After a 5-2 vote by council Monday evening, General Waste Management has been awarded a contract worth $315,725 that will go into 2021.

The contract was finalized as the city gets set to move forward in expanding organics collection from the food industry and multi-family housing units.

Councillors Dan Boyd and Samson Hartland voted against the contract award.

The contract is significantly more than the city had budgeted for each year, which has raised big concerns for Boyd.

A report to council detailed the changes year-by-year. It noted that for the remainder of 2018, the city had budgeted $38,551, with the contract set to cost $42,450.

Next year saw an increase of $72,001 – from the budgeted $13,104 to $85,105.

The biggest difference comes in 2020 – an increase of $84,054 over the $30,576 budgeted that’s now up to a cost of $114,630.

Finally, in 2020, the city would spend $73,539, an increase from the $29,859 it had expected to spend for the contract that will run for the first half of that year.

The contract is being awarded as the city gets set to roll out the organics collection expansion.

As it was explained in an administrative report that came forward to council: “This contract is critical for the ongoing provisions of commercial organic waste collection service.

“With recent changes to the waste management bylaw, large commercial restaurants and multi-family residences will require a large volume sector for organics diversion.

“An earlier budget amendment for $56,342 in May 2018 will cover all but $3,899 of the new contract cost for the remaining part of 2018.

“Fees to large-volume customers will need to increase to absorb the 2019-2020 cost for this collection service.”

Boyd raised his concerns during council discussion. If the fees go up too much, he warned, commercial customers would look for other options for garbage collection.

The amounts are based on fees per pickup. The fewer the customers for the large-bin pickups, the greater the costs per pickup will be, it was noted.

“At some point, it’s a collapsing program,” Boyd said. He took firm issue with the costs, noting the considerable risk they present to the city.

Hartland noted he too has concerns with the expense factor, and could not vote in favour of awarding the contract and the budget changes with it.

Boyd proposed deferring the matter, saying he was not in a position to support it until he sees the numbers work.

Hartland was the only other council member to vote for the deferral. Taking some extra time to look at the matter further would not hurt anything, he argued.

Others were ready to award the contract, however.

As Coun. Rob Fendrick pointed out, there are not a lot of guarantees with any new program, but it has the potential to divert waste from the landfill.

Coun. Roslyn Woodcock said for her, the initiative that has the city collecting compost is a “flagship program” that she’s excited to see expand and wants to move ahead with.

Similarly, Mayor Dan Curtis argued that one of the worst things the city could do would be nothing.

He said he has faith the community will buy into it.

Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu noted that it will run its course, and after it’s finished, the city can look at it again and go back to the drawing board if needed.