A councillor from the RM of Weyburn says negotiations with the city over landfill use have been a farce, because the city committee never intended to consider anything except a per capita fee - an accusation the city denies.

"I don't think they negotiated in good faith at all," said Jack Giroux. "The whole thing was to give the public the impression they were actually doing something."

Giroux said he was "extremely disappointed" following a meeting between committees from both councils on Monday, where the garbage dispute was left unresolved.

City Councillor Ray Hamm says that's because the RM has yet to come up with a solution that won't cost Weyburn taxpayers additional money.

"It seems to us they're asking us to change our system to accommodate them. Our first responsibility is to the taxpayers of Weyburn," he said.

The meeting was prompted by Saskatchewan Environment Resource Management. SERM told the RM they were in violation of municipal refuse management regulations by failing to provide a collection system and waste disposal services, and would have to have an arrangement in place by June 5.

Residents of the Weyburn municipality have been without a place to haul their garbage since Jan. 1, but were recently granted access to the city's landfill from May 15 to June 5 due to a request from SERM.

The residents were originally locked out after the RM refused to pay a $7.50 per capita fee to the city for landfill use, saying most rural residents don't use the landfill, and that the per capita fee was essentially a tax on people who had no democratic influence over city council. Prior to Jan. 1, RM residents paid a tipping fee at the gate.

The city argued their taxpayers were essentially subsidizing the use of the landfill by rural residents, that money would be needed to eventually upgrade the landfill and that it is a common practice for people to subsidize services they may not use.

The garbage started to pile up, RM residents began to complain, and some threatened to pull their support from local businesses. Negotiations between the city and RM began shortly after.

The option that garnered the most discussion was the installation of a weigh scale at the landfill to charge by weight. The RM said they would pay a portion of the cost of the scale, and tried to gain support from other municipalities for a cost-sharing arrangement with the city.

The city looked into weigh scale options and came up with a cost anywhere from $66,000 to $72,000, based on the price of the scale, installation, computer upgrades and software, ramps and road paving, and a yearly maintenance fee.

The RMs were asked to share these costs among themselves (with no money from the city), with the stipulation that in two year's time they would be working towards a regional landfill system. If they didn't meet that obligation, the per capita system would be put in place.

Giroux says the city made the "bizarre" offer knowing none of the RMs would be willing to sign on.

"They had no intention of considering anything other than a per capita fee. Everytime we suggested another alternative (at Monday's meeting) they basically said no. There wasn't a negotiation going on at all," Giroux said.

The RM councillor says the dispute is more a matter of principle than money.

"What they want to do is create a tax base where they're not responsible to the people who would have to pay the taxes, and I am totally against that line of thinking.... They want to tax everybody. Our view is more independent. We want a user pay system," said Giroux, adding a user pay system would help reduce waste.

Coun. Hamm says installing a scale would mean increased fees at the gate for all users.

By asking for a per capita or yearly fee, said Coun. Hamm, the city is asking for a way to recover the money that will have to be paid when the landfill reaches capacity and a new one is built.

"We look at it as a fee for services. If they don't want to have it per capita, that's fine. We consider it an up-front price for the opportunity to use the landfill, that we can put towards replacement value down the line. It's no different than any other membership fee," he said.

City Coun. Debra Button says no one is picking on the RM of Weyburn.

"When you look at the other RMs getting to the end of their landfill sites, we need something in place that's fair and equitable for everyone who wants to use the landfill."

RM councillors will meet with representatives from SERM, likely sometime today, to come up with alternatives.

"We've got the option of making some kind of arrangement with another RM, or someone else. We've got the option of Regina, which is a pay-by-the-tonne system," said RM Reeve Dan Sidloski.

Sidloski said he has "no idea" what SERM will do if the RM doesn't make garbage arrangements for its residents. The reeve is unsure of the legality of SERMs demands, and says he will question their jurisdiction.

Sidloski says SERM got involved because of pressure from Mayor Don Schlosser.

"I was told directly by the mayor they would force us to pay a per capita fee or they would bring (the environment department) down on us. Those were his words. I know he has been putting pressure on them," he said.

Schlosser could not be reached for comment.