Duane Hicks
Town residents will continue to be able put out one garbage receptacle each week without a bag tag after council elected yesterday to go with a new environmental fee to generate more revenue to pay for waste management.
Starting July 1, all water customers in Fort Frances will see their water bill go up $4 per month, or $8 every two months (the start date aligns with the bi-monthly billing cycle for water and sewer services).
The one “free” weekly receptacle will remain in place, with all additional receptacles requiring a bag tag, just as it is now.
The price for bag tags will remain at $2.25.
The new environmental fee will generate $93,120 for the rest of 2013, and $184,000 in 2014.
The bag tag option, which would have required residents to put a $1.25 bag tag on each and every garbage receptacle, was estimated to have generated $60,446.06 for the rest of 2013.
Going forward, the extra revenue will help pay for waste management costs, including expanding the landfill.
Members of council voted unanimously in favour of the environmental fee, citing the public not wanting the inconvenience of having to put a bag tag on each and every garbage receptacle.
As well, the new fee will generate more revenue than the bag tag option.
