The Citizen, 2003-12-10, Page 25THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2003. PAGE 25.
New mayor thanks Steffler for leadership
By Andrea Hruska
Special to The Citizen
Sleet, ice or snow could not stop
the newly or re-elected Municipality
of Huron East council members
from attending the very first meeting
Dec I.
After the Declaration of Oath of
Office ceremony, Mayor Joe Seili
thanked Lin Steffler for her three
years of leadership and presented her
Don’t let holidays break budget
It's the holiday season and your
gift list is even longer than last year.
How can you make it to New Year’s
without going broke?
“Anytime your heart takes over
your financial decision-making
you’re in trouble, and that’s what
often happens over the holidays,”
says chartered accountant Micheal
Burch, in Ottawa. “Everyone wants
to be generous with their loved ones
and our spending tends to become
impulsive. Couple this with holiday
advertising campaigns, and you have
a recipe for dangerous times.”
Buying gifts is a major cause of
holiday overspending, but it’s not
the only one, says Burch.
“There is the cost of travelling to
visit relatives and friends, the cost of
entertaining, additional requests for
charitable donations, and the cost of
buying new clothes for holiday
parties,” Burch explains. “It all adds
up, and we tend not to budget for
these additional amounts.”
December can also be a difficult
month because of other financial
pressures, including the Dec. 15
income tax payment deadline for
those who pay their taxes in
quarterly instalments and other
payments that must be made by Dec.
with a gift that was handmade by
public works co-ordinator, John
Forrest.
In blessing council members,
diaconal student minister Joan
Golden reminded the group that they
were “elected by the people to
provide leadership” and asked that
they challenge themselves to do their
best.
In looking to the term ahead, Seili
expressed that there are a few tasks
31 in order to claim income tax
deductions. -
According to the experts, the
biggest financial mistakes people
make during the holiday season are
the failure to plan, the failure to
prepare a budget, and the failure to
set, and stick to, spending limits.
“Having a plan to deal with
holiday spending, either formally or
informally, is essential to controlling
spending and preventing the
financial shock of the ‘day after’,”
says chartered accountant Dick
Webb, in Toronto. “The easiest way
to get started is to total up the
amount you spent last year and
decide on how much you want to
spend this year. The plan should also
detail how you intend to cover the
spending.”
One approach is to set aside
money on a regular basis throughout
the year to cover holiday spending.
Another is to shop for the holidays
year-round instead of waiting for the
December rush.
Once you start your holiday
shopping, should you pay by cash or
use credit?
“It depends how disciplined you
are,” advises Burch. “If you can
stick to your spending plan and have
he would personally like to see
through to fruition.
First, he hopes to “see the
Tuckersmith Day Care run a
balanced budget.”
Also on his list is “bringing the
Brussels library up to stan
dards”. According to Seili, these
changes would address both
technological and accessibility
upgrades.
“I want to see the Brussels library
credit cards with generous rewards
programs, you should take
advantage of them. But if you have a
tendency to get carried away, use
cash or a debit card.”
If you do build up a post-holiday
debt, look closely at what it will cost
to service it.
“If the debt is on your credit cards,
you may be paying exorbitant
interest rates,” cautions Webb. “If
this is the case, consider a bank loan
to pay them off. The interest on the
bank loan may be substantially less,
and you will be required to pay off
the loan in regular instalments,
forcing you to be more disciplined.”
“The key to a financially smooth
December and January is a well-
thought-out annual plan that permits
you to set realistic spending and
savings goals and provides a way for
you to monitor your status,” says
Burch.
“Your CA can help you develop
and monitor that plan.”
Webb agrees. “A thorough
discussion with a CA can help
ensure your budget is complete and
accurate, both during the holiday
season and year-round.”
- Brought to you by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
meet the needs of all members of the
community.”
After taking into consideration
experience, community interest and
past board involvement, Seili made
the councillors aware of the their
various board appointments.
When asked about ways to address
Municipality of Huron EastO APPOINTMENTS
The Municipality of Huron East is accepting
applications from interested citizens of Huron East to
serve on the following Boards and Committees:
• Seaforth & District Community Centres
Committee
• Brussels Morris Grey Community Centre
Committee
• Vanastra Recreation Centre Committee
• Business Growth & Economic Development
Committee
• Brussels Medical-Dental Centre - Board of
Management
• Brussels Cemetery Board
• Seaforth Community Trust Committee
• Brussels Community Trust Committee
For additional information concerning
responsibilities, etc. please contact the Municipal
Office.
Applications, clearly marked, outlining
background and interest in the position should be
addressed to the undersigned prior to December 23rd,
2003 at 12:00 noon.
Mayor Joe Seili
Clerk-Administrator J.R. McLachlan
Municipality of Huron East
72 Main Street South, PO Box 610,
Seaforth, Ontario. N0K 1W0
519-527-0160
a citizen’s “lack of knowledge”
about the municipal council process,
Seili stressed that people understand
“council is always open for public to
come and observe”.
Speaking to his own accessibility
as mayor of Huron East, Seili stated
“My door is always open.”
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