South Frontenac Council - Nov. 29/11

Jeff Green | Dec 01, 2011

Retail logic applied to South Frontenac budget

Cam Naish, the owner of Naish’s General Store, brought some of his marketing savvy to the South Frontenac budget process this week.

Township staff had presented a budget that, based upon a set of calculations they had made, would bring a 3% tax increase to the average household in the township.

“You may think this is crazy but people prefer things priced a little under round figures; it just sounds better. So can we adjust the budget to make the increase 2.98%?” asked Naish.

Township CAO Wayne Orr said that a slight adjustment to the amount to be transferred to reserve funds would do the trick, and council agreed.

Although the township staff calculations put the impact of the budget on the average household at a 2.98% increase, in raw numbers the amount of money to be charged to South Frontenac ratepayers for township purposes in 2012 is up by about 11%. In 2011, the total levy to ratepayers was $10.9 million and in 2012 it will be $12.1 million.

One of the budgetary initiatives that CAO Orr has been working on is to address the fact that the township has been drawing down its reserve funds each year in order to minimize tax increases. For 2011, $1.51 million was drawn from reserves, and in 2012 that figure is down to $1.18 million.

“We are working, over time, at weaning ourselves from using the reserve funds. It’s something we have to do,” said Orr.

Council will adopt the budget numbers at their December 6 meeting.

The budget bylaw will not be approved until sometime in 2012, when the Education and Frontenac County levies are known. But for South Frontenac Council itself, the 2012 budget process is over. This is the earliest, by several months, that any Frontenac Township has been able to complete their budget.

The preliminary Frontenac County budget will be presented to County Council on December 14.

Household Hazardous Waste - Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth brought a report to council about what he called “a very successful first year” of operating a hazardous waste depot.

Success, in the hazardous waste collection business, translates into higher costs, however.

The estimated cost of running the program for one year had been around $17,000 for operating the depot and $18,250 for the transport and disposal of material.

The actual costs were $12,500 for operations and almost $41,000 for transport and disposal.

“The transport and disposal costs are significantly higher because much more material was collected than originally estimated,” said Segsworth.

However, Segsworth also reported that he is close to completing an agreement with Stewardship Ontario, the government/industry body that oversees recycling in the province, and once the agreement is signed the township will be eligible for a 50% rebate of total program costs.

Segsworth also reported that the township is in the process of altering its Certificate of Approval with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to allow for the collection of hazardous waste from outside of South Frontenac.

Central Frontenac Township has expressed interest in using the site and once the new Certificate of Approval is in place, South Frontenac will be in a position to formally enter into negotiations with Central Frontenac.

“I know this is expensive, and hopefully we will be able to get some money back, but when people have talked to me about this they have not talked about price, they only said they needed someplace to bring their hazardous waste. This is a great thing to bring to our township,” said Councilor Ron Vandewal.

Councilor Larry York asked when the recycling of baler wrap will commence, because a number of farmers he knows are starting to stockpile their wrap in anticipation of a recycling depot.

“It’s closer than it’s ever been,” said Segsworth, “I’d say early in the new year.”