City hall kept its new landfill site selection process quiet and confidential because it was worried that land prices could substantially increase if landowners learned about the initiative.
City manager Maryse Carmichael and operations director Bevan Harlton spoke with the Moose Jaw Express about the proposed solid waste management venue site after several rural residents expressed concern about how the city chose the location first before having public consultations.
This is the fourth in a series of articles about this topic.
Data-based decision-making
City hall did not include public opinion or emotion when it selected the site, and instead, based its decision on technical analyses and regulatory requirements, explained Harlton. This narrowed the choices to places that could house a solid waste venue.
“After the technical part was done, the city sought out the land under confidentiality … because if the client was known to the people (who) would potentially sell the land, the concern was that the price would go up,” he continued.
With the land agent and consultant suggesting that cost could double or triple immediately, administration purchased the land with strong support from the consultant and city council, he added.
While city administration hired Calgary-based Scott Land & Lease Limited to find a suitable location, Harlton clarified that the municipality used the company’s Saskatchewan-based land agent.
The Express learned that city hall allegedly spent $6 million to purchase 156.09 hectares (390.23 acres) from the estate of Truman Bailey. After he died in 2016, his family rented out the land under the Great West Farms Limited banner; they sold two quarters of land plus part of a third for the landfill project.
Carmichael was unwilling to confirm either who owned the land or how much city hall paid for it, citing confidentiality agreements and the fact the purchase was not yet finalized. Once that occurred, more information would likely be made available.
This has been an “interesting process,” and city hall is eager to meet publicly with the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw, farmers, rural residents and city residents for consultations, said Harlton. That’s “not just lip service” since the city is unable to complete its conceptual design until stakeholder engagement sessions occur.
“Once we get the stakeholder piece done (and) hear all the feedback, then we can finish our concept design and then turn and get a detailed design,” he added.
Cart before the horse
Harlton was pushed about why city administration didn’t hold public consultations first before selecting the site, considering garbage services is an emotional topic for people. Moreover, it was noted that rural landowners feel blindsided, fear their land values will decrease, that they may have trouble selling and that the landfill would be unpleasing visually.
Also, some said it didn’t make sense to have consultations after the city had already made a choice when, typically, the city seeks input first about initiatives.
The operations director questioned whether it made sense to offer different site options, acquire various opinions about them and then select a location based on that input. He noted that this has been a “difficult and challenging situation.”
“It’s a different way of doing business in this case, but this is also a once-in-hundred-year project for the city … ,” said Carmichael. “And this decision will have an impact on the city for years to come.”
If the city selected four possible sites, that could turn the process into an auction since the landowners would know the municipality wants their property, while city administration must be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ dollars, she continued. City hall had to weigh the technical and regulatory aspects with stakeholders’ input — and the latter cannot override the former.
City administration still has a “sizeable task” ahead of it since it must communicate with the public and hold an engagement session — sometime in January — with the public, Carmichael added. Specifically, this is not just a typical landfill but a solid waste management venue that manages the garbage using 21st-century technology and processes.
The Express will feature a second article with further comments from Carmichael and Harlton about this detailed issue.
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