HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-01-25, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
WORKSHOP - Pg. 10
Group aims to make
sustainable food viable
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to
North Huron
4-H - Pg. 17
Grey 4-H creates new
breakfast -themed club
Music - Pg. 19
New Brussels singing
group to form Feb. 7
Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0
Citizen
Volume 34 No. 4
WELCOME TO
B LYT H
ESTABLISHED 1877
$1.25 GST included
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, January 25, 2018
Up in the air
Hullett Central Public School students, when faced with the
possibility of driving rain this week, made sure to take as
much time as they could in the snow on Friday, lest they
lose it to the warmer temperatures. Here, Ashley Kuntz,
left, Sophia Greydanus, centre, and Macey Adams, right, made
their own flurries on a sunny day, complete with smiles that don't
normally accompany a flurry -filled day in the snowbelt of Huron
County. (Denny Scott photo)
M -T eyes
tax rate
decrease
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Morris-Turnberry staff put
council in an enviable position last
week by presenting a draft budget
including a municipal tax rate and
overall tax rate reduction.
The budget represents 2.98 per
cent increase to the tax levy, a
decrease in the municipal tax rate of
6.84 per cent and an overall tax rate
decrease of 7.7 per cent.
Landowners with minimal
assessment increases may actually
see a tax reduction this year under
the current draft budget.
The draft budget was presented on
Jan. 18 during a special council
meeting.
Budget costs will actually be
reduced even further as a result of
council decisions made at last
week's meeting.
Council first reviewed the
Building Department budget
presented by Chief Building
Official Kirk Livingston. While
there were some changes as a result
of Livingston no longer serving
Howick and only working for
Morris-Turnberry and North Huron,
the only issue council had was with
a new vehicle being purchased for
Livingston.
Currently, Livingston uses his
own vehicle for work and is paid
mileage by the municipality. He had
proposed purchasing a vehicle as a
result of a surplus in the 2017
budget in the department.
The department had a total
surplus of nearly $90,000 and
Continued on page 9
No traffic signals for Blyth intersection says Lund
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
After even further review, the
Huron County Public Works
Department is sticking with its
recommendation that the Blyth
intersection of Blyth and London
Roads does not need traffic signals.
Huron County Engineer Steven
Lund spoke to Huron County
Council at its Jan. 17 committee of
the whole meeting, reiterating his
department's original stance from
just under one year earlier.
The intersection did not warrant
the installation of traffic signals
based on a variety of factors.
Neither updated traffic counts,
motor vehicle collision data nor
speed warranted the installation of
signals, Lund said, although vehicle
counts through the intersection have
increased since the opening of Blyth
Cowbell Brewing Company just east
of the intersection.
Lund said that recent traffic counts
show increases of 5.8 per cent on
London Road south of Blyth, 9.6 per
cent on London Road north of Blyth,
12 per cent on Blyth Road west of
Blyth and 72 per cent on Blyth Road
east of Blyth.
He added that with traffic impact
studies completed for both the
Cowbell and Tim Hortons
development just west of the
intersection, neither study concluded
the justification of traffic signals for
the intersection.
In terms of traffic counts, Lund
said that the intersection only meets
between 50 and 60 per cent of the
justification to install traffic signals.
He did say, however, that staff will
continue to monitor the intersection.
While motor vehicle collisions
continue to incite conversation
among Blyth residents concerning
safety through the intersection, Lund
said that the installation of traffic
signals is tied to whether or not these
collisions could have been avoided
as a result of traffic signals.
"Motor vehicle collision data for
the years 2015-2017 from the OPP
that were reported at the intersection
were recently received and reviewed
by County Public Works. There were
nine reported accidents from 2015 to
2017 at this intersection. Eight of the
nine involved failing to yield at one
of the stop signs and one driving too
fast for conditions. None of these
collisions involved fatalities and
would be considered reducible by
traffic signals, as they were no
turning/angle movements," Lund
said in his report. "In 2013 and 2014,
there were three non-reducible
accidents due to speeding and
inattentive driving. On this basis, the
the accident justification is not met.
Similar to traffic counts, staff will
continue to monitor accident data on
an annual basis."
Lund said that with the average
speed through the intersection,
Continued on page 11
Wingham police find support
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The public demonstrated clear
support for the Wingham Police
Service at the second of two public
meetings hosted by North Huron
Council last week.
Council, for the past several
months, has been considering its
options in terms of police protection
in Wingham and the rest of the
municipality.
Staff presented council with three
options for municipal policing:
complete municipal OPP coverage,
complete municipal coverage by the
Wingham Police or the status quo of
the OPP in Blyth and East
Wawanosh and the municipal police
service in Wingham.
After a public meeting last year
and several council meetings where
Continued on page 11