June 8 Beaver County Chronicle

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A Free Weekly Publication Serving All of Beaver County Wednesday, June 8, 16 2022, Volume 15, 15 Issue 23 7 Wednesday February 2022 Volume Issue

County Council hears from resident who wants taxes cut to compensate for living near landfill Patricia Harcourt A Beaver County resident went before council June 1 to explain why he thinks those who live closest to the local landfill are being impacted the most but are the least compensated. Kevin McCoy said more of Claystone Waste Ltd.’s dividends and Good Neighbour Grant should be going towards county residents who live around the landfill. He said property values have dropped significantly for these people, and selling their properties due to proximity is difficult if not impossible. Since they can’t move the only way to compensate them, he said, was for the county to cut their property taxes as compensation for having to suffer the effects of living near the landfill. McCoy questioned why arena facilities in Tofield and Viking are getting recreational support, while those putting up with the smells, noise and dirt of living around the landfill only get a free garbage bin to compensate them. “My question is: ‘Where is the money going that the county gets from Claystone?” he asked. “Why is the money going to Viking and Tofield?” He also wanted to know how much money the county has given to the two towns in the last 10 years compared to what has been given to the people who live around Claystone. “We want something out of it,” McCoy said, stating people living further away are getting funds instead. “We are (the ones) putting up with it…We have to deal with the noise and traffic.” He also said the highway gets dirty and wet from the trucks going in and out of the landfill.

Reeve Kevin Smook (Division 1) told McCoy that, “the reason everyone gets (the funding) is because it (the landfill) is owned by all of Beaver County.” He explained that the landfill was started with funds from all the municipalities within and including the county.” “The money came from all of Beaver County at the start,” he said, so all the participating municipalities receive dividends from the landfill. Plus, the county partners with other towns and villages and helps pay for facility use because county residents also use those facilities, he said. There is $75,000 made available through the Community Support Grants (on the dividend side) for funding supports of different matters throughout the county. The county also used funds through the Good Neighbour Grant to get free garbage bins for those living around Claystone, he said. But McCoy’s request for the county to consider lowering the property taxes for those living near the landfill by way of compensation was not considered. Smook cited the Municipal Government Act (MGA) as the reason this couldn’t be done. Councillor Lionel Williams (Division 2) felt that no matter where a resident lives they must deal with negative effects. Williams cited his own home near a railroad track as an example. “Everybody has something,” he said, but “CN pays significant taxes to the county.” McCoy said this wasn’t the same as many of those living near the landfill were there long before the landfill came into existence. The landowners were there “prior to the landfill being in place.” At that time, “Agreements were

made then to have all local employees and truckers,” which McCoy implied did not happen. And now the landowners can’t get anyone to buy their property. McCoy claimed prospective buyers back out as soon as a realtor gets them to the site and they see the landfill mountain. The traffic in and around the landfill is also increasing, said McCoy, “and people (living) in other places don’t have to put up with it.” McCoy also said mud on the roads is also increasing as a result. “After the rain you can’t drive down the roads with a clean vehicle,” he said. “I’d like you guys to live where we’re living. It doesn’t affect you, or the people living in Tofield.” “We’ve got to put up with these things and we’re not getting anything,” he said. Smook told him that the intent of the free bin policy “is to offset poor effects of the neighbours living around the landfill.” But McCoy replied that he “doesn’t think bins are enough,” calling for lowered taxes. He asked that the county check with other municipalities because he believes that it is being done. Deputy Reeve Gene Hrabec (Division 3) noted that the county has given money to local organizations in the centre of the county such as the Ryley and Holden agricultural societies. Hrabec praised the county’s bin policy, and suggested that it could be expanded to include more residents in the area around the landfill. At the moment the policy allows for free bins for those living within a radius of a mile of the landfill. “We’re bound by the MGA to look at the big picture,” Hrabec said, "and

can’t pit one group against another." Hrabec said he believes the county “has a great working relationship” with other groups adding it’s important to be pro-active and work with people in our communities.” He didn’t believe that “looking at who gets more and who gets less is a fair way to do it,” in terms of distributing funding. But McCoy repeated the complaint that arenas in Tofield and Viking are getting money from the county unfairly. “Why are you guys always giving Viking and Tofield money? They get their chunks of money from Claystone…The county’s money should be used for the county.” Hrabec replied: “We have to pay our share…County residents use the facilities,” for hockey, 4-H and other clubs and organizations whose residents are from the county. He added that, “sometimes it doesn’t look like it’s fair,” when it actually is fair. Smook suggested that people listening to the conversation should think of ideas for how funds from the Good Neighbour Grant could be used to help compensate them for living adjacent to the landfill. Councillor Barry Bruce (Division 4) was more conciliatory. “You’re not the only one who thinks the centre of the county isn’t getting its fair share,” he said, to McCoy. Noting that “the large centres get more,” Bruce said he feels like this is “sucking the centre right out of the county.” Although suggestions are needed to change this, he said, “We’re stuck with the system we have… Personally, I don’t have a solution…I feel for you, I really do.” “What else can you give us but cutting taxes?” McCoy replied.