Dufferin County Council’s Community Development Committee is expected to approve a draft of a proposed solid household waste assumption when it meets this evening (Thursday).

It has taken almost 30 years to get to this point, but there’s still a distance to go before implementation can be viewed as a lead-pipe cinch.

Once again, it has to be approved by county council next week for circulation to all eight municipalities. And then, the majority of the eight municipalities – representing a majority of county-wide electors – would have to agree to it, at which time it would be put to a vote at the county where it would require a majority of the ballots.

Only then could it be adopted to take effect in October. But even then the rocky road – which, among other things has cost $10-million or more for an ill-fated, so-called, Waste Management Master Plan — has a few more potholes to get around.

Those are to be found in Clause 3 of the draft bylaw.

First, the implementation does not occur unless the DEEP energy from waste (EFW) proposed facility is deemed feasible, and that assumption does not take place until the EFW facility has been commissioned.

After all that, the county must negotiate a Feed-in-Tariff rate of 12 cents a kwh from Ontario Power Authority. That’s about 1 1/2 cents more than the going rate for this type of generation. And it must hold the tipping fee to a targeted per-tonne rate of $75-$80.

There are four active landfill sites in Dufferin, owned by Amaranth, Melancthon, Mono and Mulmur. A former one in East Luther is in the process of rehabilitation, and the closed one in Melancthon once used by Shelburne is in the final stages of monitoring. East Garafraxa and Orangeville have not had their own dumps for decades, Orangeville’s now lying under Rotary Park and Highway 10. East Luther Grand Valley council, faced with the reality of closure costs, has offered to cede complete control of waste to the county on Jan. 1, 2011. But it would not “be a deal-breaker” if the county did not take over existing landfill sites.

Currently, neither Shelburne nor Mulmur would agree to the county assuming the landfill sites. Shelburne’s reason was practical: its taxpayers have already paid the hefty price for a dump closure. Mulmur will vote when all members are present.

There appears to be no definitive stance by other councils.

But the bylaw excludes a county takeover of existing dumps – and this might overcome the most significant stumbling block to county waste assumption.