Prince George, B.C. – The Regional District of Fraser fort George was supposed to pass its 2010 budget plan today, but, they will have to come back later this month in an effort to make a decision on that spending plan.

At issue is the funding split to pay for a $2.7 million dollar increase in the solid waste management budget.   The Regional District had prepared a budget based on the boost being covered 50% by tipping fees and 50% by tax increases.

The increase is needed to cover a $750 thousand dollar shortfall and increased costs associated with the expansion of  the landfill gas collection system,  regulatory  cost increases and implementation of the solidwaste management  plan.

Director Dan Rogers (the Mayor of Prince George) was concerned about the increase to cover the funding gap for solid waste management “ We have had a chance to explore the impact on our utility billing and it is significant.”  The impact is that the City of Prince George would have to increase utility bills to cover the costs of the increase in the tipping fees .

Mayor Rogers wanted to know if that could be reconfigured to a 25% increase in tipping fees and 75% increase in taxes collected.

Director Terry Burgess says  the only way to encourage business to start to recycle  by increasing tipping fees. He says with the Foothills Landfill expected to close in 12 to 15 years, there will need to be $15 million dollars in the bank to close and monitor the site for  several decades.

Changing  the formula for the recovery of the shortfall will have an impact on the taxes to be collected from each and every area  which makes up the Regional District. Staff will now work on developing details on how the 75/25 split would look  for the taxes to be collected in each area. 

The Board will reconvene later this month to deal with the  budgeet.