No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-03-11, Page 66 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, March 11, 2015 Unmetered water customers to see rate increase in ACW Dave Flaherty Goderich Signal Star Unmetered customers in Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh will see a 15.1 per cent yearly increase in their water rates until 2020 under the township's updated financial plan. At the March 3 council meeting, consultant Steve Burns of B.M. Ross and Associates informed council that the municipality's water license is up for renewal and therefore, there is a require- ment for the updated finan- cial plan. The last financial plan was completed in 2010. In his report, Burns stated the town's annual water sys- tem surpluses over the past several years have been well below amortization expenses. Amortization is the spreading out of capital expenses for intangible assets over a specific period of time (usually over the asset's use- ful life) for accounting and tax purposes. Amortization roughly matches an asset's expense with the revenue it generates. Burns provided council with two options for the new financial plan - gener- ate a surplus that will equal the amortization expenses to maintain its current financial position or generate a surplus that will equal the amortization expenses and the capital expenses of two major pro- jects identified within B.M. Ross' report. Those projects are $570,000 (67% paid for by grants, with a town share of $190,000) for arsenic treatment within the Dungannon water system and $115,000 for the Century Heights UV system. Council voted in favour of the second option, five votes to two. Under the first option, the yearly increase from 2015 to 2020 would have been 10.2 per cent. ACW currently has six municipal water systems consisting of four wells and two systems of water the township purchases from neighbouring municipality Huron -Kinloss. The total number of resi- dential and commercial cus- tomers on the town's water system is 411, with the larg- est being the Benmiller Inn. The current rate for unmetered customers is $673 per year. Rates have been increas- ing at a rate of 7.075 per cent since 2011. Benmiller Inn pays roughly 10% of the munici- pality's total water system costs, which in 2015 will equal to $35,595. Under the new financial plan, the inn will pay roughly 8% of the total cost, with a 1.6 per cent yearly increase in rates from 2015 to 2020. The estimated operating budget for ACW's water ser- vice for 2015 is $302,098, roughly half of which is attributed to a service agreement with Veolia Water Canada, which oper- ates the systems on the township's behalf. Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek stated the municipality started to contract out water services over a decade ago due to high costs and an inability to main- tain staffing levels. In his report to council, Burns stated revenues from 2011 to 2014 slightly exceeded projections in ACW's 2010 financial plan. However, expenses in that same time frame exceeded estimates by 42%. Burns said the major fac- tors for this were unforeseen maintenance costs, new leg- islation requiring lead sam- pling, higher than expected increases on water pur- chases from Huron -Kinloss and source water protection costs. According to the report, expenses are forecasted to remain in the $400,000 to $440,000 range between 2015 and 2020, not including the major capital projects he had identified. The report estimated that ACW had approximately $132,000 in reserves at the end of 2014. Burns said municipalities are being encouraged to plan for the long-term when it comes to their water systems. He also noted that many municipalities do not take inflation and depreciation into account when forecast- ing water system costs. Later in the meeting, council approved a contract renewal with Veolia. The new contract is for $129,000 per year, up from $120,072 in the previous agreement. Ashfield Ward Coun. Jen- nifer Miltenburg voiced some surprise at the amount of the increase. However, both Van Die- penbeek and CAO Mark Becker said it is a "very good deal': "If you put it out to tender, you would be shocked," Van Diepenbeek said. Fix your pet, it's the kindest thing you can do Huron County Council Submitted Pet overpopulation is at crisis levels in Ontario. The Ontario SPCA Huron County Branch encourages the pub- lic to fix their pets and help reduce the number of unwanted pets. Tens of thousands of dogs and cats end up homeless on the street or orphaned every year. Hav- ing your pet spayed or neutered will directly address this problem. Spay/Neutering pets reduces shelter intake The Ontario SPCA opened three high volume spay/neu- ter services across the prov- ince. Since their inception the Society has fixed close to 40,000 animals. As a result, in 2012, the Ontario SPCA saw their cat intake in their shel- ters reduced by 18%. advances co ntintxe To grime rY �, Llr{LI IC4Ng4 •:.ie 114 ekrtCwt 1,1 mer•as r. Irr'' ie i {:ASN{:1 R •.01.•939.3333 wrlw rarlcer:ca Pet overpopulation contributes to the cycle of neglect and abuse The Ontario SPCA responds to on average over 16, 000 animal cruelty com- plaints everyyear. Protecting your pet, by having them spayed or neutered, can help reduce this number and make Huron County a safer place for our pets. Spaying/neutering pets may also reduce health risks and physical stress, and improve behaviour in your pet. Fixed pets are also less likely to roam, reduc- ing the risk of injury, acci- dent and loss. "Pet overpopulation is too high; there aren't enough shelters to house all of the unwanted animals. Spaying or neutering your pet can directly address this issue," said Tamara Minns, Branch Coordinator. "It is our duty as responsible pet owners to help lower the number of unwanted litters in our back alleys, dumpsters and our sheltering facilities." To contribute to the spay/ neuter effort, consider ;GI ; 011.4„11.111., 41•04 #1,6 04010 COI "lbl Make )(Mir 01/45111 pier, 4' inl'. fgolers.]rIj Fnpil' 'in!' (&off& 64lt441154r einCERtk f -I 524.111 AW4 • 3 Spaying it Forward by donating the average price of a spay/neuter procedure to the Ontario SPCA Huron County Branch. Fixyourpet.ca, it's the kindest thing you can do. Some myths & truths about fixing your pet: MYTH: Fixing my pet will make him/her overweight. FACT: Fixing your pet should not result in weight gain if your pet receives a healthy diet and suf- ficient exercise. MYTH: Fixing my pet interferes with nature. FACT: Domesticated dogs and cats are completely dependent on humans. It is our responsibility as their guardians to ensure that the number of companion animals born does not exceed the number of available homes. MYTH: All animals have the right to have one litter. FACT: Spaying a female cat or dog before she goes into heat even once will greatly reduce her risk of developing mammary, ovarian and uterine cancer. Iucknowsentinel.com approves 2015 budget Submitted At their March 4th session, Council approved the 2015 budget for the Corporation of the County of Huron. The budgetary process is an annual policy exercise where Council determines capital and operational spending priorities for the organization. This year, the budget objective was to maintain essential and val- ued public services while ensuring the long-term fiscal sustainability of Huron County. Ultimately, the budget reflects a combina- tion of provincially mandated service levels and the service recommendations of county staff, which are based on information gathered from the public. "This was the first budget deliberated by this Council since taking office in Decem- ber and I was very pleased with the quality of our discus- sions," said Warden Paul Gowing. "We met our target of keeping the county levy to a 2% increase and passed the budget in a timely fashion:' I If ww'w maaiehinks.ca Recognized during delib- erations, a number of fiscal pressures will continue to influence decisions regarding the county's budget in future years. These challenges include a rigid provincial tax ratio structure, which is plac- ing an increasingly large tax burden onto residential property owners; the rising costs associated with provid- ing services to an aging pop- ulation; and, the reduction in Ontario Municipal Partner- ship Funding (OMPF). "In the past month, on behalf of my fellow Council- lors, I've spoken to both the Minister of Finance and Min- ister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs about our con- cerns regarding OMPF cut- backs," said Warden Gowing. "Rural municipalities have to work together to make the province understand our demographic and fiscal realities." Huron County's budget details have been summa- rized by the Treasury Depart- ment and are available on the county's website http://www. huroncounty.ca/financial/. can 1-866-734-9425 or visit www.medicalert.ca MedicAlert Lets You Live Life. The Lucknow Sentinel Birthday Club Kaleb Meyer March 11, 2005 • 10 years old 1 Ryan MacKey 5 March 15, 2010 Your child can be a member • of the Sentinel's birthday club ¥ call 519-528-2822 to register S Sentinel ,Loeknow (" 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822 advances co ntintxe To grime rY �, Llr{LI IC4Ng4 •:.ie 114 ekrtCwt 1,1 mer•as r. Irr'' ie i {:ASN{:1 R •.01.•939.3333 wrlw rarlcer:ca Pet overpopulation contributes to the cycle of neglect and abuse The Ontario SPCA responds to on average over 16, 000 animal cruelty com- plaints everyyear. Protecting your pet, by having them spayed or neutered, can help reduce this number and make Huron County a safer place for our pets. Spaying/neutering pets may also reduce health risks and physical stress, and improve behaviour in your pet. Fixed pets are also less likely to roam, reduc- ing the risk of injury, acci- dent and loss. "Pet overpopulation is too high; there aren't enough shelters to house all of the unwanted animals. Spaying or neutering your pet can directly address this issue," said Tamara Minns, Branch Coordinator. "It is our duty as responsible pet owners to help lower the number of unwanted litters in our back alleys, dumpsters and our sheltering facilities." To contribute to the spay/ neuter effort, consider ;GI ; 011.4„11.111., 41•04 #1,6 04010 COI "lbl Make )(Mir 01/45111 pier, 4' inl'. fgolers.]rIj Fnpil' 'in!' (&off& 64lt441154r einCERtk f -I 524.111 AW4 • 3 Spaying it Forward by donating the average price of a spay/neuter procedure to the Ontario SPCA Huron County Branch. Fixyourpet.ca, it's the kindest thing you can do. Some myths & truths about fixing your pet: MYTH: Fixing my pet will make him/her overweight. FACT: Fixing your pet should not result in weight gain if your pet receives a healthy diet and suf- ficient exercise. MYTH: Fixing my pet interferes with nature. FACT: Domesticated dogs and cats are completely dependent on humans. It is our responsibility as their guardians to ensure that the number of companion animals born does not exceed the number of available homes. MYTH: All animals have the right to have one litter. FACT: Spaying a female cat or dog before she goes into heat even once will greatly reduce her risk of developing mammary, ovarian and uterine cancer. Iucknowsentinel.com approves 2015 budget Submitted At their March 4th session, Council approved the 2015 budget for the Corporation of the County of Huron. The budgetary process is an annual policy exercise where Council determines capital and operational spending priorities for the organization. This year, the budget objective was to maintain essential and val- ued public services while ensuring the long-term fiscal sustainability of Huron County. Ultimately, the budget reflects a combina- tion of provincially mandated service levels and the service recommendations of county staff, which are based on information gathered from the public. "This was the first budget deliberated by this Council since taking office in Decem- ber and I was very pleased with the quality of our discus- sions," said Warden Paul Gowing. "We met our target of keeping the county levy to a 2% increase and passed the budget in a timely fashion:' I If ww'w maaiehinks.ca Recognized during delib- erations, a number of fiscal pressures will continue to influence decisions regarding the county's budget in future years. These challenges include a rigid provincial tax ratio structure, which is plac- ing an increasingly large tax burden onto residential property owners; the rising costs associated with provid- ing services to an aging pop- ulation; and, the reduction in Ontario Municipal Partner- ship Funding (OMPF). "In the past month, on behalf of my fellow Council- lors, I've spoken to both the Minister of Finance and Min- ister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs about our con- cerns regarding OMPF cut- backs," said Warden Gowing. "Rural municipalities have to work together to make the province understand our demographic and fiscal realities." Huron County's budget details have been summa- rized by the Treasury Depart- ment and are available on the county's website http://www. huroncounty.ca/financial/. can 1-866-734-9425 or visit www.medicalert.ca MedicAlert Lets You Live Life.