Questions linger as council OKS organics program
Decisions on how to pay for curbside collection postponed to November
A truck could be coming to pick up food and yard waste from singlefamily homes in about a year, but how it will be paid for still remains unclear.
Saskatoon city council voted 7-4 Monday in favour of establishing a mandatory citywide curbside collection program for organics, similar to those for trash and recycling.
While the green cart program was approved in principle, decisions on whether it will be covered by property taxes or through new utility fees have been postponed until next month.
The decision followed hours of debate Monday on a topic that was deferred from last month’s council meeting.
“I think we were kidding ourselves if we thought we could come up with a magic solution today,” Coun. Zach Jeffries said.
Jeffries and others expressed displeasure with incomplete or confusing information and a sense that residents do not understand the proposals being considered.
The proposed changes included both the introduction of a mandatory organics program and switching to a utility model where user fees would cover the cost of trash collection.
“I do think it’s too much all at once and the public doesn’t understand,” Coun. Randy Donauer said.
Coun. Darren Hill pushed to postpone the vote on a utility, saying residents in his ward have opposed the idea of user fees for an organics program. “We need to do this right, not fast,” Hill said.
Monday’s meeting was marked by confusion and several breaks, including one in the middle of voting for several measures. Council voted to support a new organics program prior to a break for supper and then resumed voting at about 7 p.m. after a public hearing meeting.
Coun. Troy Davies said people expect garbage collection to be covered by property taxes and said the city needs to focus on the search for a new landfill.
Over time, proceeding with new programs to divert trash and increase the life of the landfill is expected to save $5 million a year, according to the city’s numbers.
Council also approved Monday both trash collection and organics pickup every two weeks by a 7-4 vote. The new approach would be introduced in 2020.
Coun. Mairin Loewen acknowledged some residents in her ward are unhappy with her support for the proposals to change trash collection.
“I do feel a sense of urgency,” Loewen added of the need to increase waste diversion.
Coun. Sarina Gersher expressed similar feelings about the need to change.
“Our status quo is not working,” Gersher said. “This has been an expensive problem.”
It’s estimated the city’s waste management division is being underfunded by about $2 million a year.
Coun. Ann Iwanchuk spoke against the changes, saying the city was penalizing single-family homeowners, rather than businesses and institutions that send more material to the landfill.
She dismissed the debate over property taxes versus utility fees.
“It’s really just another bill,” Iwanchuk said.
“That’s what it is.” Council also endorsed the intent to implement a mandatory organics program for apartments and townhouses by 2020 and doing the same for business and institutions in the next two to four years.