The Citizen, 2008-04-24, Page 1The CitizenVolume 24 No. 17 Thursday, April 24, 2008 $1.25 ($1.19 + 6c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 2
Pg. 6
Pg. 8
Pg. 9
Pg. 22
School band wins
first at Festival
Local girl wins
provincial award
Girls teams rule on
rinks
Local youth gets
behind his team
Artist’s work on
display in London
Thousands of chickens perished
in a Morris-Turnberry barn fire
April 17.
Blyth fire chief Paul Josling said
firefighters responded to the call on
Moncrieff Road at 9:30 p.m.
The 48’ by 250’ chicken barn was
fully ablaze by that time and the
10,000 birds were already lost, he
said.
“The roof from about 200 feet of
the barn was gone when we got
there,” said Josling.
Firefighters remained on the scene
for two hours.
No one was home at the time of
the fire. The house was inhabited by
the farm manager, Irvine Pease.
“They arrived shortly after we got
there,” said Josling.
A passerby noticed the blaze and
called 911.
The barn was built in the early
1970s. Josling said they suspect the
fire started as a result of an electrical
problem.
There is no estimate of damage at
press time.
A day before, Blyth firefighters
were called to a grass fire at the
Londesborough-area property of
Bruce Shillinglaw just before noon.
“He had been cutting up some old
farm machinery with a torch and the
grass and a couple of scrap cars
caught fire,” said Josling.
The fire was very close to a
number of buildings, some trees and
a hedge. Firefighters were on the
scene for an hour to get the blaze
under control.
10,000
chickens
perish
in barn
blaze
Big loss
Ten thousand chickens perished in this barn blaze which occurred in the evening of April 17
on Moncrieff Road in Morris-Turnberry. Blyth firefighters responded after the call was made by
a passerby. (Keith Roulston photo)
North Huron council passed its
budget Monday night, with an
overall increase of 3.99 per cent.
One of the highlights, however, was
the announcement of a surplus from
2007 of $259,320.86.
“We have never had a surplus of
this size,” said director of
finance/treasurer Donna White.
The surplus came as a result of
several things, including money left
over from the museum. “We didn’t
have the museum open full-time last
year and we had budgetted that it
would be.”
Also there were savings on some
capital projects, including Dinsley
Street.
The accumulated surplus, since
2001, now sits at $467,184.
White said that they are raising
$142,718 more this year from
taxation than the previous year, with
expenditures totalling $11,213,077.
“The total raised from taxes will be
$3,719,122 with the base rate being
$2,371,596 and the area rate being
$1,342,626.”
Area rating, White explained has
been done in the township since
amalgamation for specific services in
each ward. The area rates for
Wingham total $1,143,122, and
cover such things as policing,
streetlights, sanitation, recycling and
the long-term debt on the complex.
In Blyth, the area-rated costs are
$135,737 to cover the OPP,
streetlights, sanitation, recycling and
for the final year, the shortfall on the
Blyth arena.
In East Wawanosh area-rated
dollars total $63,767 to cover OPP,
sanitation and recycling.
On the revenue side, North Huron
has used $80,000 of the gas tax fund
to offset the work on Catherine
Street in Wingham. They received
$422,000 from the Municipal
Infrastructure Investment Initiative.
“We were also lucky to get a
$144,906 increase in the Ontario
Municipal Partnership Fund,” said
White. This is an unconditional
grant.
As of March 31 there was new
funding announced for road and
bridge work in the amount of
$242,403 for North Huron. “This
came at a time when the budget had
been set, so it’s been put into
reserves for a 2009 project.”
What the bottom line means to
ratepayers,White clarified by using a
$100,000 residential assessment as a
guide. In Wingham the municipal
taxes on this type of home would
increase by $54.54 or 3.74 per cent.
In Blyth the figure is $39.74 or 3.91
per cent, while it’s $34.77 in East
Wawanosh or 4.01 per cent.
“It’s important to look at the
dollars, not the percentage.”
Highlights in the budget include
partial funding of a new truck for the
Wingham Fire Department, a
policing study, a portable generator
(contingent on a grant), fencing,
trees and gates at the Wingham
landfill, a niche wall at the Wingham
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Residents want clean up
NH passes
budget
As North Huron council’s Monday
night agenda was wrapping up a
small group of disgruntled Wingham
residents showed up to voice their
disapproval of a decision regarding
lawn refuse pickup.
A few months ago, at committee
of the whole, council came to a
decision that they would no longer
pickup yard waste placed at the side
of the roads by residents. The
problem, however, is that the notice
did not reach many residents until
the yard work had been done this
year.
John Mann, the spokesperson for
the group, comprised primarily of
seniors, expressed frustration that as
taxes continue to rise, services
would disappear. He also questioned
the decision that the township would
now charge $50 if they had to pickup
garden refuse that had been swept to
the road.
“This service appears to have been
arbitrarily removed without our prior
knowledge.”
Saying the decision was unfair to
some residents, Mann noted that not
every ratepayer had a vehicle,
particularly one big enough to carry
all of the yard debris to the landfill.
“Also not every resident can afford
the new fee.”
Mann asked why residents were
not consulted, why the notice went
out so late and why the service is
being withdrawn. “I can’t fathom
why when we have such a high rate
of taxation that services are
reduced.”
Former councillor Arnold Taylor
said he had been “rather shocked” to
receive the notice. “It just came,
bang.”
He stated that in the past a notice
had been put in the paper that refuse
would be picked up on specific days.
“It couldn’t be out before or after or
there would be a charge. However,
this was never enforced.”
Rollie Kaufman agreed that the
decision seemed abrupt and wanted
an answer on council’s reasoning.
“Is it the thought of council to do
away with this altogether?”
Elayne Rintoul asked where the
refuse was to go. “How do we
physically get rid of it?”
Councillor Archie MacGowan
thanked the residents for their
comments and interest. He explained
that part of the problem arose
because the service had been abused
on a number of occasions. “We set
dates for pickup then would have a
whole other round. Then I received
complaints from people who said if
we set a date that should be it.”
The fee, said clerk-administrator
Kriss Snell, was based on an hourly
rate for staff and the use of
equipment. “We hope this would
come as a request from the
ratepayer. There are cheaper
alternatives. This is obviously a last
resort.”
Several expressed concerns
regarding a specific pick-up date
because of the weather’s capricious
nature. “Having refuse out on a
specific date is unreasonable. This
has to be flexible.” He suggested a
two-week period, adding that some
municipalities provide this service
monthly.
There was also some discussion
regarding a local compost site,
which had been closed because of
abuse. “A small group ruined it for
everyone,” said MacGowan.
Councillor Murray Nesbitt said
council had made the decision to try
and keep costs under control. “It
takes a lot of money,” he said,
adding that while taxes have gone
up, they may have gone up more
with this service continuing.
Mann pointed out that his taxes
had risen 37 per cent in 10 years.
“It saves man hours,” said Nesbitt.
“It’s small steps.
(After the group left the meeting,
public works director Ralph
Campbell said the pickup cost
roughly $8,000, not including fuel
costs.)
Snell also noted that the public
works department is down one
employee.
‘Craft bags’ were mentioned as
another alternative, as they would
not require the staff time as with
loose refuse. Councillor Greg
McClinchey supported this
initiative, saying, “I think it’s
absolutely absurd that people get to
rake their lawn onto the road.”
The bags, which decompose, are
used now in many municipalities.
Cost, said McClinchey is minimal,
about $2.25 for six bags, which are
larger than typical garbage bags.
Campell explained that the notice
had gone into the North Huron
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
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