Fees hiked

Cost of County services on the rise

The cost of putting a bag of garbage is rising by 50 per cent. Later this year the cost of bag tag will rise from $2 to $3. The cost to bring that same bag to the landfill site will rise from $3 to $5.

These are among a range of user fee increases approved by a committee of council last week.

A pickup truck or utility trailer full of garbage will soon rise from $20 to $40. Fees for non-profit groups renting community or town halls will rise from $10 to $60 per use to a maximum of $300 per year. Ice rental fees will rise five per cent according to an agreement reached with user groups last year.

If you want to serve your own wine at your reception or event—the fee charged by County to open and serve your wine will rise from $3 to $7.50 per bottle.

Some councillors say the hike in user fees, particularly those related to dump fees, are likely to backfire.

“People are going to come to the dump and do a u-turn once they learn the fees,” said Kevin Gale, councillor for Sophiasburgh. “It’ll end up on Doxsee Road,” predicted Gale. “Then we’ll send a unionized employee to pick it up.”

CAO Merlin Dewing noted that the operating philosophy behind the rate hikes for garbage was that these services should be self-sustaining—that those who produce more garbage should pay more. The general taxpayer shouldn’t be subsidizing, through their taxes, the profligate consumer who won’t recycle or use a composter.

But that got other councillors wondering about the operating philosophy of other municipal services.

Ameliasburgh Councillor Janice Maynard doesn’t want to subsidize the rates paid by the local junior hockey team in Wellington.

“Some times the philosophy is that the service must be self-sustaining, sometimes it’s capital recovery we are after and other things we are told fees are set to be competitive,” said Maynard. “A limited number of people are getting the advantage of fees kept low because of competitive pressures. I don’t think the general taxpayer is thrilled by this.”

Dewing said there is no single operating philosophy— but rather a mix for a variety of types of services and therefore a mix of pricing models.

“In absence of a philosophy, I suggest you come up with a rate and see if we get agreement,” said Dewing.

In the end council agreed it would stick with the rate increases it arranged with ice users last season.

“We went over this ad nauseum last year,” said North Marysburgh Councillor Robert Quaiff. “The biggest user of our ice is minor hockey—its our kids and families.”