Say goodbye to the waste levy

By Kate Harries AWARE News Network November 27 2012

After much angst, Simcoe County Council today voted 17-12 (recorded vote details below) in favour of combining the waste levy and the county assessment-based levy. Final budget deliberations results in an increase in the 2013 county tax levy of 0.61 per cent. Total budget is $415 million, which includes $19.5 million in waste collection costs.

An argument for the separate unit-based waste levy in use until now has been to provide an incentive for homeowners to reduce waste and increase diversion, by breaking out the waste collection cost and charging less to municipalities that either use less service or divert more. 

But only half of Simcoe County’s 16 municipalities passed on the tax to ratepayers on a per-unit basis. Eight municipalities have already been combining the waste and county levy with education and their own budget, to recover the total based on assessment. 

In the first category (per-unit flat fee) were: Adjala-Tosorontio, Bradford-West Gwillimbury, Collingwood, Essa, Oro-Medonte, Severn, Tiny and Wasaga Beach.

In the second (assessed value) were Clearview, Innisfil, Midland, New Tecumseth, Penetanguishene, Ramara, Springwater and Tay.

Midland Mayor Gord MacKay argued against what would be, in his municipality, a change from assessment to per-unit fee. That would mean that “I’m going to take the waste levy from a $1 million home and transfer it down to a $100,000 home,” he said, characterizing the charge as a “poll tax” and a “real social injustice.”

A report from CAO Mark Aitken stated that the cost of either method of charging waste collection would be the same – $139 a year – for a $300,000 residential property. “With the assessment method, property owners below $300,000 CVA (current value assessment) would pay less and above this would pay more.”

Penetanguishene Deputy Mayor Marion said waste collection falls into the same category as the arena or fire service and should not be subject to a “consumption fee” like water.

But Deputy Warden Harry Hughes said waste generation, like water use, is reduced when there is an incentive. “We have to provide something to those people now putting out one bag a week to keep on with recycling,” he said, adding that as the county runs out of landfill space, it’s important to keep residents aware of what it costs to deal with their waste. 

Essa Mayor Terry Dowdall said that his municipality had changed from assessment to per-unit because that was the direction from the county. “If we want to reduce the service, that is the way to go,” he said. “I think we’re taking a step backwards.”

Dowdall also noted that employers would suddenly see thousands of dollars in tax increase – because assessment-based hits everyone, even those that aren’t served by the residential waste collection system, even owners of vacant lots. 

Collingwood Mayor Sandra Cooper pointed out that the same would apply to condominiums. 

BWG Mayor Doug White urged councillors to back the assessment system. A totally user-pay system would cost everyone more, he said. “We’re all in this together.” And if it’s to be done, this is the year to do it, he added, because the$2.3 million annual savings due to the new collection contract lowers the general levy impact 

“If we were to do it in another year, it would be impossible,” White said. “It’s now or never.” 

Councillors voted (17-12, weighted 63-44) to move to combine the waste and general levy. 

For reasons that may include higher assessment but also relate to services that weren’t provided (or wanted but will now be imposed), like yard waste and Christmas tree collection, Collingwood and Adjala-Tosorontio are negatively impacted by the change. Councillors voted to ease the pain by providing the two municipalities a transitional subsidy totaling $263,000 over three years.

RECORDED VOTE on a motion to combine the waste levy with the county general levy:

YEAS: Duffy (Ramara); Ferguson (Clearview«); Foster (Wasaga Beach); Kramp (Midland); 

Marion (Penetanguishene); Marshall (Penetanguishene); McKay (Midland);  McLean (Springwater); Millar (Tiny); Patterson (Wasaga Beach); Savage (Clearview); Warnock (Tay); White (BWG); Baguley (Innisfil); Clarke (Ramara); Collins (Springwater); Davidson (Innisfil).

NAYS: Dowdall (Essa); Hough (Oro-Medonte); Hughes (Oro-Medonte); Keffer (BWG); Lawrence (Tiny); Macdonald (Essa); McEachern (New Tecumseth); Small Brett (Adjala-Tosorontio); Walsh (Adjala-Tosorontio); Burkett (Severn); Cooper (Collingwood); Cox (Severn).

ABSENT: Lloyd (Collingwood); Milne (New Tecumseth); Rawson (Tay).