Times Advocate, 1993-12-15, Page 1New system
proposed
page 2
lbevidWardion
County leader
from
Ashfield
page 20
A South Huron
without borders?
page 16
Soccer indoors
Staying in shape
for summer
Second front
I .—.— twit I._ pile
Huron hoard needs massive cuts to avoid 15-19 percent hike
By Catherine O'Brien
'r -A staff
CLIN7'ON -Carving thesducatiew-budget will be on the
minds of trustees during the holiday season as 'they try to
find ways to lessen the financial crunch aeon to -be felt by
taxpayers.in Huron County.
'We have our work cut out for us," said Paul Carroll, di-
rector -of the Huron County Board of Education at a apeeial
budget meeting Monday night. "This is going to take a lot
of entsrgy over the next few months," be said of the board's
1994 budget.
- The board will have -to look -at -easing services to deal
with budget shortfalls. "The question is how much can you
do without and still get the job done," Carroll said.
These cuts are necessary because in the past year the
board has had to deal with additional expenditures associat-
ed with grant freezes, the provincial budget and the Social
Convect.
The provincial government also redefined the criteria for
full-time students which means the province is spending
money on fewer students in the system.
Carroll said the provincial grant system is not in line with
what is going on in society. '"The present grant system is
based on a goodU....elny," he said. "I Bank the bottom line
is that the'gnrin llem doesn't work anymore."
For Huron Cott*y itleottehis means increased taxes.
• As it stands newS111111165Mhftty taxpayers can expect to
see an increase sonostallareldittrover 14 percent to a possi-
ble 2Q percent jump in their1994 education
mill nue according to projected figures by the
board.
What this means is that if the mill rate is -in-
creased by 14.1 percent a 'homeowner as-
sessed at $60fl00 would be paying $626:64 in
compasison•to the 1993 rate of $549.
And if the increase is at 19.5 percent then
the same taxpayer -would have to hand out
$656.04.
"Our tax Tate is still going top 15 to 19 per-
cent unless we can find a way to take another
32-3 million out of our spending," said Car-
roll.
The board is expected to set its budget at 3500,000 less
thanIthe 1993 buegetof$65vnillion.
But 80 percent, or $52 million, of the budget goes to-
wards salaries and benefits which the board cannot cut.
"That means we would have to cut almost a third of the
$13 million non- salary budget," said ttvytee Norman Pick -
ell.
Trustee Bob Heywocd and others said the board is faced
with making radical cfianges.
Such changes coul4 include doubling bus
mutes which would involve changing school
hours or charging parking fees et schools.
"We are restricted as to how"we Can raise
funds," Carroll said adding that the beard can-
not legally shut down services, cutar'ies or
cut programs such as junior kindergarten.
"The shortfalls are real and are probably go-
ing to be there for the next rwe years. Wc
have to be ready for what's going to happen to
us," he said.
"The only light I can see at the end of the
tunnel for this board is possible education fi-
nance reform provincially," Carroll said. He said there is
speculation that this reform is on the way.
"The good new is we don't have a debt load to deal with
like some boards," Carroll said.
"I think the
bottom line is
that the grant
system doesn't
work
anymore,"
Serving South' Huro:
& Lambtot Limmencli71• �.c. ;,:. weanesna, Discerner, S._.
Amb:
ddress
ity
Prov.
I Postal Cod
'sounds of Christmas could be heard at McCurdy Public School Thurs- bers include Tina Dinney (left), Thu He, and Thomas Wood. Many other
day evening. Students in the grade three and four class choir enter- local schools are. holding their Christmas concerts tonight.
tained the audience during the annual Christmas concert. Choir mem-
RIDE prugram
checks Q�9
vehicles
EXETER - As of the weekend,
the Exeter OPP's RIDE program
had already stopped 209 vehicles
on local roads.
No liquor charges were laid at the
check points. but one impaired
driver was arrested, and one 12 -
hour suspension was issued.
sibaturday at 1:40 a.m. police in-
vestigated a single car collision in
..lasishwood. The OPP say Christo-
fuer Regier of RR3 Zurich was
southbound on Centre Street in the
village when his vehicle went out
of control on the icy surfaco.and
struck a hydro pole. Rtgier was
treated for minor injuries.
Last Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. a
car driven by Robert Murray of
Goderich-struck a deer on Highway
21 in Hay Township.
Also last Wednesday. cars driven
by Robert Adams of Walkerton and
Hans Schluetter of RR8 Dashwood
collided on Main Street in Exeter.
Damage was light to both vehicles.
Zurich hydro
rates to drop
three percent
's biriigpollcy
i�
essisaillot
ZURICH - Village residents.may
actually see their electricity rales
drop in 1994.
Ontario Hydro is planning no in-
crease in its wholesale cost of pow-
er to local utililies,tnd when the
Zurich Healgerconunission dreyv up
its 1894 on those
rales, itt1 a three percent
drop' is possible.
The has also con
chided that no increase will be sec- -
essary on viliage water rates either.
A 20agear debenture to rebuild
the wagItr system has now been rc-
paid./lhe budget even allows
fogRaellitiliISANA11111fPlos to go into
kanillakalitklatillaerve.
HENSALL - The promotion ofa
Hensen arena employee sparked a
debate . at village council Monday
evening, with one councillor saying
that:all municipal jobs should be
open to all applications.
The parks board report brought
before council showed that Tom
Dickins had been promoted to1acil-
ities manager, and a yearly salary
of $27.500 starting January 1 had
been approved. The facilities.man-
ager title carries a revised job de-
scription from the arena manager
position previously held by Rollie
Vanstonc.
Councillor Bob. bion said he
objected to the proeWure used by
the board to fill the job openiuig,
and said he wanted to see the job
open for applications "since it's a
municipal job and anyone should
tr
be open for it." '"he has proven to -us he can handle
Councillor Jeff Reaburn, repro- .:She job of arena manager."
senting the parks board, said it a !but simply because this is a mu -
special personnel sub,gummiUee al job, shouldn't everyone be
had been set up to till :,, able to apply for it?"
the position, and de- '-'-'77'-`7'77"7'..-- - insisted Seaton.
cided on Dickins' prof Bit! simply "It's a promotion;
motion, rather than because this is it's not a new job," rc-
Sakingipplications. a municipal plied Reaburn.
Seaton pointed out r Seaton asked if the
the assistant clerk's' Job, shouldn't village was a "closed
-job was advertised for everyone be system and once
when filled, even iuthle to applyyou're.i" n, you're ie for
Barb Westlake -Power or it�it?''thife?
had been wqrking in f When it came time
the office previously to approve the parks
Reaburn argued the board report Seaton
situations were different. He said opposed its passage, but it was car -
Westlake -Power had been hired on ried by the other three councillors'
a part-time basis to fill in for staff votes.
maternity leaves, whereas Dickins
was a full-time arena employee and
Minor variance to cost $500
Middle tame nays
141.40amsgiiilling liry
ZURICH - Vjllege property owners may get
billed 3500 for what amounts to a phone call and a
brief council session, warned reeve Bob Fisher
Thursday evening.
Zurich council -were discussing a new rate struc-
ture.to be imposed by the Huron County Planning
Department, making planning matters a "user pay"
type of system.
Fisher said that despite objections from seven.mu-
nicipaliues, County Council approved the new cost
recovery program, making soon: fees quite high for
what he describedas relatively hole work.
A committee reviewing planning fees determined
that all Huron wuneipalities should charge the same
costs to carry out certain requests. The 'proposed
charge to carry out a re -sooting is 31.000, a minor
variance 3510, and severance commas are $735.
These fees represent 50 percent of the .awed Busts
anticipated by the county office, the municipality.
and an additional "administratitm" cost.
Fisher said the minor variance costs were particu-
larly disturbing. He said in Zurich a variance to al-
low a homeowner to build a patio deck closer to the
lot line really only requires a phone call to county
planning to advise them of the situation,.and a brief
council session to approve or deny it.
"What does it cost to do that'? Zilch," said Fisher.
However, Fisher said a minor variance on a town-
ship farm property might well involve a several vis-
its from a county.planner. Even so, council were
skeptical of county documentation stating a vari-
ance .requires eight hours of ;gaming department
work. .
Fisher said what the new fee sf tile, otaus to
,-is having Zurich taxpayers corn
-AMMO pistoling matters in ties
f ly those involving as so"°"""!es, ` s
Could a cat bylaw
go 3,n
Hensali's
HENSALL - The village's cat
control bylaw may have gone by
. the wayside, but complaints
about errant felines continue to
roll in.
Councillor Butch Hoffman
brought the issue of cat control
up once mare at Monday's coun-
cil meeting, and said he had re-
ceived a couple more complaints
from residents.
"Just roaming more than any-
thing...1 know it's the nature of
things, but I went and looked at a
couple of cars that were very
messy," said Hoffman.
Since the village's cat bylaw
was rescinded last winter due to
vehement public objection, Hoff-
man said tlx: initiative may still
get support.
"I •can sec it as an issue we
could put on the ballot next
fall," said Hoffman, referring to
the 1994 municipal election.
"I went out the other day and
I found three big blobs of bird
'poop on my car, who am I go-
ing to phone?" commented
works superintendent John Bak-
er.
Reeve Cecil Pepper said since
Hensall no longer has a cat by-
law, council was not in a posi-
tion to do anything at all with
the complaints, "and I'm not
going to do anything about the
birds on John's car."
"Just leave my cat alone."
joked Baker.
5-
sec
bIq snpa oarrcWor
EXETER - While praising hoe
who attended the meeting two
weeks ago to counteract violence at
South Huron District High School,
one Exeter councillor observed that
those perhaps abbe to do the most
good weren't there.
Councillor lien Iloogenbooin
praised the tremendous support the
parents gave to the meeting, but
said he found it 'frustrating" that
the two members of parliament
weren't present.
"1 personally think the law needs
to be c to deal with these
problem ," aid Hoogen-
boam .
Neither 4fAffon4inice MP Paul
Stecklc, aor Karoo MPP Paul
Klopp were able to attend the meet-
ing. Jerry Lamport, representing
Stockle's office did attend.
"Wc can talk about [school vio-
lence] until we're blue in the face,
but until they change things in <Ala-
wa..." observed Hoogeaboam.
Mayor Bruce Shaw, the principal
of Goderich District High School,
Paid similar meetings are occurring
sill over the province, and South
Huron's s troubles are not unique.
Deputy -reeve Lossy Fullbr said
she felt the focus of the meeting
was too much on the rights of the
students, parents, and teachers in-
volved in violent situations. The
focus should have been more on the
responsibilities of toss groups, she
eared
.w�