Now that I’ve had a week to digest the conversation at North Huron council’s March 27 budget meeting, I feel I can calmly make the following statement:
It’s time to end the ward system.
For those who did not sit back and indulge in the 90-minute meeting – and according the 202 views YouTube is reporting for the meeting, that would be the large majority of North Huron residents – allow me to paraphrase, as best I can, the conversation.
Some councillors, namely Coun. Mitch Wright, took exception to the fact that some of the Westario dividend monies were being allocated for non-Wingham projects. For those newer to town, when the Town of Wingham sold its shares of the public utilities commission at amalgamation to what is now known as Westario, it was deemed by the council and/or staff of the day that any dividends from those shares would be used for Wingham-specific projects.
Wright asked that those projects not in Wingham slated to receive some of those funds find other funding so they can be used “for what Wingham residents want.”
Deputy Reeve Kevin Falconer suggested council look at starting reserve funds for the Blyth and East Wawanosh to fund projects specific to those wards.
That idea has yet to be decided on by council, but in my opinion, it should remain as just that – an idea.
For nearly 25 years, the Township of North Huron has struggled, like most amalgamated municipalities, to unite its former villages and townships – similar to how some blended families struggle to accept one another.
“She’s my STEP-sister, not my real sister.”
In 25 years, it appears very little has been done to unite those communities, despite the best efforts of “mom and dad” to do so.
However, the blended family that is North Huron council refuses to take the biggest step towards unifying the family – getting rid of the ward system.
I think it is great to see that councillors are making sure residents in each of the current wards are properly represented, however I don’t think allocating two councillors per ward, regardless of the size of the ward, is the right way to go about it.
I genuinely believe that those who run for public office at the municipal level are doing it for the right reasons – to better their community.
In this case, that community is North Huron.
Not Wingham. Not Blyth. Not East Wawanosh.
Speaking on ending things…
Another outdated thing the Township of North Huron needs to do away with is its property tax system.
Today, you pay a different property tax rate if you live in Wingham compared to Blyth or East Wawanosh. The explanation I was given years ago was “you pay for the services your community has.”
Community was defined as the ward – Wingham, Blyth and East Wawanosh.
Based on that understanding, in Wingham you pay more in property taxes because there are more services – the North Huron Wescast Community Complex and its amenities, etc. In East Wawanosh, where the services are not as plentiful as Blyth or Wingham, you pay much less.
Despite the fact that residents in Blyth or East Wawanosh have access to and may use services in Wingham, they don’t necessarily pay for them.
That makes absolutely no sense, and North Huron is the only municipality I know of that does property taxes this way.
When it comes to asking everyone to pay their fair share – North Huron usually looks at Morris-Turnberry when this phrase is mentioned – maybe North Huron needs to look in the mirror and reassess what “fair share” means.
It is the Township of North Huron. Residents elect representatives to North Huron council. It’s the North Huron budget that gets passed each year – not the Wingham budget, Blyth budget and East Wawanosh budget.
It’s been 25 years – it’s time to accept that the blended family is indeed your real family, and to move on.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of the Wingham Advance Times. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
