be held ill River- view Park, Exeter, to get people together to meet Bill Davis, Anson McKinley and his family. The old-fashioned part of the lunch seems to be the price; nickel hot dogs, nickel pops and free do -nuts. On the other hand, the Liberal campaign of Jack Riddell seems to be a little more affluent. A beef bar-b-que will be held May 30 at Pineridge in" Hensall from 5-8 p.m. with the Riddell family attending in full force, and at this event everything is free. Both candidates are busily attending as many local events as possible with the result they see more of each other than anyone else. Only one accident Despite extremely heavy traffic over the first summer holiday of the year, the Exeter OPP report only one accident and indicate that things were quiet in the area. That accident, which occurred early Saturday, involved four vehicles on the Crediton Road, about one mile east of Highway 81. The drivers involved were James Rot2nson, Parkhill; James Pickering, Ailsa Craig; Danny Paton, 511 Regal Court, London; and James Romphf, RR 1 Arkona. Minor injuries were sustained by Paton and Romphf, along with three passengers in the vehicles involved, Diane Landry, Guelph, Dean Mantle, Parkhill, and Lyle Pickering, RR 2 Thedford. Damage to the four vehicles was listed at $4,500 by OPP Constable Larry Christiaen. During the week, the local detachment officers laid 25 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, 11 under the Liquor Licence Act, eight under the Criminal Code, one under the Child Welfare Act and four under the Petty Trespass Act.