Going Backwards in SF

John Lesperance | Feb 16, 2017

ln a short sighted decision, the South Frontenac (SF) Council approved the budget of 2017 and simultaneously undermined one of the major tenets of the SF Waste Management Bylaw 20050098: '...

The Township of South Frontenac deems it desirable to collect revenues for waste management services in an equitable fashion based on use rather than through the imposition of special rates or an increase in municipal taxes. Previously, residents had paid a solid waste (user) fee of $120 per dwelling unit. Now, the fee will no longer reflect the number of dwelling units per property, but simply the assessed value of the property - the higher the assessed value the more you pay, whether you produce a lot of garbage or none. The cost is no longer equitable.

This change was not the result of a professional re-assessment of the status of waste management in SF and how well we were attaining the SF 50% waste diversion goal. No staff coordination was apparent. The Manager of Public Works, and members of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA), seemed to have had little involvement with the Treasurer's proposal, even though he is responsible for solid waste management.

No one knows the actual cost of the recycling or garbage curb service. The Public Works Manager referred me to the Treasurer who maintained that it would take too much time to do these calculations.

How can you manage a service if you don’t know the cost?

At the Jan 17th Council Meeting, the Treasurer elaborated that the budget could suddenly be achieved with only a 2% rate hike, versus the 2.2% that had been briefed since mid—November. Meanwhile, she warned of dire consequences to the budget by reinstating solid waste fees of any amount. The Mayor brushed aside the residents’ concerns. Vacant properties will pay for garbage, although they do not produce any. Multidwelling properties, which will produce more garbage, will pay less. ln a system based solely on assessed property values,the cost you pay bears no relation to the garbage you produce.

SF was in good company with the over 200 communities who follow a strategy of waste reduction through fees. Now it is going backwards.

John Lesperance