Loading...
The Citizen, 2007-04-05, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2007. Awards Several Brussels Public School students were among the regional science fair award recipients at the event held last week in Seaforth. Top, from left: Curtis Bloemberg, second, Grade 4; Jacob McGavin, first, Grade 6; Wyatt Ducharme, first, Grade 4. Front: Tori Kellington, fourth, Grade 6; Nic Gowing, Hydro One Energy Ambassador Award; Mitchell Kellington, second, Grade 4; Trevor Nesbitt, first, Grade 7 innovation, D&D Automation Technology Award and Courtney Bloemberg, fourth, Grade 6. Absent was Anthony Vader, first Grade 5. (Bonnie Gropp photo) Continued from page 1 MacLellan also defended the tax rates, saying that it isn’t a decision of the municipality, that it’s a decision that has forced its hand by higher government. “If we start sacrificing income, then we start compromising services. This has been dropped on us and unfortunately we’ve all been painted with one paintbrush here,” he said. “We’ve kept taxes low too long and it’s come back to bite us in the rear again.” When new councillor Les Falconer asked what the tax increase was for 2006, another new councillor Bill Siemon joked that they were “not enough”. Knight pulled up the figure, which was a 1.4 per cent increase. Seili defended council’s decision in 2006, saying that times were tough and they were trying to do right by the farmers in the municipality. When council got back to the proposed 2007 tax increase, MacLellan brought his suggestion of 13 per cent up again. He said that this would eliminate the remaining deficit of just over $3,000 left by the 12.2 per cent increase and it would provide room to maneuver in the mayor’s proposed cuts. MacLellan spoke out against the cut to the council budget. Without providing specific examples, he felt the proposed $5,000 to be cut would be needed in 2007 and that the additional tax increase would cover what was left on the table. The additional 0.8 per cent increase to 13 per cent would add nearly $13,000 to the budget, eliminating the deficit and the proposed cut to council costs. While Knight’s figure stood at 12.2 and Falconer suggested a 15 per cent increase, councillors voted for a consensus at the end of the meeting. The figure agreed upon would not be written in stone, but it would provide Knight a solid figure to work with when he brought the fourth draft of the budget to council at their next meeting on April 3. When the hands were counted, a 13 per cent increase was favoured almost unanimously and will be featured in the budget for the next meeting, which will eliminate the deficit and with councillors agreeing with Knight’s points, should just leave final touches to be completed on the budget. There were, however, additional concerns that have come in under the radar and somewhat off the numbers sheet in the budget. Knight’s comment to council came attached to his budget summary almost as a post script regarding the depletion of reserves. After equipment reserves pay for a new grader, a new firetruck for Seaforth and a new backhoe, the municipality’s equipment reserve will have been depleted to $268,000, which is less than one piece of major equipment. The issue of the firetruck in Seaforth remains unchanged, with new price quotations coming in, but if the firefighters get their way, their truck will be in the neighborhood of $350,000, which would require an additional $50,000 that is likely to come from the reserve, dropping the reserve to $218,000. With council awaiting information regarding the firetruck that should take several months and then the ordering process, fire chief Marty Bedard expects that Seaforth will have the new truck delivered sometime in spring of 2008. Clerk-administrator Jack McLachlan told council that whether the truck comes this year or next year, it will have no bearing on the budget because it is all coming from reserves. Depleting the reserve is something that didn’t sit well with many of the councillors. MacLellan said that it turns out that council was not banking enough into the reserve and starting next year this will have to change. MacLellan said that they were contributing between $100,000 and $160,000 into the reserve per year, when they should have been putting $260,000 into the account annually. Councillor Larry McGrath was outspoken in his dissatisfaction of depleting the reserves. “There aren’t enough pay- days a month and it’s catch-up time,” he said. “Maybe we don’t do any roads this year, maybe this is equipment purchase year, because if we keep trying to keep everyone happy, 10 or 12 per cent isn’t going to cut it.” When the meeting was coming to a close, MacLellan called for the vote that would result in a 13 per cent tax rate after McGrath said he could live with that. Councillor Frank Stretton proposed a phase-in for the tax increase that would take place over three years, the other councillors disagreed. MacLellan proposed that the municipality could limp by with the proposed 12.2 per cent, but that 13 would alleviate the deficit and not compromise council meeting allowances. Councillors will meet for their regular meeting on April 3 when a fourth draft of the budget is expected. MacLellan says big government forcing council’s hand visit www.ontario.ca/adoptioninfo If you were involved in an adoption that is registered in Ontario, you should know that access to identifying information for adopted adults and birth parents is changing. Changes to adoption information laws in Ontario will allow most adopted adults and birth parents to receive identifying information from original birth registrations and adoption orders. Changes also include the ability to register a no-contact notice and apply for an order prohibiting the disclosure of identifying information in order to prevent harm. In the past, non-identifying information may have been disclosed to adopted people or birth relatives. To learn more about these changes and how they might affect you or someone you know, please visit www.ontario.ca/adoptioninfo. This ad is paid for by the Government of Ontario. Has Adoption Touched Your Life? Well done Blyth Public School had several senior winners from the regional science and inventor’s fair held last week in Seaforth. From left: Grant Sparling, first, Grade 8 physical, best display, the UOIT Innovation Award and William Galbraith Memorial Award; Janelle Vanderveen, second, Grade 7 physical; Michele Studhalter, third, Grade 7 innovation; Laura Van Schaik, second Grade 7 physical and Laura Peach, second, Grade 8 biological and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Innovator Award. Sparling advances to the Canada-wide fair in Truro, Nova Scotia. (Bonnie Gropp photo)