The regional district's garbage bill will continue to be the largest expense on its annual budget.
On Wednesday afternoon, Regional District of Fraser-Fort George directors gave preliminary approval to the first portion of the 2016 budget, including financial plans for solid waste management, 911 emergency services, heritage conservation and volunteer fire department co-ordination.
The more than $34 million in spending approved Wednesday was mainly driven by the solid waste budget, which calls for $19.3 million in spending. That's a nearly 40 per cent increase over 2015's solid waste spending of $13.8 million, due to a handful of capital projects still on the go.
The biggest of these is the relocation of the entrance to the Foothills landfill, a $7.6 million, two-phase project to move the scale house facility and public tipping area to the north end of the site.
The first phase of connecting the landfill's leachate collection system was completed last year, but the actual relocation isn't slated to take place until this year. However, funding for the project still remains an issue. The regional district is only budgeting to pay for one third of each stage, with the rest coming from grants.
An application made last year to the federal New Building Canada Fund for a grant was unsuccessful. Petra Wildauer, general manager of environmental services, said another grant application will be made again to the same fund this year.
If the grant application is rejected a second time, other funding sources will have to be explored, said chief administrator Jim Martin. This includes long-term borrowing, which would would have to go back before the board of directors for discussion, he said.
Another $5 per tonne increase to tipping fees is also on the books (currently $77 per tonne, as of Jan. 2). Tipping fees account for a quarter of the solid waste revenue stream and are scheduled to rise in $5 increments every year until they reach $90 per tonne by 2019.
Overall, spending is up $6.2 million for the first group of approved budgets, with a $283,320 (2.3 per cent) increase in the tax levy. When the next set of budgets, up for approval next month, are factored in, the overall tax levy increase is only 1.62 per cent over 2015.
Also driving expenses this year - in addition to the Foothills project - are increases to contracts for fire dispatchers and call takers associated with the 911 emergency response service, more funds for cultural facilities and cultural marketing, and a backup generator, surge protector, new boiler and renovations at the RDFFG's George Street office.
Final 2016 budget approval, including the setting of tax rates for the four municipal members and seven electoral areas, will be completed in March.
