Trash talk on citizen survey
Slow going…Traffic slows to a crawl over part of the William R. Bennett bridge coming in from West Kelowna as vehicles drive over a metal plate installed over a faulty expansion joint at the west end of the bridge.
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The controversial automated waste collection system, introduced in the Central Okanagan this year, will be among the subjects added to a citizen’s survey, going out in the mail later this year.
West Kelowna’s 2009 Budget/Service Survey will ask residents to rate the new system as very high, high, neither high nor low, low, very low or no opinion.
Homeowners will also be questioned about adding spring and fall yard waste collections, which disappeared under automation.
The municipality received complaints in the spring regarding the elimination of semi-annual pickups.
Under the new system, yard waste is now picked up biweekly from February through November. One large bin is provided.
The previous system allowed for unlimited amounts of bagged yard waste to be collected from the curb, except for large prunings. Specific weeks were set aside for the pickups in the spring and fall.
In this year’s survey, residents will be asked if they are willing to pay an additional $14 per year to cover the costs of re-establishing the spring and fall yard waste collections.
Costs for garbage, yard and recycling collection have already increased by almost double this year because of the new automated system, the impending closure of the Westside landfill and a drop in commodity prices for recycling.
In addition to waste collection, residents will be asked to weigh in on some new issues related to growth and development.
One question will ask whether developers should provide a higher level of design in their development applications.
Residents will also be asked if beautification of the Westbank town centre should be a District of West Kelowna priority.
Council also wants to know if the elimination of the Highway 97 couplet through downtown Westbank should be tackled.
The final addition to the survey deals with economic development.
Council currently spends $30,000 per year and wants to know if it should spend an additional $30,000 to $150,000 annually on economic development.
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