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Home My WebLink AboutZurich Citizens News, 1977-09-28, Page 14Page 14 Citizens Neves, September 28, 1977 HURON CENTENNIAL STUDENT COUNCIL — All ready to run the student council this year at Huron Centennial are winners of the recent student elections. Front, left to right, are Cheryl McAllister, secretary, grade 8; Sandra Coleman, president, grade 8; and Larry Taman, treasurer, grade 8. In the second row, left to right, are Shelley Finlayson, grade 5; Sherry Chuter, grade 6; Becky McKinley, grade 5; Faye Car- nochan, grade 7; Patty Colemen, grade 7; and Rob Siertsema, grade 7. In the third row, left to right, are: Estella Wilson, grade 6; Jeff McKellar, grade 7; Greg Hoggarth, grade 8; David Binnendyk, grade 8 and Paul Kalbfleisch, grade 8. Staff photo Blair report on farmland discussed by County Council County Administrator Bill Hanly urged council to look at the Blair report as government tax reform rather than a ploy to take control of the province's far- mland. "The government isn't taking over the farms," said Hanly. "It is a new method to get money to pay for the programs the municipalities are going to operate." Hanly explained that while assessment may be up 10 times over the present rate, the mill rate would only be one-tenth as much as it is now. "Just because the system is changed, the municipalities aren't going to need more money to operate," argued Hanly. "If your municipality is now working on a $200,000 budget, it isn't ._ suddenly going to need 10 times that much. The elected people will still be responsible, and responsible to the same people." He predicted the system as envisioned by the Blair Com- mission would be fairer. Hanly said that• if cottage owners, for instance, should be paying a larger share in a municipality like Goderich Township, they would be paying a larger share if their assessments were tied to the market value of the properties. In an urban municipality, two homes each valued at $40,000 would be paying the same amount of property tax and he suggested that some homeowners would pay more while some would pay less than under the present system. A similar result would occur in business and commercial buildings. "You would be raising the same amount of money," Hanly insisted, "but it is a redistribution of shares on what would appear to be, I think, a fairer system," Hanly also pointed out that how much a businessman makes per annum on his property has nothing to do with the value of the property. He said an individual's earnings are another matter "and that's straightened out in income tax". MORE IDEAS "I don't see anything wrong with the system we've got now," said Reeve Bob Lyons of West Wawanosh. "I don't mind paying half the taxes on my farm. When I can't pay half then I'll quit farming." "McKillop is 90 percent agricultural," said Reeve Allan Campbell of McKillop. "If 90 percent of all the taxes are paid by government, what difference would it make how high the assessment goes? Why not pave all the roads?" Gerry Ginn, a member of the executive committee, said Campbell was forgetting that farmers will be paying all the taxes on their haomes and the land surrounding them. The 90 percent would apply to only barns, sheds and farmlands. He estimated that when things were all evened out, there would be very little change for the average - farmer in actual dollars and cents paid out for taxes. "What is market value?" asked Ervin Sillery of Tucker - smith. Bill Hanly said while it was true that some property was worth more to some buyers than to others, the inflated prices paid for real estate in the future would affect the estimated market value for taxation purposes. "If you pay an inflated price for a niece of property, the assessors are likely to back into that neigh- borhood and restudy all the homes to determine if the market value has increased there," said Hanle. Hanly said he'd always believed that everyone should be his own assessor. The price a person put on his real estate would be the price he would be prepared to pay taxes on as well as sell his property for when the time came to sell it. Reeve Bill Clifford of Goderich said he'd talked to assessors about this point and was con- vinced that the market value would be determined on a scale which would be the mean - not the high, not the low. Frank Cook, reeve of Clinton, said equalized assessment was now obsolete although it had cost the county thousands and thousands of dollars to change over from the previous system of municipal accessors. "How much is this new system going to cost us?" asked Cook. "How many new assessors are we going to have to hire to solve this problem?" Hanly said there was every indication the Huron -Perth Regional Assessment Office would be able to make the changes without any additional staff. "And they have less staff now than they had two years ago," said Hanly. Seaforth Reeve John Flannery said the whole system was just to permit "under the table borrowing for the provincial government". Bayfield Reeve Ed Oddleifson said he was concerned about where the money would come from. "If it is not corning from the farmer, where does it come from?" , asked the Bayfield representative. Harold Robinson of Howick felt there should be more figures for comparison purposes. Simon P. Hallahan of East Wawanosh said, "I think we should take a pretty close look at someone picking up the tab for us," A computer printout showing current assessed values and market values for each municipality in Huron has been received from the Ministry of Treasury, Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs. It was stressed this information was "very preliminary and not complete" and that accurate comparisons could not be made. However, based on several assumptions, a schedule of comparison was prepared by the clerk -treasurer's office. "It would appear from this comparison that as a general rule, village and town ap- portionments for county purposes will be down while township apportionments will be up," the executive committee reported. In the figures supplied with the report, all villages and towns showed a decrease in their ap- portionment for county purposes while only one township - Tuckersmith - registered a reduced percentage. R. K. PECK APPLIANCES "In the heart of downtown Varna" • Vacuum Cleaners - Sales & Service of most makes • CB Radios & Accessories • Speed Queen Appliances • Moffat Appliances • Smoke Sensors • Insect Lights & Fly Killing Units • Handcrafted Gifts Varna, Ontario Phone 482-7103 Huron County Day Care Centre FOR THE HOMEBOUND OPEN HOUSE and TEA PARTY Where? Welcome Centre, Huronview, Clinton. What? Day Care Centre for the home bound. Why? Have Tea and Cookies, view the facilities, and learn more about the program. When? Friday, September 30th 2 p.m. Whom? All interested persons e.g. shut-ins, friends, relatives, volunteers, Ministers, Doctors. Pre -Cast Concrete • Steps and Porches • Ornamental Railings • Lawn Ornaments .04 Your Authorized Dealer DIAL 237-3381 "THE ROYAL, HOME" r. - "GRANDEUR" • , 1 - �"� RrM•: r Via; , !, is K41,it?ttti i`fffr9,S?i?Y<ofl1 IS THE HOME FORY'OU • CUSTOM BUILT - Completely finished to your choice of plln, design, colours. • DIRECT PURCHASE - From manufacturer you save money since there are no extra middlemen. • GUARANTEE - That stands with every home on all work- manship and materials. m FAST DELIVERY DATE - You could be living in your new home in 10 weeks. • PRICE - Fantastically affordable! We buy bulk and pass savings on to you. 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