The Citizen, 1995-11-08, Page 1
610 + 40 GST 650] Vol. 11 No 44 Wednesday, Nov. 8, 1995
County plan affects ed. tax
Amber Sellers, front and Autumn Vincent took the challenge of trying to sink their teeth into
one of these swinging apples during the Halloween fun and games at Brussels Public
School. Organized by Mrs. Perrie's Grade 7/8 class for the younger students, the day
offered face painting, stories and a haunted house to name just a few activities, while the
host class was able to develop organizational skills.
Brussels sets up
for Neighbourhood
Watch
See page 7
Brussels Crusaders
play home opener
Saturday night
See page 9
Hullett Twp. opens
its new
municipal office
See page 11
West Wawanosh
clerk retires
after 30 years
See page 16
John Lowe resigns
from council seat
By Janice Becker
By merely flipping the page of
the calendar to reveal 1996, the
Huron County Board of Education
will be faced with another two to
five per cent increase in property
tax assessment for education
purposes, because of a decision
made several years ago by Huron
County council.
The difficulty of budget
estimates for the upcoming year
were again discussed by the board
at the Nov. 6 meeting after each
committee spent time looking for
areas to cut costs.
When county council decided to
go to market-value assessment for
property taxes, that resulted in an
adjustment of values every four
years, explained Superintendent of
Business Janet Baird-Jackson. For
the last four years, property taxes
have been based on the 1988 value
of a property. Beginning in 1996,
that assessment value will:be in
terms of 1992 prices. There will
also be a shift of assessment values
away from the commercial sector
to the residential sector.
In reply to Goderich Trustee
Norm Pickell's question regarding a
similar decrease in commercial
taxes as residential rates increase,
Baird-Jackson simply replied "yes".
"In the worst case scenario, the
combination of the previously
predicted 9.6 per cent tax increase
from provincial downloading with
the rumored up to five per cent
from market-value re-assessment,"
would lead to a tax increase of
almost 15 per cent, she says.
A reduction of $4 to $5 million in
overceiling spending would be
required to absorb the impact, says
Baird-Jackson. "Such a reduction is
seen not to be legally possible."
All school principals as well as
Education Centre departments,
were asked to consider strategies
for cost reductions which would
negatively affect classroom
instruction.
By Amy Neilands
One year after signing an
agreement with the Central Huron
Mobility Service (CHuMS), the
five member municipalities opted
out of financially supporting thz
service, which was recently hit by
provincial government cutbacks.
Of the $70,000 that was budgeted
for one year of operation of the
mobility bus service, $28,000 was
supposed to come from the
provincial government. The
In the first round of expenditure
cuts, the board committees were
able to suggest reductions totalling
approximately $1 million.
A preliminary list for considera-
tion from the Executive Committee,
includes introducing user fees for
non-essential student supplies and
the possibility of allowing the
schools to charge parking fees,
reviewing the cost implications of
credit limits in the secondary
program (for students in Grades 12
and OAC or total accumulation)
and negotiating reductions in
service, consulting and banking
fees. Anticipated savings would be
in excess of $75,000.
The Education Committee
suggested a minimum of three
courses per student per semester,.
reducing the cost of adult educa-
tion, reducing occasional teacher
usage, and limiting furniture and
equipment spending. The total
savings, more than $115,000.
The obviously sensitive area of
human resources hopes to reduce
costs by $300,000.
But through all the reductions,
the Management Committee will
once again take the largest hit.
With reduced program maintenance
for both elementary and secondary
facilities, deferred capital spending
for buses for one year, spreading
plant capital over two years,
limiting custodial supplies and
realized savings due to the
conversion to natural gas, the
committee anticipates a reduction
of $512,000.
Over the next month, the board
will continue to examine other
areas for cost cutting, a challenge
not easily met because of
prohibitions by the law and the
requirement to honour collective
agreements.
Invitations for talks have already
been issued to employee groups,
says Director of Education Paul
Carroll.
$28,000 is "now gone by the
wayside," said Ron Latham, chair
of the CHuMS steering committee.
The service was therefore
looking to the five member
municipalities, the Towns of
Clinton and Seaforth and the
Townships of Tuckersmith, Hullett
and McKillop, for support.
The Huron Adult Day Centre was
to cover $23,000 of the operating
costs, while $10,000 was slated to
Continued on page 7
In another note on budgets, the
board was given a revised estimate
of expenditures for 1995 with both
the elementary and secondary
panels coming in below budget.
Brussels village council will
meet Nov. 29 to fill a council
vacancy caused by the resignation
of John Lowe.
Lowe tendered his resignation to
council in a letter Monday night.
He said he had enjoyed the experi-
ence of being on council but work
pressures meant he could not carry
on his position.
Council can hold an election or
choose to appoint someone to fill
the vacancy. Often the appointment
is made from those who ran in the
last election but since all council-
lors were elected by acclamation,
this is not an option. An election
would be an expensive alternative.
Saying there was important work
coming up for council, Reeve Gor-
don Workman said ''We should do
it (seek a replacement) as quickly
as possible."
Council voted to advertise for
anyone interested in being on coun-
cil in The Citizen. Applications will
be opened at the Nov. 29 special
meeting of council.
CHuMS off the road