Bexley tip may close sooner

Press, 22 August 1978, Page 6

Bexley tip may close sooner

The Bexley rubbish tip should be closed by March. 1984, at the latest, the Christchurch City Council said last evening.

But there are strong doubts about whether the Metropolitan Refuse Disposal Committee will accept a financing option which would allow such an early closing; date. ; The option to finance thescheme faster, possibly through a combination of rates and loans, was accepted on a 10-9 vote. All Labour councillors supported the early closing-date proposal. Citizens’ Association councillors said the Labour option would be too hard on ratepayers, since it could mean an 8.1 per cent rise in council rates on its own. Cr D. F. Caygill said that would apply only if the entire scheme financing came trom rates. Cr D. C. Close, who made the compromise motion on

: options—accepting a possible; year’s delay from an early i Bexley closing in 1983—said! I he realised there could be; cash flow problems., but ‘those problems could be) ‘eased in other ways. ■I The city tip had been) : I opened in 1956, and another; • eight years was too long, he! • I said. i Even though the council: could not meet all rubbish | •;scheme costs through loans; II each year, it decided to ask. the Loans Board for a sane- j i tion to raise S4.IM to provide; • its financial share through the years. Then the council would I :‘have the authority to raise; i as much as it wanted from: loans. i > A proposal to abolish all; i tipping charges at the Bexley |

■dump received little support; from the council. Cr R. A. Bamford said the; revenue loss would be about; $62,000 a year, but Cr New-| ‘ton Dodge said the additional; [costs could amount to more: than $200,000 a year. ; Tipping might be free for| persons who took their rub-i ‘bish to the tip. but it would; be a charge on ratepayers. Extra landfill cover alone I could cost $lOO,OOO a vear. Cr Vicki Buck said that ■ commercial dumping would tie covered by the blanket I abolition, and could be seen as the council subsidising private businesses. Bexlev (residents also had enough problems now from vehicles' 'travelling to the dump: more ■vehicles, attracted by free tipping, would make things; | worse.