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Chatham-Kent Council agreed to buy rails on a short run track through part of the municipality.
Before it was abandoned several years ago, it served several grain elevators and those elevator companies would like the chance again to ship by rail.
The municipality already owns the land, and it takes the view that if it can't find an operator for the rail line it will be valuable for trails, for power corridors and the like. Municipal officials may be right.
The issue is $3.6-million for the rails and ties. Without them, finding an operator is just not going to happen.
Complicating the decision is another economic development issue. Chatham-Kent is trying to attract a fertilizer plant. It would provide a lot of jobs, pay a lot of taxes and needs a rail line.
Municipalities right now are not able to offer incentives to attract industry, but holding on to a rail line might help.
The counter to those arguments is the fact that it is $3.6-million.
That in a tight economic climate with a council that is desperately trying to hold the line on taxes and pay off municipal debt. There certainly is the possibility that if this doesn't work, some of that money will be recouped through a sale of those very same rails, but that is not what anyone is hoping for.
So it isn't an easy decision, it certainly has the potential to go either way.
It may be popular with the agriculture sector who want to see the elevators stay competitive, and it certainly will play well if it works and the community gets a fertilizer plant.
If it doesn't and no short haul operator is found, or if one is found, but no fertilizer plant comes to town, it's going to be a very tough decision to sell to voters.
Certainly short-haul rail lines do work in some areas, and that is good for agriculture in those areas. But everything has to come together.
The ag community and the voters in Chatham-Kent are watching to see what will happen next.
