Why doesn’t the city use the prisoners at the jail to do more cleanups?
Picking up garbage throughout the city.
We all need to tighten our belts and what a better way than to get the jailbirds to do it. We all already paying taxes to keep them and feed them.

your so right doneright, they should be sweeping the streets by hand and shoveling driveways for the seniors in the winter, don't worry the union will never let it happen

I'm feel like giving my container back to the city and disposing of my own garbage. That is a big hike.

If the increased revenues (200,000 from increasing the rates for garbage pick up) are actually used to pay for the garbage pick up how can it possibly be called a "savings" - the extra money is collected and immediately spent!

Some slight-of-hand financial wizardry!

Why did they not use 200,000 from the 400,000 they saved from staff reductions and apply that to the garbage pick up budget WITHOUT raising our fees again?

Our medium sized container is much too large except for 3 or 4 times a year. I'll be trading mine in for a small.

I agree with Diplomat. It looks like the money collected from "renting" the containers was insufficient to pay for the full cost of the garbage pickup. So, they were going to pay it out of general revenues.

OR ... there was enough money there, but they are going to be collecting more and pay the excess into general revenues. Which one is it?

As far as using prisoners, I would agree to use them as much as possible. However, we must remember they are being housed by the province. So, BC will likely backcharge them to the City at $40/hour + transportation + meals on the job + clothing laundering + tools rental + 20% admin fee.

Was supposed to be cheaper this way of garbage removel wasn't it! but it keeps going up and up.

Hey! Gotta pay for those pothole repairs somehow!!!

Does this mean they didnt do their best job the first time around?

Do over?

"Was supposed to be cheaper this way of garbage removel wasn't it! but it keeps going up and up."

We will never know, will we unless we run two systems side by side each over half of the city.

They can simply say that given the cost of fuel, and this and that and then that other thing too, the costs would have been 30% higher by now with the old system. Who is going to take the time to tell them they are wrong?

Remember, one of the reasons why it is going up is because we are apparently sending more to the dump. The landfill cost is thus going up due to volume, and it is going up due to the cost of operating the land fill. That is all independent of the cost of the collection system.

Yhen again, maybe it isn't. Maybe people are putting more out since they have these nice new containers. Changing systems frequently causes initial adjustments which can show up as more reporting, more use, etc. etc.

NO NO NO!

NO NO NO!

I do not need another increase reaching into my wallet. I have been nickeled and dimed into having no discretionary funds..

Not only that, but if my income is not adequate for my expenses, I can't just tell my employer to pay me more. I have to trim expenses.

Hey city council, NO MORE INCREASES!

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE FUNDS, THEN CUT EXPENSES. WE DO NOT NEED PRETTY FLOWERS, WE NEED WORKING INFRASTRUCTURE.

CUT THE PAC, CUT FRIVOLOUS CRAP, NO NEW CAPITAL PROJECTS TILL THE CITY ACTUALLY HAS THE FUNDING IN PLACE AFTER A SURPLUS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. WHEN BUYING A HOUSE OR A CAR, ONE MUST FIRST ARRANGE FINANCING THEN GO SHOPPING. CITY HALL DECIDES ON A PROJECT THEN TRIES TO GET FINANCING.

STOP SPENDING MY MONEY

It keeps going up in price because they are using it to fund other things like the study on feasibility for a new PAC.

Wow. Garbage pickup is gonna break me! LOL I wish you could opt out of some of these services!

The headline should have read, "City Budget Trims Staff".

I asked at city hall if I can rid myself of weekly garbage pick up. She said no. Then she waffled. I then got a definite maybe when she said the city might still charge me fifty bucks a year. Taking yer weekly garbage to a transfer station costs $4 bucks. Even less if you can find a country road. Someone with more money than brains should take our city to court and make a claim under the Charter of Rights. Then we can find out if "Freedom of Association" trumps costly municipal garbage pick up.

Betcha the folks in Quesnel are reading this right now. Politicians speak untruths.

I saw city crews out the other day pruning trees on traffic islands so that idiot drivers can mow down nice pretty trees. For GAWDS sake FIX the POTHOLES!!!!

denaljo:
http://www.opinion250.com/blog/view/12513/1/contributors+want+opinion250+to+lead+a+pot+hole+protest?

We were told that the automated garbage collection system would increase efficiency and reduce injuries to workers. Where is the individual who made this statement. I believe Ben interviewed him, as he was trying to sell this system to us. If this is so, why do the charges continue to increase. Is anyone at City Hall, or on Council, accountable for the rapidly increasing tax burden on property owners in this City? I understand that the Council members get a large portion of their renumeration as tax exempt earnings. No workers qualify for this perk! Wasn't the platform of most candidates during the last election dedicated to reducing the cost of local government in Prince George? I don't hear anything from them now. Does anyone have further information?

The individuals name I beleive was Tom Kadla.

Local paper reported April 3,2004., that the new garbage system would save the City $1.75 Million dollars over 10 years. Mostly through reduction in WCB Claims, and more efficient system.

Local paper reported on June 13th 2006 that Trash collection costs to rise. The plan was to continue increasing rates so that by 2010, households will be paying $9 and $41 dollars more per year than in 2006.

Increase for Medium Containers would be.

2005 $118
2006 $122.72
2007 $122.72
2008 $127.63
2009 $132.73
2010 $138.04

Rate increases for 2007,2008,2009,and 2010 are subject to council approval. Seems Council approved all increases to date.

So you see these increases have been on the books for sometime. What we dont hear from the City is how much the new system is really costings us. As usual the actual cost of the project is far in excess of the projected cost when it was first proposed. Whats new????

You gotta wonder what alot of the back roads are going to look like now.