Getting to zero
County staff proposes cuts to budget Mayor Peter Mertens was elected in large part to put the County’s finances in order. After a decade in which property taxes more than doubled—voters said they wanted change. Mertens said he would work toward a zero increase in the County’s budget. But in its first draft, municipal staff […]
Discipline wins
Dukes overwhelm excitable Upper Canada youngsters in game one The Dukes have so far managed to quell notions of rebellion by Upper Canada in its first round playoff series against the Patriots. Wellington dominated the opening game on Sunday, pounding the Patriots 9-0 at home. While the Dukes were solid, it was Upper Canada that […]
A storied path
Resident looks to generate better awareness of County treasure Few of the County’s assets have inspired as much ambition and ultimately dashed so many dreams as has the Millennium Trail. While many have seen promise in the natural link between the communities of Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington, Hillier, Consecon and Carrying Place, a paucity of funds […]
Heavy sledding
New Council works to forge a budget that residents can afford “We just can’t continue to hand our problems over to the taxpayer,” said Mayor Peter Mertens in response to the first draft of the municipal budget. Billed as a status quo budget, the proposal would have added $2.3 million more to deliver the same […]
Playoff primer
Who’s who of possible Dukes’ challengers By David Brown Editor’s note: The question on the minds of Wellington fans this week is: who will the Dukes face in the first round of the playoffs—a series that could get underway as soon as Friday night or as late as Sunday night in Wellington. Though far from […]
The cost of protection
Policing costs up $300,000 over 2010 budget One of the ruder surprises in what is shaping up to be a painful budget for local taxpayers belongs to the police services board. Just five years ago the County paid about $3.7 million to the OPP for their services in the County. This year the cost of […]
Nothing new under the sun
Council rebuffed in attempt to regulate construction and placement of solar panels in the County Bob Hunter is used to having his business and his property scrutined closely. He says he is just a simple farmer trying to make a go of it in a tough industry, where nature determines if this year will be […]
The Duke objective
By Mike Wobschall Special to the Wellington Times Photo: Dukes defenceman Curtis Leonard wrangles with Kingston forward Joey Wilson out of harm’s way Friday night. The Wellington Dukes have secured the top seed in the OJHL’s East Division, but the Dukes know it only gets harder from here. The Dukes have two games remaining in […]
Just say no
County council has asked the McGuinty government to put a moratorium on wind energy development in Prince Edward County on Monday night. In doing so, they join many other Ontario municipalities in rebuking the Ontario government’s attempts to override local authority over the development of wind energy projects in their jurisdiction. By a 9-6 vote […]
Golden goose is dying
2010 saw the lowest new home starts in 10 years We were warned this could happen. Last year the building industry warned County council not to “kill the goose.” Local builders and developers cautioned against imposing development and connection charges higher than the surrounding municipalities—fees that would put Prince Edward County out of the market […]