Feature Article January 29, 2004
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Much ado over proposed winter dump closings
An idea floated at a North Frontenac Council meeting earlier this month by the Councils Waste Management Committee has met with angry opposition by some community members, even though the proposal is merely being looked at and has not been approved by Council.
Bob Olmstead, from the Mississippi area, and Bill Gould from Kashwakamak Lake appeared before Council on Monday. Both were concerned about the possibility of closing their local dumps for 12 weeks this winter as a cost saving measure.
Olmstead had several questions, such as Why should one set of ratepayers have to lose out while other ratepayers receive benefits? and How much does it cost to plough a dump? The answers came from Waste Management Committee Chair Bud Clayton, who said the savings we would get from closing the dumps for 12 weeks is $7,850.
Bill Gould said, The closings would affect a large number of residents. We only have hours from 12-5 on Sundays as it is, and I dont think its fair to make people drive 40 km to go to the dump.
Mayor Maguire assured Gould and Olmstead that no decision had been taken on the matter, and the Waste Management Committee will be considering this, and other issues at their next meeting.
Bud Clayton pointed out that, There will be pressure on us to increase taxes this year, and we can either look for efficiencies or pass costs on to the taxpayers once again. He noted There is an arbitration hearing between the City of Kingston and the County of Frontenac about funding arrangements for social services. If we are lucky, the result will cost an extra $300,000 per year to the County, if we are unlucky, it could be millions. When we do our budget in North Frontenac, we will have no choice but to pay our share of those costs. That is out of our control.
