Loading...
The Citizen, 2018-04-12, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: SPORTS - Pg. 11 The Citizen' honours winter sports teams FESTIVAL - Pg. 14 Volunteer Appreciation Week has arrived Mulvxo - Pg. 26 Esteemed authors booked for Alice Munro Festival Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1 HO Citiz Volume 34 No. 15 WELCOME TO BH ESTABLISHED 1877 $1 .25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 12, 2018 Getting their hands dirty Central Huron Secondary School (CHSS) hosted its first FunTECH program day on April 5, welcoming students from Clinton Public School and Huron Centennial Public School near Brucefield to the high school for some different education. Students participated in different hands-on technology experiences including fabrication, computer sciences and, above, automotive sciences. CHSS teacher Ray Greidanus, left, is giving students a view of a vehicle they rarely get to see. From left: Greidanus, Jack Hayter, Jack McCowan, Zach Lane, Brendan Erb and Jordan Fleming. (Denny Scott photo) Fest. of Thrones on hold The Festival of Thrones, the follow-up to Transfigured Town Inc.'s Festival of Wizardry last fall, has had to be rescheduled from its early June date at Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company. When it will be rescheduled will be determined at a later date. Ticket holders and vendors have both been notified and will both receive a full refund within the next 10 days. "The majority of current ticket holders have tickets for Fandom Day," said Nathan Swartz, Transfigured Town Inc. president by way of a press release. "Being unable to secure the celebrities we needed to be a success, we felt this postponement was an unfortunate necessity." This rescheduling comes after the organization was forced to cancel the second day of its Festival of Wizardry, which was held at the Blyth Campground, due to extreme wind and rain. Tickets for the Festival of Thrones, a medieval - themed festival to take elements from television shows like Game of Thrones, went on sale last summer. Swartz said that the decision will allow the organization to focus its attention solely on the next installment of the Festival of Wizardry, which is scheduled for this September in Blyth. For more information, contact Swartz at 519-441-8174 or at nswartz@transfiguredtown.com. Snow removal to remain status quo in Blyth By Denny Scott The Citizen Snow removal in the village of Blyth, the focus of a significant amount of negative feedback at local gatherings including the Blyth Business Improvement Area's monthly meetings, will remain in its reduced state after Councilor Brock Vodden's motion to investigate increasing service levels was defeated. Vodden's motion, which was refined at North Huron's April 3 meeting to focus on specific business areas in Blyth, called for a report to be generated considering removing snow as necessary in Blyth's business areas instead of the three -times -a -week schedule regardless of snowfall levels imposed on the village by council under the suggestion of former Public Works Director Jeff Molenhuis. Vodden found support for his motion from Councillor Bill Knott, who suggested revising the motion to cite specific areas, and Reeve Neil Vincent who felt the report would provide important information for the municipality. Deputy -Reeve James Campbell and Councillors Yolanda Ritesma- Teeninga and Trevor Seip voted down the motion, resulting in its defeat. Councillor Ray Hallahan was absent for the meeting. Prior to the decision, council had a lengthy discussion about the difference between Wingham and Blyth, as far as the width of roads and sidewalks. Knott explained that, in Blyth, there was no space to leave snow on the sidewalks or roads without adversely affecting accessibility, both to the sidewalks and to local businesses. Seip, after initially suggesting the review should be for all of North Huron instead of Blyth, said he was frustrated with council consistently trying to create "silos" within the municipality and treating wards differently. Vodden said that looking at North Huron as a single entity was wrong. "The first municipal council of North Huron made the mistake of saying we're all the same," he said. "Some of us got together and made a presentation saying we're not one community, we're a bunch of communities." Vodden said the communities in North Huron each have their own goals, problems and situations. "We can't just be unthinkably equal in every decision we make," he said, adding that the review wasn't even aimed at the entirety of Blyth, but at the downtown business community. Campbell said the review would put additional stress on the budget process before voting it down. Huron East passes butiget Huron East Council has approved its 2018 budget with a 4.99 per cent overall increase to the tax rate, which includes a 5.6 per cent increase to the municipal tax rate. The budget presented to the public at council's April 3 meeting went unchanged from what was presented to council at its March 20 meeting. While the municipal portion of the budget represents a 5.6 per cent increase to the tax rate, the Huron County portion is increasing 5.2 per cent and the education tax rate is rising 3.06 per cent, which together equates to a 4.99 per cent increase to the overall tax rate. The Huron East general municipal tax levy will increase from $4,087,627 to $4,332,885 under the new budget. Total expenditures within the 2018 budget are $11.5 million. The bulk of the Huron East portion of the budget is allocated to transportation services, which accounts for 55 per cent of the budget. On the average residential assessment throughout the municipality of $202,797, Brussels taxes are the highest at $1,421, followed by Seaforth at $1,401, Tuckersmith at $1,111, Grey at $1,079 and McKillop at $1,008. Under the 2018 budget, Brussels' tax rate is set to decrease 0.25 per cent, while Seaforth's tax rate will increase 0.6 per cent, followed by Tuckersmith at 5.12 per cent, Grey at 7.67 per cent and McKillop at 8.82 per cent. Michiels reminded councillors that the taxation by ward is directly related to assessment. With rising farmland values, tax rates in Huron East's rural wards are on the rise, she said. Council passed the budget with little deliberation.