Majority County Council vote turns down funding Green Bin program from reserves

- Admin directed to present an option to transition the Green Bin program

to a levy-funded model, once all municipalities are participating in 2028 -

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

A motion to fund the Green Bin organic collection program from reserves in varying amounts over the next three-years to help residents adjust to having to pay for the new service was turned down at the March 2 County of Essex Council meeting in a vote of 11-3.

  Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey introduced the idea as a Notice of Motion at the February 19 meeting. She supported it with Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walsted and Essex Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley.

  Her motion would have had cost of the user-fee of the Green Bin program for the County to be fully funded from reserves in the 2026 Budget year, funded 50% for residents of the Phase 1 municipalities and 100% for residents of Phase 2 municipalities from reserves as part of the 2027 Budget, fund 50% of Phase 2 municipalities in 2028 from reserves, and that the cost be through the General Municipal Tax Levy in 2029. Her motion asked that administration come up with a plan for each of these years.

  At that same previous meeting, County Council also postponed adopting a charge to users of the Green Bin program. This was one of the fees postponed as part of the overarching County Fees and Charges By-Law and Report. The idea was to give administration time to report on options to subsidize the organics pick-up user-fee from reserves for the County residents included in the program. That resolution narrowly passed with a vote of 7-6.

  In terms of utilizing reserves to fund the Green Bin cost, there are not any, Melissa Ryan, County Director of Financial Services, told County Council last week.

  “Redirecting these funds would not remove the cost; it would simply shift it and require future levy increases to restore those reserves,” Ryan explained, noting the only reserve that may be usable for his program is the Rate Stabilization Reserve. It is projected to have $15.1M at the end of 2026. That represents around 10% of the levy, the minimum amount required under the Council-approved Reserve Management Policy.

  To fund 100% of the 2026 fee from the reserve would require around $9M, bringing the reserve below policy minimum. Under the multiple-year funding model proposed, the reserve would be depleted by the end of 2027, and move further into deficit into 2028.

  She added that “reserves are not surplus funds, they are a financial risk buffer.”

  A one-time 10% reduction was an option outlined for County Council to consider in the first-year fee for households, requiring around $1.37M over two-years.

  Administration, Ryan added, does not recommend funding the Green Bin program from reserve.

Kingsville Deputy Mayor Kim DeYong asked why a reserve wasn’t set-up back in 2022 when talks of the program began. Ryan noted in 2024, County Council voted to have a user-fee instead of a levy fee incorporated at the municipal level. Typically, reserves offset tax rate increases, not user-fees.

  DeYong said it is not very friendly to the ratepayer to have the cost of the program implemented this way, and not great for reserves in trying to soften the blow. She didn’t support the motion.

  “This is just a really good example of not pushing through and signing contracts and getting where we are committed, without actually knowing the bottom line and knowing what the impact is going to be for residents [who] we know are not paying attention until they get the bill,” DeYong said.

  Lakeshore Mayor Bailey argued whether it is a user-fee or a tax increase, it is the same thing.

At some point, she added, a bigger conversation has to be had around garbage, organics, recycling and reducing costs. Her intention to use the Rate Stabilization Reserve – intended to drive down surprises – would be able to offset the cost of the program, as the County municipalities figure out weekly garbage collection, etc.

  LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche noted each municipality had a chance to talk about garbage collection and bring it to the regional level, which was turned down in 2023.

  Though it is known that residents are facing financial pressures, “good intentions do not replace sound financial planning,” Meloche added. She could not support Bailey’s motion.

  Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers also said he could not support it, as emptying a bank account for the fee creates a hole. He was supportive of the 10% relief.

  Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb suspected municipalities will see savings locally by reduced tipping fees to the landfill with the organics being diverted and opportunity to perhaps go to every-other week for garbage. 

  While discussing the 2026 Budget, no one around the County Council table brought up the need to plan.

  “I’m actually embarrassed we are even talking about this, because all we are doing is covering our butts, in my humble opinion, that we don’t actually want people to see what this is going to cost by using reserves to pay for it,” Gibb said. “I think that’s wrong. I think that’s dishonest, and I will not support it.”

  Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara suggested revisiting the regional garbage collection option to potentially take advantage of economies of scale. He could not support the motion.  

  Deputy Mayor DeYong argued uploading garbage to the County would have reduced the service level and the amount of savings. Based on what was shown at the local level, it is a pittance compared to the cost of the Green Bin program.  

Where savings should have been noticed is in recycling, in DeYong’s opinion. When it was uploaded to the producers, EWSWA should have had big savings and that should have been passed onto the taxpayers. They were, and taxpayers didn’t get to see them.

  Essex Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley noted with decisions made regarding the organics collection in 2024, it didn’t leave a lot of time to plan for a $9M bill.

  He asked if there could be a shift in some of the dollars being collected for the acute care hospital – which will be around $7M this year – to help offset the Green Bin program cost. The hospital is years away from being built, he noted. County admin noted during 2026 Budget Deliberations that this reserve is forecasted to be at $65M by the end of the year. The County needs to fund $100M.

  Admin does not recommend utilizing capital reserve allocations for ongoing operating expenses, CAO Sandra Zwiers said. Council could do it, but admin does not recommend that. Shepley wanted to at the very least support the 10% relief.

  County Council also passed the County Fees and Charges By-Law. The County annually reviews its County Fees and Charges By-Law to ensure they continue to reflect the actual costs of delivering services, which includes the Green Bin user-fee.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy put forward a motion, which was unanimously approved, to direct administration to present an option to transition the Green Bin program to a levy-funded model, once all municipalities are participating in 2028.

  Doing so, it was noted during the meeting, would move this to an assessment-based, calculated on the value of the home. It would also spread the cost of the program out over the taxbase, even to those not using the program.

  During last week’s meeting, County Council also heard from Doug Doher, a resident of the County of Essex. He fully supported recycling efforts and conservation of land, in addition to extending the life of the Regional Landfill. Currently, its lifespan is to 2040, to County Solicitor David Sundin’s understanding.

  “Essex County Council, I respectfully remind you that public input from the taxpayers is a fundamental part of the democratic process. Public accountability and transparency do not conclude once a vote has been taken. Municipal governance is an ongoing process and taxpaying residents should retain the ability to raise concerns, particularly when those concerns continue to relate directly to financial impact and program participation,” Doher commented.

  He said the Green Bin program was rolled out without full disclosure of the cost to the taxpayers and the decision-makers.

  Larger industries – like the greenhouse and food production – that would likely contribute the most compost to the landfill are exempt from the program.

  He also spoke of how current participation in the program was about 27%, and asked if there is remuneration to the County taxpayers from the business that is receiving the compost.

  Doher offered alternative solutions to the curbside program, like offering a drop-off depot for those who want to participate in rural areas.

  Had the program been a taxpayer endeavour to create the fertilizer from the compost to create profit to the County or at least help to offset the cost, he would have gladly been on board. Adding the cost to the property tax, or paying from reserves, was unacceptable, he said.

  Doher asked County Council to pause the program, reassess it in respect to participation and cost, and have more data to justify its decision.

  Mayor Bondy sympathized with Doher, and directed him to look at the County’s FAQ. She noted a lot of the questions he had must be answered by EWSWA, and County Council supported her motion at the February 4 meeting to ask for program data.

  She wants more information herself, so the County could potentially look at things going forward if possible.

  Warden Hilda MacDonald noted greenhouses have a cost to pick-up their materials, as well.

 Green Bin billing facts:

• Green Bin user fee applies only to eligible residential properties.

• It is collected through local municipal tax bills on behalf of the County, and is structured on a cost-recovery basis.

• Organics will be picked-up at single-family homes and multi-residences with six-units or less.

• Windsor, Essex, Lakeshore, Tecumseh, and LaSalle are phase 1 municipalities, with the Green Bin launch taking place in October of 2026.

• Kingsville, Leamington, and Amherstburg are phase 2 municipalities, with the Green Bin launch taking place in October of 2025.

• The total amount to be recovered in 2026 (including the service for this year and the last three months of 2025) for phase 1 municipalities are: $1,577,808 from Essex ($186.19 per household); $2,849,114 from Lakeshore ($188.10 per household); $2,124,273 for LaSalle ($188.42 per household); $1,544,414 for Tecumseh ($183.64 per household).