Government Spending!

[cowman]

Here is a typical example of how government operates?
Red Deer County got in a jam when the City of Red Deer booted them out of the landfill. They had to move fast to set up a transfer site.
Of course they paid too much for the land and the contractors had them in a vise! The price quoted to build this site was 4 million...before it was built...now it is up to over 5 and a half! I suspect when all is said and done it will be pushing 7 million!
Now we all know that in this "overheated economy" prices are going through the roof, but is that the whole reason? Do you think $267,000 for trees is a bit much for a dump? Good for the tree farmer...who just happens to be a good buddy of one of the councillors!
I actually have done a bit of landscape work on this site and twice I showed up to do the work and it wasn't ready...after some office boy assured me it was ready to go! I really didn't care as it was $100/hr. whether I did the work or not...and no one cares! Send in an invoice and get paid!
How hard would it have been to get one big private contractor to run the show and come in at cost, instead of having a bunch of office boys creating a typical government gong show?

[cowman]

One more little bit of info on the above situation.
When the county bought the 40 acres for this site they released a little bit of "misinformation" for the population! The quote in the paper was they paid $367 K for the site...implying they got 40 acres for that price. This was totally untrue! In reality they paid $800,000...I saw the check! And it was paid three weeks before they announced they were in "negotiations" to purchase the land! Again I saw the check!
Now were they lying? I would say yes but the politicians don't see it that way! They are only using 20 acres for the transfer site...so what is the other 20 acres for? They screwed up and sent out an "info package" to nearby landowners...with a bio gas plant pencilled in on the drawings for the other 20 acres!
Of course they immediately denied they had any plans to build one...at this time! My "inside man" assures me that a bio gas plant is in the works in the no so distant future! They are pursuing funding from the feds.

[coppertop]

and you criticize the provincial government for not forging ahead with highway repairs and rebuilding !! Don't you think they would pay inflated prices for right of ways,contractors etc?

Your county is going the same route as this one except our is opting out of the landfill agreement, then planning on paying the town for the use of the landfill with no ceiling on the cost !!! OR they are going to hire a private contractor to haul the garbage somewhere else. You can bet that we are all going to see a surcharge on our tax bill for waste disposal fairly soon.
Personally, I have been paying for private garbage pickup for 16 years, the cost is now $35.00 a month and they pick up at the gate every second Wednesday morning at 5:30. This week I had 20 large orange garbage bags full of stuff from cleaning out the yard, flower beds etc. ( I KNOW I SHOULD COMPOST !).

Once every couple of weeks I haul big stuff to the transfer station if necessary, and the system works well for me. I think that Parkland County has the right idea, they have at the gate pickup service in most of the county for very nominal fee.

[cowman]

Uh...where did I ever say the province shouldn't maintain the roads ? I actually said thats about all they should do?
Now looking back to my youth we never had no garbage disposal...or no $7 million dollar transfer station! We burnt it or we buried it and golly gee...we never died a horrible death or anything!
I actually still do the same thing, although the boy is big on hauling things to the dump!
Personally I don't need no $7 million dollar transfer station...but I realize most people aren't as environmentally "friendly" as myself and feel a need to pollute the country with a landfill! LOL
Also coppertop you might want to check out what a bunch of complete jerks Red Deer County is dealing with in regards to the city of Red Deer? No options...just get the hell out of the dump!

[blackjack]

...and it looks like the expense budget is going to get a whole lot larger ...i don't think govt employees can stand to watch some in the private sector make more money than them...

[daretodiffer]

Cowman's "Now looking back to my youth we never had no garbage disposal...or no $7 million dollar transfer station! We burnt it or we buried it and golly gee...we never died a horrible death or anything!" is unbelievably lame. Yuppers, we never had pollution back when I was a kid neither. At least not in my backyard that I could see. Maybe downwind someplace or in somebody else's drinking water but tipping it over the bank was such an easy and out of sight and mind kind of thing to do. And air and water pollution is only a recent thing and never harmed anyone back in the good old days.
To say there was no garbage disposal proves Denial ain't just a river in Egypt.

[coppertop]

solid waste disposal is a major issue with municipalities both rural and urban. Years ago in our community a fellow hauled garbage from town to the DUMP in a wagon behind a tractor !!! Of course, years some folks travelled to town by team and wagon as well !! Population growth and a booming economy does not come without a price !!!

[cakadu]

I'm not sure how easy it is to make judgments and statements about the differences brewing between various municipalities (Red Deer & area is not the only one) unless you are sitting in every single meeting to know what is going on.

When we are told things by another party, doesn't matter how "inside" they are, it is still their interpretation of what happened, along with their biases and frame of reference.

I believe that there is a lot more going on than what is stated in the media and by those in "the know".

Where I have the most difficulty is with a municipal employee who was in a public place talking about a recent subdivision application and giving information that should or should not have been made public. I suppose confidentiality is a nebulous term.

[cowman]

Of course you are right Linda...How do we know ay info we are getting is right...even from the "inside guy"?
Hmmm...Did I predict the four ABS appointees would be the same four appointed last year, despite the fact they advertized for new appointments?
Check your latest "County News"?
I guess my "inside source" was right on this one at least?

[coppertop]

cowman, in this county when council was making the appointments, the Reeve stated that HE wanted the same people back on the ASB, of course three of them are his neighbours. !!Now, don't get me wrong, they are all excellent farmers, but some of us would like to see the farm represntatives appointed fairly throughout the county.

[cowman]

Well the Reeve here couldn't care a bit about the ABS but the ABS chair and the fieldmen hand picked the four public representatives and they've worked very well together?
They are also a good sample of the grain, hog, beef industry which make up the vast majority of agriculture in this county. Also all are from old pioneer families.