Municipally Yours, Back in 1977 when we moved here, I had reason to go to the municipal council of the day in South Marys- burgh and that is where I first met Lewis Rorabeck who was a Councillor at the time. He gave me some advice about managing my neighbour's little pigs that to this day I do not know whether I was to believe or not- and I had grown up on a pig farm among other things. I was a newcomer and I guessed he was hav- ing some fun at my expense. However, everyone else at the table kept a perfectly straight face, so I was left wondering...] already knew they did things differently in this township. Lewis passed away this past week and his personality will be missed both locally and at County Council. Over the last four years I have looked out over the audience at Shire Hall and Lewis would be there occasionally, just because he was in- terested. A fascinating man ... Taxes... When I got notice my pension was going up, I could- n't decide where to apply that itty bitty bit - let's see- oil, hydro, gas, insurance, and then my first tax bill ar- rived. If there is one thing I have learned being on Council, it's that I hate doing the budget and dealing with all the fixed increases I deal with at home like oil, hydro, gas, insurance. This year's budget has a 4% increase without even considering improvements to services and that is very frustrating. We are also awaiting assurance that the provincial government will honour its contract to pay for increased expendi- tures in ambulance, social services, etc. But they're al- | ready a couple of years behind... So we have some tough choices ahead as a Council. Roads... On a more positive note, the following township roads ( and the rest of the bridge!) are on the capital works plan: Scott's Mills Road - $74,000 Old Milford Road (S. M.) - $137,900 Long Point Road - $335,000 County Rd #13 (through Grimmon Woods) - $50,000 Milford Bridge and Dam - $418,800 I am aware there are a couple of other spots that need attention and while they are not on for this year, I will do my best to "negotiate" about them. Your letters of "concern" help! The Dump... Ihave had a couple of calls about the dump and the influx of North Marysburgh garbage to it. The N.M. transfer site has been temporarily closed because dur- ing an operations plan, asked for by the Ministry of the Environment, it was discovered that most of this long term operation was on property not owned by the Municipality. Once property issues are sorted out, a site can re-open. You may also be interested to know that a similar "Development and Operations" plan prepared for South Marysburgh landfill site, which has included surface water assessments and leachate migration monitoring over the last 3 years, will be re- ported on this spring. Perhaps that would be a best time for a town hall meeting. My contact information: 476-8045 ( includes an answering machine) mlyea@pecounty.on.ca 1702 County Road # 17 Please feel free to connect! Monica ( Monica Alyea) | South Bay United Church | ! Coming Events Wednesday, May 25 - Anniversary Supper Saturday, June 25 - Strawberry Social | Wednesday, August 17 - Fish Fry Saturday, November 19 - Luncheon and Craft Sale