THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 48 Issue 49
Drayton, Ontario
rural infrastructure are a recurring theme among local councils, said Nater. “A lot of the time we seem to be disadvantaged as rural communities,� he said. Mayor Neil Driscoll agreed finding infrastructure dollars is a challenge in rural communities. “One of our biggest concerns is we have 10,000 people and two thirds of them don’t get taxed� Driscoll explained that Mapleton has a population of 10,000 people and send out tax bills to 3,676 properties, including private residences, farms, businesses and vacant land. “My concerns are all our grants are based on our population. Our asset management plan shows that for the next five years we need to spend $3 million per year on roads, $1.5 million per year on bridges and $1 million per year on facilities. This doesn’t include replacement of equipment, administration and the unexpected items that come along,� said Driscoll. “Those are the real numbers and they’re scary - and that’s not even touching our sewage capacity issues.� Nater agreed, stating, “Municipalities have a significant amount of infrastructure investments that they are Continued on page 2
Crowd pleasers - The final act of the Drayton Rotary Club’s Mapleton’s Got Talent show on Nov. 28 featured bassoonists Catherine Chen, left, the newest member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Nadina Mackie-Jackson of Drayton. The performers received a standing ovation from the audience at the Drayton Festival Theatre. Between donations and the raffle of donated items the show raised about $6,000. photo by Caroline Sealey More talent show coverage on page 8.
Deputy mayor for a day - Honorary deputy mayor Matt Metzger joined Mayor Neil Driscoll at the council table and wielded the gavel to officially open and close the Nov. 24 meeting.
See related photo on page 3.
clerk Barb Schellenberger. He was presented with an official Mapleton toque, pin and pen. Afterward Metzger, who noted he especially enjoyed the report from Fire Chief Rick Richardson, was given a tour of municipal facilities by busi-
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Councillors approve retroactive raise, clarify per diems
Youth takes turn as deputy mayor by Patrick Raftis and Caroline Sealey MAPLETON - A local youth had a chance to wield the gavel at a township council meeting during a recent turn as honorary deputy mayor. Matt Metzger joined Mapleton council at its Nov. 24 meeting. Mayor Neil Driscoll explained he invited the youth to attend the meeting after receiving a letter from Metzger asking if Metzger could join him in the office “and can you show me the job of being a good mayor.� Driscoll quipped he was glad for the help “as the budget won’t allow me to have an assistant.� Metzger joined Driscoll at the council table and officially opened and closed the Nov. 24 council meeting. He also assisted Driscoll by passing motions on to deputy
Daily Interest 1.00%
Friday, December 4, 2015
Rural infrastructure needs discussed as MP visits council by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - PerthWellington MP John Nater told township council on Nov. 24 he will make sure the new federal Liberal government is aware rural Ontario has different infrastructure needs than large cities. Nater said that immediately after the election he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stating he is “looking forward to working co-operatively with the new government.â€? Nater stated that is still his intention. “I do hope they carry through on some of their promises, especially where it comes to investment in infrastructure,â€? said Nater. He noted the new government is proposing to spend money on “greenâ€? infrastructure, although he added, “we’re not sure what all’s going to be involved with that.â€? However, Nater stated, “We’ll take them at their word.â€? Noting the Liberals promised to spend billions on transit during the recent election campaign, Nater said, “I’m sure that Mapleton’s not planning to bring in any LRT or light rail transit projects ‌ We have roads and bridges in rural Ontario. That’s our mass transit ‌ we need to keep a balance.â€? Concerns about funding for
1 Year GIC - 1.82% 3 Year GIC - 2.00% 5 Year GIC - 2.40%
photo by Caroline Sealey
ness development and marketing coordinator Crystal Ellis. “I want to get a job, working for the township,� he stated. Driscoll said he hopes to start a new tradition and offer the same opportunity to other young people in the future.
by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Council members here have approved a revised bylaw granting themselves a retroactive raise of 2.4 per cent and clarifying when meeting per diems are paid. The move will add to an anticipated budget shortfall for council remuneration in 2015. CAO Brad McRoberts explained in a report on Nov. 24 that during preliminary budget discussion on Nov. 10, council discussed clarification the township’s council remuneration bylaw. Direction was provided for staff to revise the bylaw to reflect both a 2015 cost of living increase of 2.4% and to clarify that the base salary applied to regular set council meetings on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Council is to be paid a per diem for any additional meetings. The report notes meetings that are “contiguous� with a regular or special meeting of council, such as public meetings held within the time frame of a regular meeting, are not considered eligible for an additional per diem. The net cost of the adjustment for 2015 is estimated to be $1,465 for base salary and $6,900 for additional per diems not paid out to this point in
2015. The 2015 council budget remuneration was set at $79,000 and the actual payouts to Oct. 31 total $68,000. The report indicates projections for the remainder of the year would bring council wages to 81,600, slightly over budget without the increase. McRoberts anticipates adding the wage increase and additional per diems will increase the actual to as much as $90,000 ($11,000 over budget). “The overage is likely the consequence of a heavy council schedule in 2015 due to various ongoing issues, including but not limited to two sets of budget deliberations (2015 and 2016) in one year, municipal maintenance facility, wastewater environmental assessment, development charges, wastewater rate study, council training and CAO recruitment,� McRoberts states in his report. Mayor Neil Driscoll said, “This is just cleaning it up so there’s actually clear direction as to what council is doing and what it is getting paid for. I think it’s actually long overdue.� The increase matches the same provided for Mapleton employees in the 2015 budget. Continued on page 3
New forestry specialist Joe Heeg joins Trees for Mapleton organization MAPLETON - The Trees for Mapleton committee has announced the appointment of forestry specialist Joe Heeg to work with the organization. Chair Bruce Whale recently welcomed Joe Heeg into the township only to find out he had already been in Mapleton this spring planting trees in his previous job, explains a committee press release. “Joe is excited to work with the landowners in what he calls a beautiful township to increase the township tree canopy. We would like to introduce Joe Heeg to the community and welcome him,� the release states. Previous forestry specialist Mark Funk has moved on to manage the Grand River
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Conservation Authority (GRCA) tree nursery, “so he is still with us in the background to help,� the committee notes. JOE HEEG Heeg can FORESTRY be reached SPECIALIST at 519-6212763 ext. 2259 or jheeg@ grandriver.ca. The committee states Heeg will deliver tree planting programs to private landowners and help them apply for grants to reduce costs. Heeg studied geography at the University of Guelph and received his masters of forestry conservation at the
University of Toronto. Since graduation, he has worked for a small forestry business in Guelph, where he planned reforestation projects and did tree marking, tree felling and dealt with invasive species management. Heeg has also headed hand planting crews to complete numerous tree planting projects. The Trees for Mapleton committee is made up of local landowners, the GRCA, Wellington County Green Legacy and Mapleton Township. “This team ... is committed to planting trees in the township for both the short term and long term benefits ... and looks forward to working with Joe Heeg,� the release states.
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