Taxpayer Backlash Against High Recycle Fees
17/06/2009 04:20
Hi
Don
Welcome back from holidays and congratulations on your one year anniversary...its been quite a year. Here's looking forward to next year and many more!
Next Tuesday is the regular meeting of the St. Albert Taxpayers association, 7pm, June 23, St. Albert Community League Hall, 17 Perron Street. We'll be talking about several issues including recyclying and our completed 3 year strategic plan will be presented for approval. We'll send it out formally after that meeting.
Also, given the July introduction of blue bag, and our look at the data the city has provided on costs, we thought it appropriate to present a different assessment of their numbers in the attached letter.
Lynda Flannery
President
St. Albert Taxpayers Association
Recycle costs: Taxpayer Backlash
I was recently called by a taxpayer who, along with several others he knew, was very concerned about the new recycling costs. Not surprisingly, they currently recycle and can do so for less cost than the city is going to charge. They are concerned about tax and utility increases and the burden it places on them. Their solution: withhold the recycling portion of their utility bills. Unfortunately, unless a significant portion of users were willing to do the same, they city is not going to listen. Also, most communities around us have curbside recycling. And increasing recycling and decreasing the amount of garbage going to landfill, is a good objective.
The St. Albert Taxpayers Association concerns include the costs of recycling. City administration said to Council they are among the cheapest provider. However what wasn't said is that many of the other cities already offer more including yard waste pickup . St. Albert's own waste management report says the 2008 average cost per household of providing services was $12.85/month. Now it will cost an extra $5.50 per month for blue bag, for a total of $18.35 per month, and we still have to drop off our yard waste. When we looked at the comparators offered at Council and in the Sonnevera report, we saw:
So when we add the St. Albert cost estimates for yard waste planned for 2012, it shows that if we provided the same service as these comparators do now, we would be tied for most expensive provider.
In addition, the city has big plans to do full organics (kitchen waste) in 2012 for an extra $4.50 monthly^. This fits in with administrations mantra to provide gold plated services and facilities. This would bring our average monthly waste costs to $26.45 including a total recycling increase of $13.60 or $163.20 per year. The taxpayer of St. Albert cannot afford these types of expenditures and we want Council to rethink the next steps of this initiative. If you are concerned, please come to our next meeting, 7pm, June 23rd, St. Albert Community League Hall, 17 Perron Street, St. Albert or e-mail me at flannie@shaw.ca
SINC SAYS:
Is there anything this council and administration can do without ripping off taxpayers?
Welcome back from holidays and congratulations on your one year anniversary...its been quite a year. Here's looking forward to next year and many more!
Next Tuesday is the regular meeting of the St. Albert Taxpayers association, 7pm, June 23, St. Albert Community League Hall, 17 Perron Street. We'll be talking about several issues including recyclying and our completed 3 year strategic plan will be presented for approval. We'll send it out formally after that meeting.
Also, given the July introduction of blue bag, and our look at the data the city has provided on costs, we thought it appropriate to present a different assessment of their numbers in the attached letter.
Lynda Flannery
President
St. Albert Taxpayers Association
Recycle costs: Taxpayer Backlash
I was recently called by a taxpayer who, along with several others he knew, was very concerned about the new recycling costs. Not surprisingly, they currently recycle and can do so for less cost than the city is going to charge. They are concerned about tax and utility increases and the burden it places on them. Their solution: withhold the recycling portion of their utility bills. Unfortunately, unless a significant portion of users were willing to do the same, they city is not going to listen. Also, most communities around us have curbside recycling. And increasing recycling and decreasing the amount of garbage going to landfill, is a good objective.
The St. Albert Taxpayers Association concerns include the costs of recycling. City administration said to Council they are among the cheapest provider. However what wasn't said is that many of the other cities already offer more including yard waste pickup . St. Albert's own waste management report says the 2008 average cost per household of providing services was $12.85/month. Now it will cost an extra $5.50 per month for blue bag, for a total of $18.35 per month, and we still have to drop off our yard waste. When we looked at the comparators offered at Council and in the Sonnevera report, we saw:
So when we add the St. Albert cost estimates for yard waste planned for 2012, it shows that if we provided the same service as these comparators do now, we would be tied for most expensive provider.
In addition, the city has big plans to do full organics (kitchen waste) in 2012 for an extra $4.50 monthly^. This fits in with administrations mantra to provide gold plated services and facilities. This would bring our average monthly waste costs to $26.45 including a total recycling increase of $13.60 or $163.20 per year. The taxpayer of St. Albert cannot afford these types of expenditures and we want Council to rethink the next steps of this initiative. If you are concerned, please come to our next meeting, 7pm, June 23rd, St. Albert Community League Hall, 17 Perron Street, St. Albert or e-mail me at flannie@shaw.ca
SINC SAYS:
Is there anything this council and administration can do without ripping off taxpayers?