Alright, Let's get on with this...

Like many of you, I've been a little down in the dumps these past few months; hence the lack of posts and attendance at Town Meetings. It's been a few weeks now of really trying to re-focus and rekindle my hope (that I kinda lost over the summer) for Hornepayne. Thank God for the great weather we had and for the time we spent on Facebook. We have to rise above everything that's been thrown at us lately,... Cause People, we have a Town to Build!!!

So then, let's get on with it!  ;~)

Town Hall Meeting at the Legion- Thrusday September 8th, 2011

After 9 months, Mayor Morley and Council hosted a Town Hall Meeting at the Legion on Thursday. Morley and Paul personally greeted everyone and opened the door as people arrived. The Meeting was held to improve communication, and to bring the community up to date with all the things that have gone on since the election.
To our leaders I say, Good Job!! And we look forward to the next one.

Regular Meeting - August 8th 2011

Bravo Hornepayne!! You have stepped up this summer. It was recognized at the Council meeting that many have randomly helped out around our community this summer. From cutting grass to picking up garbage to fixing the Three Bears, and some have even donated money towards our Bears! The Heart of Hornepayne is Golden.

Dr. Reid Cameron is being recognized with an award of Honor for being an Outstanding Ontario Physician. We love you Reid!!

When it comes to CLUAH, our Municipal Council has decided to support "Option A". Mayor Morley stated that he feels all the options are flawed, but "Option A" is the closest to being fair. A letter is being sent to the Ministry to make their support known. Marg Zajac who was present at the meeting, said the letter will carry some weight with the ministry.

If you are an apartment owner, you may not like the resolution that was passed last night. There will no longer be any water/sewer write-offs for vacant apartments. If the water is turned on to the building (at the street) you will now be required to pay a bill for each apartment weather the apartment is occupied or not.

The CAC (Community Adjustment Committee) is a committee that works within the H.E.D.C. You'll remember back in the winter time they held a bunch of Community Forums at the Legion hall to ask the community what they wanted to see within the community. With that information, a Strategic Plan has been written. A draft was sent for Council's endorsement. The Strategic Plan contains some steps that can help move us forward. Now that Council has endorsed it, the Plan will be presented to the community.

There will be a Town Hall meeting held at the Legion on September 8th at 7:00pm. The reason for this meeting is to bring the public up-to-date on Council's actions since taking office on December 6th 2010.

The Next Regular Meeting of Council will be held on Monday September 26th.

The CLUAH Project +The Nuclear Project

I had a thought this morning- I'll bet the outfitters around here don't want the nuclear waste storage facility to come to Hornepayne. I can't see it being good for their business. Would you pay $1000.00 to fish in an area that is also storing nuclear waste? I wouldn't. I'd choose somewhere else- even if it is totally safe to the environment.

And my second thought- I'll bet when the people of Hornepayne make their decision about the nuclear waste, they're not going to consider how that decision will affect the outfitters. Supporting tourism doesn't seem to benefit us much anymore.

Weather the nuclear project is in our future or not, I have to wonder about the future of tourism. The relationship between town folk and outfitter has suffered much damage through the CLUAH Project. Can the outfitter really survive without the support of Hornepayne people? Do the Hornepayne people really want to go in a different direction in our future?

I feel the nuclear waste storage facility should be an option for us consider, but I really hope it's not our ONLY option!

Budget Meeting May 30- 2011

Because the Township received revenues from the North-Star Center for 30 years, they of course had that revenue worked into their budget. Now that the revenues are no longer being collected, expenses needed to be cut. Anyone who has experienced a cut in pay knows this reality.

Approximately $265,000 of revenues needed to be recouped. The options were to cut expenses or increase revenues by increasing taxes.

A large chunk was recovered from the Township's Wages expense. All employees willingly took a pay cut, and one staff member will be laid off. The town office will be closed on Fridays to save costs. The library board also cut their costs back significantly. Smaller cuts were made in every department. In the end, they were able to shrink the large deficit. The tax payer will be responsible for what remains; $41,000.00, which equals a 5% tax increase.

A report with all the numbers will be available for anyone who is interested.

Regular Meeting- May 16 2011

It was solidified again at tonight's meeting: we're not in the best financial situation. Do you know they say money is the #1 thing that couples argue about? So if you're feeling upset, stressed, or even angry about our current financial condition, I would say that must be normal. With that said, try to remember that our Mayor and Council are not to blame for our financial state. They've been dealt a crappy hand, and so far they've done a pretty good job at keeping us informed. If you have any questions I encourage you to ask them! The public is just as responsible to communicate with our leaders as they are to communicate with us.

Paul presented the idea to have a coffee and cake night. I may have misunderstood, but it seemed to me that he wanted to host event just so Council and the Public could get together and talk. The joke was made that the public would throw the cake at Council instead of eat with them, LOL. But seriously, Bravo Paul!! I think your idea shows heart for your community.

Morley also gave some special care to an individual resident sometime in the past few weeks. OCWA dug to fix a water break at Gary Goulet's house. The rule is, if the break is on the road side of the shut off valve then it's OCWA's responsibility, and if it's on the other side it's the owner's responsibility. They discovered the break was just past the valve but on the owner's side. Morley, who was present at the site, had OCWA fix the break anyway.

Bette Mulvihill has always taken care of the community garden. She put in request for a flower budget. As Mayor and Council were discussing the funds, Denis Mackie announced that the Fireman's Association would donate the money towards the project. The community garden will cost between $400.00 and $500.00! A big thank you to them!!!

Marg Zajac approached Council to update them on CLUHA. A meeting is going to be held this Thursday in Wawa to review the 4 current proposals. After the Minister reviews the proposals, there will be an open house probably sometime in July. Marg also added that the MNR is "impressed with the people of Hornepayne", because we've sent so much correspondence. Good Job Hornepayne!!!!

Please be aware that there are beaver traps around the Jackfish River and Cedar Point. These traps are necessary, but may be harmful to dogs who may be running loose. Keep your dogs tied up.

The outdoor soccer program starts this week.

There will be a budget meeting on Monday May 30th at 6:00pm. This meeting is open to the public.

The next Regular Council Meeting will be June 20th at 6:00pm.