Aurora
November 20, 2008 10:15 PM
Council poised to approve program at $70 per home
Sean Pearce
Aurora hopes its revised windrow program receives a warmer reception this time around.
Councillors approved, last month, the creation of a pilot windrow program for seniors and residents living with a disability at a cost of $130 per household, which would cover the cost of the program, but it was later voted down after residents complained about the cost.
This week, councillors were presented nine options and they eventually settled on offering the program at a cost of $70 per household and the program will be reviewed in the spring.
The decision still needs to be ratified next week.
Plans to hire additional staff to administer the program were deferred.
The town has reviewed the need for a windrow clearing program since the tail end of last year’s wicked winter, Councillor Stephen Granger said, adding he thinks what was approved by councillors is “a really good program”.
The $70-per-household fee puts Aurora’s program on par with those in Oakville, Whitby and Oshawa, he added.
Councillors also suggested Neighbourhood Network and local high schools be contacted to see if there were students who might be willing to pitch in for community service.
A spring review of the program will help determine if the cost structure makes sense, public works director Ilmar Simanovskis said. Outsourcing the entire program to an external contractor or delivering the program through a tendering program will also be discussed at that time.
Based on the current fee-per-household structure, the net cost to the town for delivering the program is expected to be nothing, Mr. Simanovskis said. That, too, will be investigated in the spring, he added.