Feature Article September 18, 2002
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Future Waste Management a new $$ concernby Will Cybulski Cloyne North Frontenacs auditing team presented its usual gamut of numbers to Council on Monday, September 9, but one area in the report gave some cause for concern.
In presenting the 2001 audit, financial information report, and performance measures, John Hunniford pointed out a new disclosure dealing with monies that need to be put aside for waste management demands down the road. The township currently operates 8 landfill sites, and it needs to seriously consider capacity, the likelihood of operating extensions, closure costs, and consumption to date.
It is estimated that the cost to close all 8 sites will eventually total $930,000, and Hunniford told Council that $450,000 of that has been consumed already. In the future, funding for that liability could become an issue, he said. He suggested that while these are soft numbers, they are certainly applicable, as township management requires a best estimate. This is just an opinion, Hunniford reported, but as it gets closer to closing (the sites), the numbers become much more relevant. You will need to have a game plan; you need to be talking about setting up a capital fund to deal with this. It is likely that the Ministries of the Environment, Finance, and Municipal Affairs and Housing will become involved in the discussions that lay ahead.
Mayor Stan Johnston recognized the value of a plan for the future, but he voiced concern that the Municipality could be penalized monetarily for acting in a responsible manner. If you do a good job in building a fund, he said, the government might just come along in the future and say they dont need any help, they already have money, as opposed to somebody who doesnt do anything.
One interesting statistic that came from audit and waste management discussions is that the municipality appears to be recycling a mere 1% of our garbage.
