Fire Department Told to Rethink Open Air Burning Bylaw Fees

Thursday, 4 April 2013 10:55

The issue of open air burning fees isn't over yet. At Thursday night's council meeting several councillors expressed their support for the bylaw just not the proposed fees that went along with it. As we told you earlier in the week the proposed bylaw would have saw city residents charged $50 for a permit, and $30 per year after that to have a bon fire in their back yard. Woodstock Fire Chief Scott Tegler says he isn't upset he has to return to council in two weeks with a revision to the proposed bylaw but is happy council took the time to have a frank discussion about some of the effects of open air burning in a growing community. "That's fine, we will review it and they have given us some brief direction that we might have to seek a little more clarity but we will bring back something that's acceptable to try and fit their parameters." City Council has since asked for the fire department to come up with three options for fees, as the majority felt the original fees were too high. Woodstock Fire Prevention Officer Jeff Slager says the original fee figure was carefully researched. "We try to look at the time frame that's put in when we are dealing with them, both in measuring the issuance of the permit, time available for the onsite visits and the educational component and also we try to incorporate there is going to be an extension of the time for handling the calls that are associated with that." Slager says more than 1280 properties in the City currently have permits with more than 200 new permit requests every year. He adds having a bon fire is a privilege not a right and not every resident asks for a permit nor wants open air burning near their property. "With a fee associated with a permit it might be those that only have one or two a year that might whined up causing a nuisance might rethink the fact that they're having it so hopefully it will be something that allows us to control and provide some regulations to the fire pit but then also hopefully appease to some regards those dislike them because it will whined up with a shrinkage of the number of permits for that." Slager says as it stands now, the fire department responded to 80 annoyance calls in 2012, that's up from 64 calls in 2011 and 51 calls in 2010. The new fee options will be brought back to council April 18.