December
2, 2005
One comment
I hear frequently during the city budget discussions
is that council needs to look for ways to
save money without cutting service. Last week
council had the opportunity to do just that.
Regrettably they said no.
Imagine everything
that went into your garbage that smells was
picked up once a week through an organics
program. All food, including meat, dairy,
and any other organic material that might
start to stink or attract wild animals.
Half of what
now goes in your garbage would be picked up
once a week through an organics program. What
would be left in the garbage would be material
that does not smell and does not attract racoons
and other rodents.
The question
many of us would ask is, “if the garbage
that smells is being picked up once a week
through the organics program, why does what
is left need to be picked up once a week?”
If we heard that changing the frequency to
once every two weeks would save $7.57 million,
we would definitely be asking that question.
That was
the question facing council last week.
Unfortunately,
what many people heard about the proposal
to reduce the frequency of garbage collection
was missing one very important piece of information
– that food and other material that
smells would be picked up once a week through
the organics program.
Councillors
had a choice. We could get accurate information
to people or we could spend an extra $7.57
million of taxpayers’ money. I am disappointed
that a majority of my council colleagues found
it easier to add $7.57 million to the costs
the city faces than to be up front with people
about what was planned.
I spoke to
many Kanata residents about what was proposed.
When people heard that food, and other organic
material would still be picked up once a week,
most people felt it made sense to save money
and collect what remained every two weeks.
People don’t want unnecessary spending
and when the organics program is removing
everything that will cause garbage to smell,
we should use the opportunity to save taxpayers
money.
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