Wed, June 3, 2009
Ottawa and Queen's Park will pay most of the cost of the plant
London politicians barely batted an eye this week before backing the building of a $23-million recycling facility to be paid for almost entirely by Ottawa and Queen's Park.
A planned presentation by city staff was nixed by politicians, who lavished praise for the proposed plant that would cost half as much as the John Labatt Centre.
The light-speed treatment was warranted, politicians say, because city council had endorsed the proposal whose business case was laid out in in a report by the city environmental director Jay Stanford.
Most agreed the debate would have been more deliberate if city taxpayers, not senior governments, were paying, since council often has more worthy projects than cash to pay for them.
"It would have been a much more vigorous debate if we were all competing for the same (London) tax dollar," Stanford said yesterday.
Of the about $23 million, more than $15.3 million would come from stimulus funds $4.4 million from a Crown agency funded by companies that make plastic products and other items that can be recycled and $3.26 million from money the city gets from the federal gas tax.
That money would have to be spent quickly since the stimulus program requires it -- the plan is to start construction this year and by January 2011 have the plant sorting household recyclables so they can be sold on the market.
The new plant would be owned by the city, but operated by a private contractor.
"If it was $23 million coming out of local taxpayers only, there would have been some debate," Controller Bud Polhill said.
Still, Polhill intends to ask some questions today when the matter goes before the city's board of control.
"It's all tax dollars," he said. "It all comes out of my pocket and yours."
The proposal has drawn nothing but praise from politicians who agree with Stanford's contention the facility, which would also serve the region around the city, would reduce the city's recycling costs, help divert material now going to its landfill and improve the environment, all without burdening property taxes.
Simply put, Stanford's report left nothing of significance unanswered, said Coun. Paul Hubert, who chaired Monday's committee meeting.
"I think this is a huge win for the taxpayers, the city of London and the region," he said.
But the fact the tab is picked up by others makes it easier, he said, pointing, as a contrast, to an expected debate next month over whether and when to begin a green bin program for table scraps.
Staff expect a green bin program will have a much bigger impact on diversion than a new recycling facility -- but green bins will prove more contentious because city taxpayers would be on the hook.
"That's a little bit of a different story," Hubert said.
"We (may be) slowing up (the green bin plan) because of the economy."
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