Coming Tuesday night on the Council Agenda is this years version of Spring Cleanup.
Support or oppose that's your choice but after the discussion of last week's G+P meeting nothing but confusion reigning now.
First of all Council and administration can't agree on the numbers for last year's cost administration brings forth a total of $66,000, Councilor Saindon who manages the Land fill and receives all of the cleanup materials believes the cost are in excess of $120,000 he claims it cost us $409 a tonne to bring that material in.
Next the debate turns to the issue of time frame, Administration claims nine days will be sufficient, some members of council are very skeptical to say the least. History in the last six years as shown cleanups takes anywhere up to six months.
Then we go back to cost for this year, administration is allowing $25,000 based on the nine days Councilor Saindon's math comes up with at least $35,000 who's right more confusion.
Now back to the debate on who gets garbage picked up, after much debate from the picking up of three items, to there is a private business that will pick it up, to the original intent was to help out people who can't get to the landfill themselves. (Who really remembers when, why or how this started)
The confusion (debate) seems to end with maybe we look at doing it or not doing it. Maybe we do it for the handicapped, maybe we do it for the elderly? those that are retired, maybe we do it for everybody for one more year.
Lets add to the confusion how does the municipality determine handicapped or the elderly?:
The handicapped would that be the municipality requiring you to provide a Doctor's note, would you have to be on AISH, maybe CPP Disability.
The elderly what criteria will be used, over 55, 60, 65?
Retired maybe that's the answer must one be on CPP because that can be anywhere from 60-70. I know residents that are in their late fifties and retired other residents that are in their late sixties and still working.
Maybe the municipality will look at income levels, qualify for the Alberta Seniors assistance you get three items picked up.
Then lets look at the numbers (2006 census) out of our population of 5745, the number of people over the age of 19 are 4615 of those 2115 are over 55. Assuming that another 5% of the adult population are on either AISH or CPP that's another 231 people add them together there is a total of 2346 or in simple terms 50% of our population.
If you are going to pick up 50% why would you not just do a 100%.
The point I am trying to make here is this whole (proposed) cleanup besides the confusion above is going to be a logistical nightmare, for two weeks the office is going to be inundated with phone calls. When you phone you have to book your three items, so as I stated previously the crew is coming up my street do they ignore the third house that didn't call but puts stuff out because everybody else is? What happens when they get to my neighbours house and see that he's put out a rocking chair, that was not on his list.
If we go with the route of only picking up the handicapped and the elderly will the municipality be expecting all of these good folks to becoming into the municipality to prove their eligibility? Wow
Maybe its time to take Councilor Londsbury approach, "we are all responsible for the mess we make maybe we should all be responsible for cleaning it up ourselves, there is a local business available that will take it away for you".
14 comments:
Council needs to quit playing around either spent the money and do it, or get rid of it all together.
I suspect the talk of helping the old and disabled is just politicians trying to not piss off too many people at once.
Keith
Dean, I don't disagree with you often but on this one I totally disagree. You are working at cross purposes against the very goals you have set in the past regarding cleaning this community up to attract more people to it.
I know from having talked with you in the past that for some unknown reason to me you are fixated on this particular issue, so much so that in my mind it has become your personal Holy Grail crusade.
But I'm sorry to say, you make no sense. On the one hand you say it would take upwards of 6 months, as well as being a logistical nightmare to deal with. Then on the other hand you say “...there is a local business available that will take it away for you”. How long and what kind of logistical nightmare do you think that will be for this company with its ‘one owner/operator truck’? Years!? Especially, when you consider from past experience the amount of equipment and manpower that is required to do it properly.
No Dean, in my humble opinion, as I have told you in the past and I repeat, you are dead-wrong on this issue. In fact, not only would I like to see the spring cleanup stay as it is (granted, with some adjustments for efficiency and to prevent abuse) but I would also like to see the return of the ‘fall cleanup’, as well... which actually makes more sense than the spring cleanup considering the kind of winter we have had this year.
My point here more then anything John is now with this 3 item limit and the picking of groups that will get it or not. Is in my mind silliness.
Either do it or don't. We can argue over the merits of doing it all day long.
Last year there was just over 400 tonnes taken to the land fill, could one contrator handle it maybe, maybe not.
But that could possibily create an opportunity for the contractor to grow his business and maybe employ another person. (Also it was Councilor Londsbury that made that comment not myself, I just quoted him).
Yes I have always argued that the community should be cleaned up, does that mean that any taxpayer can live like a pig and expect the municipality to clean it up for them?.
Keep it or get rid of it. I say get rid of it! It's a waste of money and the community was a mess when we had two per year. People have to be responsible for themselves. We need more business and employment in the Pass, getting rid of it might help create some jobs. I'm sure someone will start a company to take stuff to the dump for people.
How stupid....one way of justifying more staff I guess...can you imagine how screwed up it would get with people calling in for pickup? If they are short of staff they would have to hire someone dedicated to this.How much would that cost?
I do not live like a pig and use the cleanup. Weigh the costs and do the whole cleanup like normal.Not rocket science!!!!
You are right Dean, either do it or not and as I have already stated I believe we should continue doing it. After all, aside from some 'excellent' snowploughing (until the last few weeks that is?) the spring/fall cleanups have been about all there is to brag about for the average resident here, with respect to feeling like we were getting something back for our tax dollars.
As I have already said on my blog fixing what's not broken and ignoring what needs fixing is not how to be doing things . They should leave things as they were and move on... to the important stuff.
I believe there are abuses as you've described but suggest they are far and in-between. The majority are respectful and appreciative of this service and don't abuse it. It's up to administration and council to figure out how to deal with the abuses.
When an issue like this pops up, I often wonder who stands to profit? That raises some very interesting possibilities when you think on it? Try it...
You've got a municipality, a land fill, contractors, entrepreneurial types, etc. Once again the question is, who stands to profit by ‘privatizing’ what has been all along a public service?
I think we might want to start referring to it as summer cleanup. At least for this year. I don't think this snow will be gone for a while yet. ;)
Another twist to this arguement.
No municipal employee is going to lose a job if we do not do a spring cleanup.
The greater issue is the amount of time taken away from doing jobs that should be done by public works. Especially when you consider that we only get six months of nice weather a year here.
Take a ride around the community and look at the potholes that have been in the same spot forever.
In a previous comment here it states that Cleanup took in 400 tons to the landfill last year that less than 2 tons a day it would not take much of a truck to get that to a landfill that is only 45mins away.
Based on past experience is there anyone that thinks cleanup can be done in nine days?
They need to get rid of it! One more tax-dollar sink. The money spent on this program could be put to better resources, as pointed out, like fixing the streets, or put into the town's treasury.
People just need to stop relying on the government (at all levels) to do things for them and get off their butts and clean up their own crap.
$100,000 a year would fix a lot of pot holes. To the Municipality and councillors would you mind cutting my grass, the house could use a nice coat of paint to.
I see on the municipal web site. Administration is recommending to do the cleanup for over 65 and the disabled.
So will they be checking ID's
WOW
They should do it for all or nobody. A taxpayer is taxpayer regardless of age.
Too bad they didn't spend as much time on the advertising in 2 paper issue!!!
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