Raymond council makes changes to waste management

By Nikki Jamieson
Westwind Weekly News

A change to Raymond’s Waste Management Bylaw would make it easier for town staff to make changes to a related policy.

During their regular Aug. 18 meeting, Raymond town council performed first reading for a proposed amendment to their Waste Management Bylaw.

“The changes are to remove Appendix B which is an operational policy from the bylaw to allow for council and administration to make operational changes much more quickly and efficiently than going through a formal bylaw amendment process. It is also a philosophical approach that policies are not included with bylaws,” said Kurtis Pratt, CAO for the town.

The policy in Appendix B covers daily procedures and guidelines that need to be changed or amended on occasion. As it is embedded in the bylaw, it makes it difficult to amend, and administration would like the policy removed from the bylaw to make it a stand-alone policy.

While bylaws need council to perform three readings and, if necessary, a public hearing in order to come into effect or every time something in it needs to be changed, a policy only need to go in front of council once. By making the Waste Management Policy a stand alone policy, council will still have final say on any changes, but it will be easier for administration to make changes when needed.

Once the Waste Management Bylaw is amended to remove the policy, administration also wishes to make changes to the following sections of the policy:

• Remove section 42 b) and c) – ashes and burning barrels — as they should not be allowed in the transfer station as they can lead to fires. They can be placed at a designated location on the transfer station grounds, but never in the building.

• Insert “trees” into section 42 i), as the excessive disposal of trees is a big issue and expense at the transfer station. Limiting these loads would help keep the town keep the yard clean.

• Change the fee for white goods. The town is currently charging $20, but the fee is $10, and due to increasing disposal fees, they would like to raise it to $40.

Get More Westwind Weekly →