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The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
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Friday, January 24, 2025
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Volume 41 No. 4
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Budget process begins for HE By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
Power(s) trio Several local musical acts came together on Saturday at Goderich’s Square Brew for a special Rock 4 Odin benefit concert to aid nine-year-old Odin Leachman, who is battling cancer. This joins fundraisers that have been done by the Blyth Kids Club, the Wingham
Ironmen and more. On the bill that day were The Empty Threats, Kati Durst and Dave Sutherland, The Honey Sweethearts and Powers Dawe Purser, above, featuring Brenden Purser, left, John Powers, centre, and Steve Dawe. (John Stephenson photo)
ACW debates sewage disposal options By Scott Stephenson The Citizen At a meeting on Jan. 14, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) Council discussed a staff report on possible options for sewage disposal. The report, prepared by Chief Building Official Joy Lindsay, sought direction from council in regards to the disposal of pumped sewage from the many private septic systems and holding tanks located across the municipality. The report cites that sewage disposal in ACW is becoming increasingly more difficult due to a lack of disposal sites. The list of possible options presented in Lindsay’s report contains some recommendations from the township’s growth and servicing master plan. One possibility would involve utilizing the treatment capacity at an existing wastewater treatment plant, which the report states may be the most cost-effective and timely method
for addressing septage treatment. This strategy is already being used by ACW, but the township could take a more active role in establishing agreements with neighbouring municipalities. Another sewage disposal method utilized by ACW is “land application,” which is the process of spreading or injecting sewage sludge onto land to improve soil health and fertilize crops. The report recommends that, should the township wish to continue to utilize land application as a septage treatment strategy in ACW, consideration should be given to possible financial incentives, such as grants or loans, to encourage local haulers to acquire access to approved land, providing assistance with environmental compliance approval applications, and ensuring lands utilized for septage application are properly buffered from sensitive receivers. The report also recommends commissioning a simulated capacity study to assess the current
and future needs for septage treatment and sewage disposal in ACW. The study would support negotiations with existing wastewater treatment plants, explore the possibility of establishing a septage treatment facility in ACW, and consider the future capacity needs of local sewage haulers for land application. Councillor Evan Hickey felt the report contained recommendations that were either redundant or unnecessary. In terms of land application, Hickey believes that a lack of approved land isn’t the problem. “You’re only allowed to spread from Apr. 1 to Nov. 30, on land. You cannot spread from Dec. 1 to March 31, even if the ground is thawed…. Most years, I’m told, it’s actually mid-April to midNovember, because the land’s too wet. It’s just not suitable to be driven on.” He went on to espouse the idea that there would be ample land available for sewage application once the weather is
warmer and the ground is drier. “To my knowledge, we’re already managing disposals during those allotted times, 100 per cent, with approved land. We’re not needing any more land. We have land available between those days. It’s just Dec. 1 to March 31 where we’re in a hard spot.” Hickey was also skeptical about the recommendation that ACW should commission a simulated capacity study. “I’m not sure what the study would tell us,” he opined. “We already know it’s going to tell us that the other plants in the neighbourhood are not accepting,” he pointed out. “It’s going to tell us to use land application when possible, when we already are using it… so, to me, a study has no value. It’s not going to help us in any way.” Hickey assessed that, in comparison to other municipalities, ACW is in fairly good shape, sewage-wise. “I think we’ve got a head start,” he pointed out. “We Continued on page 3
In the absence of a full-time treasurer at the moment, Huron East Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts presented the first draft of the municipality’s 2025 budget, which aligns with his multi-year budget projections, approved as a financial plan by council in recent years. McRoberts’ draft, per the approved financial strategy, aimed at keeping a consistent municipal levy increase over five years, calls for a municipal levy increase of 8.5 per cent, which includes a 2.6 per cent capital levy, another approved aspect of the aforementioned financial strategy. This increase to the levy would be for municipal purposes only. The full tax rate increase will incorporate taxes paid not just to the municipality, but to the county (an increase to the county levy is currently estimated to be 8.59 per cent, though the county’s budget is not yet approved) and the school boards, whose budgets are expected to remain consistent with 2024. Assessment growth in Huron East will also help to offset the municipal levy, which McRoberts estimates at an additional $200,000 in revenue. While certainly not binding in any way, McRoberts said he estimated that the total tax rate increase will land somewhere between six and eight per cent. In his presentation, McRoberts also made note of the proposed capital and municipal levies for 2026, 2027 and 2028, per the approved financial strategy. In terms of a capital levy increase, the municipality is anticipating a 2.6 per cent increase in 2026, a 9.5 per cent increase in 2027 and a 1.6 per cent increase in 2028. The municipal levy is expected to increase by 6.5 per cent in 2026, 7.2 per cent in 2027 and 8.1 per cent in 2028. Again, those are the proposed municipal levy increases, not the full tax rate increases that will include, when the time comes, increases from the county and school board levels. He then outlined a number of purchases under this year’s capital plan, including $939,113 for Sawmill Road resurfacing, a roof Continued on page 12