the
Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 09
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.50% 3 Year GIC - 2.35% 5 Year GIC - 2.76% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, March 2, 2012
Club plans modest increase in hall rentals
Politicians walk out on McGuinty at conference Premier suggests possible changes to turbine approvals by David Meyer TORONTO - Several municipal politicians walked out when Premier Dalton McGuinty spoke at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association conferences here on Monday. Some media reports have estimated upwards of 80 people took part in the planned walkout, but it was certainly not a mass exodus from the room. Wellington County Warden Chris White said in an interview the next day the action drew little attention. “If you didn’t know it was happening you wouldn’t have noticed it,” he said, adding, “It
wasn’t a disruption.” Nevertheless, some newspaper reports indicated McGuinty is considering handing back some powers to municipalities when it comes to approval of wind turbines - but White does not necessarily believe that. He met with McGuinty and two staff members when he represented the Western Warden’s Association to discuss a number of topics, and turbine approvals was one of the major topics they covered. White said McGuinty promised to review the Feed in Tariff program and the approval process. He said a deputy Continued on page 5
Mapleton council offered compensation comparison by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Councillors here have learned what most of their counterparts in Wellington County receive in terms of pay and perquisites. The report from clerk Patty Sinnamon came as a result of a request from councillor Andy Knetsch last month. He was curious to learn what others receive for their council duties. Sinnamon was able to supply the numbers for all the other lower tier municipalities in Wellington County except Puslinch Township.
The difficulty in such an exercise, though, is that salaries do not tell the entire story when it comes to council pay. Some receive extra for committee attendance, some get mileage and there is extra pay, called per diems, at set varying levels, for other work. The salaries for mayor and councillors are: - Mapleton, mayor, $15,655 and councillors $12,176; - Minto, $11,440 and $8,440; - Wellington North, $17,909 Continued on page 5
CWOSSA champs - The senior girls volleyball team from Norwell District Secondary School won the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association (CWOSSA) championship on Feb. 23 at a tournament hosted by the Palmerston school. The Norwell senior girls defeated Saugeen, Owen Sound and Bishop MacDonell in round robin play before defeating Bishop MacDonell in the final 3-1. They will now travel to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) tournament in Amhust/Windsor, with games starting on March 5. The junior girls Norwell team had a 2-1 record at the CWOSSA tournament but was eliminated due to tie breaking procedures. submitted photo
Township gets good news in form of increased OMPF grant by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - The provincial government has been picking winners and losers when it comes to the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund grant - and Mapleton is on the winner side of the ledger. Finance director Mike Givens reported to council on Feb. 14 that the province had issued its main transfer payment, and Mapleton would
receive $1,321,800. That is an increase of $76,400 or 6.1% over last year’s allocation. “It’s trending in the right direction,” he told council. “It’s not the same for all municipalities.” Neighbouring Centre Wellington Township found that out this year with its second reduction in a row. This year it received a 10% cut in its grant, amounting to about $110,000 it has to make up on
its tax rolls. Givens said of Mapleton’s grant, “As in prior years, the township’s funding comes from the farmland and managed forest assessment component and rural communities component.” The OMPF was instituted at the turn of the century when the province downloaded a large number of services. To ease that cash crunch, it instituted the grants.
by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - The Alma Optimist Club has presented its 2012 budget to council and the numbers indicate the extent of the club’s dependence on volunteers and membership to operate the new hall in Wallace Cumming Park. There is a single line in the budget for income; all coming from hall rentals. In 2011 the rentals produced $35,206 and this year the take is expected to climb to $38,726. On the expenditure side, costs are also expected to climb modestly. There was $33,620 in expenses last year, and those are expected to climb to $35,935 this year. That means a modest profit of $2,790, compared to $1,585 in 2011. The largest expenses include $9,841 for utilities, and cleaning services set at $9,073. That last one was expected to climb from $8,274 last year due mainly to increases in the rentals. The hall opened in 2011 and it has proved to be very popular. Supplies and materials also climbed from $6,700 to $7,038 in this year’s projections. Finance director Mike Givens explained in his report to council that the hall management committee has the right, according to the township agreement, to set the budget and it is then forwarded to the club and the township. Councillor Jim Curry was Continued on page 2
Local projects included among $32.8 million in 2012 GRCA expenditures
CAMBRIDGE - Local projects included in the Grand River Conservation Authority’s 2012 budget are the design of an emergency spillway at the Conestogo Dam ($150,000) and a restoration project at Conestogo Lake ($110,000). The GRCA has approved a “stand pat” budget for 2012, calling for a small reduction in total spending - from $33.6 million in 2011 to $32.8 million this year. “We have … no staff increases,” said Jane Mitchell, chairman of the GRCA. She noted some major projects are continuing due to the support of various partners: the Township of Centre Wellington is backing the Drimmie Dam reconstruction in Elora and the province is providing more than $900,000 over three years for the development of a new
water management plan. Much of the reduction is due to a scheduled drop in provincial grants for the drinking water source protection program. The province has paid 100 per cent of the costs of that program, which is winding down this year as source protection plans are nearing completion. Last year, the province spent $3.2 million on the project while the 2012 cost will be $2.6 million. Most other areas of the GRCA budget are rising by enough to cover cost-of-living increases in salaries, benefits, utilities and other expenditures. The budget covers the cost of programs that protect water quality, reduce flood damages, preserve and improve natural areas, support responsible development and provide out-
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door recreation and environmental education. The budget was approved by the GRCA board at its annual meeting on Feb. 24. The board is made up of 26 members appointed by municipalities throughout the Grand River watershed. Despite the drop in overall spending, the GRCA is carrying out some significant projects this year, including: - about $725,000 to continue developing of the Grand River Watershed Water Management Plan. That is a three-year effort to investigate ways to improve water quality, reduce flood damages, guarantee water supplies and address climate change. The GRCA and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment are splitting the costs of the project, which will produce a report early in 2013;
- the reconstruction of the aging Drimmie Dam is scheduled to take place this year at a cost of $1.1 million. The province is contributing half of the cost and Centre Wellington is paying $200,000; - safety review and upgrades to Luther Dam near Grand Valley ($230,000); - designing an emergency spillway at the Conestogo Dam ($150,000); - safety review of the Bridgeport dike ($100,000); - safety review of the Cambridge dike ($50,000); - study of the existing flood control berm in New Hamburg to assess maintenance needs ($50,000); - upgrading the elevator ($250,000) and inspect three of the six gates ($30,000) at the Guelph dam; - reconstructing part of
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the flood wall in Cambridge $400,000; - installing a splash pad at Elora Gorge Conservation Area to provide a wet play area for children to replace an old swimming pond recently removed ($275,000); - restoration projects at several conservation areas, including Cayuga ($275,000), Conestogo Lake ($110,000) and Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area ($178,000); and - controlled burns worth $23,000 at Apps’ Mill west of Brantford and Pinehurst Lake near Paris. About $9.75 million, or 30 per cent of total expenditures, will come from residents of the watershed who pay either through their local property taxes or their municipal water bills. That works out to about
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$10.05 per person. Overall, the amount charged to municipalities will rise three per cent compared to 2011. The GRCA will bring in revenues of about $13.8 million (42 per cent) from fees charged for services ranging from camping to planning. The GRCA also raises revenue from land rentals, hydroelectricity generation, payments by school boards for outdoor education programs and donations from the Grand River Conservation Foundation. Government grants, mostly from the province, will amount to $7.1 million this year (22 per cent of the budget). The remainder of the budget, about $2.1 million (six per cent), comes from GRCA reserve funds which consist of money set aside in earlier years.
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