Grey County’s application to the province’s Municipal Modernization Program to receive funding for a waste management service delivery review has been approved, but the county is looking to push back a deadline tied to it.
Chief Administrative Officer Kim Wingrove told county councillors at their July 22 meeting the Ontario government will provide a $150,000 grant to complete a study examining opportunities for the delivery of solid waste management services at the county level.
Currently, municipalities in Grey County handle their own waste management contracts.
Wingrove said making a determination about whether there’s a role for Grey County in solid waste management service delivery, and if any cost savings or operational improvements could be achieved provided the basis for which the province provided the grant funding for the feasibility study.
County council passed a series of recommendations at its meeting last Thursday, including directing staff to enter into a funding agreement with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing contingent upon receiving an extension to the Municipal Modernization Project grant to Feb. 18, 2022.
Wingrove said the correspondence from the provincial government included a Nov. 30, 2021 completion deadline for the study, but the county is requesting it be moved to February 2022 after all CAOs of lower-tier municipalities were consulted with and unanimously agreed the timeline was not realistic for a project of this scope.
Staff will also strike a project steering committee with membership from each municipality in Grey and report back to county council at a future meeting with a draft Request For Proposals to undertake the feasibility study.
In the event the deadline extension request is not approved by the province, funding for a waste management feasibility study will be included in Grey County’s 2022 budget for council consideration.
Wingrove said she is uncertain at this time if the grant funds will cover the entire cost of a solid waste management feasibility study, because the county has yet to issue an RFP.
Looking ahead, if Grey County does pursue assuming waste management responsibilities on a county-wide basis a high legislative bar would have to be cleared. According to a staff report, The Municipal Act stipulates a “triple majority” would be required supporting such a service change: a majority of lower-tier councils, a majority of electors in the county, and a majority of county council.
