The Times Advocate, 2005-02-09, Page 1(519)235-1115
www.hurontractor.com
EXETER R.`D'
HAWKS
vs LAMBETH
FRI. FEB. 118:30 p.m.
South Huron Rec Centre
TIMES -ADVOCATE
Exeter, Ontario, Canada
Wednesday,February 9, 2005
x.25 (includes GST)
The 19th Grand Bend Winter Carnival started last weekend amid beautiful warm weather with the theme
"The Joker Is Wild," something that was reflected in Saturday morning's parade down Main Street.Above,
a new event for the carnival is a three -hole mini -golf course behind Gables, which featured ice sculptures
from Hensall's IceCulture. Here, Blake Percy of Grand Bend lines up a putt. (photo/Scott Nixon)
Hensall business
plan almost ready
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
HENSALL — "It's monu-
mental for us," was how
Hensall's Kay Wise
described the
news Huron
Perth MPP
Carol Mitchell
was drafting a
bill to address
the issue of
deamalgama-
tion.
It follows a
message from
Queen's Park
to the City of
Kawartha Lakes that the
government will consider
a request to allow the city
to deamalgamate, provid-
ed it meets three criteria,
which include funding the
deamalgmation entirely
on its own.
In a fax to the city,
Ontario Municipal Affairs
Minister John Gerretsen
said he would contem-
plate an "alternative gov-
ernance structure" if the
council of the city could
provide detailed proposals
"that would demonstrate
property tax fairness,"
and that any municipali-
It comes
bigger isn
better...
no identi
part ofa
conglome
HENSAL
ties would be economical-
ly viable.
The message was in
response to a letter from
the Kawartha Lakes coun-
cil asking that he honour
the results of a
2003 vote on
deamalgama-
tion.
Wise said the
criteria were
something that
Hensall could
fit into since it
still had all its
municipal
buildings.
She said a
business plan being pre-
pared would be ready by
Feb. 28 and a meeting will
be held in March to give
residents of Hensall a
chance to see the num-
bers.
Wise said after the meet-
ing anyone wishing to add
or remove their name
from a petition taken last
year, which gathered 516
signatures, would be wel-
come to do so.
"If the majority don't
want to move, we're not
going anywhere.
"It isn't that the village is
See HENSALL page 2
down to
't
we have
ty.We're
rate."
KAY WISE
L RESIDENT
Council undecided on Exeter water rates
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SOUTH HURON — South Huron coun-
cil can't make up its mind about Exeter's
new water rates.
As previously reported, the municipality
went through a public process last year
of setting new water rates as suggested
by Dillon Consulting. When it came time
for council to officially set the new rates
at its Jan. 24 meeting, it deferred final
reading on its water rates bylaw after
council decided to take another look at
how it charges apartment buildings in
Exeter.
Under the current water rates, apart-
ment buildings are treated as though
they are a single unit. The feeling at
council's Jan. 24 meeting was that charg-
ing apartment buildings as multi -residen-
tial buildings would decrease the water
costs those in houses pay.
That topic was re -visited Monday night
in a lengthy discussion that reached no
conclusion, other than an agreement to
discuss the matter again at council's bud-
get meeting tonight (Feb. 9) at 7: 30 p.m.
The proposed rates for Exeter are
$75/per quarter plus 57 cents per cubic
metre of water used. Sewage charges are
77 per cent of the water charge.
However, under an option council
recently discussed at its communications
meeting, the $75 quarterly rate per
household would drop to $65 per quarter
if each apartment was also charged $65.
As Coun. George Robertson explained
Monday night, the bills for apartments
would actually be sent to the building
owner because apartment tenants tend
to move more often than those in homes.
Robertson said the plan to include
apartments in the water rate structure
generates the money the municipality
needs for its water system and ensures
everyone pays fairly.
Of the prospect of lowering the rates by
including apartments, Mayor Rob Morley
wants to ensure the municipality collects
enough money for its water system.
By dropping the rates, "you're going to
make friends, but making friends doesn't
pay the bills," he said.
Several rate scenarios were discussed,
including a proposal from Coun. Jim
Dietrich that would see the sewer charge
percentage related only to the amount of
water each household and apartment
uses, not the quarterly flat fee. The
municipality will look into that sugges-
tion, although Morley said if South Huron
goes that route, there should at least be a
flat fee on sewage charges to make sure
costs to run the system are covered.
Earlier, Coun. Harvey Ratz had
expressed concern that under Dietrich's
proposal, homeowners who were away
from home for long periods of time
wouldn't be charged for sewage because
they wouldn't be using water; however, it
still costs the municipality money to run
the sewage system, Ratz argued.
When council finally does decide on
Exeter's water rates, those will again
increase significantly in the future when
the approximately $10 3 million Lake
Huron water pipeline is installed. There
is some good news, though — as already
See WATER page 2
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235-3088
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