Yellowknife (Mar 03/06) - After a marathon committee meeting last week, city council decided a $50,000 consultant's review of the solid waste facility needs to go back to the drawing board for further information and discussion before it is brought to regular council.

The report presents six waste processing options, and recommends the city purchase a new baler to use in the existing facility at a cost of $2.87 million.

The report's list of recommendations to improve dump efficiency includes discontinuing the practice of snow dumping and preventing public access to active areas of the landfill.

While Coun. Kevin O'Reilly was prepared to accept the report and its recommendations without amendment, other councillors decided more information was needed.

"It doesn't answer all the questions," Coun. Doug Witty said. He said he wanted to see a cost comparison with same-sized southern communities.

The majority of councillors also decided a seventh option should be added: purchase a baler, but keep the existing compactor. Coun. Alan Woytuik questioned the lack of input by council into the report.

"I think the whole process needs to be reviewed," Woytuik said of the way external reviews are conducted. "I think council should set up a review committee."

By having administration hire the consultant and write up the terms of reference, Woytuik said it was a "fox guarding the chicken coup scenario."

"When I read this report, I did not feel it was objective (but) written to support a preconceived idea," he said.

Coun. Mark Heyck rebutted Woytuik's claim, but agreed the study needed more information. "If council were a driving force, there wouldn't be an external review."

Heyck also said more information on the baler versus the compactor is needed. "But over all, the conclusions in terms of costs for the most part made sense."

The report also recommends it is cost-effective to operate the recycling program versus landfilling the material.