ST. PAUL - The County of St. Paul has approved its new Dust Control Policy, but the decision to proceed with charging ratepayers a portion of the cost for future dust controls was not supported unanimously by council.
During discussions that took place at the Oct. 24 Public Works meeting, Coun. Dale Hedrick spoke out against the policy, stating he did not support passing on the costs to ratepayers. Following a motion made by Coun. Darrell Younghans supporting approval of the policy, Hedrick requested a recorded vote.
While the majority of council did support the policy, Hedrick and Coun. Kevin Wirsta did not vote in favour of the policy.
The Dust Control Policy was discussed in August by the Policy Committee, where it was amended to move toward charging residents for dust suppression. An annual application must be completed by the resident wanting the dust control done, according to information presented to council.
The cost to ratepayers will be $500 per year for dust control, and when applied to gravel roads will use "a blend of calcium chloride and magnesium hydroxide.” The rate was determined based on information that was gathered from nearby municipalities, explained CAO Sheila Kitz.
The rate is about 25 per cent of the actual cost of providing a dust control in 2023.
In 2023, the County of St. Paul’s public works department applied 174 dust controls. The total cost for the product in 2023 was $250,941.
Administration estimates that upwards of $87,000 could potentially be collected in revenue, although Kitz acknowledged that not all residents would choose to get dust controls done, once a fee is in place, so the number would likely be lower.
Discussion on the policy also took place during a previous strategic and operational planning session, where the reviewed policy was presented to council.
Speaking to oiled dust controls that exist throughout the County, “Further amendments were made to include an option for refurbishing oiled dust controls instead of removing them and charging the resident a flat fee,” reads information presented to council on Oct. 24.
Reeve Glen Ockerman asked for clarification regarding repairs that would be made to oiled dust controls that already exist. He asked what would happen if the County truck passed by and patched a pothole on an oiled dust control. It was noted that there would be no cost to that, as it would be general maintenance.
Costs would come into play if the oiled portion had to be entirely refurbished. In this case, “the resident may request to have the dust control refurbished instead of removed,” reads the policy. “When a dust control is refurbished, the resident will be charged a flat rate, as set out in the Fee Schedule Bylaw. This rate will be reviewed annually,” further states the document.
Kitz noted that a definition for the word "refurbished" could be added to the policy to make sure the point is clear.
“A resident requesting a new oiled dust control will be charged 100 per cent of the cost, based on previous year’s costs,” reads the policy, as presented to council.
Hedrick voiced his concern about the policy, stating he was not in favour of charging ratepayers, nor was he in favour of moving away from doing oiled dust controls.
He noted that in his experience speaking with ratepayers, people do not like the calcium chloride mixture that is being used as dust control.
Hedrick also said he felt the $87,000 that could be seen as revenue was a “small drop in the bucket” and he questioned if it was worth it. He also noted that since people can apply for an exemption to the fee with a doctor’s note if they have health issues around dust, it could create an administrative nightmare.
Hedrick stood by the notion that what most County residents want is a bit of oil in front of their residences, and a grader to go past in the winter.
Coun. Ross Krekoski offered his thoughts on the issue, agreeing with Younghans that residents who currently have dust controls done do get more value than those who do not have dust controls in front of their residences.
Krekoski noted that the cost to do business in all aspects has increased, pointing to a recent decision by council to proceed with purchasing three new fire trucks. With that mindset, Krekoski says he finds it hard to rationalize the County paying the full costs for dust controls.
“It’s not about the revenue. It’s more about running an efficient operation,” said Krekoski.
In response, Hedrick noted that residents who live along oiled roads aren’t charged more simply because they live on an oiled road. He also noted that in the eastern portion of the County, there are roads that are oiled and paid for by industry partners, and those costs are not passed on to the ratepayers.
Discussions quickly wrapped up as Younghans made the motion to approve the policy, which was carried by a vote of 5-2.
