Town council has rejected a recommendation from municipal administration for changes to the operation of the landfill site.
The recommendation was to tender the solid waste collection services for 15 years and to prepare a one-year plan to transition operation of the landfill from the contractor to the town itself.
Only three councillors voted on the motion at the Sept. 25 meeting, since one member was absent and Coun. Kandis Jameson declared a conflict because she co-owns Hay River Disposals, which provides garbage collection and operates the town-owned landfill.
That left Coun. Keith Dohey and Coun. Vince McKay to vote against the proposed changes, while Coun. Steve Anderson was in favour.
"The most recent contract was 2006, a five-year contract with an option to renew for another five years. And since 2016 we've been without a contract," Judy Goucher, the town's senior administrative officer, told council before the vote. "Part of these arguments in support of a longer-term contract is because the equipment required to collect the waste is expensive and so we are requiring our contractor to make an investment in that equipment."
Mayor Brad Mapes also noted a 15-year contract would probably mean savings for the town.
McKay said he is happy with a five-year contract.
Dohey expressed concern that a lot of things can change for both a contractor and the town in 15 years, such as an unexpected increase in the cost of equipment.
"So I'm just saying things can change over a period that long and if we're going to do it that way that there should be protections in there on both sides," he said.
Dohey also expressed doubt about the idea of the town taking over operation of the landfill.
"Right now, we're not certain on what's going on there," he said. "I think in the long-term if the town were to operate its own facility separate from this one, a new facility, that would be the direction to go."
With the current facility, Dohey said he has a "real fear" that it would turn into a bottomless pit of expenses for the town.
"There's not that much life left in this facility, we know that," he said. "We've been told that for 10 years that we need to find a solution. I think that there's obvious need to explore options to divert some waste from going into that site, recycling or whatnot. That would be something that would have to be looked at in the future. As far as the town taking over the current site as it is, I'm not in favour of it."
Mapes argued that splitting garbage collection from operation of the landfill would give the town an opportunity to look forward.
"You've got to see that there is going to be an opportunity for a regional dump," he said.
Speaking to The Hub late last week, Mapes said council made a "terrible" decision.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Town of Hay River should have control over the dump," he said, explaining that is especially important with a regional dump a possibility in the future.
"It's going to be something that next council has got to deal with," he predicted of the landfill issue.
Mapes said he was disappointed because the vote by council was a missed opportunity for Hay River to lead on the landfill issue in the South Slave.