City to present utility funding options for curbside residential garbage and upcoming organics program

On Monday, October 18, the Administration will present a decision report to the Governance and Priorities Committee (GPC) detailing two options for the implementation of a utility for curbside residential garbage and the upcoming curbside residential organics program. The decision to rescind the November 19, 2018 resolution to fund both with property taxes came during the August 30, 2021 GPC meeting, where the Administration was asked to re-evaluate the funding model and present options on timing, phase-in options, and affordability options.

The two options are as follows:

• Option 1: January 2023 implementation of fixed monthly rates for both black cart garbage and curbside organics utilities.
• Option 2 (Recommendation): January 2023 implementation of fixed monthly rate for curbside organics utility and January 2024 implementation of variable rates for the black cart garbage.

This illustration provides a detailed comparison of both options, including the estimated financial impact on single-family households, condominiums, and non-residential properties.

“Funding these services through a utility is a step in the right direction, as it provides additional transparency of program costs and accountability to customers through a fair and justifiable rate.” says Angela Gardiner, General Manager, Utilities and Environment. “We have done a thorough comparison of both options and we feel that the variable aspect of Option 2 is most favourable as it increases the customer’s control over their costs and encourages lower usage of residential garbage services by providing financial incentives for waste diversion.”

The full report and attachments can be found here.

Progress updates and a decision history can be found at saskatoon.ca/curbsideorganics.