Huron Expositor, 2000-09-27, Page 6e-TNE HURON EXPOSITO1t, September 17. 1000
News
Huron East taking shape
By Scott HNpendorff
Expositor Editor
As construction work begins on Town Hall
next week, much of the "construction" of Huron
East has already been done.
With just three months left, staff and the
transition board are finishing up the details of
how Huron East will operate as Seaforth
amalgamates with Brussels and Tuckersmith,
McKillop and Grey Townships.
Grey Township reeve, Robin Dunbar said the
process has gone well.
"Everyone agrees with the direction we're
going," said Dunbar, adding there have been no
difficult issues to overcome because of
differences of opinion between the
municipalities.
Where other municipalities have restructured,
Dunbar said the process can be difficult with
municipalities debating issues such as where the
municipal offices should be located.
In this case, Dunbar said it was an easy
decision to make, choosing the larger offices.
already located in Seaforth.
Dunbar said the biggest challenge is making
sure the level of service doesn't drop.
Dunbar is a member of the transition board,
formed in March from members of the five
councils and municipal staff to decide how the
new municipality will operate.
"We do have strong north -south ties to begin
with," said Dunbar.
Brussels, in the north, already has strong ties
with the Seaforth medical community through a
shared medical clinic.
As neighbouring municipalities, the
administration between Seaforth, Brussels and
the three townships has been close and the
townships boast prosperous farming communities
with shared issues and concerns.
One of the last regions in Ontario to
amalgamate, Huron East is one of four new
municipalities forming in Huron County Jan. 1
after pressure from the provincial government to
reduce the number of municipalities to save
money.
But Dunbar doesn't see where much money is
being saved by forming the new municipality.
While some savings have been proven to
qualify the municipality for a provincial grant to
cover some of the costs associated with forming
Huron East, Dunbar said there are no major
savings at this time.
He said some savings have resulted
sharing the services of one
clerk/administrator instead of five
but many staffing levels will remain
the same for at least the first year as
the transition board expects the
employees from all five municipalities
will be needed to help get the new
municipality up and running.
"We believe there's going to be a pile
of work in the first two years or three,"
said Dunbar.
Other savings are coming through
purchasing power as the municipality can
go with one insurance plan instead of
five.
"These are really small items at this
point," said Dunbar, adding, "We're
committed to savings in the first two years
to qualify for the complete grant."
Huron East has received $561,661 from
the province to cover costs of creating the
municipality from severance packages to
from
new signage and the expected $200,000 or
more renovations to Town Hall.
The transition board is continuing to
work on issues including how the fire
departments will operate and new job
descriptions.
Meanwhile. each of the five
councils will continue to operate
until Jan. 1 when a
new council, which
will be elected
Nov. 13, takes
over and
Huron East
officially
forms.
.17
Seaforth
Brussels
Huron East
Several new staff positions have been filled as Huron East evolves
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
With three months left
until the Municipality of
Huron East forms, the new
municipality continues to
take shape.
In March, Seaforth and
Brussels agreed to
anialgamate with
Tuckersmith, McKillop and
Grey Townships and formed
a transition board to
implement a plan that would
sec Huron East form Jan. 1.
Based on an overall
amalgamation plan; a
transition board was fortned
from staff and council
members of all five
municipalities.
That group has been
meeting several times a
month in committees and as
a complete board to fine tune
how the municipality will
operate.
"The bones are there and
we're putting the meat on the
bones." said Seaforth
administrator Jack
McLachlan whose new
official title is• clerk
administrator for Huron East.
Several key positions filled
McLachlan leads a
management team hired by
the transition board this
• summer.
He is joined by Grey
Towhship clerk treasurer
Brad Knight as treasurer -
finance manager and
Brussels clerk treasuere
Donna White as deputy clerk.
treasurer:
McLachlan's salary ranges.
between $52,000 and
$76,000, while Knight's is
between $46,000 to 560,000
arid White's is between
536,000 and $43,000.
John Forrest, Seaforth's
roads/public works
superintendent, was hired as
public works coordinator and
has been working to bring
the five works departments
of the municipalities together
from job descriptions to an
operating plan for one public
works system that will also
take in three water systems
from Seaforth, Brussels and
Tuckersmith Township.
"We're going to establish a
department that will look
after all water and sewers in
the new municipality," said
McLachlan. •
Both the Brussels and
Seaforth Public Utilities
Commissions are being sold,
eliminating the task of
operating hydro systems for
the new municipality.
Coupled with that, Forrest
is sorting out new provincial
regulations for how water
systems are treated, resulting
from the recent Walkerton
water crisis.
Forrest's salary range is set
between $45,000 and
$61,000.
Graham Nesbitt has been
hired as the director of
recreation and facilities.
Similar to Forrest, Nesbitt
has been working on an
operating plan for the
recreation and arena facilities
in the five municipalities and
the transition board has just
had a look at the job
descriptions Nesbitt has
prepared for the staff that
will be coming under one
recreation department in
January.
"Graham has a good vision
of how recreation should
proceed," said Robin Dunbar,
Grey Township reeve and
member of the transition
board.
With the combined
_facilities, from soccer fields
to an indoor pool, found in
the five municipalities,
Dunbar said, "I think we'll
be able to off our residents
great recreation
opportunities."
Nesbitt will head.
operations of the indoor pool
in Vanastra, ball diamonds in
McKillop Township, a pool,
arena, soccer fields and three
ball diamonds in Brussels.
McLachlan said all the
volunteer boards that look
after recreation programs in
the various communities will
continue to operate.
"We want to keep the
involvement of the local
people. That's a high
priority," he said.
Nesbitt's salary is set
between 531,000 and
$45.000.
Paul Joslin, McKillop
Township and Brussles'
building official, has been
hired as the chief building
official/bylaw officer for
Huron East with a salary
range of $31,000 to $45,000.
An animal control officer
will be hired on a part-time
contract basis.
In the next couple weeks,
the transition board will be
determining what the rest of
the positions will be in
Huron Township with no
major changes in staffing
levels expected in at least the
first year.
Renovations being made
To accommodate new staff,
changes are expected to start
early in October to Town
Hall.
Town Hall will be the
municipal headquarters for
Huron East.
Part of a wall at the rear of
the main level municipal
offices will be removed and
two offices, one for thc
financial office and the other
for the deputy clerk, will be
constructed in the adjoining
police garage.
Minor structural changes
will also take place in the
lower level and the food
bank, also located on the
main floor at the rear of
Town Hall.
A lift from the main floor
to the second level where the
council chambers is located,
will be constructed and
renovations will take place to
the existing chambers and
committee room, including
work on the windows and a
new ceiling.
McLachlan said they
originally planned on about
$100,000 worth of work to
the main floor offices and to
have the lift constructed, but
money from a recently -
received grant from the
province is allowing for
5200,000 worth of
improvements and repairs to
the building.
Grant received
A grant of 5563,661 is
being awarded to Huron East
after the transition board was
able able to show some
Seaforth Town Hall being renovated
to house headquarters of Huron East
From Pope 1
Brussels will be amalgamated with
Tuckersmith, McKillop and Grey Townships.
Seaforth Town Hall will become the
headquarters for thc new municipality and
some structural changes are needed to
accommodate the new staff that will be
coming to the building.
Included in the work arc two extra offices
at the rear of the building. a lift to the second
floor and renovations to the current council
chambers and committee roam that will serve
the new council that takes over Jan 1.
Meanwhile, Town Hall will close Friday
afternoon as staff moves down the street to
100 Main Street, the former Huron Expositor
office.
They will be open for business as usual on
Monday at the new location.
Telephone numbers remain the same and
the office hours remain 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Seventy-five per cent of the 5248,075 cost
is being covered by a $563,661provincial
grant designed to cover costs associated with
the amalgamation.
Administrator Jack McLachlan said they
will try to find other savings to make the
grant money go further toward the
rend\ ,.tions so tax payers do not have to pick
up much of the remaining costs on next
year's taxes.
savings in forming the new
municipality.
Savings have to be shown
in the first two years of
operation to guarantee the
grant.
The grant is given to cover
the costs associated with
forming the municipality so
the burden is not placed on
the tax payer.
It covers such areas as the
Town Hall renovations,
signage for the new
municipality and severance
packages if any employees
were being terminated
through the amalgamation.
Mayors elected at large
A total of 27 councillors in
the five municipalities will
be reduced to 12 councillors
will the Nov. 13 election.
Each of the former
municipalities will become a
ward in which the public
votes on its candidates.
In , each ward, two
councillors will be elected
and a mayor and deputy
mayor will be elected at
large. • •
Currently, only Seaforth
reeve Lin Steffler and Grey
Township reeve Robin
Dunbar have filed papers to
seek the position of mayor
for the new municipality.
No one is yet running for
the other positions. '
Current councils will
continue to serve past the
traditional term until Jan: 1
when the new council will
take over.
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