The Citizen, 1998-12-02, Page 28At your service
Until the end of January, Basil Ho, left, will be offering
Internet and Y2K training at the Blyth Libr.ary on
Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. as
part of CAP. Joe Brindley is a Clinton tAP student.
Anyone interested in setting up an appointment with Ho
should call 523-4400 during business hours. (Ashley Gropp
photo)
A SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 3:30 p.m.
Visit with Santa Claus at the Ark Youth
Centre after the parade
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Sunday, December 20
Brussels Legion Brunch
8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
********************
Sunday, December 20
Tree lighting at the Ark - 7 p.m.
Hay rides by the Optimist Club
Refreshments to follow
Announcements of best
decorated home & business
********************
Thursday, December 24
Ho-Down Christmas Basket
Draw at Brussels IGA, 5 p.m.
Sponsored by
Brussels Business Group
********************
Brussels Lions Christmas
Draw at Brussels IGA
5 p.m.
Cash Prizes for the best parade entries
• Best Overall Float • Commercial Float
• Rec & Sports Clubs • Clown (adult & child)
• Service Clubs • Animal Entry
Parade Forms at 2:45 on Agromart Road
Floats judged from 3:00, Dec. 5
let •...40A '1,4s iryasit.
PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1998.
County-wide OPP promises savings
Each of the 25 Huron County
municipalities currently using
Ontario Provincial Police services
can sate money if the county
accepts a county-wide policing
contract, OPP and county officials
told the Nov. 26 meeting of county
council.
Introducing the report, which will
be circulated to all municipalities,
Staff Sgt. Gary Martin of the
Goderkh OPP detachment said
there will be additional savings to
those outlined because the provin-
cial government, under its Commu-
nity Policing Partnership Grant,
has announced it will provide
$700,000 over a five-year period to
pay half the cost of hiring five
additional officers needed to fill out
the Huron complement.
The proposal for the 1999 con-
tract year resulted from year-long
negotiations initiated by county
council after it became evident all
municipalities, including villages
and townships that previously had
no policing costs, would be
assessed a share of OPP costs.
Those charges were assessed for
the first time in 1998 and will
increase in 1999 because a 10 per
cent reduction in costs will be with-
drawn.
Estimated savings in 1999 under
the contract will range from $5,400
for Zurich to $141,886 for
Goderich. Savings forecast for
local municipalities (total costs
included in brackets) are: Blyth,
$12,745 ($100,626); Brussels,
$13,030 ($102,873); Colborne,
$15,350 ($121,180); East
Wawanosh, $13,693 ($108,108);
Grey, $12,355 ($97,549); Howick,
$20,507, ($161,911); Hullett,
$21,144, ($166,940); McKillop,
$12,929, ($102,074); Morris,
$15,094, ($119,171); Turnberry,
$11,273 ($89,001); West
Wawanosh, $7,777 ($61,404). The
estimates do not include savings
from the recently announced grant,
estimated at $140,000 a year for all
county municipalities.
Wingham is not included in the
proposal because it has its own
municipal police force. The other
four towns already have contracts
with the OPP to do local policing.
The proposal would result in a
"seamless" county-wide service
that would be staffed by one
inspector, one staff sergeant, eight
sergeants and 68 constables, as well
as 10.5 civilians. With the sharing
of workload, 60.24 staff persons
would be assigned to county
municipal purposes and 17.76 offi-
cers would be doing provincial
work such as patrolling highways.
The proposal would see the head-
quarters for the detachment move
to the county's office complex at
the former Huronview site south of
Clinton. There would be additional
"operation centres" in Wingham,
Exeter, Goderich and either
Seaforth or Clinton.
Community Policing Offices
such as those in Brussels and Blyth
would continue to be used with the
municipality paying the cost.
Towns will also pay the rental costs
for their local operation centres.
Municipalities will pay accord-
ing to the level of service they
expect. Those towns which had
contracted for a level of service
provided by their former municipal
forces will pay more than town-
ships and villages which have a
lower level of service.
Using workloads from past expe-
rience the cost would be split 58.45
per cent to the 16 townships and
five villages and 41.55 per cent to
the four towns taking part. The cost
split between the municipalities
will vary from year to year accord-
ing to the calls made to each
municipality. The county will con-
tract for the service, then bill each
municipality for its share of the
cost.
Municipalities are asked to study
the proposal and decide by Dec. 31
whether or not they feel it is a good
one. It will then be approved or
rejected by a vote at county coun-
cil.
Wingham
force waits
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
With the county considering-
county-wide OPP service, the
only municipal force left in
Huron is taking a wait-and-see
attitude.
Chief Jim Dore of the Wing-
ham Police Services, who had
earlier presented a proposal for a
North Huron municipal force to
local councils, said that once
amalgamation takes place, it is
likely that a new proposal will
be put together for municipali-
ties aligned with Wingham.
Dore said it was his under-
standing that Wingham council
was asking the county, should
the OPP proposal be accepted,
to add a clause which would
allow municipalities amalgamat-
ing with Wingham to consider a
second alternative to policing.
"That's what Listowel did fol-
lowing amalgamation. They
received proposals from both
sides then made their decision,
"said Dore.
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A COME AND GET THE LO-DOWN AT THE
* BRUSSELS HO-DOWN WESTERN
SANTA CLAUS PARADE
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