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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-01-11, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018. Newson proposes recreation master plan in budget Continued from page 11 up taxation when you have the money in reserves." Newson said that having the equipment there is necessary as members of the fitness club pay for it or else the club could lose members. Reeve Neil Vincent said that, if the program was operating at cost - recovery as it's intended to, membership dues should cover these expenditures. He continued to say that, since tax dollars were being considered for this cost, membership dues aren't covering the expenses at the centre. Newson said the revenue for the programming usually does exceed the costs, however she didn't have those numbers separate from the cost of the complex including electricity and hydro. Other capital expenses at the centre include a $35,000 HVAC unit for the fitness/squash area and carbon monoxide systems for both the Wingham and Blyth arenas, estimated to cost at least $10,000 per centre. RECREATION MASTER PLAN Newson also suggested that the municipality should invest in a recreation master plan to evaluate whether all the facilities that are offered are necessary. As an example, she pointed to the fact that there are five baseball diamonds in North Huron and said it would be the goal of the plan to assess if all five of them are needed. "We need to hear from the public," she said. "Before we rehabilitate current facilities and look at programs, we need to have a road map." Part of what made the budget process difficult for Newson was Bill 148, which immediately caused a $19,000 increase in staff costs from people working below the new minimum wage of $14. Newson said that was most apparent when looking at the arena concession booths, an issue council has visited multiple times in the past several years. Seip said that, in his experience, new arenas are being built without concession stands. "Is that something we should consider at North Huron?" he asked. "That full minimum wage increase is going to need to go to the prices of products, which will reduce the number of purchases." Newson said the issue was a hot topic at facility manager meetings and many arenas are trying to find volunteer groups or community groups to run the concessions. North Huron, unfortunately, hasn't had luck finding such a group in the past. Councillor Ray Hallahan cut to the heart of the issue, asking when the concession stands could be closed as a cost-saving measure, however other council members wanted to take a more measured approach with Seip saying he wanted to look at the issue as part of a larger discussion and Councillor Brock Vodden saying the sustainability of North Huron needs to be considered. Vodden would later revisit the issue, saying that former Interim CAO Larry McGregor had made reference to the fact that North Huron couldn't afford all three of its community centres. "I knew exactly what he meant by that," he said. "I would assume he was thinking in terms of probably closing down the Blyth arena... which Blyth can't afford. We have to look at it as an entity. On the other hand... we see in our notes that our operating budget needs to increase by $1.3 million over the next five years to continue with services. That's not sustainable... the broad picture may be telling us we have to do a lot of things differently." Council members discussed changing arenas in the community to match the system used in Belgrave where the municipality makes a donation to a board annually to run the centre on the township's behalf, however Newson pointed out that equipment in the Wingham and Blyth arena require professional year-round maintenance that would be difficult, if not impossible, to be handed over to a volunteer. CHILD CARE COSTS North Huron's child care costs were also discussed by council with Evans explaining the before- and after-school programs generate a profit while general child care is provided at a loss. Seip said he would like to see the fees at the daycare reviewed against non -municipal and other private daycares. "We should be establishing costs that are competitive," he said. "I think we are shortchanging ourselves on certain fees with regards to newborns because, in other municipalities [and] more profit -oriented [centres] that cost is almost double what we're charging." Seip said he didn't want to reduce users by increasing the price, but, did want fair expenses matching private centres. Campbell explained that, in his experience, private daycares are becoming more difficult to run. "People are getting out of that business because of liability," he said. Vincent, however, said Seip was right and a sector -wide review of charges needs to be considered for the municipality. ESTC While council has expressed a hope that for the Emergency Services Training Centre (ESTC) could be a cost -neutral facility, Evans explained that might be something to reconsider. While the budget presented by New plan to run through 2020 Continued from page 11 and continue the storytelling narrative that began with the creation of the hashtag. Under the development portion of the program, Agri -Food Supply Chain networking will focus on connecting businesses with the supply chain and identifying opportunities for more value added locally. It will also endeavour to create more regional business synergy as well. The Culinary Tourism Readiness Initiative will work to support existing tourism efforts and businesses, but Joudry said that culinary tourism has proven to be a new marketing opportunity that the county has yet to leverage. As for the Agri -Food Products Transport Mixer, the initiative hopes to connect individuals with specific needs and create synergy between regional businesses. Joudry also said that the program will fill a "real and present need" in the sector throughout the community. The New Markets and Leads Identification Initiative will connect "serious" producers with similarly "serious" buyers, demonstrate new markets and foster exports, while the Innovation in Agri -Sector Conference will endeavour to celebrate the successes of the sector locally, while understanding what's possible and drawing a road map to innovation. As far as fostering startups in Huron County, the department hopes to develop a one-stop shop for information while the Financing for New Farmers Resource will gather, update and maintain county information and should be useful for all throughout the sector, Joudry said in his report. The Agri -Business Co-operative Creation Tool will create a vetted template for new partnerships and can be used in other projects within the work plan. The Community Prospects Package will be used to attract both investment and tourists and will be important for investment and workforce attraction and retention. The New Agriculture Entrant Working Group will discuss barriers to the agri-food sector in Huron County, gather data and facts and propose realistic solutions to the decision -makers, while the Agriculture Mentor-Mentee Succession Program will leverage local expertise, build relationships and work towards succession planning with area farmers. The Win This Space — Country Style program will build upon the already -successful Huron East program that rewards entrepreneurs with the Dragons' Den -style competition. Joudry, in his report, said the concept would attract "new blood" to Huron County and protect property from "estate" purchases. In the support area of the plan, the Huron County Agri -Food Leadership Council will provide leadership and guidance, working behind the scenes in a non-political way that isn't focused on advocacy. New Products Business Case Development will help those with a "great idea" move to a well -thought- out concept, capitalizing on realistic opportunities and providing expert advice from people in the market. The Agri -Food Expert Advisory Directory will act as a peer support system that works to retain and maintain local knowledge, while the ongoing support of agricultural organizations will take a solutions - based approach to supporting existing groups and working with county departments. As far as cost to the county is concerned, initiatives rolled out in 2018 will cost the department $51,000, while 2019 will have a price tag of $66,000 and 2020 will cost just over $115,000. Council accepted Joudry's report and approved the work plan, pending annual budgetary approval. #1 And We /Still Try Harder! Recent circulation figures show The Citizen has the highest circulation in the northern part of Huron County, #3 in the entire county. The Citizen Proudly Community - Owned Since 1985 ESTC Principal Mark Alderman was balanced and included no funds transfered from reserve or taxation, Evans said council may need to look at the future of the facility. "I guess the council needs to consider how long it will allow the ESTC to operate at a deficit," he said. "If, in 2018, we don't come out as revenue neutral, how long does council want to continue with the ESTC?" WINGHAM TRAILER PARK The Wingham Trailer Park, a long- term trailer site run by a community group for the municipality, was also identified as a possible expense that could be cut. Evans explained there may be an opportunity to see the land used for other, more profitable purposes. "Taxpayer dollars are going to a recreational use that is benefitting a limited number of individuals," he said. "It's a service we are providing. The question becomes, 'is that the most efficient use of that piece of land?"' Evans explained there is a shortage of land for development in Wingham and that staff had been working to try and find more land. He said it may be worth council revisiting the Wingham Trailer Park. GALBRAITH SOCCER FIELD The Galbraith Soccer Field, a Maitland Valley Conservation Area property in Morris-Turnberry operated by North Huron, was also looked at as an unnecessary expense for the municipality. "The MVCA owns the land and we incur the costs for it," Evans explained. "We do have a number of soccer fields elsewhere in the municipality. Is this a soccer field that we need? It is costing us money" Evans explained that the site costs the municipality approximately $4,000 annually. Newson said she wasn't sure how the land arrangement came to be, pointing out that North Huron essentially pays the taxes on land in Morris- Turnberry. "We could look at partnering with Morris-Turnberry or talk to Wingham Minor Soccer and see if that field is necessary," she said. ADDITIONAL ISSUES Staff briefed council on the potential savings associated with a reduction in recycling collection in Wingham and Blyth to bi-weekly, a human resources policy review that may impact the budget and potential Hutton Heights development. Hutton Heights, a community south of Wingham, is an unserviced area of development that council and staff have looked at several times in the past decade as a possible means of creating residential development in the municipality. Council debated the importance of developing the land and possible future use, however several barricades to development were pointed out and attributed to the Huron County Planning Department. Campbell suggested having a representative from the planning department attend a meeting and explain how the land could be developed. COUNCIL DIRECTION After the meeting, council had several suggestions they wanted senior management to weigh in on at future meetings, including reducing grass cutting, either through spreading out mowing schedules or investing in slower -growing species of grass; having staff bring forward ideas that council had already ruled on to revisit them if staff felt they were worthwhile; looking at divulging or reallocating building inventory within the municipality; approaching the YMCA to run the aquatic and fitness programs and equipment at the North Huron Wescast Complex in Wingham and locking or card -locking the sewage dump sites for trailers and RVs in the municipality. As far as specific directions, council removed the Greenway Trail bridge from the budget, reducing it by $38,000 and asked staff to come back with ways to reduce operational costs. Rediscover what Huron County has to offer. Pick up your free guide to Stops Along The Way and see what's happening in your area! 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