Collection fees will save residents $5M a year A3

The move to trash collection user fees will save Saskatoon residents about $5 million a year over time, according to city hall administration.

A city council committee heard Monday it will cost about $18 million a year over the next 50 years to manage waste under a proposed program to switch to utility fees for garbage and compost pickup.

That approach would have the added advantage of diverting more material from the landfill due to a new program to collect food and yard waste and coaxing people to send less material to the landfill.

The alternative of maintaining the current system would cost about $23 million a year because of the looming liability of having to close the landfill and establish a new one in 40 years if more material is not diverted.

“We know we have a problem and we know it’s only going to get bigger,” Coun. Hilary Gough said at the environment, utilities and corporate services committee meeting.

The move to user fees for waste collection, including lower prices for smaller trash carts, will reduce the overall property tax bill by about 3.5 per cent, according to city estimates.

But residents will pay more overall through the introduction of a utility fee system, in part to fund the compost collection program.

Gough and others on the committee expressed concern about asking people to pay more, noting some household budgets are already tight.

The committee endorsed moving forward with the waste utility with only Coun. Troy Davies voting against it. Council will make a final decision on Sept. 24.

“I don’t support the way we’re going about this today,” Davies said.

Davies explained he thinks the proposed move should be discussed at budget time.

Davies said he will try to get support for moving the debate to budget at the next city council meeting. The proposed change is projected to take place in 2020, so any impact on the 2019 budget is not readily apparent.

Davies said the proposal contains too many variables and projections and he is not willing to gamble with taxpayers’ money.

“I do not want to get to the point were we say Saskatoon Shines, but I can’t afford to live here anymore,” he said.

Coun. Mairin Loewen asked for more clarity on how household budgets would be affected by the move to a utility versus how property taxes now pay for trash collection.

Mayor Charlie Clark asked about the possibility of compost collection once a month during the winter and the potential cost savings.

The current proposal from city administration recommends collection for both trash and compost every two weeks.

More information is expected at this month’s council meeting.

Clark said the city has not been transparent or fair about its approach to waste and is now trying to resolve a number of issues at once. He said most cities have already moved in this direction.

“This is a big issue and a big set of financial decisions,” Clark said.

“I see this as the challenge of modernizing our waste system for the 21st century in Saskatoon.”

Under the proposed utility system, residents would pay a variable rate for trash collection depending on the size of container they choose.

The cost of closing the current landfill and establishing a new one has been estimated at $150 million to $175 million. The waste utility plan is expected to extend the life of the landfill to 63 years.