The Times Advocate, 2008-12-17, Page 3PfZOM1
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 Times -Advocate
3
ABCA defends budget at council meeting
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
VARNA Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
(ABCA) general manager Tom Prout was again quizzed by
Bluewater council Monday night ahead of tomorrow s (Thurs-
day) budget vote by the ABCA board of directors.
Council had requested Prout appear again to provide fur-
ther information on items in the ABCA budget including Blue
Flag and needs assessment funding.
In response to a question about $2,000 requested from Blue -
water for Blue Flag education, Prout said Lambton Shores has
approved the same amount but nothing had been heard by the
ABCA from South Huron.
He added the funding would attract other dollars and would
be used for a variety of areas for Blue Flag such as education
and signage.
Coun. Jim Fergusson asked why there had been increased
staffing that caused the need request for a needs assessment
on the ABCA office.
Prout said the ABCA staff has grown back after the cuts of
the 1990s and the office wasn t designed for the amount of
staff it has. He added the ABCA wasn t intending on a multi-
million dollar office.
Fergusson replied that the proposed $13 million Upper
Thames Valley office was what he was concerned about.
Where does it end?
Fergusson added that the mandate of the ABCA has been
changed by the province with the addition of source water
protection and that if the growth of the ABCA was being driv-
en by the province, it should be paid for by the province.
Prout agreed, saying that discussions were being held with
the province to address the issue.
Deputy Mayor Dave Johnston noted the general levy was
up by 7.5 per cent and asked if it was a trend. Prout replied it
wasn t and the increase was due to pay equity mandated by
the province.
Coun. Bill MacDougall noted $4,475 that was being spent
by Bluewater as part of a $20,000 Rock Glen Conservation
Authority drinking water system and said he couldn t see the
benefit to Bluewater.
Prout replied that some years the money comes towards
Bluewater and other years it goes away from it.
Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson noted that it s part of the
structure. We either belong or not.
In other business, Bluewater Shoreline Residents Association
(BSRA) president Jan Purvis and BSRA member Bob Campbell
gave a presentation to council on measures the BSRA would
like council to consider as it begins its budget deliberations.
Purvis said increasing property assessments were going to
create financial hardships for Bluewater residents and de-
scribed several measures she said would help to alleviate the
hardship.
Among the measures suggested by the BSRA, said Purvis
were a more flexible tax payment plan as well as Bluewater
continuing to be fiscally responsible and establishing a sepa-
rate tax class for properties designated Lakeshore Residen-
tial.
Purvis also said council should direct its representatives on
county council to minimize any increase in the 2009 county
budget.
Johnston said the representatives on county council would
do the best they could and that while the separate tax class
had to be done by the province, the municipality would look
into it.
Fergusson said the county had already received notice from
South Huron looks at affordable housing policy
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SOUTH HURON Council has given
staff the go-ahead to draft an affordable
housing policy for South Huron.
The move comes in reaction from a
number of requests from property own-
ers Heath and Jarrett Palen to develop
their building at 63 Main St. into afford-
able housing for seniors.
South Huron chief administrative of-
ficer Roy Hardy told council Monday
night that while the municipality now
has no specific policy on affordable pol-
icy, South Huron wants to support such
projects and come up with a bylaw to
deal with future requests regarding af-
fordable housing.
After some discussion, council agreed
to have staff draft a policy and then
bring it back at a future council meeting
for further discussion and eventual ap-
proval.
In a presentation to council in Novem-
ber, the Palens requested that South Hu-
ron:
• reimburse them for building permit
and development charges of $32,764.28;
• provide the property with a "single-
family residential tax rate" rather than
the multi -unit rate;
• waive monthly water fees to senior
tenants in the building on a limited in-
come;
• read the water meters monthly and
break out the water consumption charg-
es for each tenant in the building. The
building includes individual meters for
each unit. The Palens say in their letter
"each tenant wants to pay only the water
consumption charges they occur" and
"they do not want to pay for wasteful
consumption of a neighbour."
The Palens add that the requests
they ve made from South Huron are in
line with other affordable housing proj-
ects throughout Ontario. The Palen proj-
ect has already received support from
the federal, provincial and county levels
of government.
South Huron has yet to make a specific
decision on the Palen project and the
owners requests.
Other council notes:
Dashwood water costs
Council approved an $80,726.82, plus
GST, project to install water
meter change -outs and pres-
sure reducing valves (PRVs)
into homes in Dashwood.
According to his report to
council, operations manager
Don Giberson said with the
new water system hook-up
into Dashwood, which rem-
edies a low-pressure prob-
lem in the village, it has been
discovered that Dashwood
homes don t have PRVs. Pip-
ing water at an increased rate
into homes without PRVs
would damage plumbing,
Giberson said.
After calling for tenders
for the project, South Huron
only received one quote for the project,
which ended up being higher than the
municipality anticipated. After a month
of negotiations with Corix Water Prod-
ucts, the $80,726.82 figure was agreed
upon.
Coun. Jim Dietrich noted council had
no choice but to approve the project
since the new water line into Dashwood
can t be turned on unless PRVs are in-
stalled into Dashwood homes.
Congrats to new warden
With Mayor Ken Oke s recent election
victory as warden of Huron County,
Coun. Tom Tomes offered council s con-
gratulations.
Oke thanked council for its support in
his bid to become head of county coun-
cil.
the province that it wouldn t receive the same amount
of funding as last year and that he had never seen a
year that presented bigger challenges.
Johnston encouraged all Bluewater residents to
watch the restructuring done by county council. It
should be representation by population, said John-
ston.
Dowson agreed saying the idea of cutting the size
of county council down to nine hadn t gone over well
and that while it would work it wouldn t be fair.
Regional wrap up
Gateway recognized
SEAFORTH The Gateway Rural Health Re-
search Institute and Healthkick Huron are being
nationally recognized, said the Huron Expositor.
The organizations are receiving a Community
Futures initiative award after being submitted by
Huron Business Development Corporation man-
ager Paul Nichol.
Nichol said the two groups were submitted to-
gether because they are closely connected.
Community Futures projects are nominated
when they solve local problems at a local level, said
Nichols, something both of the groups achieve, he
added.
Alliance deficit
CLINTON The Huron Perth Healthcare Alli-
ance is looking at a $1 million shortfall in the 2009
budget year, said the Clinton -News Record.
Alliance chief executive officer (CEO) Andrew
Williams said the organization expects to end the
year in the black which is important since it will
impact next year s decisions.
At this point, the Alliance isn t looking to shut
any of its four emergency departments, said Wil-
liams.
Scanner donation
GODERICH The CT Scanner Huron County
Diagnostic Imaging Campaign was pushed over
the $5 million mark with a recent $250,000 dona-
tion, reports the Goderich Signal -Star.
The donation was received by the Alexandra Ma-
rine and General Hospital Foundation from Sifto
Canada Corp Dec. 8.
It is the largest single corporate donation to the
campaign and completes the foundation s capital
campaign for the scanner.
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