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The Citizen, 1991-06-19, Page 1Rooty’s back Rutabaga Festival starts Friday in Blyth See page 13 Making noise Blyth Reeve sleepless over arena noise See page 3 Review Ted Johns takes aim at Tory politics See page 31 Blyth taxes up >• 7.29 % with new budget Taxes for Blyih public school supporters will increase 7.29 per cent under a budget adopted by Blyth Village Council Wednesday night. The cost for separate school sup­ porters under the new budget will increase 8.05 per cent. The municipal portion of the mill rate will increase by 10.43 per cent with the county portion up 8.29 per cent, the public elementary rate up 1.91 per cent and the public secondary rale up one per cent (equivalent separate school rates at 1.91 for elementary and 7.35 for secondary). The village is taking advantage of two grants which have driven up municipal costs. This is the third year of the three-year Ontario gov­ ernment Pride grant and the village has to come up with a substantial amount of money to pay its portion of programs such as a $50,000 plan to improve street-lighting in the vil­ lage and $30,000 for new entrance signs at the north, east and west of the village. The costs also increased because of a pleasant surprise when council received a grant for reconstruction of Morris St. that it had given up on. The budget had been prepared a month ago but council was holding back on it, hoping to hear about the special grant. "That street (grant) kind of threw us because we got thinking we weren't going to get it and had other projects in mind," Reeve Albert Wasson said. The Reeve said he didn't like to see the mill rate increase at a lime when things are so bad in the economy but fell the village should lake advantage of grant programs when they are available. The program for Morris Street will be $74,400 with a grant of $37,200 from the province. In all, village spending will be up 13 per cent but a surplus of $45,837 from last year plus transfers from reserves (money set aside for future projects) reduced the amount needed to be raised by taxation. Some of the projects to be financed with the help of Pride grant money won't cost the taxpay­ er because the local matching funds will be donated by community groups. Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association will put $11,000 toward improvements to the fairgrounds and Blyth Lions Club will donate $8,500 to Lions Park improvements. Serving Bruutli, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. VOL. 7 NO. 24 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1991.60 CENTS Head-on crash kills Brussels youth Tragedy on the road A Brussels youth was killed and several others sent to hospital in a two-car, head-on collision north of Walton Monday evening. Manfred Wingham OPP are investigating the cause of an accident late Mon­ day afternoon, which took the life of a Brussels area youth. Manfred Klaus, 17, of RR4, Brussels was declared dead at the scene by coroner Dr. Kenneth Rod­ ney of Seaforth. According to a spokesperson from the OPP, a 1979 Chcv pick- Klaus, 17, was killed when the up, driven by Daniel Blake, 17 of RR2, Brussels was northbound on County Road 12, just north of Wal­ ton, when it swerved into the south lane to avoid Mr. Klaus, who was travelling toward them in the wrong lane. Mr. Klaus, then turned his 1979 Ford Mustang back into the southbound lane al the last moment and the vehicles collided car he was driving collided with a pick-up truck driven by Daniel Blake, also 17. Mr. Blake was taken to hospital with major injuries. Police are still investigating. head-on. Mr. Blake received major injuries and was taken to Seaforth General Hospital. Four passengers in the truck were also injured. David Jacklin, 16, of RR5, Brussels sus­ tained major injuries and was taken to Wingham and District Hospital, Terrance Rooth, 43, of Brussels and his son, 18-year-old Jason, were taken to Seaforth Hospital for minor and minimal injuries and Christopher Poland, 17, of Seaforth also received minor injuries and was treated at Seaforth Hospital. Both vehicles were demolished. A post-mortem on Mr. Klaus is scheduled to lake place at Stratford General Hospital yesterday (Tues­ day). Other projects for the year that helped increase costs were the $31,000 renovation of municipal offices, the $3000 for a new tele­ phone system for the office and $5000 for a computer; $33,000 for the renovations to prepare the new Blyth library; and $11,913 for the pumpcr/lankcr for the Blyth and District Fire Area Board. Reeve Wasson said taxpayers in Blyth have been luckier than those in many municipalities. "For almost every dollar we pay in taxes we've been getting about another dollar in grant money." Wesf Waivanosh holds the line for 4.6% tax increase West Wawanosh residents will be paying 4.636 per cent more in taxes this year but only because township council held the line on its own expenses. Township council, in a budget accepted at its June 4 meeting, held the township portion of the budget to .997 per cent from the 1990 rale. Meanwhile the county rate increased 8.28 per cent. Public school system supporters will pay 1.910 more for elementary schools and 7.351 more for secondary schools. Roman Catholic Separate School Supporters will pay 1.001 per cent more for elementary and 12.510 more for secondary schools. The increase means that a typical township ratepayer with an assess­ ment of $50,000 will pay $778 in taxes in 1991, up $43. The separate school supporter will pay $1,017 or $52 more than in 1990. The trustee rate for the police vil­ lage of Auburn is up 14.488 per cent while the street light charge will decline 36.572 per cent because the rate was higher in 1990 with the maturity of debentures for the village street lights. The total increase for village taxpayers will be 2.341 per cent. On an assess­ ment of $30,000, a village ratepay­ er will pay $674, or $15 more than last year. For commercial and busi­ ness assessment, the mill rate is 2.38 mills compared to 2.023 for residential. Street lighting rates are .940 for residential and 1.105 for commercial and business. The Dungannon street light rates are up 11.71 per cent over 1990 to 1.288 residential and 1.515 com­ mercial levied on assessments to a maximum of $23,000.