WEST HANTS, N.S. – Garbage collection in West Hants is officially going to get a little greener.
Councillors voted to rescind the rollout of green bin collection during a special session of council on Jan. 15, but the motion was defeated, meaning collection is expected to begin for the entire municipality on April 1, 2018.
Councillors Kathy Monroe, Rupert Jannasch and David Keith voted in favour of rescinding the motion.
Council previously approved the establishment of a municipality-wide green bin collection service in September.
Warden Abraham Zebian said council would work hard to offer the service without any additional costs to residents.
“It was an important issue at the last election, not just in my district but from many residents across the municipality,” Zebian said following the meeting. “They’re happy that it’s coming. We believe that it’s a service young families and existing families are looking for.”
The full costs of the service won’t be known until the upcoming budget, but council previously determined that residents would pay for green bin collection through the general tax rate, similar to fire prevention, policing and other municipal services.
Zebian said green bin collection would likely average out to $39 per year for the majority of residents.
During discussions on rescinding green bin service, acting Chief Administrative Officer Martin Laycock warned that rescinding council’s previous motion could have lead to legal action.
Hantsport could see cost savings
Hantsport councillor Robbie Zwicker said residents in the community could see their costs go down as a result of the municipality-wide rollout.
Once the new municipal-wide service goes into effect, the community of Hantsport will no longer have a separate area rate for green bin collection, rather it will be through the general rate like the rest of the municipality.
“The big thing I’ve heard from my residents is ‘don’t take away my green bin’ or ‘don’t make it smaller,’” Zwicker said. “If they can keep their service and at a reduced cost? What a wonderful thing.”
On the hunt for a new CAO
Council also voted to form a hiring committee to search for a new Chief Administrative Officer after letting Cathie Osborne go earlier in the month.
Warden Abraham Zebian and councillors Robbie Zwicker and Jennifer Daniels are on the committee.
Following the meeting, Zebian said work on that would likely start the next day when asked when the search would begin.
