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Huron Expositor, 2001-06-13, Page 3f',udgt:t Huron East is open for business and mayor wants people to know Council has final debate on Huron East's need for an economic development officer By Scott HilIpondorff Expositor Editor People have to know Huron East is open for business, said Mayor Lin Steffler at council's June 5 meeting where the issue of hiring an economic development officer once again became the largest debate. Councillors have been arguing about the need for an officer for about two months now after members of the Business Retention and Expansion (B, R and E) committee pitched the idea of hiring an officer to council in April; Grey Coun. Graeme MacDonald credited the people who make up that committee with saving Seaforth Community Hospital and saving the high school. "I think they're going to get tired of trying to save this municipality if we don't do something," he said, in support of their appeal to hire an economic development officer to help attract new business to Huron East and strengthen the existing business community. During the discussions, councillors seemed uncertain of what the economic development officer's role would be with no clear job description having ever been presented to council. Several councillors focussed on the issue of land and the officer's role in promoting land available for business and industry. "I don't know what people are thinking about land," said Steffler. "The last thing we should be going for is a Ford or Toyota plant. We don't have the infrastructure to support it," she said, emphasizing the need to retain the businesses that are already in Huron East. Coun. Ferg Kelly, one of two councillors for the rural McKillop Ward, said the people he has spoken to were in favour of paying for an economic development officer while his counterpart, Coun. Sharon McClure said she was finding numerous people opposed to an officer. Coun. Greg Wilson, representing the village of Brussels, said ratepayers there were also opposed. "They do not want to pay for that," he said. Seaforth Coun. Dick Burgess said if the B, R and E committee had not been working hard as volunteers, the quality of life in Seaforth would already have been diminished and believes tax assessments would have dropped which, in the bigger picture, help keep all the taxes lower in each of Huron East's five wards. He pointed to that committee's efforts to help bring about the Bridges To Seaforth retirement development in Egmondville which he expects will greatly add to the tax base. He said those volunteers have given hundreds of thousands of dollars of their time. By opposing their request for an economic development officer to help carry on the work they have been doing, Burgess said, "We are saying, 'We don't care about you.— "That's what they will say," said Steffler, whose husband is a past chair of the committee. In another budget discussion during the meeting, Grey Coun. Alvin McLellan expressed concerns about the need for a certain level of road work to take place in the rural ward because its roads are the only budgetary area that its residents can see their tax dollars at work. Burgess said ideally, an' economic development officer would increase the tax base for all of Huron East, helping to lower taxes overall. While Grey Ward residents can only see the benefit of their tax dollars going to roads Burgess told McLellan, his own tax dollars are going toward helping pay for Grey road maintenance too. "You can't do it all. You don't do it all," he said. B u t McLellan said everyone else is also benefitting from the $735,000 in community reinvestment funds that belonged to the former Grey Township but that are now spread across Huron East under the amalgamation agreement. Those reinvestment funds, awarded by the provincial government, will help reduce taxes across Huron East while Grey Ward faces the largest tax increase, largely because farm property assessments were reviewed and increased this year. Grey Ward has seen its property values increased, leading to a higher tax assessment, while losing the direct impact of its reinvestment grants. McLellan also questioned whether or not there was enough work for an economic development officer to do after the first few months when brochures, web pages and promotional material for Huron East would be completed. He said ratepayers in Grey Ward, and himself personally think Seaforth will benefit the most by having an economic development officer. He suggested Seaforth Ward should put the money in for the officer to keep the B, R and E committee going, which Steffler has previously said will collapse if they do not get support from Huron East. McLellan also suggested maybe an economic development officer shoulti be hired for an area larger than Huron East. "The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time," said Steffler. "I would be very reluctant to say Seaforth is going to get Burgess tries to keep decision part of entire budget process From Page 1 amount of money. Obviously it is a sensitive issue among some councillors and some ratepayers." Burgess said he would prefer the issue of an economic development officer not be separated from the whole budget process by making a decision right then. Mayor Lin Steffler reminded Burgess he could make a motion to table McClure's motion until the overall budget is set. Burgess made the motion, seconded by Tuckersmith Coun. Larry McGrath but the motion was defeated, allowing McClure's recorded vote to take place. Councillors Greg Wilson, William Teall, Joe Scili, Alvin McLellan, Graeme MacDonald and Sharon McClure voted in favour of reducing the economic development officer amount to $25,000 while Mayor Lin Steffler and councillors, Larry McGrath, Ferg Kelly, Bill DeJong and Dick Burgess opposed the motion, seeing it carried, 6-5. Deputy Reeve Bernie MacLellan was absent. Administration finds $136,000 'in savings as budget almost set By Scott Hilgondorff Expositor Editor Through proposals from administration, Huron East council has managed to cut $136,000 from the budget offering a slight reduction to the significant tax increase being anticipated in Grey Ward. Pulled from the budget is $25,000 of an anticpated $50,000 to hire an economic development officer for the remaining six months of the budget year. Also removed is a $36,000 coverall building that would have been used to housemunicipal vehicles currently being parked outdoors. With new details now available about payroll, $10,000 is savings has been found through the replacement of former road superintendent Hugh Nichol with a new employee, Darryl Young, paid at a lesser rate. With more specific pacing cost information, another $39,000 in savings was found there. A road grader is also being sold for $6,000. Treasurer Brad Knight told council at its June 5 meeting, they are also anticipating $20,000 in additional investment income after understimating a rate of return on reserve funds that have been invested. With the changes made, farm owners in Grey Ward can expect to pay between $2 and $2.50 per acre in taxes. In McKillop, it will be between $1.50 and $2 per acre and in Tuckersmith, it will be between $1.5 and $2.5. Residential owners in the rural wards should only see a slight increase or even a small decrease in taxes. Farmers are being hit harder because at the same time as amalgamation has taken effect, farm properties have been reassessed by the province leading to higher tax rates. Meanwhile, Seaforth residents can expect an eight to 12 per cent tax decrease and Brussels residents can expect a two to six per cent decrease. Grey Ward is hit the hardest this year because of the property reassessments and because, through the amalgamation agreement, the $735,000 provincial community reinvestment fund it normally receives is now spread across all of Huron East. While a draft of the budget has been approved, council is anticipating some minor revisions and is expected to approve the final budget at its first meeting in July. While not exact figures, Seaforth Ward can expect a $51,117 decrease and Brussels a $5,606 despite both wards adding approximately $50,000 to their area -rated portion of the budget for sewage expansion in Seaforth and the landfill site that services Brussels. Grey Ward residents will be generating an extra $79,666 to the budget while McKillop increases to $30,554 and Tuckersmith rises $30,554 raising a total of $1,137,946 through general taxation. Quoted 'I don't want this area to look like Clinton's Main Street,' -- Mayor Lin Steffler all the benefit of this." said Burgess who, while council overall is trying to reduce the budget by $ 100.000. advocates a $20(),0{X) increase to help strengthen the new municipality. Burgess questioned where he gets the benefit living in Seaforth of $80.000 being spent on gravel for one of the roads in the rural ward. He said they need to look at the bigger picture and see how new industry and business in other wards helps all of Huron East. Steftler expressed concerns about a recent article appearing in the Mitchell Advocate where councillors there made comment about not wanting their town to look like Seaforth. She was concerned about that perception and then said. 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